The 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet spoke at the University of Hawaii’s Stan Sheriff Center to high school and college students on Apr. 14. The presentation concerned educating the heart and mind, compassion and the importance of native intelligence.
The Dalai Lama was brought to Hawaii by the Pillars of Peace Hawaii organization, an organization sponsored by the Hawaii Community Foundation and its partner foundation, the Omidyar Ohana Fund, with hosts Pierre and Pam Omidyar.
The Dalai Lama, born Tenzin Gyatso, is the 14th reigning Dalai Lama; he is believed to be the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. Educated in a variety of subjects including Tibetan logic, art, culture, medicine and Buddhist philosophy since the age of 6, in 1959, at 23, he passed his final examination with honors and the Geshe Lharampa which is the highest level degree of Buddhist philosophy. In the same year, the Dalai Lama was forced to escape into exile. He now resides in Dharamsala, India.
For peace in Tibet the Dalai Lama created a democratic constitution called the “The Charter in Tibetans in Exile” which grants freedoms of speech, belief, assembly and movement. In September 1987, he proposed the Five Point Peace Plan as a step towards solving the situation in Tibet. He wants Tibet to be a sanctuary of peace in Asia. In 1989, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for continuing the pursuit of solving Tibet’s struggles through non-violent solutions. He has been awarded over 84 awards, doctorates and prizes. Despite all he has done, the Dalai Lama refers to himself as a simple Buddhist monk.
“I loved how down- to- earth he was. He added humor to his speech to lighten up the serious topics and it made everyone feel comfortable,” said sophomore Justine Wong.
The Dalai Lama spoke about a wide variety of topics, from compassion to stories of childhood, from interdependence to inner peace, from fear to integrity. He captivated the audience for a full two hours before answering questions from the audience.
“I think the part of his speech that touched me the most was when he spoke of school competitiveness. He said competitiveness is good but extreme can be detrimental. This touched me because I am a competitive person myself and he taught me that I should not always be,” said sophomore Danielle Ho.
“I have always wanted to see the Dalai Lama since I was child. I found him to be very enlightening, a rascal, and very down-to-Earth. He said simple things but they were so intellectual at the same time. He reiterated that what we should strive to be and how we should be better people. How we should stop thinking materialistically and concentrate on being more human towards one another. We need to appreciate life and be more understanding, patient and loving. There was this aura about him that made you stop breathing. Just to hear him speak and see him was truly an amazing moment,” said high school secretary Sherene Neves.
