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Dalai Lama enlightens Denver crowd
By Geof Wollerman
gwollerm@mscd.edu

Photo by Michael Martin Photography • Courtesy of Mind and Life Institute His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama spoke Sunday at the Pepsi Center, where thousands of people gathered to listen to the 71-year-old.

In front of a crowd of about 15,500 on Sunday at the Pepsi Center, the Dalai Lama expressed his hopes for more education and compassion among peoples of the world, which he believes will lead to a “new reality” of peace, understanding and “external disarmament.”

Titled “The Science of a Compassionate Life,” the event included a Tibetan dance performance, a short film narrated by Richard Gere, music by local flautist Nawang Khechog, and remarks from Mayor John Hickenlooper, who introduced the Dalai Lama.

Adam Engle, chairman and co-founder of the Mind and Life Institute, which sponsored the event, was the master of ceremonies.

The short film highlighted the work of the institute, which was founded in 1987 by Engle, the Dalai Lama and neuroscientist Francisco J. Varela in order to initiate, according to the event’s website, “a unique dialogue and ground-breaking research between modern science and the great living contemplative traditions.”

Speaking about himself to those “who came out of curiosity,” the Tibetan leader said, “So as you see: nothing special. Mentally, emotionally, physically we are all the same.”

At times throughout the speech, a translator helped the Dalai Lama clarify his message for the audience.

In speaking about his background, the Dalai Lama said his compassion comes from the memory and experience of receiving his mother’s milk, which is where we all learn compassion. He said if children receive constant affection, then they will learn better; and education is one of the keys to promoting peace and understanding. If children do not receive affection they will not learn to trust and will end up fighting, cheating and stealing.

The speech’s main theme was that “internal disarmament” decreases negative emotions and increases positive emotions, and that this in turn will lead to external disarmament.

However, everyone is looking to maximally benefit themselves and their communities, and this intention sometimes gets skewed because of a misunderstanding of reality, the Dalai Lama said. He described the misunderstanding as narrow mindedness and an inability to see things on both a micro and a macro scale.

The Dalai Lama decried the “demarcation” between cultures, which says one culture’s future is not dependent on another’s. We need a “complete renunciation of this idea,” he said, also declaring that soon all our futures will become the same.

The Dalai Lama also talked about anger, which he said finds its root in previous actions we focus on too much. He said if we explore what is behind the anger it will begin to unravel and lose its meaning.

He called war the “worst kind of violation,” and said in today’s world culture we tend toward “legalizing the violence.” He said the events of Sept. 11 were the result of the “combination of human intelligence and modern technology guided by hatred.”

Continuing to talk about terrorism and fear, he told the audience there was no need to be depressed about past events because there was nothing to be done about them. He said there was no reason to be afraid of future events, because their outcome is “in our hands.”

While religious people play an important part in the peace process, and are more likely to understand his message, “for the general public we need a more secular way to promote these ideas,” the Dalai Lama said.

The way to do this is through science and by teaching compassion in our education systems, he said.

He said the Chinese government “creates ignorance among its people,” and that “a closed society is almost like suicide.” Therefore we should “educate our Chinese brothers and sisters.”

Donna Rouner, a journalism professor who attended the event found the Dalai Lama’s message of combining science with contemplative meditation interesting.

“We are only on the tip of the iceberg in understanding the human mind, and the aspects of emotions, and what we can do with it,” Rouner said. “He is ahead of the game in that way.”

“It was great to ... actually experience his humility,” she said. “It was just awesome.”

Terry Barrett, a Christian who attended the speech with his wife, said the Dalai Lama’s ideas about pairing science with religion were the right approach.

“(Some Christians are) trying to push science out of religion right now, and I think that’s the wrong thing to do,” he said.

Barrett said the Dalai Lama has the right idea in promoting peace “instead of letting war dictate what’s going to happen to this world.”

The Dalai Lama is 71 years old, and he noted during the speech he is “semi-retired.”

All proceeds from the three-hour event went to the Mind and Life Institute.