Many of you know that I’m a Buddhist, although I haven’t formally attached myself to any particular sect. One of the people I most admire on this planet is His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He has led an amazing life and his spirit, calm and smile are extremely contagious. If I could muster 1% of the inner peace that he possesses, I would have a major change in my life and my attitude. He truly is an inspiration.
For those not familiar with how Buddhism works, we don’t regard His Holiness as some sort of conduit between believers and the almighty like the Pope of the Catholic Church. Many of us don’t believe in God, although there are many different gods in various forms of Buddhism that followers pay their respects to. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and religious leader of the people of Tibet and is the face of Tibetan Buddhism worldwide. He is not to be worshipped. He serves simply as an example of the enlightenment that we can all attain through Buddhist practices.
His Holiness is regarded as the reincarnated Buddha of Compassion, discovered by high lamas and dignitaries when he was a child. He lived through the invasion of Tibet by China and was forced to seek refuge in India when it was no longer safe for him to stay in Tibet. He has worked tirelessly on behalf of the Tibetan people since that time. He has travelled the globe to spread his message of compassion and has consistently spoken out against the abuse of his Tibetan people. For his efforts, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. That’s a very short history of what has been a very trying and selfless life. May he live many more years and continue to serve as an example of true humanity and humility.
On September 6, 2005, he sent a message to President Bush and a donation to the American people to aid the victims of hurricane Katrina:
His Excellency George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, DC
USA
Your Excellency,
I am shocked and deeply saddened by the massive destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina. The loss of many lives is particularly tragic. The catastrophe is almost unimaginable in its extent and destruction. On behalf of the Tibetan people, I would like to express to you our deep sense of solidarity with the many Americans who have suffered so much from this great natural calamity. We share the immense suffering and the terrible losses that the victims of this calamity have had to endure and continue to do so. As a symbolic gesture of our deep feelings we would like to contribute US$ 100,000 (one hundred thousand US dollars) to the efforts of your Administration in coordinating the massive aid to the affected people in the United States.
The transfer of above mentioned amount will be administered by The Office of Tibet in New York to an appropriate relief agency.
As is our tradition, special prayers will be offered by large congregations of monks and nuns.
With prayers and good wishes,
Yours sincerely,
The Dalai Lama
Buddhism, as a loose institution, does not have the huge bank accounts of other major religions, like the Catholic Church. But, Buddhist monks have consistently supported aid efforts throughout the years despite their lives of extreme poverty.
I am heartened to see that response and I continue to view His Holiness as the epitome of peace and compassion in what is such a crazy world.
He will appear on CNN’s Larry Ling Live show on Sunday, September 11th(?) (I need to confirm that date). If you’re not familiar with his character, his manner and his profound effect on millions of people like me, please tune in. You won’t be disappointed.
Update [2005-9-10 9:58:18 by catnip]:: Confirmed – HH The Dalai Lama will be Larry King’s guest on Sept 11 at 9pm ET.
