Message of Hope, as Dalai Lama Accepts Award

In Cincinnati Wednesday, the Dalai Lama delivered a message of hope to Americans who have been battered by a tough economy as he accepted a national award, according to Cincinnati Enquirer reporter John Johnston.

"This is a great nation. So you need self-confidence," he said to a sold-out audience of 1,300 at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati.  "There's no reason to feel hopelessness."

The 75-year-old exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader spoke after being honored by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center with its International Freedom Conductor Award.

Read the full story in The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Mystical Arts of Tibet: Sacred Music, Sacred Dance

On Oct. 19, the monks of Drepung Loseling Monastery performed ancient temple music and dance at Hall Auditorium as part of festivities leading up to the 14th Dalai Lama's visit. They also played traditional Tibetan instruments.

The monks are endorsed by the Dalai Lama as a means of promoting world peace and healing through sacred performing arts, according to their website.

The Drepung Loseling monks were featured on the Golden Globe-nominated soundtrack of Seven Years in Tibet, starring Brad Pitt. They performed with Philip Glass in the live presentation of his Academy Award-nominated music/score for the film Kundun.

On previous U.S. tours, the monks have shared the stage with Paul Simon, Sheryl Crow, Patti Smith, the Beastie Boys and Natalie Merchant.

Miami University junior Abigail Smith, a junior marketing and strategic communication double major, was there Oct. 19 to capture the images of their performance. Check out Smith's images in a slide show below, edited by Erin Kenney, a sophomore business economics major.

World's Apart: A Look into Tibetan Buddhism

By Kirsten Graffeo and Elise Sexton

• 6% of the world practices Buddhism
• There are about 360 million practitioners of Buddhism
• China, Thailand, and Vietnam are the three countries with the highest Buddhist population in the world
• Tibetan Buddhism makes up 6% of the entire Buddhist community
• 56% of Buddhists are followers of the Mahayana branch
• Today’s Tibetan region is now half the size it used to be
• Source: 2007 report from Buddhist Tourism, a New Delhi agency

Once the center of Tibetan Buddhism, southwestern China’s Tibetan region is now the center of worldwide controversy. Its inhabitants claim that the region is autonomous of China and they prefer to adhere to their own practice of the religion.

Despite the current controversy, Buddhism has deep roots in the area, going as far back as 173 A.D. Buddhism is divided into four different schools of thought, each based on different teachings, but they encourage community between all, according to ReligionFacts.com, an unaffiliated online encyclopedia of religion information.

The youngest and largest school is the School of the Virtuous, or the Yellow Hats, of which the Dalai Lama is a follower and leader.

Every school teaches the four basic truths, says Elizabeth Wilson, professor of comparative religion at Miami University of Ohio.

• The first two truths teach that life is suffering or bitter, and that the cause of this unhappiness is people trying to hold onto things that are not permanent.
• The last two truths explain that life does not have to be dissatisfying because nirvana can be reached through a path of meditation and morality.

Adherents of the religion desire to reach nirvana, a final state of bliss and contentment in which there is no longer a need for reincarnation, Wilson says.

FAQ @ The Dalai Lama and Tibetan History

By Lindsey Gooch, Matt Ciccone and Matt Fitzgerald

What does “Dalai Lama” mean?
The word “Dalai Lama” is a combination of the Mongolian and Tibetan languages. The word “Dalai” means “Ocean” in Mongolian, while the word “Blama” (Pronounced with a silent ‘b’) is Tibetan for chief or high priest.  Of this was born the title Dalai Lama, and since then the word “Lama” is used in general Tibetan culture for the title of Buddhist teachers.  The title was bestowed upon the second Dalai Lama, Sonam Gytaso, by the Mongolian leader Altan Khan.

Who is His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama?
A Buddhist leader of followers of the Gelug branch of Tibetan Buddhism. He is thought to be the latest reincarnation of a series of spiritual leaders who have chosen to be reborn or to enlighten others. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama was born Lhamo Thondup on July 6, 1935. His name was later changed to Tenzin Gyatso in 1940 when he was officially installed as the spiritual leader of Tibet.

