Dalai Lama dispenses his wisdom

THOUSANDS of people granted several standing ovations to His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, as he spoke at the University of Limerick last Thursday morning.

The Tibetan spiritual leader spoke for well over an hour, dispensing his wisdom on a range of topics ranging from the education of children to the importance of compassion.
His arrival came after over an hour’s performance from the Ritual Chant Programme of the UL-based Irish World Academy.
When the main event began after the arrival of the Dalai Lama, he was hugely impressive, putting forward his views with plenty of wit and charm.
The event was entitled The Power of Forgiveness and on stage with the Dalai Lama was Richard Moore, who lost his sight as a youngster after being struck by a rubber bullet.
Five years ago, he met and made peace with the soldier who shot him and actually welcomed him to the event.
“I lost my eyesight in 1972 as the result of being shot and blinded by a rubber bullet. I’m glad to say the soldier who blinded me is in the audience and Charlie, I want to say you are welcome,” he said.
Richard said he had first met the Dalai Lama in 2000 when he visited Derry. His Holiness has since become the patron of Richard’s charity, Children in Crossfire, and he paid tribute to the Tibetan leader. “I have fallen in love with this man and I openly admit that,” he said.
He joked about touching the Dalai Lama’s face for the first time, saying that afterwards he commented, “ Your Holiness, you have a big nose.”
The Dalai Lama, after defending the size of his nose, spoke about the common threads running through humanity.
He said that although there are differences at a secondary level, regarding faith, nationality and colour, fundamentally people are all the same. “Many of the differences that we have are down to there being too much emphasis on the secondary level and we forget that we are the same,” he said.
He added that all religions emphasise love, compassion and discipline and that if followed “sincerely and seriously”, religion offers a path to inner peace.
The Dalai Lama also advised young people not to worry too much. “An eighth century Buddhist master said when you face tragedy, analyse the situation. If you can work on it, make the effort. If you can’t, don’t worry too much about it.”
He said that there are over six billion people on earth, all with worries, and that it is important not to give up hope.
With regard to inequality, he said his perception was that the gap between rich and poor wasn’t as stark in Ireland as in some countries in mainland Europe, in the USA or in China.
The Dalai Lama also urged teachers and parents to encourage their children and to give them a sense that they cared about their holistic development.