Photo/Stephen Salpukas/College of William and Mary On Wednesday, both my daughter and I had the opportunity to attend H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama’s address on human compassion at the College of William & Mary. (The tickets sold out in 16 minutes the day they went on sale. Someone who works with Kathryn gave her a ticket. I resorted to standing outside with a borrowed “Ticket Needed” sign and at the last minute received the gift of a ticket from a kind young man in scrubs who seemed to already know a lot about compassion!)
Over 8,200 people rose to their feet and applauded the Dalai Lama as he walked onto the platform. They cheered when he donned the William & Mary visor presented to him by the president of the student assembly. Then, a hush as the audience hung on each word. The Dalai Lama addressed us as brothers and sisters and emphasized our common humanity that is often obscured when we focus on what he called “secondary level of differences” like religion and race. “If I emphasis ‘I am Tibetan. I am Buddhist. That thinking, that attitude, immediately create barrier.”
( I have included a link to the video of the Dalai Lama’s presentation at the end of this blog for those who would like to hear it.)
There was no barrier between the Dalai Lama and those who came to hear him. Occasionally using the help of an interpreter, he delivered his message in a conversational style. We listened as he warned of unintended consequences of violence and force used to combat threats and evil. Disagreeing with the common saying ‘History repeats itself,’ he spoke of a new reality and the need to approach it with a calm mind and in new ways. He returned again and again to the commonality of human beings and the need to have a calm mind clear of attitudes and agendas based on the secondary attributes that so often cloud our vision.
His laugh, which we heard often, was contagious. When he was finished, the crowd again came to its feet and thundering applause filled the huge venue. This recognition of goodness and reverence for the man who embodied it, brought tears to my eyes.
“It is good to see people respect and honor goodness in their midst,” I commented to my daughter.
I was reminded of a conference I attended with another daughter at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota. The panel of authors included the well-known Catholic novelist, J.F. Powers. He had taught at St. Ben’s and been in residence there. He was old and appeared tired, his comments few and sometimes coming a little late. No one cared or even seemed to notice. When he was recognized, when he entered, when he left, the audience and the other authors, stood, applauded, and filled the room with love and reverence for the man that was palpable.
I had not known much about him before I attended but learned while I was there. Not long after I returned home, J.F. Powers died. I felt graced to have heard him and been part of the community that embraced him at St. Ben’s.
“It is good,” Kathryn replied as the Dalai Lama bowed and showed his appreciation of those who had come to hear him. “It doesn’t happen that often,” she continued.
Perhaps, if we can look for the fundamental reality of the people in our lives and respond to them as sisters and brothers; perhaps if we can cultivate a ‘calm mind,’ as H.H. said; perhaps then we will become more aware of the Goodness that is present in our lives and our world. Perhaps, in this country, we will be able to work together to form a government that is able to look at problems and challenges together with an eye to solving them in new ways rather than with eyes jaded by past failures and deep prejudices.
Walking out of Kaplan Center, I felt hopeful.
VIDEO: The Dalai Lama at William & Mary
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