As Dalai Lama Departs, His Life Lessons Remain
Published: Wednesday, 16 July, 2008
He paused for photographs with volunteers and Lehigh employees, blessed
onlookers and even reached over a security fence to hug an old acquaintance. Then, he stepped into the back of a shiny,
black sedan flanked by U.S. State Department Diplomatic Security agents and
zipped away.
With that, the Dalai Lama concluded his historic six-day lecture at Lehigh. For some
''If you feel something [is] useful, take it!'' he said. ''If you feel it's nonsense, forget it!''
His humility, evident in his opening remarks, and his genuine wisdom are among
the things university President Alice P. Gast will take from his visit. Gast greeted him at the back door to Stabler
Arena last week before his first lecture.
But Gast was also among the privileged few who met with the Dalai Lama in
person on a few occasions, once during lunch. She found him to be as humble in person as he was
in public.
''You are talking to someone who is so revered and he immediately sets you at ease,''
she said. ''He is very distinguished and
yet he assumes a very human and down-to-earth role.''
The Dalai Lama's visit gave university faculty and staff an opportunity to
spend a year in advance of his visit studying the culture, religion and
teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. From an educational standpoint, the visit was
tremendously valuable, said Gast.
''He is certainly one of the most distinguished and well-known people we've
had,''
she said.
What Fountain Hill resident Melissa Shafer will take from the Dalai Lama's
visit is a deeper understanding of some universal truths found in all
religions. Shafer, a minister with
Metaphysical Universal Ministries, said love, compassion and the golden rule
are all common themes.
She was struck by a simple gesture often repeated by the Dalai Lama during his lectures.
When he would speak of the mind, he
would make a motion with his hand toward his heart, said Shafer, her own hand
clasped at her heart and her eyes shut tightly during a lunch break Tuesday.
''We all need to learn to think with our hearts,'' she said.
Gentleness in the face of confrontation is another lesson Shafer said she
learned and can apply to her life when confronted by someone who's upset.
''Sometimes it's the gentleness that speaks louder than force,'' she said.
What Ian Birky, director of counseling services at
He said Western psychology tries to get a person to understand the people or
actions that cause pain. Buddhists teach
the person to be in touch with the self that is reacting in hurt and figure out
why, said Birky.
''If I can practice the (Buddhist) path I can become selfless enough where I
don't have to experience hurt, hold onto it,'' Birky said.
Birky hopes to incorporate what he has learned into his practice.
Kumkum Sharma, a certified yoga instructor with a master's degree in molecular genetics,
hopes to one day share what she's learned from attending all six days of the
Dalai Lama's lectures.
What struck her most wasn't what he said but his presence, his infectious laugh
and the energy that resonated from him.
''It's the beauty which spills out when your heart is open,'' said Sharma, who
was born in
Sharma occasionally teaches yoga to cancer patients at the
''It's a process and a journey,'' she said. ''It's a journey we are all on and I want to continue
that journey.''
Reporter Michael Duck contributed to this
story.
