My Two Visits with HH the Dalai Lama
Dr. Shahid Athar is the past president of the Interfaith Alliance of Indiana and of the Islamic Society of Greater Indianapolis. He here recounts the two times he met the Dalai Lama when the latter was visiting Indiana.
Although His Holiness the Dalai Lama is treated by the American government as a head of state, many Americans do not know much about him or where his country Tibet is located. In 1949 China invaded Tibet and has occupied it ever since. Ten years later the fourteenth Dalai Lama went into exile in India, where he now lives along with 100,000 other Tibetans. He travels all over the world, including the United States, to plead for the cause of liberation of his country.
In Bloomington, Indiana, there is a Tibetan Cultural Center and a Chair for Tibetan Studies at Indiana University. The Dalai Lama visited that city in 1999 to participate in the Kalachakra Initiation, the most revered of all Tibetan rituals, dedicated to creating world peace and harmony. With the joint cooperation of Monastic Interreligioius Dialogue and the Tibetan Cultural Center, an interfaith ceremony and vigil were also held on that occasion. I was fortunate to be on the advisory board and so was invited to meet the Dalai Lama and participate in the festival. There were representatives of other religions present, including a rabbi, a Christian monk, and a Hindu swami. I myself was asked to give Adhan (the Islamic call to prayer) as a representative of the Islamic faith. There was also spiritual and Tibetan music before and after the proceedings.
During the next four years, the Tibetan Culture Center in Bloomington was transformed. Its members built a new temple, which they call Chamtse Ling, meaning “Temple of Love and Compassion.” On September 7, 2003, a dedication of this temple took place, with the ribbon cutting being done by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the famous athlete Mohammad Ali. Representatives of other religions were also invited and again I was one of them. I actively participated in this daylong ceremony by welcoming the Dalai Lama and the other guests on behalf of the Islamic faith and the interfaith community of Greater Indianapolis. My gift for the interfaith center was a wooden calligraphic sculpture inscribed with the Kalima, that is, the declaration of faith in Arabic (”There is no God except One God and Mohammad is a messenger of God”).
These events, widely reported by the local media, brought together representatives from different religious communities and focused attention both on the need for world peace in these troubled times and on the non-violent struggle of the Tibetan people for the liberation of their country. Unfortunately, because of the economic importance of China very few of our political leaders raise this issue of freedom for Tibet, even as the Tibetan people continue to oppose the occupation by all peaceful means.
My impression of the Dalai Lama was very positive. He is a compassionate man of love and peace, very fluent in English even though he likes to speak in his own language with the help of translators. He is an author, having written several books. He is very modest and humble. I have never seen him walking erect, but always bowing down and smiling. He greets everyone as if he knows him personally and pays close attention when that person says something. He speaks of the need for love, spirituality, and faith from a philosophical perspective. I was really moved by his speeches both in 1999 and 2003. On the latter occasion he said that religion plays a key role in the life of humans and those who are religious must live a life of faith and belief. They must not just profess to be in a given religion but live up to the tenets of their religion. He especially addressed young people and asked them to be part of the peaceful process of religious understanding and love.
Mohammad Ali, in spite of his illness due to advanced Parkinson’s disease, was able to come and take part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Though he did not speak, his daughter read his speech on his behalf. Not surprisingly it was very well received, for people regard him as a champion not only for his boxing feats but also for his non-violent protests against the Vietnam war. The Dalai Lama called him “the champion for peace.”
I consider myself fortunate to have been part of both ceremonies. Both times we sang together “Let peace begin with me”—and it does!
In Bloomington, Indiana, there is a Tibetan Cultural Center and a Chair for Tibetan Studies at Indiana University. The Dalai Lama visited that city in 1999 to participate in the Kalachakra Initiation, the most revered of all Tibetan rituals, dedicated to creating world peace and harmony. With the joint cooperation of Monastic Interreligioius Dialogue and the Tibetan Cultural Center, an interfaith ceremony and vigil were also held on that occasion. I was fortunate to be on the advisory board and so was invited to meet the Dalai Lama and participate in the festival. There were representatives of other religions present, including a rabbi, a Christian monk, and a Hindu swami. I myself was asked to give Adhan (the Islamic call to prayer) as a representative of the Islamic faith. There was also spiritual and Tibetan music before and after the proceedings.
During the next four years, the Tibetan Culture Center in Bloomington was transformed. Its members built a new temple, which they call Chamtse Ling, meaning “Temple of Love and Compassion.” On September 7, 2003, a dedication of this temple took place, with the ribbon cutting being done by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the famous athlete Mohammad Ali. Representatives of other religions were also invited and again I was one of them. I actively participated in this daylong ceremony by welcoming the Dalai Lama and the other guests on behalf of the Islamic faith and the interfaith community of Greater Indianapolis. My gift for the interfaith center was a wooden calligraphic sculpture inscribed with the Kalima, that is, the declaration of faith in Arabic (”There is no God except One God and Mohammad is a messenger of God”).
These events, widely reported by the local media, brought together representatives from different religious communities and focused attention both on the need for world peace in these troubled times and on the non-violent struggle of the Tibetan people for the liberation of their country. Unfortunately, because of the economic importance of China very few of our political leaders raise this issue of freedom for Tibet, even as the Tibetan people continue to oppose the occupation by all peaceful means.
My impression of the Dalai Lama was very positive. He is a compassionate man of love and peace, very fluent in English even though he likes to speak in his own language with the help of translators. He is an author, having written several books. He is very modest and humble. I have never seen him walking erect, but always bowing down and smiling. He greets everyone as if he knows him personally and pays close attention when that person says something. He speaks of the need for love, spirituality, and faith from a philosophical perspective. I was really moved by his speeches both in 1999 and 2003. On the latter occasion he said that religion plays a key role in the life of humans and those who are religious must live a life of faith and belief. They must not just profess to be in a given religion but live up to the tenets of their religion. He especially addressed young people and asked them to be part of the peaceful process of religious understanding and love.
Mohammad Ali, in spite of his illness due to advanced Parkinson’s disease, was able to come and take part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Though he did not speak, his daughter read his speech on his behalf. Not surprisingly it was very well received, for people regard him as a champion not only for his boxing feats but also for his non-violent protests against the Vietnam war. The Dalai Lama called him “the champion for peace.”
I consider myself fortunate to have been part of both ceremonies. Both times we sang together “Let peace begin with me”—and it does!
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His Holiness the fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the head of state and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He has been involved in interreligious dialogue through the Gethsemani Encounters and visits to India and the United States for many years.