The Dalai Lama has been in Seattle over the last few days for the Seeds of Compassion series of events. Friday evening he had a conversation with Dave Matthews (who then did an acoustic concert with Tim Reynolds). Saturday afternoon there was a big event at Qwest Field. Today the Dalai Lama spoke at an event specifically for school children. (My 2 grade school kids were there!). And there were a number of other events, most avaliable on webcast.
I just finished watching today's event on the web and I was struck by this moment in history in which compassion and hope are actually getting people's attention. "We" is getting air time and pushing "me" aside.
Follow me below the fold for a little more on what the Dalai Lama said and how it connects to Barack Obama.
The Event
Today's event at Key Arena in Seattle was attended by about 14,000 school children. From my kids' public school all the classes, except kindergarten went. I'll be interested to hear what they have to say about it. I watched live on the web. There was a youth choir and youth dance, a native american story telling group, a woman who did a great performance poem about giving and a young man from Sierra Leone. All performed for His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
His Holiness shook hands with all of them, bowing as the performers bowed, sometimes putting his cheek to cheek in a sort of hug. It was all very moving. But I want to relate two things about the event.
The first, is the young man from Sierra Leone. He lost his entire family in the civil war and was forced to be one of the child soldiers you have heard about. Afterwards, he said he felt angry and bitter at the world. And who could blame him, his youth and family were taken from him through no fault of his own. But other people were there to help him and the others who had lost so much. Eventually, he said, he realized that he could choose to forgive and so he did. He now is a human rights activist, helping others as others helped him. Through compassion, this young man's life was turned around.
The second is what the Dalai Lama himself said. (I'm paraphrasing from a few notes; he did speak in English, with his translator helping find a few words.)
He said everyone has right to happiness, to a happy life. He said we’re social animals. The group is key to our survival, our success. Many traditions say "I need you," which is very important. And the concept of We rather than I or They is important to individual health and group or societal health. The need of the group (We) is based on compassion.
He said compassion is not pity. Instead, it is a sense of responsibility, like a mother has for her child. It's also respect for others and a responsibility to help, to do something.
He said there is a myth of independence, that you grow up and don’t need anyone, that you are separate from the community. When this happens a person blames others for their own problems and fears others. But this is big problem for society. He acknowledged that conflict and fighting exist. He used an example of himself and his brother when they were young, they would fight, but then afterwards they quickly played together again, because compassion is naturally there. We need to remember this, to come together after conflict on the global level.
The Dalai Lama said there are two versions of compassion: (1) natural (biological), but that is limited to family, friends; (2) compassion needs to be nurtured through education to sustain and increase active compassion throughout life so that compassion applies to those beyond friends, including to enemies.
He also said it is a mistake to think of compassion as only a religious matter. Compassion was there first, it's biological. Compassion should be secular value. We need to promote compassion in a secular way.
The Connection
What struck me listening to this event was the link between compassion and hope. Compassion is the responsibility to act to help others in need; hope is the belief that we and others will act when there is the need. Both are about We.
This is where Barack Obama fits in. His message is about hope, and he uses We. We are in this together; Obama is relying on the We to make the changes needed in the country. Obama embraces compassion, the respect for others and as he says, "We are our brothers and sisters keepers."
We are at a moment in history. The Bushes, Cheneys and McCains would have us fear Them and blame Them for whatever problems we have. But if we listen to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, that fear and blame is the opposite of compassion and the opposite of what we as individuals need to be healthy and happy and what we the people of the world need to live together. If we listen to Barack Obama, then we will look at what unites us, our common humanity and compassion for one another and our shared hopes; and we will talk to our enemies and maybe someday transform them into friends.
This is our moment in history. We can change history. We can push aside fear and blame to make way for Compassion and Hope.