That moment I saw the 14th Dalai Lama

May 28th 2014

The beautiful North Indian sun rises over the Dhauladar range mountain and shines into my room. I am awake and I am filled with excitement, not because we have off from training today, but the Dalai Lama is back home at his temple in Dharamshala and I am going to see him! I walk into town and reach the temple which is about a 10 minute walk from my apartment. A long queue begins outside the temple as they check all our passports and paper work we had to get the day before. This was my second time being at the temple since I’ve been living here and it’s absolutely beautiful. They divided everyone up into different countries and within a few minutes everyone starts cheering as His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama walks out waving to all the people along with his huge infectious smile on his face.

He gets to our group and takes the photo with all of us. As he is walking to take a photography with the next group, he walks right in front of me. Almost as if time just slowed down the thought of me being in India, having the 14th Dalai Lama right in front of me, just a few months ago I never would of thought I would be in this situation, Yoga lead me here. The Dalai Lama smiles right at me as I lift my hand and he takes it and squeezes it.

The talk by the Dalai Lama was simply amazing. “We are all the same,” he said, “physically, mentally and emotionally. We all want to lead a happy life and we have a right to do so.” He spoke about how in a materialistic world many people depend on sensory experiences to be happy, but that such experiences are short-lived. He said that developing inner peace is more effective. Conceding that we are all driven by self-interest he said: “The key is to follow self-interest wisely by developing concern for others rather than foolishly being only concerned for ourselves.”

Needless to say, being able to see the Dalai Lama at his temple in India was one of the greatest experiences of my life. After his talk I sat in silence wanting to absorb the experience that just happened. An incredible smart man with an amazing story and message, who believes he is no more special than everyone else. There is a ‘global responsibility’ within in the world the Dalai Lama mentioned to the crowd. He expressed optimism that the present younger generation, who belong to the 21st century, will be able to shape a happier, more peaceful world.