A few days ago, I experienced what I am considering a once-in-a-lifetime event for me. His Holiness the Dalai Lama was at a 5-day gathering in Seattle, sponsored by an organization called “Seeds of Compassion.” I was able to attend one of the events, where this man, one of the most recognized faces in the world, spoke about compassion. My seat in a stadium of 55,000 people was too far to see him up close, but as I watched him speak on the big screen, I actually felt like I was not only hearing some very important and powerful words and ideas, but it also felt like a travel journey for me that I was experiencing in my own city.
My Ticket Stub, the Brochure, and a Reminder
What first made this feel like I was traveling was how I approached the event. I was figuring that with the crowds, parking would be difficult near the stadium, so I chose to park a few miles away, and walk. This afforded me the opportunity of exploring parts of downtown Seattle, where unfortunately, I don’t get to very often. During my walk, I was able to browse in and out of many shops that I never even knew existed. One of the shops I walked into happened to be selling photographs of Native Americans taken by Edward S. Curtis. These were amazing photos showing the people and the land of those that lived here around 100 years ago. Needless to say, the photographs were selling for an average of $5,000 each, so I chose to buy a couple of postcards (which I usually do when I travel) of $1.00 each. More my budget.
Postcards of Native Americans; Photos by Edward S. Curtis
Once I arrived at the stadium, I felt like I was traveling around the world in only a few hours. There were people of all nationalities attending this amazing event, many of them dressed in their traditional clothing. The Dalai Lama pointed out to the audience during his talk of compassion, that we are all human beings, all part of humanity, over 6 billion people around this world, that the whole world should be considered part of each one of us, and that it is secondary that we are of different color, culture, religion, social background, etc. Seeing so many people in this stadium, to me, proved these facts that I also experience when I travel to other countries.
“Seeds” of Compassion
While I don’t want to reiterate what His Holiness spoke of, as you can listen to his talk on the website of seedsofcompassion.org, I do want to say that compassion can be defined in many ways. As the Dalai Lama says, it is “taking care of others,” and a “sense of concern for others.” Compassion can also be defined as acceptance, respect, kindness, affection, peace, love…towards all. Compassion can be put into action in many forms, from small acts of human kindness, to large humanitarian efforts. And compassion can be demonstrated on many levels, as the Dalai Lama says, whether on an individual level, family, community, national, or on an international level.
Braided Bracelets to Weave Your Compassionate Intentions
According to His Holiness, compassion is necessary for lasting world peace. In my opinion, whether one is a traveler or not, compassion is necessary for human existence!
Sweet Travels!
I came across this quote by His Holiness the Dalai Lama a few days after I originally published this blog…
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.”