Jason, my aunt Heidi, and I got the chance to see and hear the Dalai Lama in NYC yesterday. I had been waiting for this day to come for a long time. As I suspected he was funny, eloquent, and insightful. Richard Gere introduced him and as he walked onto the stage there was clapping then silence. His presence is like no other. Monks surrounded him on the stage as he took a seat on a chair, not on the floor. He took his shoes off, and started making jokes! Then he threw on an Indiana University visor, that matched his robes, and he welcomed the crowd.
For an 1 1/2 hours he spoke about the need for compassion. Compassion for those around the world who are different from you and I. Different looking, practice different religions, think differently, etc. We are all humans and must understand that we actually have more in common than we think.
He spoke about the need to be loved and how it was very important for women to step up and take leadership roles in the world. It is in our DNA, as women, that we can be more loving and more compassionate than our male counterparts. He spoke about the need, as a mother, to give our children the most love we can give. This was a very important message. He feels that if we love our children and give them the most out of life they will in turn be loving people. He mentioned that a reporter once called him 'the feminist Dalai Lama' and he said maybe that's true and he didn't mind it.
It was a wonderful chat and I only wish that I had time to take his personal workshops over the weekend. Hopefully there will be a next time and I can take my daughter! For now I can tell her about my experience with him while she was in utero.
AND I can check this off my list of things to do before I die :)
