His Holiness In Person
Yesterday afternoon, I was at a small gathering with His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. It was held at Stanford Park Hotel near the Stanford University campus and the guest list of 130 included college students, professors, scholars, writers, poets, and artists.
It was an honor to hear the Dalai Lama talk. He was a very congenial fellow and I could not help but smile every time he laughed his soft, gentle chuckle. His laugh just seemed so sincere, with a genuine youthfulness to it.
Here are some of his remarks that stuck with me:
- Basically, we are all the same. We all want a happy life. Everyone has a right to achieve that goal.
- Most of our problems are man-made.
- Trust and genuine friendship are essential.
- The future belongs to people, not the government, not one party.
- Young people will shape the century. Think wisely.
I didn’t get a chance to get up to the microphone during the brief question and answer session, but I would’ve liked to ask the Dalai Lama:
“Many times, when conflicts arise, people say the best solution is to sit down and talk it out. Without talking, what are other ways people can better understand and learn from each other?”
Although the Dalai Lama’s words of wisdom were not life-changing, it was amazing just to be there, five feet from a person who has led a deeply influential life and is a world symbol of peace. He had a remarkable presence to him.
(Photos by Erika Suzuki)
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That sounds amazing. I wish you’d gotten to ask your question though, because I would have liked to hear the answer. Is there any way to forward this post to the Dalai Lama? =D