In its best sense, philanthropy is about altruism and compassion. The best motivation in the world is what Buddhists call "bodhichitta", the search for enlightenment--altruistically--to bring happiness to all beings.
In September 2005, His Holiness the Dalai Lama honored Idaho by spending five days in Sun Valley, spreading compassion, loving-kindness and altruism. His Holiness' altruism is a very special kind, as can be seen in the press clips which follow and the video footage which is linked below.
October/November
Spirit of the Valley 2005
Reflections on the Visit of the Dalai Lama
He came, he saw...he made us laugh and cry. He made us think. He opened our hearts by opening his own. His presence was electric, his words were magnificent. His work is eternal. It’s impossible to relive those days in September, but through our words and reflections we can revisit and review our experience, and learn and grow all over again. Here are some personal reflections on his visit by some of us who were in the Wood River Valley for the event.
I was a volunteer for the Sunday event. My official job was to be present in the bicycle parking lot area and remind everyone of what they could and could not bring to the event. Most everyone was aware of the security issues and rules and so forth, and it was actually quite fun. As we got closer to the deadline to be in the venue it started getting a little more hectic, but still everyone was real understanding. Then all of a sudden one woman parked her bike, came up to me and was really mad about the way we had something set up. There wasn’t really anything I could do so we both went on with our business. She walked to the back of the line and in about ten minutes her spot in line came around to where I was standing. She got out of line, came over to me, apologized and gave me a hug. She said she had temporarily forgotten where she was and what this day was all about. My whole day was filled with people with open hearts and smiles for everyone. It was truly a beautiful experience.
~ Drew Chittenden
After preparing for this the visit of HH the Dalai Lama for more than 6 months, it almost seemed surreal to have it happen, to have him here, and to have his talk be over. I kept waiting for him to say something that would drastically alter the world, to reveal some new truth that would change the course of humanity. But, of course that didn’t happen. I remembered the scene in Kundun when Mao Tse-Tung was telling the teenage Dalai Lama that China was going to save Tibet, and HH from the course they were on. HH replied, “only I can save myself.” In Hailey he spoke of compassion, of its absolute power, and how it must come from individuals first before it can be shared all over the world. What an amazing experience to simply be in the presence of such a compassionate, loving, and REAL person.
I also had an experience about 20-30 minutes into his September 11th address. While his energy was electric as soon as he walked on stage, it was about then that it became even stronger. I felt immense pressure on my third eye, and went into a deep meditative trance. I felt as if the words he was speaking at the time were secondary to what he was doing – it was as if he were sending a wave of energy, of love, out to us, and then out to the entire world. As if it were meant to speed us along, to jumpstart us, to help us to open on a more fundamental level.
~ Angela Earle
The Hero’s Journey: A Tribute to Kiril Sokoloff
by TONY BOWLER
The hero’s journey always begins with the call. The call towards compassion. The call to relieve someone’s suffering. Have you heard the call?
The call is from the Spirit that threads us all together. Compassion is the call we feel in our hearts. The hero has chosen a path to live with an open heart. With so many people, with so much suffering, where does a hero begin?
The call may ask you to give your parachute to another, but more likely, the call will ask you to give the last shopping cart to an elderly person, or give an irritating person, the benefit of the doubt. Do something, do anything! Open your heart to another’s lack of comfort or suffering…and then act!
His Holiness the Dalai Lama graced us all with his visit. He summoned us to answer the call of compassion. Seems simple enough. Indeed, on our good days being kind is simple, but mix in your own discomfort or suffering and the act of kindness gets much more challenging.
His Holiness said showing compassion in our lives takes practice and patience. The hero’s journey takes a daily effort to hear the Spirit, to answer the call. Give yourself a sacred space; a room, a corner, a candle on a table, where you can open your heart and be with the spirit. As your heart opens, as you see the thread connecting us all, you too will find the rewards of the hero.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a hero to many for his unrelenting, life long covenant of compassion. Kiril Sokoloff is our hero too, for giving thousands of us the opportunity to be with HH to hear his call for compassion. We have been graced with a wonderful gift, let us honor these gifts and practice daily kindness.
