Sunday I had an opportunity to go see
His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He's in Toronto for the next two weeks doing lectures and initiations rituals for
Kalachakra.
I was hoping to go to the teachings in the first week, but couldn't
afford it. Luckily, there was another event schedule at the
Skydome, and I managed to get a ticket, thanks to a dear coworker,
Joan, who needed someone to go with her.
I can't do justice with words what it was like, or what was said, or
just the feeling of being in the presence of such a prominent
figure. I can tell you of how much fun it was to get there!
Joan and I met at the office, and hopped on the streetcar to go to the
Skydome. It was so packed that the driver just instructed people
to climb in the back, which was no small effort. I didn't think
you could squeeze that many people on a streetcar! The next two
stops the same thing, and even more people squeezed on. We didn't
even need to grab handholds, there wasn't even room to fall over.
When we arrived at King and Peter, the weather was horrible.
Rainy, windy, cold, just brutal Spring weather. As Murphy's
Law would have it, the gates weren't open yet, although they were meant
to be an hour previous. We also managed to have our gate entry on
the side of the 'Dome without any cover from the wind or rain.
Neither of us had an umbrella, and I (in an effort to promote Spring)
was not at all dressed for that type of weather. Half an hour
later, soaked, freezing, shivering, on the point of giving up, they
finally opened the gates and close to 25,000 people rushed into the
warmth inside.
It was well worth all of it. A dozen or so Buddhist monks started
off with a 5 minute chant, which was relaxing. Some Tibetan
dancers did a few dances (the first being a Dance of Luck, and I was
shivering still too much to hear what the 2nd dance was).
A short video about the
Panchen Lama was shown, and then Justin Trudeau did a short speech and introduced the Dalai Lama.
Suffice to say, getting to hear the Dalai Lama was nothing short of
spectacular. He spoke for about an hour, in English (occasionally
asking his translator who sat nearby for some assistance).
After that, a few prepared questions were asked to him by the
translator, which he answered. I'd say in all he spoke for close
to an hour and a half, although most of that time passed effortlessly.
A few words about the Dalai Lama - he's very animated, composed,
humourous, humble. He joked about his poor English, but still
gave the lecture in it. His warmth and presence I will always
remember, and I hope one day to visit him in Dharamsala, or, if things
go well, back in his native home of Tibet. Maybe I'll even get to
meet him face to face!
If you ever get a chance to see the Dalai Lama, or even read his works,
regardless of your background or beliefs, I recommend it. Just be
careful doing this in Tibet :)
