The Dalai Lama was in the Bay Area on Friday with his message of non-violence. But some who came to the Stanford campus for his visit say he was in the wrong place.
His holiness, the Dalai Lama walked into a packed Maples Pavilion and brought Stanford University his universal message of peace and enlightenment.
“One common thing, to everyone, not only human being, but entire living things all have a right to exist without disturbances,” he said.
He is the 14th Dalai Lama, and the spiritual leader of six million Tibetans. He spoke of the importance of controlling one’s emotions in resolving conflicts, of education as a means to realize full human potential, and he cautioned the crowd to seek inner peace, not material wealth to achieve lifelong happiness.
“If you only take concern about external things, completely neglect inner value, then your life will not be a happy one,” he said.
Then he led 7,000 in five minutes of silent meditation. Many in the audience were moved.
“He just seemed happy, when you think about enlightenment, he is what I would have envisioned,” said Stanford student Natalie Dana.
But while thousands basked in his presence inside, outside there were people protesting. The group said the Nobel Peace Prizewinner should go home — to Tibet that is, where his people are suffering under communist abuses.
“Be a leader, go home and liberate your country,” said James Johnson.
The Dalai Lama has been living in exile for the past 46 years since China invaded Tibet. Protesters say it’s time to stand up to China, and they downplayed the risks.
“The Chinese are not going to make a martyr of probably the most popular man in the world,” says attorney Alan Nichols.
The Dalai Lama has said he would ask President George Bush to pressure China to grant autonomy to Tibet. At Stanford today, his remarks stayed on the spiritual side, and he avoided any talk of politics.
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