Act now, do anything, no act is too small. Do it everyday!
Joseph Campbell says it this way;
The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are
The goal of the hero trip down to the jewel point;
Is to find those levels in the psyche
That open, open, open
And finally open to the mystery
Of your Self
Being Buddha consciousness
Or the Christ
That’s the journey
KIRIL SOKOLOFF'S INTRODUCTION OF
HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA
ON 9/11/2005 IN SUN VALLEY
View September 11th, 2005 Event Below:
Video 1 (1:12 - 278Mb)
Video 2 (1:30 - 335Mb)
Click to watch. Right click to download. Requires Apple Quicktime.
"Welcome. Thank you for coming.
Why am I here? Why did I invite the Dalai Lama to Sun Valley? These are questions I have been asked many times.
I’d like to tell you why. I’ve had a powerful vision these past two years that we are at a pivotal moment in history…we are on the verge of a new and better world.
I have studied history and been involved in the financial markets for most of my life. I have built a reputation of foreseeing the large secular trends and the major global shifts.
When I lost my hearing, the universe must have compensated me with the gift of second-sight.
We are now at one of the most extraordinary crossroads in human history. The twentieth century was the most violent and brutal century since the age of Genghis Khan 800 years ago.
Over two hundred million people were killed, either in world wars or due to communist suppression. After such a century, an energy shift is not only normal, but to be expected.
In my study of history, and my experience in the financial markets, I have seen again and again that an excess in one direction always produces a long and durable trend in the other direction.
The Dalai Lama has joined us for one very special reason. To show us the way to the tipping point for global compassion.
He has traveled the world the last 40 years spreading compassion and love—without ever asking for anything.
The Dalai Lama has personally experienced a level of suffering that gives him a unique insight into the sorrows of others. He lost his country. He has been exiled for over 40 years. His people suffer, and there is little that can be done about it.
We are now at the beginning of what could be known as the “Compassion Century”. If every one of you…listening to this event…spreads the message of altruism and compassion, we can begin a global contagion of lovingkindness.
When you entered this stadium, you were given a bracelet. We call it the compassion bracelet and it symbolizes this event.
I would like to make a request. Will everyone here who is a compassionate person, please raise their hands.
By doing this, we will send a message of solidarity…of love and compassion to our suffering brothers and sisters in the Gulf states.
Indeed, to all the people who are condemned to misery in every part of the world.
It is true! We are all interdependent. No person is an island, entire of itself.
The Dalai Lama is the Ambassador of Compassion and you can be one too. The power of an individual knows no boundary. You CAN make a difference. Don’t give up on the world—join us…help us…in our work to spread compassion.
Please remember this. You were present when the energy shifted on the planet. You were here at the tipping point of compassion. For the rest of your life, you can say I was there when it happened!
Ladies and gentlemen. I am profoundly honored to introduce HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA. "
Idaho Mountain Express And Guide
By DANA DUGAN and MATT FURBER
May 12th, 2005
Ketchum resident Kiril Sokoloff, a friend of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, is organizing a landmark visit to Idaho next September by the by the Nobel Prize-winning spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists.
At his own expense, Sokoloff intends to bring His Holiness to the Wood River Valley to deliver an address on the fourth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America’s East Coast. The plan also calls for the Dalai Lama to meet with an audience of Idaho children and to appear at a private gathering of CEOs at Sokoloff’s residence in Ketchum.
Sokoloff, an investment specialist and author, spoke to the Idaho Mountain Express, Thursday, May 12, from his business office in Boca Raton, Fla. This was the newspaper’s first opportunity to speak directly to him about the planned visit.
Here is what Sokoloff (KS) had to say in a conference call with the Idaho Mountain Express (IME):
IME: Why does His Holiness want to be here for the anniversary of 9/11?
KS: I invited him and he honored me by accepting. Do you want to hear his vision?
IME: Yes.