How did he become the 14th Dalai Lama?
After the death of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso, the Tibetan government set up a search party to find the new incarnation of the Dalai Lama.

Ethics in the Sold-Out, Craigslist World

By Kevin Jacobson

Miami University’s tickets to see the Dalai Lama’s speech on Thursday sold out faster than anyone expected. This has prompted a number of the tickets - original price $5 for students - to be listed for sale on Craigslist.com.

Call it the 2,500 percent mark-up opportunity of a lifetime.

The highest price listed Tuesday on Craigslist was $250 for a pair of tickets. This posting came from a sophomore business major at Miami University.

In response to an e-mail inquiry about the tickets, the student responded, “$200 is the lowest I can go” for the pair, which originally cost the student all of $10.

Another post came from a junior environmental science major who was “looking for $100 per ticket."

Not everyone felt it necessary to take advantage of this opportunity profit from their tickets to a talk ironically titled “Ethics in the Modern World.” One respondent, who posted a wanted ad on Craigslist for tickets to the event, reported he only paid $20 per ticket. Another offered a ticket for $1, arguing, "Please, if you are going to ask for more (than $5), why not consider donating the excess to 'Free Tibet' ?"

According to Miami, “The resale of tickets is a violation of Miami’s ticketing policy and Miami University reserves the right to revoke resold tickets.”

Tickets to the Dalai Lama’s speech sold out shortly after they went on sale. The initial ticket offering Sept. 1 was to students, staff and faculty only, for $5 per ticket. A public ticket offering for $25 per ticket took place Sept. 29, and 411 tickets at $25 each were sold within 20 minutes, said Claire Wagner, associate director of university communications.

This prompted the university to offer a free live telecast of the speech at Hall Auditorium, as well as at each of the branch campuses.

Kevin Jacobson is a senior majoring in finance.

Constructing a Sand Mandala

By Alaine Perconti

Tibetan monks have traveled to Miami University to perform one of their important rituals, the construction of the sand mandala to bless campus and the people on it. 

A mandala is a Tibetan Buddhist tradition involving the pouring of sand into a circular design.  Each mandala is created to serve a certain purpose. At Miami University, the monks said the mandala’s purpose is to bring wisdom to the students and faculty.  

The construction process involves a ritual opening ceremony followed by the drawing of the lines.  The next step is the pouring of the sand into the design.  

The closing ceremony ends with the deconstruction of the mandala, and some of the sand is distributed to the audience.  The rest is spread into a flowing body of water to allow the healing powers to spread.

The monks are constructing the sand mandala in the great room of MacMillian Hall all week.  The finished mandala will be displayed from 11 a.m. to noon on Friday before the closing ceremony begins.  Anyone is welcome to observe the creation and closing ceremony.

Alaine Perconti, a sophomore journalism/marketing double major, has been photographically documenting the construction of the sand mandala. Enjoy Perconti's images in a slide show edited by Abigail Diss, sophomore journalism/history double major.
 

High Security at Dalai Lama Speech

By Courtney Day and Gabriel Grollmus
For The Miami Student

High security measures will be taken when the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet arrives at Miami University.

He is scheduled to speak to a sold out crowd in Millett Hall at 2 p.m. Thursday.

The 14th Dalai Lama is both head of state and spiritual leader of Tibet. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his leadership efforts in the non-violent struggle for the liberation of Tibet from China.

The appearance of such a notable religious figure has caused Miami to step up its security measures to ensure his safety.

"The security of the Dalai Lama is of highest priority and attendees will undergo a security screening, including metal detectors and purse searches," the university said in a message to ticket holders.

Read the entire story on The Miami Student website.

Gabriel Grollmus, a senior Technical and Scientific Communications major, is a student in Journalism 201 News Reporting and Writing I. He wrote much of this article for a class assignment.