Dalai Lama and A New Way of Thinking
posted May 3rd, 2007 at 3:24 pm by Betty
My son Mark called Tuesday night to say he’d gotten a ticket for me to see His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, who would be speaking the next morning on “The Meaning of Compassion in Everyday Life.” I was to meet Chris (who had my ticket) the next morning at 9:00 am sharp outside the basketball court at Rice University to be sure to get in. Chris would be wired with his cell phone and wearing a green shirt to stand out midst the crowd of people who would be lining up to hear this most well-known and popular Tibetan Buddhist of our time.
And it happened - wired and color coded we waved across the green space outside the basketball court and got in line for the security check.
While we waited, it was easy to grasp the broad range of appeal of the Dalai Lama and to glimpse how diverse our Gulf Coast city had become. There were old people and young people from every walk of life waiting in line. There were seekers and devotees of the various religious traditions who had wanted to see this man. Houston and its international seaport, originally founded by Jewish and Christian merchants and traders, was today the home for thousands of Asian Buddhists and devotees of all the world’s religions. It was part of the spiritual work of our city to welcome those who for a variety of reasons had decided to make Houston their home. The visit by the Dalai Lama had allowed another occasion for us to greet one another.
We finally got into the gym but waited another 30 minutes for the others to pack in. Then a quiet settled over the crowd at the appointed time. The Dalai Lama in traditional red and yellow robes came onto the stage arranged with a large living room chair. The crowd instinctively rose for the entrance and all was hushed as he smiled and greeted us and exchanged blessings with the president of Rice Univeristy and the director of the Boniuk Center for Religious Tolerance. It was a mesmerizing moment with tears forming in our eyes.
This deeply spiritual man was his usual laughing and charming self. He sat down on the edge of the large chair, then
slowly untied his shoes. Placing them carefully on the floor, he pushed himself way back in the chair positioning himself in yoga style for meditation. He smiled, “Now I will meditate - and not talk!” When we responed “Oh, no,” he laughed and began his teaching, much about riding ourselves of negative emotions in order to gain more compassion.
He commended us in this diverse city saying that our diversity shows a spirit of compassion. “You are practicing compassion,” he said, and then laughed again, reminding us that he was leaving the next day - that it would be up to us to continue the practice!
Later that afternoon, I heard by radio his next speech: this time the title was “Tolerance and Universal Responsibility.” I commend to you the Houston Chronicle article entitled “Dalai Lama calls for a new way of thinking” that summarizes some of his thoughts: that the 20th century has given rise to much bloodshed and suffering - that it has created more problems than it has solved in some cases. Yet, he said, he was optimistic, though it will take hard work and effort to turn things around. It is up to the present generation to open that path. And about tolerance, he declared that one doesn’t have to give up personal views to respect the views of others. Like different flowers that make a garden beautiful, differences among people make the world more beautiful.
I don’t know why I hadn’t gotten a ticket for myself for this momentous visit. Too much hassle I remember thinking - besides I had read several of his books - what could I learn in an hour? But I’m so glad my son came through. It was well-worth the wait -and to be present in one space with faces of all races and nationalities who had come to hear about compassion. “What can we as individuals do,” one questioner asked, “to promote peace?” “Do all of us have this spiritual seed for peace that you speak of?”
I will be bringing to you in the next few posts some words from the Dalai Lama about these matters.
dalai lama
compassion
rice university
houston, tx
tolerance
spirituality
meditation
tibet
tibetan buddhism
Click here for streaming video of the Dalai Lama at Rice University.