KS: For 40 years His Holiness has been traveling around the world spreading compassion and kindness. That’s his message. On this particular event, he’s going to offer a healing for 9/11 victims as well as for all the horrible tragedies of the 20th century, when 200 million people were killed either through wars or under communist supression. The energy on the planet is at a tipping point. You can feel a change, depending on your perspective, certainly from where I stand. The energy is getting better. People are more interested in spirituality and hearing the message of compassion. So, we hope that this will spread around the world. It may be the first time His Holiness has ever spoken at this altitude. Normally he’s speaking in a city with a lot of scattered energy, a lot of noise, distraction. In our beautiful valley, the energy is pure and pristine. People will receive his message and it will spread out all the way across the Earth.
Also, we’re trying to restore trust to corporate America. Every day you pick up the paper and see some horrible nefarious things have happened [in corporate America]. The only way to restore trust is to serve the customer through the heart, and that means understanding and compassion.
IME: What is significant about this being the first time he’s ever spoken at nearly 6,000 feet?
KS: Speaking energetically, an energy field can be blocked if there are buildings, noise. But at 6,000 feet, the message can spread unblocked. We’re speaking on an energetic plane, a spiritual plane.
IME: Has the Dalai Lama been here before?
KS: He’s never been in Idaho.
IME: Why do you think this event is important?
KS: I think that the spread of compassion is probably the most important thing people can do in this world and I am devoting myself to it. And I’m paying for everything myself. I’m not asking anybody to contribute. I’m working incredibly hard as are many volunteers. We are just giving. We are giving to the community, to Idaho and giving to the energy of the planet.
IME: Just wondering if there is a budget?
KS: Do you mean is there a cap?
IME: Yes.
KS: There is no cap on security and the efforts we will make to ensure this event goes well and the community is not inconvenienced.
IME: Can you explain why being in his presence is a life-changing event?
KS: Well, if someone is closed and has a closed heart, angry or full of hate, you don’t know whether they can be changed, but something will reach them. If you’re open, you can gain enlightenment. And the best form of enlightenment is when you practice Bodhichitta. In effect, that is seeking enlightenment altruistically so you can bring happiness to others. That is what His Holiness has done for the last 40 years and he is the foremost proponent of that on the face of the Earth.
That summarizes what this event is about. We’re trying to bring happiness. Many people don’t understand how to find happiness. They rush after this and they rush after that. The only thing that makes people happy is peace of mind, a favorite expression of His Holiness. His words resonate in my memory. His message is universal.
If a Christian or a Jew asks, “Why should I be interested in hearing His Holiness, he’s a Buddhist monk after all?”—all religion has at its core the same thing: love and compassion.
The Dalai Lama said, “You must help others and if you can’t help, you should not harm others.”
IME: I’m curious about media attention and crowd control.
KS: Force is police, laws, lawyers. Power is Mahatma Ghandi, the Dalai Lama. I’m very confident that in his presence there will be no concern about crowd control.
IME: You see it as a person-to-person spread of compassion?
KS: It becomes a contagion.
IME: Can you tell us about yourself?
KS: I’ve written six books, been in the investment banking business, write an investment newsletter, edited 100 books. My company 13D Research serves the money-management industry. We look for trends and business opportunities. I moved to Sun Valley in late 1980s.
The world has never been changing this fast, because of technology and global participation. I love change; it’s tremendously exciting.
It’s important the energy for the event is seen in the light in which I’m presenting it. We’re just giving. That’s the energy of this event.
Dalai Lama: Fight Violence With Peace, Poverty With Compassion
Corvallis Gazette-Times (from the Associated Press)
John Miller (AP Writer)
This story posted: Sunday, September 11, 2005 11:45 PM PDT
HAILEY, Idaho. With his amplified words bouncing off the mountains surrounding Sun Valley, the Dalai Lama told a crowd of about 10,000 people Sunday to fight violence with peace and poverty with compassion.
The wide-ranging address by the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists touched on the Chinese occupation of his homeland, the fourth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks and Gulf Coast hurricane destruction.
The Dalai Lama brought the crowd to giggles with his mix of one-liners and a look of good-natured surprise.
