Dalai Lama takes 2012 Templeton Prize

WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. - The Dalai Lama was named March 29 as the winner of the 2012 Templeton Prize.

A statement from the John Templeton Foundation, which selects the winner, said his “long-standing engagement with multiple dimensions of science and with people far beyond his own religious traditions has made him an incomparable global voice for universal ethics.”

The prize, which includes an award of about $1.7 million — the monetary award must always be larger than those offered in the Nobel Prizes — will be presented to the Dalai Lama in London May 14.

“With an increasing reliance on technological advances to solve the world’s problems, humanity also seeks the reassurance that only a spiritual quest can answer,” said a March 29 statement by John M. Templeton Jr., foundation president and chairman. “The Dalai Lama offers a universal voice of compassion underpinned by a love and respect for spiritually relevant scientific research that centres on every single human being.”

Said the Dalai Lama in an acceptance video posted March 29 on the foundation’s web site: “When I heard today your decision to give me this quite famous award, I really felt this is another sign of recognition about my little service to humanity, mainly non-violence and unity around different religious traditions.”