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Atlanta,
GA, USA, 22 October 2007 (By Salvador Rizzo, The Emory Wheel) - Thick,
looming fog and the threat of rain couldn't keep thousands of people
from attending the Dalai Lama's free public address ar Centennial
Olympic Park on Monday. |
Brett Weinstein The Dalai Lama, shown here next to U.S. Rep. John Lewis, addressed thousands at Centennial Olympic Park on Monday.
They crowded the park's wet lawns with blankets - some sitting
cross-legged in the lotus position -” and they purchased Tibetan
memorabilia from robe-clad monks who set up shop at a makeshift
bookstore. They traded stories about how far the drive had been to
Atlanta, and they looked expectantly at the sky, ironically hoping for
no rain during a dangerous statewide drought.
And when the 14th Dalai Lama took the podium, they gave him a standing
ovation and their full attention. Hands pressed above his head, the
Tibetan spiritual leader bowed his head as the audience cheered and
showered him with camera flashes. Then he abruptly motioned for them to
sit. "It's a great pleasure for me to be able to meet with you," he
said through a translator. After about a minute, he became more at ease
with what he called his 'broken English' and delivered the rest of
his address on his own.
"When I hear his name, [I hear] something very deep in my heart," he said. The Dalai Lama's message addressed the importance of inner peace and self-contentment as a path to lasting world peace. "Last century, millions of people killed - not much benefit," he
said. "The concept of war is outdated, it's very clear. This
century, 21st century, should be century of dialogue."
He posited that humans, unlike some other species such as turtles,
naturally tend toward compassion, and he encouraged the audience to
nurture their children and take to heart the lessons gleaned from
family life. "The seed of compassion, from birth, we already have. Very nature, we come from our mother - our entire life depends on others' care," he said, adding that his affection for all people comes not from Buddhism, but from his own mother.
Peter Wang, a Taiwan native now living in Atlanta, heard the speech on
the grass, sitting over a blue baseball cap next to his young daughter.
Later, in response to a previously submitted question about reconciling
his Buddhist teachings with Christianity, he described the similarities
between many of the world's religions and his affinity for other
religious practices. Arti Batta contributed reporting to this article. |
