Why the Dalai Lama Matters to Americans?
Bhuchung K. Tsering
May 18, 2011
One of the privileged opportunities that I have when working for the International Campaign for Tibet is being deputed to assist in the visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the United States. In the Tibetan spiritual context, it is not only an honor but a blessing for me to be anywhere close to His Holiness and to be able to see and hear him on a daily basis. This is an opportunity that many Tibetan people, particularly those in Tibet today, can only dream about.
His Holiness just finished a very meaningful visit to California, Minnesota, Texas, Arkansas and New Jersey, about which you can read on www. dalailama.com or www.tibet.net.
While his religious stature is certainly a draw, it is the simplicity of his messages that seem to resonate well with people at all levels of American society. During this visit, the audience at his public talks, who constituted students, educators, scientists, politicians, all reacted positively to his call for just being a good human being. Even journalists, who are bound to be skeptics, took the opportunity of a press meet in Newark, New Jersey, to virtually get his advice on how to cope with the social problems in their countries, be it Mexico or Japan. His call for the promotion of inner values or secular ethics in the wholesome development of an individual has now become a serious topic of research by major American educational institutions.
His message of optimism with the youth of the 21st century is something that will continue to impact American society. At a time when many Americans take their lives for granted in this country, with all its amenities and freedoms and only have a pessimistic view of the country, the Dalai Lama encourages them, as he did at different places during this visit, to take a broader view and to count their blessings. I thought his sharing of his own personal experience, which he did a couple of times, was particularly effective. His statement “At 16, I lost my freedom, at 24 I lost my country” brought a sense of reality quite a few times during this visit.
His view that all individuals, whether an ordinary person or a leader, are the same at the fundamental human level is not just preaching but a way of life for him. He exemplified this during his trip, whether it was meeting a 11-year old boy reporter at a press meet in Minneapolis, President George W. Bush in Dallas, a security guard at the stadium in Fayetteville, or Martin Luther King II, the son of Martin Luther King Jr., in Newark.
His Holiness also displayed his ability to appreciate the simple joys of life during this visit. In Fayetteville, his hotel was on the campus of the University of Arkansas. At few occasions, he took the time to let the people there know that he greatly enjoyed the large trees nearby and the early morning singing by birds in the trees.
During this visit, the Dalai Lama discussed topics ranging from secular ethics to healing to democracy to peace. But most of all, he reminded the American people to appreciate their situation and to find positive meanings in their lives. I think this is why the American people feel the Dalai Lama still matters.