The 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner ‹ for his advocacy of nonviolent resistance to China's occupation of Tibet, from which he's been exiled since 1959 ‹ urged victims of the Sept. 11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina to turn their tragedies into something that makes them stronger.
"Your sadness, your anger will not solve the problem,'' the 70-year old monk said. "More sadness, more frustration only brings more suffering for yourself.''
The speech was televised live on CNN.
As he condemned violence, the Dalai Lama acknowledged conflicted feelings over the U.S. invasion of Iraq, telling reporters at a news conference following his hour-long address that "history would decide.''
His speech came on a day when many Americans were reflecting on the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and on the intervening four years in which nearly 1,900 American troops have died in Iraq and more in Afghanistan. In Washington, D.C., an estimated 15,000 people marched from the Pentagon, site of one of the 9-11 suicide attacks, to the National Mall in support of more than 100,000 troops abroad.
"Violence is unpredictable,'' said the Dalai Lama, who has won support from the Bush administration, including Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, for his campaign to restore Tibetan political autonomy. "In the case of Afghanistan, perhaps there's something positive. In Iraq, it's too early to tell.''
The Dalai Lama came to Idaho at the invitation of wealthy financial consultant and Buddhist Kiril Sokoloff, who has raised thousands of dollars for Tibetan school children.
The visit cost Sokoloff a reported $1 million and included an army of 200 lime-green-clad local volunteers, dozens of professional security officers in yellow T-shirts, and U.S. State Department bodyguards.
Three more days of events were planned in Sun Valley, including an invitation-only address Monday morning to business and financial professionals. At 2 p.m. Monday, he's due to speak to thousands of Idaho school children at a gathering organized by Gov. Dirk Kempthorne.
Asked why he brought the Dalai Lama to Sun Valley, Sokoloff said he relied on knowledge from the financial world ‹ his Boca Raton, Fla.-based company, 13D Research, publishes a stock-market newsletter ‹ to determine the timing was right.
"I've had a powerful vision for the past two years that we are at a pivotal moment in history,'' Sokoloff told the crowd. "The Dalai Lama has joined us for one specific reason: To show us the way to the tipping point for global compassion.''
Much of the audience seemed to agree, as they interrupted the speech by the Dalai Lama ‹ the title means "Ocean of Wisdom'' ‹ with polite and frequent applause.
The Dalai Lama arrived at Wood River High School in a white Chevrolet Suburban. He wore a traditional maroon robe trimmed in vivid yellow and was flanked by four similarly dressed monks, all with shaven heads.
He repeatedly poked fun at himself, and at some of the questions he was asked in an informal Q&A session following his address.
Asked what the secret to compassion was, the man whose worldly name is Tenzin Gyatso looked at the container he was sipping from and said: "Water. And sleep.''
Gripping both sides of the rostrum, he urged his listeners to become more introspective and to practice "inner warmheartedness.''
It's this humorous touch, members of the crowd said, that makes the Dalai Lama such an appealing figure. David Burdge, who traveled from Sacramento, Calif., for the address, said: "He has a lighthearted character.''
Scholars say the Dalai Lama has become a pop-culture hero.
"He's managed single-handedly to make Buddhism popular, from Australia to Europe to South America,'' said Robert W. Clark, a Stanford University professor who spent more than eight years in a Buddhist monastery in the 1960s and 1970s and has worked as a translator for the Dalai Lama.
The son of a barley, buckwheat and potato farmer, the Dalai Lama took reporters' questions about his views on the environment, nuclear-waste dumping in Tibet and Idaho, and the divide between rich and poor in America ‹ a gap underscored by TV images from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama since Hurricane Katrina struck.
His advice to residents of Idaho's wealthiest region: "Even if you have 100 diamonds, you still only have 10 fingers.''
The crowd was peppered with well-known faces. Tony Robbins, the motivational speaker, stood just to the right of the stage wearing sunglasses.
"He goes beyond religion, he goes to his heart,'' Robbins said afterward. "For somebody who has lived through all he has, he can still show a level of love and compassion that inspires the human spirit.''
