Meeting the Dalai Lama

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to attend a 'talk' given by the Dalai Lama. There's something about his religion and the man himself that seems to resonate with me. I remember the first time I saw an interview with him he was nothing at all like I expected. He doesn't pretend to be be holier than though and doesn't consider himself better than anyone else, preferring to describe himself as 'a simple monk' or a teacher. In the interview, I remember the typical answer to many of the deep and meaningful questions were "Who knows?" or "I have no idea" - shortly followed by a lengthy chuckle.

When asked about how Australian can help with the Tibetan's struggle against the Chinese government, his answer went along these lines: "Why don't you fly to Tibet and just see for yourself. If all is well as the Chinese government says, then have a nice holiday, buy some trinkets then sell them back home for a tidy profit to help pay for your trip. If you should see what I see, then you'll be inspired to write to your government and try to bring about change. The choice is in your hands."