His Holiness the Dalai Lama attended Akio’s Global Forums in Oxford, Moscow and Rio and was a powerful presence. Gathered alongwith the high priest of the Sacred Forest of Togo, the Grand Mufti of Syria, the Metropolitan of Moscow, the Cardinal Archbishop of Vienna, Mother Teresa, the chief rabbis of Romania, and many other representatives from the world’s religions, a great religious force created the spiritual side of the discussions. There was an equally impressive political force that attended these conferences as well. Through many days of conversation and debate on environmental and social issues, many taboos and cultural differences were transcended, with a new vision emerging from the conferences: a spiritual and practical vision that enforced Akio’s concept that working together these two groups can create global solutions.