His Holiness Calls For New Century Of Compassion
By SUSAN BAILEY
The Wood River Journal - Ketchum
This story posted: Wednesday, September 14, 2005 11:05 AM MDT
Compassion was the word stamped on stretch plastic bracelets given out with every bottle of Trinity water, on the maroon and yellow banner behind speakers on stage and on the lips of everyone gathered Sunday, September 11, at Wood River High School football stadium.
The word was bigger than a mere mention. In fact, it was the start of something much larger than an address to nearly 10,000 people. In the one word, a mission was expressed for the future.
"I'm sorry to say in some respects the 20th century has been a century of hatred," said His Holiness the Dalai Lama. "This century should be the century of compassion, led by these people."
At the last words, His Holiness waved his arm to indicate his hosts and the crowd, who burst from their attentive silence into vigorous applause. His Holiness, brought by Ketchum resident Kiril Sokoloff and the Idaho Compassion Foundation, spoke for an hour after an introduction by Governor Dirk Kempthorne and a rousing call to arms by Sokoloff.
"Here in Idaho's mountains, the world is watching and listening to the message of hope and peace and compassion," said Kempthorne. "Kiril Sokoloff believes the balance can be tipped toward compassion and I believe what Kiril believes. I'm proud that Idaho can be the tipping place."
Although ABC and the "Today" show were covering New Orleans, portions of the "Message of Compassion and Healing" delivered by His Holiness the Dalai Lama were broadcast live by CNN during the afternoon Sunday. Twice Sunday evening, coverage continued on CNN with Larry King Live interviewing His Holiness in Sun Valley, juxtaposed with Pastor Joe Orsteen in Houston where 25,000 New Orleans evacuees fled. Certainly, the address had the media attention necessary for a tipping place.
On Sunday, Sokoloff followed Kempthorne to the microphone, explaining why he spent roughly $1 million himself to bring the Dalai Lama to Hailey.
"His Holiness the Dalai Lama has joined us to show us the tipping point toward local compassion," Sokoloff said. "We can begin a new world."
The minute Sokoloff asked the audience to raise their hands if they believed in compassion, arms shot into the air, many wearing compassion bracelets. He asked them to keep their arms high for a few moments as a symbolic gesture.
"We will send a message of compassion to our brothers in the Gulf states," said Sokoloff, a businessman with a second residence in Boca Raton, Fla. He continued to touch upon the theme of compassion in his introduction.
"It is true we are all interconnected," Sokoloff said. "The Dalai Lama is a messenger of compassion and you can be one, too. One person can make a difference. Join us in our work to spread compassion and please remember you were here when the energy tipped toward compassion. For the rest of your life, you can say, I was there when it happened."
His Holiness took up that torch.
"When my friend asked if you were compassionate, I saw everyone's hands go in the air," he said. "I think you have promised for the rest of your life to be more compassionate and I think that is wonderful."
Compassion, he said, leads to a calm mind.
"With a more calm mind, when you come across disturbances you won't be disturbed," His Holiness said. "Your calm mind will carry you through. You will be more happy, more healthy. This is the non-violence principle. You try to solve the problem within the atmosphere of friendship or compassion."
His Holiness said "internal compassion" was a precious thing, better than medicine for the person possessing it. Through having internal compassion, His Holiness said compassion would be spread by people.
"First, you change yourself," he said. "Compassion is developed through effort. Compassionate action becomes something like strong emotion. It dominates the mind."
While some people have been known to say one person cannot change the world, His Holiness argued the other way.
"If we really want to change a community, we change one individual," he said. "You cannot change whole societies but whole society change is possible through one individual."
His Holiness said compassion can be spread "just like ripples in a pond." He called for residents of the Gulf state to find a calm place, and live in hope.
"I want to tell these people, still we are on this planet," His Holiness said. "We can rebuild your homes and your communities. It is important not to lose hope. You are not alone. You have a lot of friends, including those on the state and federal level. Your future, it is almost like guaranteed."
