Creating Peace in a Violent World
Thousands of onlookers gathered at the
Tucson Convention Center on the
afternoon of September 19th to hear an
inspirational speech of a lifetime, delivered
by Tibet's spiritual and political leader, the
Dalai Lama. His message could not have
come at a more opportune time, as
America continues to be in the midst of the
Katrina aftermath.
Giving condolences to those affected by
the hurricane, the Dalai Lama in his speech
gently encouraged the Katrina victims in
rebuilding their homes and lives: “Very
unfortunate things happen… but there is
no reason to lose hope.” he said. He
continued, quoting that challenges are the
best opportunity to become active. Over
the past few weeks, the Tucson community
has indeed been actively involved in
assisting with housing for gulf coast
evacuees.
The message of the 14th Dalai Lama,
Tenzin Gyatso, focused on compassion for
others and a peaceful, non-material
approach to life.
Speaking on the stems of violence and war
in today’s society, His Holiness pointed to
hatred and anger as the essential factors.
He brought to light a simple yet practical
method in dealing with problems on a
personal and global level: looking at the
world through a broader perspective.
“Conflict and pain is always there,” he said,
“but when they arise, we must resolve
these by dialogue and peaceful means,
not violence and force.”
Too often in our society, we face our
problems with force. The Dalai Lama
asserted that this mindset is certainly a
mistake. “A spirit of reconciliation should
be part of our lives… we must build a spirit
of talk.”
There was no discussion of Chinese
politics, or mention of the Dalai Lama’s
exile from Tibet. Instead, at times within
his speech, he kindly noted the Chinese as
“brothers and sisters in China.”
The Dalai Lama continually emphasized
acting out of compassion. “We need
friends, genuine friendships, and smiles…
smiles brought not by money and power,
but by genuine warm-heartedness.”
The last visit of the Dalai Lama to Arizona
was 12 years ago. The popularity of the
Dalai Lama was evident in ticket sales, as
all tickets for the event were sold out last
winter.
In his December 1989 acceptance speech
to receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, the
Dalai Lama said “No matter what part of
the world we come from, we are all
basically the same human beings. We all
seek happiness and try to avoid suffering.
We have the same basic human needs and
concerns. All of us human beings want
freedom and the right to determine our
own destiny as individuals and as peoples.
That is human nature.”
The world has witnessed the timeless
wisdom and ethereal optimism of the Dalai
Lama. And now, they have heard his
message of compassion. Perhaps it is time
to take his words to heart, and to act out
on that message, not only in our own
neighborhoods or on a domestic scale, but
a global basis.
Ho, Amy. “Creating Peace in a Violent World”. Asian
American Times. 30 Sep. 2005: 11. Print.