On Miami's Stage, He Urges Compassion, Peace

By Jack Nelson and Rachel Petri

After months of anticipation, His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, made himself comfortable Oct. 21 on the stage of Millett Hall at Miami University before a crowd of 10,000 people.

Sporting a bright red visor with Miami’s block “M” and sitting on a couch with a very relaxed demeanor, the Dalai Lama at one point took off his shoes.


Occasionally speaking through an interpreter, he talked about how compassion for others is one of the most important facets of human life, and how being compassionate can help a person be healthier in mind, body, and spirit.

“We all want to achieve happiness,” said His Holiness. “It can’t come from outside, but must come from our own minds. If you have a healthy mind, you have a healthy body.”

Inside Millett, the crowd of mainly students was attentive and quiet as the Dalai Lama softly spoke – they almost seemed to strain to hear each word. Until the question and answer session in the last half hour, the crowd remained virtually motionless with few people leaving their seats.

The Dalai Lama also spoke at length about the dangers of not receiving affection and compassion.

“When you are surrounded by people who show no affection, you get suspicious - stress, anxiety, fear,” His Holiness said. “This leads to bad health… Community must be regarded as the basis of one’s own happy future. That will bring inner peace… genuine cooperation leads to genuine friendship, which leads to genuine trust. However, a self-centered attitude leads to distance, then distrust and fear.



"It destroys the basis of your own happy life.”

This resonated with Rebecca Koci, a freshman who has not declared her major. “It was interesting to hear how compassion and love are important to people and can affect their lives.”

The Dalai Lama also spoke extensively about religious tolerance.

“All religions have the same potential,” The Dalai Lama said. “They are all built around the same principles… we must come together, look past our differences, and face the issues that we are all facing together.”

He had a very high opinion of secularism, saying that secularists and non-believers are “Also human beings and have the right to achieve a happy life.”

Toward the end of his speech, The Dalai Lama issued a challenge to the college generation, saying, “You have the responsibility to make this century, the 21st Century, into a peaceful century.”

He expressed his hope that the 21st century would become known as the “century of dialogue,” meaning that all problems should be solved through dialogue and diplomacy rather than violence.

“When you have a problem within a family,” His Holiness said, “You talk about it. This is as it should be in the world. In order to create a peaceful world and a peaceful century we must promote a spirit of dialogue.”

Before the speech, the crowd started gathering around noon, forming long lines by 1:15 p.m. While there were Oxford residents, children, and others who traveled to the event, most of crowd appeared to be students and faculty.

Dan Labarbera, a junior education major, was happy to be there.

“It’s not every other day that the Dalai Lama comes to your school,” Labarbera said.

Attendees were required to go through security lines where the security crew searched through bags and ushered individuals through metal detectors.

While strict limits were placed on what audience members could bring, security lines moved surprisingly fast.Security did not have to respond to any protests despite worries regarding the feelings of Miami’s 500-person Chinese student population.

Earlier this week, a few Chinese students sent emails to Miami’s Associated Student Government voicing their concerns about the Dalai Lama’s speech. These concerns were based on the Dalai Lama’s visit to the University of Calgary in 2009. Following his visit there, the Chinese Ministry of Education removed the University of Calgary from its list of accredited universities.

There were no protests outside of the event’s venue, Millett Hall, and the few Chinese students that went to the speech were largely apathetic.

“You have the freedom to make a speech and say what you want to say,” said Vincent Xie, a junior.

Rebecca Arnoff, a resident of Cincinnati, said she was not surprised by the lack of protests.

“The Dalai Lama is so well-known for speaking about peace and general goodwill,” Arnoff said. “Security is tight; I don’t know that they could protest. A protest wouldn’t accomplish much for them.”

When the speech was over, the crowd gave the Dalai Lama a second standing ovation.

"I enjoyed how calm and happy he was,” said Patrick Byrne, a sophomore finance major.  “It just radiated off of him and by the end of his speech, he made me a lot happier.  I especially agreed with his thoughts on a need for more compassion in our world."

Jack Nelson is sophomore international studies major. Rachel Petri is a junior journalism and political science double major.