Shortly after this, His Holiness talked of poverty in America, and the gap between rich and poor that he could see, particularly in the Gulf States as well as around the world.
"This gap not only is morally wrong but practically wrong," he said. "In America, the richest country in the world, there is terrible poverty. I have seen it even in your capitol of Washington. This gap is a source of trouble. There is anger toward the rich. We must reduce the gap. I find lately among the richest people more spirituality. People in those circles are really showing deeper human values and this is good. We are social animals and our future depends on community, on the kindness of others."
Dalai Lama Extols Virtues Of Compassion
By DANA DUGAN
and MATT FURBER
Express Staff Writers
Wrists adorned with brick-red bracelets were raised high Sunday during Kiril Sokoloff’s introduction of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, creating a sea of people responding to a call for compassion. Compassion, the day’s message, was stamped on the wristbands distributed to some 10,000 people who came to hear the 70-year-old Tibetan monk’s healing address. For Buddhists, red signifies wisdom, virtue, fortune and dignity--words that were all part of the Dalai Lama’s message given at the Wood River High School’s Phil Homer Field.
As well as the compassion bracelets, each member of the audience was given a long white scarf, known as a kata, which lends a positive note to the start of any enterprise or relationship and indicates the good intentions of the person offering it. Strands of silk clung to clothing like snow as they were passed from one person to another.
The sun shown brilliantly with puffy clouds reminiscent of those featured in Tibetan art, highlighting a very real sense of providence, of being in the right place at the right time. Calm, peaceful and smoothly managed, folks milled around the field awaiting the arrival of His Holiness, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists and one of the most revered and beloved people on earth. Some people meditated while waiting as some practiced yoga on the sidelines. Others nursed babies, visited and greeted each other with tangible anticipation.
For trekking guide Ginger Harmon of Ketchum, it seemed like a lifetime ago when she spent much of the decade from 1975 to 1985 walking through the Himalayas enjoying the company of the mountain people. It was one of the best times in her life, she said.
“I loved the way the Buddhists in the high country live,” she said while finding a place in the home team bleachers for Sunday’s long awaited address. “It was my good fortune to travel there. I came away with a kind of empathy for their feeling for the Dalai Lama. He was so important to them. The other thing I brought home was an appreciation of Buddhist values.
“This is amazing,” Harmon added as she energetically looked over the crowd before the Dalai Lama was introduced. “I wish the whole world would learn from their values. What a great world that would be.”
Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne arrived with his wife, Patricia, and two children in tow and warmly greeted well wishers. Kempthorne introduced the key organizer of the event, Kiril Sokoloff, who in turn introduced the Dalai Lama.
After His Holiness was driven to the field in a golf cart, several monks and security people escorted him to the stage. Tibetan monk Tenzin Dhonden, who helped organize the visit, held an umbrella over his head, but the Dalai Lama grabbed it from him and marched up with great stamina.
The Dalai Lama asked everyone who’d raised their hands during Sokoloff’s introduction to pledge themselves to living with compassion.
“You made a promise to be more compassionate,” His Holiness said on the occasion of the historical “Healing Address” made on the fourth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorists attacks on the East Coast. “That’s wonderful. You be determined to be more compassionate.
“So, from today I think you should quarrel less, you should fight less.”
The Dalai Lama often referred to Sokoloff, who is an internationally known investment analyst and Ketchum resident, as “my friend.” A Buddhist, Sokoloff was the primary sponsor and host of the visit by His Holiness.
In his vigorous introduction, Sokoloff said this was the beginning of a pendulum swing, the tipping point of change.
“We will send a message of love and compassion indeed to every part of the world,” he said. “We are all interdependent. I entreat all of us to be ambassadors of compassion. You can say you were present when energy shifted in the world.”
Infectious laughter punctuated the Dalai Lama’s address, which was mixed with both humor and theology.
In his address on compassion, given mostly in English with some help from his Tibetan language translator, the Dalai Lama counseled on ways to deal with suffering by looking at tragic events from a wider perspective and making a regular effort to develop a calm mind. He offered healing words both in honor of those who have suffered from the events of 9/11 and more recently in the path of Hurricane Katrina.
