MITRA makes new friends at the Parliament of World Religions

Here, MITRA exco is standing beneath the Tantrayana (who knew there was a fourth vehicle?!) drum with the glamorous Francesco Gimelli of Melbourne whom we met at one of the youth sessions of the Parliament. Francesco was super friendly and excited about the prospect of the MITRA network extending across all states in Australia. He is currently studying Environmental Studies (he  graduated with a degree in Studies in Religion), and works as a tutor at The University of Melbourne. Here is the scoop on Francesco:

Name: Francesco Gimelli – my refuge name is Lodrö Lungta
Current area study or/occupation: Environmental Studies (actually graduated with a degree in Studies in Religion), and work as a tutor at The University of Melbourne.
How did you discover Buddhism? Through intuition The Dharma was always there really
What tradition do you follow? Tibetan – more specifically the Kagyu, Niyngma and Shambhala lineages
Some facts about you (e.g languages you speak, interests) My first language is Italian, then English and Spanish, studied Sanskrit for 3 years.  I love Permaculture and sustainable living, cooking, trekking, and meeting cool new people that are engaged with the world!
What is your ambition in life? To leave a positive mark, and share my knowledge and experience with others, and in turn learn from them
What message would you like to tell the world? “Don’t just do something! Sit there!” – Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche – I love this quote, and I think it is an important message. We often act without working on our own mind, but this should be the basis for our action in the world. So I guess ultimately what I’m saying is, “Meditate.”

Who would you most like to meet? Living or Dead [ or beyond them all]? The obvious one is Lord Buddha! I met many of my idols, such as Dr A T Ariyaratne, at the Parliament of the World’s Religions!

Thank you Francesco for answering our twenty questions. We look forward to crossing paths with you again in the near future.

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