I was fortunate to be able to spend an afternoon with the Dalai Lama with my wife and two good friends on February 22 at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco. I was able to purchase ticket through the International Campaign for Tibet.

The event was sponsored by The American Himalayan Foundation and The Blum Center for Developing Economics at the University of California, Berkeley.

The Dalai Lama spoke about The Nature of Mind. Some of his more noteworthy quotes included

“Ignorance is the root of human suffering.”
“Internal matter is consciousness.”
“Mental ability increases through the practice of meditation so that you can control your energetic body.”
“Education, meditation, and yoga is for the next generation.”
“Compassion takes a certain type of concentration and continuation of consciousness.” (see below)
“Plasticity of the brain is enhanced through meditation and concentration.”
“Young people need a holistic view of the world with a lot of self confidence and determination to impact and create change.”

Here is another quote from Tricycle.com.

There was quite a ruckus outside the concert hall with Shugden Buddhists protesting against the Dalai Lama and asking for religious freedom. The Dalai Lama, in answering a question about this, simply stated, “Those who are judging me should do their research first.”

The Dalai Lama’s talk and his awesome smile and laugh captivated everyone in the audience. We were extremely happy to be there with him.

Even with regard to the Dorje Shugden, there is always a need for compassion.

How will you expresses this necessity for love and compassion in your life? Please share.