“We are all aware that recently the United States has also been hit by great tragedy, natural disaster,” he said. “So, one is man made tragedy, one by nature. Of course, both cases are determined by a sort of painful experiences. Not only those people who really experienced on the spot, but like myself, who is watching television, really feel very sad, very sad.”
He said his foundation, which handles the royalties from his books—such as the recent “The Universe in a Single Atom”—donated $100,000 to the Hurricane Katrina relief fund.
“Scientists say our mental state is a very crucial factor,” he said. “We can critically analyze emotion. Through more effort you can change, then share with others. Compassion begins with one person.”
The Dalai Lama went on to share how in the face of heartbreaking news, sentient beings are capable of solving problems within the framework of friendship.
“Within atmosphere of compassion, meaningful dialogue can take place,” he said.
The Dalai Lama has been living in exile for 46 years since the Chinese began their long occupation in Tibet.
“In my life I go through lot of difficulties and painful experience--hopefully my mental state can remain calm,” he said. “Warm heartedness is truly precious. We cannot buy them through supermarket or medicines. It must develop most within us. We have the seed of this quality at birth. Pay more attention to (this) inner value. This will make you happier.”
Drawing parallels with his own storied country’s history, he said, “We lost not only our freedom but our country. For 46 years we always keep our spirit. (We) never give up our hope. No matter how tragic we should not lose our hope or determination.
“As a practitioner of impermanence it is useful to remind us,” he laughed. “We fret over little problems.” His Holiness then made a sour face, put his hands out as though flustered. “Oh, oh, oh,” he mimicked. “Things happen, no use worrying. You just suffer yourself.
“The causes come from conditions because of something that happened the previous day, month, year or century. They are chain reaction. It’s difficult to find independent target, so many factors we focus the anger, and we see only one thing. Which is the real target?”
Anger, harsh words, negativism all contribute to an unhappy mind, he said. He admitted to losing his temper sometimes.
“Afterwards, when my mind is normal, I feel shy to meet the person, embarrassed. It’s hard to judge when we’re angered. You cannot see the reality.”
He said the “gap between rich and poor especially in this country, is morally wrong and practically (speaking), the source of troubles.”
“I think 21st century is the most important century. There are positive signs. I look forward, full of spirit and determination and with clear vision. If the last century was one of pain and violence, this century should be one of dialogue and compassion, led by these people.”
The Dalai Lama pointed at the audience and laughed delightedly when they raised their arms again.
At the end of his address the Dalai Lama responded to a number of questions in an informal atmosphere.
He was asked to address an apparent human trend to cause violence and fight war in the name of religion.
“There are many mischievous people everywhere,” he said. “It’s a mistake to blame whole religions for those people. I have Muslim friends who are very gentle, very compassionate. They say people who act (in violence) in name of Koran are not real Muslims. All traditions talk about love, compassion, forgiveness, self-discipline and contentment. So, all major religions have the same potential to make better human beings, happier human being.”
When asked about family values and how to better incorporate them in your life, he said, “I don’t know. You have more experience.” Much laughter followed his blunt response. However, he added, “Children should have more time with their families. It’s very important. I learned about compassion from my mother, not my guru. She was a very kind-hearted mother.”
He also revealed that all his siblings share his joking sense of humor. Following the event many spoke of his charm, humor and the childlike quality of his laugh.
He was asked how to spread the word of compassion, to which he responded, “Each of you then get this (message) to your friends like when water ripples when you throw a stone. In any case it is my share of the responsibility. Make small contributions. It’s not easy but there is no other alternative.”
He was asked how people should ask for compassion from their leaders? “Leaders not come from sky, from society. The short-term answer is ask directly.”
When asked why he appeals to so many different faiths, he replied: “I don’t know—my smile? I approach things informally, with humor. Tibetans are quite jovial. It’s my nature. I think that’s better.”
He closed with his advice for a happy life.
“Water,” he held up a glass of water. “And sleep. I love sleep. Perfect. That’s my secret.”
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