The Dalai and Me

By Andrew Stern

When one pictures His Holiness the Dalai Lama, you think of a mountain in the Himalayas with an ancient temple on the summit and the Dalai Lama sitting serenely on the top… waiting. What he’s waiting for… you are really not sure; but he is patient and he appears to be meditating. Throw in a little snow and some mist or fog and the picture is complete.

The Dalai Lama visited South Florida last month. At first glance, he appears to be that guy from the top of the mountain. He wears flowing robes, sandals and his head is perfectly shaved; just like one of those monks in an old Chinese Kung Fu movie.

My expectations of his lecture were colored by the movies – specifically Caddyshack. The scene I am referring to involved Bill Murray relating his story of the time he took the Dalai Lama golfing and was assigned to be his caddy. Murray tells the story to a young caddy (while holding a pitchfork to the boy’s neck). He explains how the Dalai Lama was a real “big hitter” and how he had to chase a ball down a 10,000 foot crevasse. The story meanders on and finally at the end of eighteen holes. Bill Murray fears that the Dalia Lama was going to “stiff” him and not give him a tip. So Bill Murray confronts the Dalai Lama and demands, “Hey Lama! How about a little something for the effort?” Murray then explains that the Dalai Lama didn’t give him any money but said that on
his deathbed he would receive total consciousness. Murray says, “So I’ve got that going for me…which is nice.”

My wife and I were fortunate enough to be invited to attend the event at Nova Southeastern University where the Dalai Lama spoke. The stage was set up with a number of chairs for the various dignitaries. There was a nice comfy chair in the middle of the stage reserved for the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama appeared on stage to great applause and fanfare. He is a relatively small man and appeared even smaller as he settled into the big comfy chair, removed his sandals and sat cross-legged.

It was now time for His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet to speak. There was silence in the auditorium, except for a few whispers and murmurs from people wondering if he spoke English, or speculating on what he might say. There was an extended pause and finally the Dalai Lama opened his mouth to speak.

I too, was wondering what to expect. Would he relate some parable about lotus flowers and bamboo shoots, or would he reveal to the crowd “the meaning of life”? Whatever it was, I am sure it would be profound.

The Dalai Lama does speak English (though he keeps an interpreter around to explain difficult concepts). With his first words he explained to the crowd that he really enjoys receiving honorary degrees. (At this event, he was

presented with an honorary degree from Broward College.) The reason, he explained was because, unlike real students, he needed to know nothing of the subject matter and had to do absolutely no work to receive the degrees. He pointed to his head to emphasize the lack of knowledge and laughed at his joke in an easy going self-deprecating way.

So much for preconceptions; the Dalai Lama actually has a sense of humor. The Dalai Lama also has a serious side and definitely had a message he wished to impart to the audience. Without being overt in pushing his
politics, he quietly let the crowd know of his disappointment with China and their treatment of his homeland Tibet.

A little history is probably in order. The Dalai Lama at one time was very close with Chairman Mao of China. He described how he used to be invited to dine with Mao and sit next to him at the Chairman’s table. He explained that it was a great honor and that a Chinese gesture of affection and respect was to share food from you plate with an honored guest. Chairman Mao would often do this with the Dalai Lama.

When asked whom he admired, the Dalai Lama mentioned his mother and his teacher, and also Chairman Mao. What makes this incredulous is that Chairman Mao invaded Tibet in the 1950s killing untold numbers of Tibetans, and exiledthe Dalai Lama to India in 1959. How do you admire someone who has committed such atrocities against you and your people?

The Dalai Lama explained briefly that he admired Chairman Mao for his earlier acts but not for his acts subsequent to his invasion of Tibet. Previously the Dalai Lama had stressed the importance of separating a person from his actions. He explained that it is perfectly fine to dislike or become angry at actions an individual may take, but that it is wrong to hate the individual as a whole.

He also stressed that we are all human and all the same, regardless of race, nationality, religion, or politics; and that we must respect all humans equally and take global responsibility for all people, regardless of their beliefs.
The covert message was if he could still admire Chairman Mao, surely we could learn to get along with our global neighbors, and even our enemies.

The event ended with the Dalai Lama giving white prayer scarves (Kata) to the various dignitaries on stage and blessing the recipients.

There was a luncheon afterwards given by the university which I attended. I sat at a table with with some very nice people who are seriously devoted to the Dalai Lama and Buddhism. As a token to remember the event, the university gave each attendee a tote bag.

I expressed my disappointment with the tote bag and joked that I would much rather have one of those cool scarves that the Dalai Lama had given to the chancellor and president of the university. A woman at my table reached into her bag and pulled out her own prayer scarf and presented it to me. Apparently, she had taken it to Tibet and it has been blessed hundreds of times.

I didn’t know what to say or do. I felt wrong accepting the scarf; but, I was unsure of the custom, and certainly did not want to offend her. I accepted the gift and wore the scarf during the entire lunch.

I honestly can not say that my life has been transformed by my encounter with the Dalai Lama, but I do have one of those blessed scarves and as Bill Murray would say, “So I’ve got that going for me…which is nice.”