FEATURE
The tickets announced “an audience with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet.” Sounds pretty formal.
Actually, the Tibetan leader was modest and laid-back — qualities that seemed to resonate with FAU students like Patrick Rohan.
“I thought it would be more serious,” said Rohan, a business management major. “But it was good that it was lighthearted.”
The Dalai Lama himself likened formality to hypocrisy, calling it “a kind of lie.” While sitting in a plush suede chair — not unlike you might see in a dorm room — he started untying his shoelaces, still talking to the audience. Pulling off his shoes and revealing maroon socks to match his robe, he told students that he liked to sit “Indian-style.”
As he shifted to sit with his legs folded, applause spontaneously erupted across the arena. “Now I’m comfortable,” he said.
And cheeky, too. While Interim President John Pritchett was making a long-winded formal introduction, the Dalai Lama glanced at his watch, tapped his fingers on the chair’s arm in joking impatience, and made silly faces both into the camera and at Pritchett.
While not everyone noticed the antics of His Holiness during Pritchett’s address, his overall attitude and meaning came across clearly to students.
When the Dalai Lama spoke about the universal value of smiling — despite the occasional confused or creeped-out look it earns — people laughed.
And when he told the audience “world peace does not fall from the sky,” but comes from the individual, people murmured in agreement.
“He was sincere and genuine, and he seems to practice what he preaches,” said Alton Terry, a commercial music major.
Perhaps it was the Dalai Lama’s relaxed presentation style that led several students to treat the event like just another class lecture. Some students texted nonstop on their iPhones, oblivious to moments of applause and the Dalai Lama’s punchlines. Several others walked out of the lecture early.
Terry noticed some texting but said it didn’t matter. “I saw some people checking cell phones, but nothing was important enough to distract me,” he said.
While there were dozens of phones kept in hand, most of them were just for taking photos. Many of the 2,800 people in the audience were very interested in not only hearing, but also seeing what the Dalai Lama had to say.
One woman in the southwest corner watched the presentation through binoculars, able to see the leader of Tibet making frequent gestures to emphasize his more metaphoric points, while an assistant off to the side translated his speech into sign language. Some people even took notes. Ultimately, people walking out — while obvious to everyone — weren’t a big deal.
“I feel like there were mild distractions, like people leaving while he was talking,” said Lorna Galloway, a fine arts major, “but his speaking kept everyone engaged.”
When it came time for the Dalai Lama to wrap up his speech, he shrugged slightly and said, “That’s all.” The crowd of students, faculty and community members gave a standing ovation, overwhelming his cries of “Oh, sit down, sit down.”
