It was the determination of a friend that made me drive 163 miles to go to this Dalai Lama talk in Rutgers University.
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet was warmly welcomed when he appeared in the sight of an audience of thousands in the Rutgers Stadium. He returned the hospitality of the audience by thankful gestures. After receiving an honorary degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Human Letters, he chose to give his impromptu speech while sitting in a chair, just like he would have done in a Buddhism morning teaching. He spoke understandable English with occasional help from his Tibetan-English intepreter. The way he talked was very kind, peaceful and sometimes funny. What he said, however, was vacant, primitive and alogical. He didn't address any sensitive topic, such as his troubled relationship with Chinese government. As a Chinese, I respect His Holiness Dalai Lama as a qualified spiritual leader of Tibet and applaud his non-violence approach of resolving problems. His best-selling books on Buddhism reached a broad readership with Buddhism teaching, which has been a part of Chinese culture and traditional education for thousands of years. I hope he continue his effort to search for resolution based on the best interests of Tibetan people.
Anyway, it was an interesting experience. And I was thankful for my friend in Rutgers University for her hospitality. We also visited Zimmerli Art Museum, which has an awesome Russian and Soviet Nonconformist collection.
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet was warmly welcomed when he appeared in the sight of an audience of thousands in the Rutgers Stadium. He returned the hospitality of the audience by thankful gestures. After receiving an honorary degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Human Letters, he chose to give his impromptu speech while sitting in a chair, just like he would have done in a Buddhism morning teaching. He spoke understandable English with occasional help from his Tibetan-English intepreter. The way he talked was very kind, peaceful and sometimes funny. What he said, however, was vacant, primitive and alogical. He didn't address any sensitive topic, such as his troubled relationship with Chinese government. As a Chinese, I respect His Holiness Dalai Lama as a qualified spiritual leader of Tibet and applaud his non-violence approach of resolving problems. His best-selling books on Buddhism reached a broad readership with Buddhism teaching, which has been a part of Chinese culture and traditional education for thousands of years. I hope he continue his effort to search for resolution based on the best interests of Tibetan people.
Anyway, it was an interesting experience. And I was thankful for my friend in Rutgers University for her hospitality. We also visited Zimmerli Art Museum, which has an awesome Russian and Soviet Nonconformist collection.
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