While in Melbourne, Australia I found out that a person I respect was going to be speaking at the rod laver arena downtown. As a person that is always up for new experiences my manager Kyle and I set out. As we approached the ticket line a lady called us over into the comp ticket line unexpectedly and handed my manager two free tickets (worth $80 each), which we soon discovered lead us to the floor of the arena, 10 rows from the stage.
The stage was set with swooping drape, and at least a hundred monks all seated in their traditional yellow and maroon garb. The music was not what I expected, but sounded more like adult contemporary. There was a quiet and almost reverent pause as the Dalai Lama the 14th carnation walked on the aesthetically pleasing stage. The first thing I noticed was his smile and awareness of the people and friends in the room, as he went to sit upon his throne like pillow structure.
The center of the message behind the Dalai Lama’s message was the universal theme of kindness, but here are a few points I walked away with.
‘Supreme kindness is this’, he said, ‘thinking of oneself as lowest.’ This conception sees others as the highest and develops compassion in oneself.
-Supreme kindness in NOT pity.
When someone we look up to hurt’s us, we need to need to remain alert and forgive. It is never justified in hurting someone who has hurt us.
The law of Giving and taking.
Giving of myself- Taking of others (hurts) upon myself.
Holy Books are not like novels; they must be analyzed, reread, and studied. (For real benefit) Not only gain knowledge but also implement it into your life!
Further Study:
1. Hearing
2. Contemplate
3. Meditate
Walking away from the experience it made me want to search deeper into the places in this world I still do not understand, and even though I may not subscribe to a particular religion it does not mean everything that comes out of their mouth is wrong or false, there is truth and beauty everywhere in this world if only we keep an open perspective and search.
