[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9347-9348]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 200--WISHING HIS HOLINESS THE 14TH DALAI LAMA A HAPPY 
    80TH BIRTHDAY ON JULY 6, 2015, AND RECOGNIZING THE OUTSTANDING 
 CONTRIBUTIONS HIS HOLINESS HAS MADE TO THE PROMOTION OF NONVIOLENCE, 
    HUMAN RIGHTS, INTERFAITH DIALOGUE, ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS, AND 
                               DEMOCRACY

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. Kirk, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. 
Cardin, and Mr. Menendez) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 200

       Whereas, for over 50 years, His Holiness the 14th Dalai 
     Lama has significantly advanced greater understanding, 
     tolerance, harmony, and respect among the religious faiths of 
     the world;
       Whereas the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 
     1989 in recognition of his efforts to seek a peaceful 
     resolution to the situation in Tibet and to promote 
     nonviolent methods for resolving conflict;
       Whereas the Dalai Lama was awarded the Congressional Gold 
     Medal in 2007 in recognition of his many enduring and 
     outstanding contributions to peace, nonviolence, human 
     rights, and religious understanding;
       Whereas the Dalai Lama has led the effort to preserve the 
     rich and unique cultural, religious, historical, and 
     linguistic heritage of the people of Tibet while working to 
     safeguard other endangered cultures throughout the world;
       Whereas the 14th Dalai Lama has devolved the traditional 
     role of the Dalai Lama as the political head of the Tibetan 
     government, and his own responsibilities within the Central 
     Tibetan Administration, in favor of the democratically 
     elected leadership of Tibetans in exile, while continuing to 
     travel and speak as a spiritual leader for the people of 
     Tibet;
       Whereas the Dalai Lama, together with leading 
     environmentalists, has been gravely concerned by the degraded 
     state of the environment of Tibet and the consumption of the 
     natural resources of Tibet, including freshwater, because the 
     degradations have implications not only for the people of 
     Tibet, but for the whole of Asia; and
       Whereas the people of the United States, including Tibetan 
     Americans, have come to regard the Dalai Lama as a leading 
     figure of moral and religious authority: Now, therefore, be 
     it

[[Page 9348]]

       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) extends well-wishes to the Dalai Lama on his 80th 
     birthday;
       (2) recognizes the Dalai Lama for a lifelong commitment and 
     outstanding contribution to the promotion of nonviolence, 
     human rights, religious tolerance, environmental awareness, 
     and democracy; and
       (3) recognizes the Dalai Lama for using moral authority to 
     promote the concept of universal responsibility as a guiding 
     tenet for how human beings should treat one another and the 
     planet that all human beings share.

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