It is with great respect and and honor that I mention the privilege that allowed me to be in attendance this morning to hear His Holiness the Dalai Lama speak to a relatively small audience.

Through study early on in my life with Trungpa Rimpoche, I've been of later years more of no nonsense Basho school of Buddhist practice: chop wood,carry water.
Yet today, in the same room with this man, tears streamed my face and I knew not why. I am not usually given to such reactions. I can only say this person carries with him a truly magnificent spirit, and it can reach out and touch you.

In his remarks he mentioned 9/11 and it was apparent he is painfully aware of the suffering that has transpired with those events and the aftermath including the on going war.
His message here was such an uplifting experience: Know that your "enemy" was created by the same forces that created you, learn to separate the violent act even from the person who may be committing it and work to help them regain balance and see it is equally harmful to themselves as well.

This person, carrying the weight of his home country and against the forces who would just as soon see him not around http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?ar... is truly a remarkable example of living compassion, lightness and spontaneity.
EX: He was asked what advice he could give to rearing children in the world today and he, a lifelong monk, replied: "I'm hardly the best person to ask that". After the laughter subsided he said that perhaps if he married and had children he would then be better equipped to offer an opinion.

Truly a remarkable experience. If interested, a viewing of this visit and speech with Q&A will be available and streaming tomorrow @
http://www.smith.edu/its/ets/webcast/dalai...