Thoughts on Seeing the Dalai Lama

Parishioner Christine Beard and her husband, Rick, had a chance to hear the Dalai Lama speak twice this past week. Here are her thoughts:

A long-time dream of mine has been to see the Dalai Lama, whose philosophy of love, compassion and forgiveness have a powerful appeal. My husband, Rick, made this possible for me by securing tickets for two events long after I thought that there was any chance of attending.

The emotional experience of the event started even before we entered the auditorium. In the very, very long line we stood in, it was jarring to see the police and SWAT teams guarding the venue whose underlying focus was on mutual understanding, compassion and peace.

The first forum, Interfaith Summit on Happiness, was moderated by Krista Tippett, host of “Speaking of Faith,” an interfaith dialogue that respectfully explores people from a broad continuum of religious backgrounds. In addition to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, participants included the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Katherine Jefferts Schori, Lord Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the U.K. and Seyyed Hossein Nasr, a leading Islamic scholar and Professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University.

The latter two were powerful men with commanding presences who could have been captains of industry or political figures in an international arena. They seemed to dominate the space and the conversation . The Dalai Lama’s demeanor was by contrast gentle, self-effacing and non-competitive. He was usually smiling and often giggled infectiously, his mirth spreading to the audience who ended up laughing as well. The other two men seemed to want to convince us of the “rightness” of their religions. The Dalai Lama’s strength came from his quiet self-assurance and the power of his message.

Krista Tippett put a positive spin on our current economic downturn, hoping that necessity might direct us away from consumerism and materialism and to a greater focus on spirituality. The rabbi pointed out that, though the Israelites' 40 years of wandering in the wilderness was perceived as a great hardship, Moses warned that this was, in fact, the easy part. During the 40 years, the community was tightly knit; they shared common goals and a relationship with God. The “good life” of being settled and having material wealth can separate us from God and community and lead to unhappiness. Nasr agreed, pointing out how surprising it is to many that someone living in Afghanistan without a TV or a microwave can be happy.

All four agreed that the purpose of our existence is happiness, but that true happiness cannot exist in isolation. Furthermore, though we might possess the right to happiness, this is balanced by a responsibility to those who are in need.

The Dalai Lama stated that happiness cannot be mandated by the government.

Instead, it must come from within and must be based on hope. (This surprised me, as I would have predicted that he would have based happiness on acceptance of the current state rather than on hope for the future.) Referring to scientific inquiries involving brain scans, meditation and lifestyle, the Dalai Lama emphasized the evidence that lack of hope can result in a shortened lifespan.

The participants all agreed in the value of quiet time, be it daily prayer three times or five times, meditation, Sabbath practices, or a month of prayer and fasting (Ramadan). This can be a time for gratitude, confession and self-examination, but all forms necessitate a stepping back from the frenetic pace of the world.

Krista Tippett asked the Dalai Lama for advice on how to make time for mindfulness meditation in the modern world. He recommended that she use the methods as defined by her faith, as he does not believe that Buddhism has cornered the market on the path to enlightenment. This provides a concrete example of his belief, “I am a Buddhist by faith, but I have respect for all religions.” I cannot imagine the rabbi or the Islamic scholar suggesting that other religious practices were as valid as their own.

The second conference that I attended was The Creative Journey: Artists in Conversation with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama about Spirituality and Creativity. The participants were Richard Gere and Alice Walker. Though the venue was the same, somehow this conference seemed more intimate. It may have been that the presence of a moderator in the first conference created a distance between the participants, whereas in the second a dialogue could occur directly between two speakers.

Richard Gere, an actor, tended to dominate the stage. I had written “talks too much” in a note to myself, but did feel a little mean-spirited. After all, he is an actor who feels at ease on the stage. Then the Dalai Lama pointed out, while laughing and smiling, that Gere was too self-centered. Wow! Vindicated by the Dalai Lama. Maybe I am more enlightened than I thought.

Alice Walker had a commanding presence; diminutive, calm and soft-spoken, she nevertheless exuded strength and confidence. She agreed with the Dalai Lama about the need for clarity, for in order to feel compassion, we need to see clearly. Often people (e.g., black women) are invisible to us. Her work has served to illustrate and illuminate the humanity of these formerly unseen people.

They all spoke of the power of the human spirit, which can exist even in the face of terrible oppression, isolation and even torture. The Dalai Lama referred to a monk, imprisoned for 18 years by the Chinese. After his release, the monk confessed that he had felt in danger ---not in danger of dying, which certainly could have occurred, but in danger of losing his compassion towards his Chinese jailers. Alice Walker was moved by Nelson Mandela, who likewise was able to feel compassion to his jailers.

The Dalai Lama’s last words to the audience were about the importance of the United States’ role in the world. American freedom and democracy had served as a wonderful symbol of hope to him and to much of the world that was struggling to attain them. He warned that it was dangerous to us and to the rest of the world for us to lose our spirit and become demoralized.