By STEVE FAIRBAIRN
TORONTO, April 25 – Compassion brings inner strength and truth, making it a powerful tool to achieve goals and happiness, the Dalai Lama told the throng of devotees who packed the city’s SkyDome on Sunday eagerly awaiting his message of peace.
“When you have truth, you have more self-confidence,” he said during an hour-long address attended by 30,000 supporters.
“With self-confidence you can deal with any problem without losing hope.”
His speech was varied, touching on everything from peace to education to religion. The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader was introduced by Justin Trudeau, son of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau.
“We cherish hope, compassion, acceptance,” Trudeau said, noting the Dalai Lama shares the same values as Canadians. “We’re just not nearly as good as it as he is.”
“We lack the strength to radiant goodness across oceans,” he added. “We struggle with the logic of being nice to people who hate you.”
Earlier Sunday, the Dalai Lama blessed the site of teachings that he’ll conduct here over the next 10 days. One thousand people prayed and listened with rapt attention as the Dalai Lama, seated in a large throne-like chair, led them in a morning prayer.
“I feel just elated,” said Anne O’Kelly of Toronto, who has been a practising Buddhist for seven years.
“I’m hoping it’s going to add to my spiritual growth,” she said of the spiritual teachings called Kalachakra.
“Everyone reveres his (the Dalai Lama’s) teachings,” said Douglas Herman, 29, a photography instructor from New York. “He gives us an example assail to.”
Herman joined 15 cyclists who rode from Washington, D. C. to Toronto to protest the Chinese occupation of Tibet.
The cyclists, who included the Dalai Lama’s nephew, started in Washington April 10th and arrived in Toronto on Saturday. Attending the Kalachakra is their “reward,” Herman said.
The Dalai Lama spent most of last week in Vancouver before moving on to Ottawa where he met Prime Minister Paul Martin on Friday.
But the Kalachakra teachings are the primary reason for his visit to Canada. The teachings in Toronto have attracted followers and the curious from around the world and from many different faiths.
People started lining up Saturday to get their tickets to the daily sessions which start in earnest on Monday.
