Compassion and the Mind
Obtaining security clearance to attend the lecture series with the Dalai Lama is quite easy once you find the little office hidden away in the Tibetan Welfare Office. Directions are given like this: "You will see two chai shops and it is just before the bakery. Go downstairs. You might not see the sign but it is there."
A metal detector, some light padding and a bag search later I was sitting in a courtyard with a couple of hundred travellers, Tibetan monks and locals. A large chair was set up on the stage and a tarp covered half the courtyard in case of rain. I got out my radio and put in my earphones. Set it to the station and listened to the monks begin to chant. The Tibetan part of the crowd got out their prayer books and followed along. A white gate opposite the stage swung open and everyone swiveled around on the floor. Everyone remained seated. A nun carrying incents, two monks, three security men and then the Dalai Lama scurried past followed by three more monks and twelve (I counted them) security men. That alone was amazing. He walked through the crowd to get to his seat. We all got up once he had passed by and bowed.
So there it was. Another one of those expriences I did not plan on. Hawks circled in the blue sky and the courtyard was surrounded by mountains and trees. His Holiness began his lecture as monks swept down the staircases on either side of the stage carrying baskets of bread. Everyone got bread and chai and we listened to the teachings. The Dalai Lama cracked jokes and chuckled to himself. The teachings were, in general, on compassion and more specifically on attachment and aversion and the power of the mind and it's limitlessness. A few minutes in a puppy appeared out of nowhere and ran through the seated crowd.
Today it was grey and rainy and fewer people came to the session. Half the courtyard was uncovered and that would be the half I sat in. :) Karma was the topic for this lecture. I was asked to save an insect by a woman sitting a few seats over. All those sitting in the covered area of the courtyard gave up their umbrellas to those sitting in the uncovered area. Everyone got fed sweet buns and we sat together as one listening to the chants and the teachings in the rain.
A metal detector, some light padding and a bag search later I was sitting in a courtyard with a couple of hundred travellers, Tibetan monks and locals. A large chair was set up on the stage and a tarp covered half the courtyard in case of rain. I got out my radio and put in my earphones. Set it to the station and listened to the monks begin to chant. The Tibetan part of the crowd got out their prayer books and followed along. A white gate opposite the stage swung open and everyone swiveled around on the floor. Everyone remained seated. A nun carrying incents, two monks, three security men and then the Dalai Lama scurried past followed by three more monks and twelve (I counted them) security men. That alone was amazing. He walked through the crowd to get to his seat. We all got up once he had passed by and bowed.
So there it was. Another one of those expriences I did not plan on. Hawks circled in the blue sky and the courtyard was surrounded by mountains and trees. His Holiness began his lecture as monks swept down the staircases on either side of the stage carrying baskets of bread. Everyone got bread and chai and we listened to the teachings. The Dalai Lama cracked jokes and chuckled to himself. The teachings were, in general, on compassion and more specifically on attachment and aversion and the power of the mind and it's limitlessness. A few minutes in a puppy appeared out of nowhere and ran through the seated crowd.
Today it was grey and rainy and fewer people came to the session. Half the courtyard was uncovered and that would be the half I sat in. :) Karma was the topic for this lecture. I was asked to save an insect by a woman sitting a few seats over. All those sitting in the covered area of the courtyard gave up their umbrellas to those sitting in the uncovered area. Everyone got fed sweet buns and we sat together as one listening to the chants and the teachings in the rain.
posted by LOTC at 7:02 AM
1 Comments:
that's so awesome, gina. i'd love to talk to you about what you felt and thought about the teachings. i had a chance to listen to the dalai lama for 5 days when he came to TO in 2004. at the end of the 5 days, i felt like i could do that for every day for the rest of my life. it was hard to do anything else after that. especially to go back to "the real world". i'm glad you don't have to come back here immediately following that.
yas
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