Dalai Lama speaks at Pauley Pavilion
By Daily Bruin Staff
May 28, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 PATIL ARMENIAN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff The 14th Dalai
Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, speaks to a crowd of almost
10,000 in Pauley Pavilion Saturday evening.
By Dharshani Dharmawardena and Hemesh
Patel
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Guided by a handful of men in black, the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin
Gyatso, made his way to the stage.
Smiling serenely and shielding his eyes from the bright light,
he bowed with hands folded, removed his sandals and sat
cross-legged on the chair.
The Dalai Lama, who made UCLA the last stop of his tour of the
United States, waited for the applause to quiet down.
“I came because he’s a link in history, like Pope
Paul, Mother Teresa ““ he’s a world-wide figure and a
great spiritual and religious leader,” said Doug Snider,
psychologist for Apple Valley Unified School
District. “It’s an honor to be in his presence and
this could be a turning point in my life.”
The exiled spiritual and political leader of Tibet presented a
lecture, “Inner Peace for World Peace,” to a crowd of
more than 9,500 people at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday.
Recognized in Tibet at age 2 as the reincarnation of the 13th
Dalai Lama, the Boddhisattva of Compassion, the current Dalai Lama
has lived in exile in India since 1959, when China staged a
military occupation of his homeland.
Before the takeover by China and his subsequent exile, he had
assumed full political power of Tibet in 1950.
In 1989, The Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize for his
activities, which include being a scholar and spokesman for peace
and human rights and bringing to the world’s attention the
military occupation of Tibet.
Among the issues the Dalai Lama addressed, the most important
remained achieving happiness, which he called the very purpose of
human existence.
“In the material world, there are limitations. We always
want more, but in the spiritual world, just a short prayer and
you’re infinitely content,” the Dalai Lama said.
“Being content is important.”
The idea of differences among the people of the world also
creates problems within human beings, he said, adding that people
often overemphasize the differences between the East and West.
“Eastern and Western ““ yes, there are differences,
but we both run humanity,” the Dalai Lama said. “I
think at the mental level, the intellectual level, the emotional
level, we are the same.”
According to him, by treating each other as human beings, people
of various backgrounds can achieve harmony in the world.
The Dalai Lama said he takes his own advice by treating everyone
he meets as a friend, thereby fostering what he termed a more
“human atmosphere.”
“I treat others just like my own friends,” he said.
” (Then) I can communicate heart-to-heart without any
barrier.”
The Dalai Lama also addressed poverty and overpopulation,
suggesting ways that individuals in the world can make a
difference.
“While the number of billionaires are increasing, poor
people are still remaining poor,” he said. “One proper
way of getting a blessing is to share your profit with poor people
““ the best way to get a genuine blessing.”
He jokingly offered the audience some advice to help reduce the
strains of overpopulation.
“If half of you become monks and nuns this would be most
effective means of contributing to better the problem,” he
said.
While he talked about global problems such as the arms trade and
the concept of war, which he called out of date, the Dalai Lama
also spoke about human problems that individuals must tackle within
themselves.
“In a free country, we also have the choice to indulge in
harmful things ““ you can’t say I have the freedom of
taking drugs, it is self-destruction,” he aid.
“Discipline means protection of one’s own wanton
interest.”
He spoke about achieving world peace through inner peace by
controlling anger.
“My attitude toward anger is being cautious, it’s
unwanted it’s a negative part of our minds,” he said.
“Can anger really help to solve problems? No ““ it
complicates further.”
Harboring angry thoughts and ill feelings can be destructive,
the Dalai Lama said, and the only way to constructively move away
from anger is to forgive.
People who attended the lecture appreciated what the Dalai Lama
said, but they did not completely agree with all he had to say.
“I really respected what he had to say about differences,
learning to accept the differences within ourselves and the
differences with other people,” said Ray Bakaitis, professor
of clinical psychology.
“My wife and I disagree about the subject of anger ““
I think anger is useful, its not helpful to become attached to it
but is dangerous to be afraid of your anger and pretend it
doesn’t exist,” he continued.
Vallada Makinsurakupt, Bakaitis’ wife, had previously seen
the Dalai Lama when she was a teen-ager and considered him
unreachable, but on Saturday, she realized his humanness.
“We are all human beings,” she said. “To have
peace we have to learn to live together.”
Not everyone saw the Dalai Lama’s visit as a benevolent
event.
Prior to the lecture, two protesters ““ a father and
daughter ““ from the Cornerstone Ministry, held up signs
saying, “There is one God and one way to him: Jesus
Christ.” John 14:16.
“We are here to warn the people coming to see the Dalai
Lama against the false religion of Buddhism and telling them how to
get to the real god and how to find the truth,” said Sarah
Mitchell, one of the protesters. “The truth can be found in
the Bible.”
The pair protested against the spiritual leader for an hour and
said the response they received was condemnation from other
Christians.
“I don’t agree with the manner they are doing
this,” said Rebecca Schneider, a first-year undeclared
student from UC Davis. “I do agree there is only one God. I
am Christian, but I do not believe this is the way Jesus would do
it.”
Schneider said she was here for an evangelism conference.
According to the Dalai Lama, the individual must work to improve
the society as a whole. He concluded by saying that the issues
addressed in his lecture served as the beginning for a content
life.
“These are basic ““ whether we believe in religion or
not, these are necessary for a happy life,” the Dalai Lama
said. “These are basic for a brighter future.”
