A Public Talk Given By His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama - Washington - Things To Do Reviews

A dream of mine has always been to attend a public talk given by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, thus when he scheduled one in Washington, D.C., only three hours away from New York City by train, I immediately bought a ticket. I purchased the most expensive ticket, as I wanted to be as close as possible to His Holiness (I was only about 50 feet away). However, even though there were over 10,000 people there, once he began his talk, I have never experienced such silence and calmness in a public setting before. So, even if you were sitting in the "nose bleed" section, it felt like you were sitting right next to him. Keep this in mind when selecting a seat.

A lovely surprise was that His Holiness was introduced by another personal hero of mine, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi!

I believe his message is one that resonates with all of us. Therefore, that is the main reason why I write this review, because I deeply recommend attending one of his public talks if possible. His main message was about compassion. It is a completely human trait and it is not unique to Buddhism. It is a result of our need for other people, it is a learned behavior, and that it is to be cherished, cultivated, and preserved, as it is the root of our happiness and connects us all together.

His Holiness was funny, humble, and pragmatic. He addressed modern sciences, in so far to say that Buddhism and the findings of scientists are often in agreement, supporting each other. It was very refreshing to see a Religious Leader saying it is okay to question, okay to be inquisitive.

Lastly, he addressed the issue of a free Tibet. Currently, he feels it is not necessarily in their best interest to be independent of China, rather what they really want is meaningful autonomy. The agreement with China makes them an autonomous region, but nobody who makes decisions for Tibet has a stake in their culture or way of life. They want to see their way of life protected by participating in decision making for their region, while at the same time getting the benefit of the modernization and infrastructure China has to offer.

An updated schedule of public talks are listed on the above website. This is an event not to be missed!!!