2 hours, 3 insights, 1 lesson — The day I met the Dalai Lama.
We arrived in India a week ago and I confess that it is still not enough time for the mind to get used to the chaos. There are many mixed elements and the only option is to practice listening to yourself in an attempt to disconnect from the outside world and be able to deal with everything that happens. And the most contradictory thing is that it’s fun to like it all! No one is prepared for this but you learn how cool it is to have no control and be so small in the midst of so much happening around you.
We arrived in New Delhi last week and after 2 days we went up to Dharamshala. We are working in an Ashram, developing a consultancy project that involves business development, product development, customer experience and all this connected with improvement of the surrounding community. If you want to know more about our work, take a look here because this post is actually to share a unique opportunity we had today: to meet the Dalai Lama.
The Dalai Lama lives in a temple in Dharamshala and speaks to the public a few times a year. We accidentally discovered that today he would make a public appearance — and he would speak English! — and we run to sign up. We left early today to see him during 2 hours when showed the people there pure wisdom, and here I bring 3 insights and 1 lesson that have marked me in this incredible experience.
1. The power of using knowledge to promote compassion
Negative emotions come from ignorance. Self confidence is willpower and comes from literacy. If we want to live in a better world, we have to use human brain to promote compassion and this just happen if education will have proper values. Instead of forcing us to always live on the future and the possibilities that might happen without us even knowing if it is what we want, education can bring people together if being the tool to enlighten human beings.
2. Attitude is the key
The Dalai Lama arrives in front of all the people who went to see him today and his first speech is to reinforce the fact that he is ‘1 of 7 billion people in the world’ and not more or less important than anyone. But in addition to talking, he behaves as such — and I’m not saying about clothes or the way I talk. The most unexpected and sensational perception I have had of him is his sense of humor, which tells a lot about how he views life. After a life dedicated to dealing with world problems, his reaction still succeeds in making jokes and smiling at everyone — an honest smile and a laugh that spreads in an inexplicable way. Walk the talk, always.
3. 21st century has to be the century of dialogue
He said that the previous century was marked by conflict and absence of human connection. In this century, the new generation — us! — has the mission of not perpetuating these problems and seeking to propagate happiness. If we really want to solve conflicts, we must put a lot of effort into everything we believe in, and that must happen through seeing all human beings as equals and respect the differences. And it is also our responsibility to create a network of people that can promote the same ideas and build a better world together.
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At the end of his speech, the Dalai Lama opened for questions from the audience and amidst the most diverse questioning one in particular caught my attention. A girl I believe to be around my age — and empathy tells me that the same doubts about life and where we are going — asked him what role a person plays in helping the Dalai Lama in his quest for peace. Her tone was of search for meaning in the midst of constant insignificance when seeing herself as ‘just’ one in 7 billion. The answer, however, brings a change of perspective that make us understand things with much more empowerment.
What he told us was that we humans are all connected. Therefore, we all have a unique and great responsibility: to seek by constant evolution as an individual and always to nurture happiness and compassion. This is possible if we always study, seek for knowledge and inner peace. So, in seeking for your constant evolution you are changing the world. And it is changing the world per se because you are the world and the world is you. That simple. And yes, several times he also asked us to stop complicating and remember that all the answers that we seek are inside us.
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If you are like Bia before this talk with the Dalai Lama, you spend a lot of time thinking about what you could do. You are very good at doubt yourself. Why? Because you think that many good people are out there you end up being quiet amid the opportunities that at first seemed good but then became small close to the immensity of the world.
And if I can leave something after a week in India, 2 hours with the Dalai Lama and living a process of rediscovery is: do for you because you are part of a more connected whole than our understanding allows us to understand. To do for you is to do for everyone and this proves that yes, you matter.
