By Jessica Hawley – Lifestyles Editor
A throng poured into The University of Texas at Austin’s Frank Erwin Center Sept. 20 with one goal, to be in the presence of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Flocking to hear him speak were over 12,000 people, from teenagers to the silver-haired, eager to receive his message of wisdom, guidance, and above all, hope.
Sponsored by the university’s Texas Union Lectureship, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama and world-figure, was invited to speak to the public about “Individual Responsibility in the Global Community.” Free tickets were distributed to the UT student body and general public, nearly 4,000 of which were reportedly disbursed within 30 minutes. The event marked the Dalai Lama’s first appearance in Austin.
“I think for most of you, this is our first time meeting,” the Dalai Lama said to the audience while sitting cross-legged in his chair. “I am nothing special. We are the same. I am one of you.”
The 70-year-old Buddhist monk played with the audience, donning a red visor to cut down on the glare of the stage lights and mixing wisdom with humor while posing the question of self-involvement and importance. He prompted the audience to see beyond themselves and adopt a broader view of existence.
“What is I? By nature, we have the strong feeling of I. We have a strong desire for a happy life, a successful life. Human intelligence is sometimes very helpful to achieve the goal of a happy life, but sometimes it disturbs more than helps. Those who use the words me, I and mine have a greater risk of heart attack. Their practical concern is their own welfare, but in their reality they will have more problems, more suffering,” he said. “We and they, that is no longer there. Now we need a sense of global responsibility – each of us. Today, not only nation to nation, but continent to continent are heavily interdependent. If humanity causes more crises, then each individual will suffer. Humanity should be peaceful and compassionate.”
Stating that everything is relative, the Dalai Lama said that when an instinctively painful or tragic event is viewed from a different angle, it may be transformed into something better.
“There is often a possibility to see something positive,” he said.
The Dalai Lama offered the audience his two basic commitments: promotion of human value and promotion of religious harmony. He suggested that human nature is gentle and compassionate from birth; these tenets are not taught nor are they trained.
The butterfly, he said, never meets its mother. It must survive independently and remains a stranger to affection. An animal nurtured by mother’s milk, however, is dependent on another for its basic survival. A child who grows up in a cold and detached home environment is similar to the butterfly, in that kindness is sparing. Once an adult, the Dalai Lama said, it will be very difficult for that person to show compassion.
“Human affection is a very, very important element,” he said. “At a young age, compassion is very crucial not only for survival but to establish these very important human values.”
Addressing his second commitment to promotion of religious harmony, the Dalai Lama said that all religions have different concepts and philosophies, but all lead to love, compassion and forgiveness.
“All religions have the same potential – to serve humanity,” he said. “We need a variety of religion because of the variety in the human race. Religious belief provides an emotional anchor. It provides hope.”
Regarding the war in Iraq, he expressed that he would have liked to have seen a more peaceful, non-violent approach. Comparing anger to blind energy, he said decisions made in the heat of the moment and out of anger lead only to more chaos, destruction and hatred.
“In the Iraq case, it is too early to say. I think history will show if a violent method will produce positive or negative. One of the characteristics of a violent method is its unpredictable nature,” he said. “The peace movement is now very strong. To be just against war is not sufficient. We must promote some mechanism for peace. For that, we need inner peace.”
The Dalai Lama said that internal disarming leads to external disarming, enabling people to cultivate compassion within their societies, which, as in the domino effect, will generate a global unity.
“This world should be free of nuclear weapons,” he said. “The whole globe should be demilitarized. That should be our goal. Look inside. Become a peace-loving person. Solve problems with humility, not by force.”
The Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, an honor shared by other political and spiritual leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela. He was born in 1935 and, believed to the incarnation of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, returning to earth in human form to help others, was installed as the Tibetan Buddhist leader in 1940. He fled his country in 1959 after a Tibetan revolt against Chinese rule. He remains in political exile, but speaks worldwide about his country’s plight toward a free, democratic government and the state of humanity.
