opportunity knocks, I answered...
I had the opportunity and good fortune today to attend the round table event hosted jointly by the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University, held at the Chan Centre. Conversing about "Balancing Educating the Mind with Educating the Heart", his Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Professor Shirin Ebadi, Dr. Jo-ann Archibald, and Rabbi Schacter-Shalomi gathered in a semi circle on stage to talk about the whole-ness of education and the necessary things to build healthy communities.
I've got a lot to think about. But while I'm processing, here are a couple of my favorite moments of the day.
The first one came when Dr. Archibald led the crowd, including the luminaries, in an exercise designed to touch on the essense of the First Nations Circle. She had us raise our left hand, palm up and extend our right hands palm down, symbolizing the connection with the Spirit and the earth. Then we joined hands and kept them joined for some time. I looked down (I was sitted in the dress circle, above and just to the left of the stage, right in the front) and saw that the Dalai Lama was gently playing with Desmond Tutu's archbishop's right, twisting it slowly around and around. He was doing it carefully and thoughtfully. Archbishop Tutu had the most marvelous smile as he watched and held the Lama's hand.
The second one (ones, plural, actually) was listening to the Dalai Lama and the Archbishop Desmond Tutu laugh together. The Dalai Lama has a deep voice and deep laugh. Desmond Tutu giggles. They got each other going on a number of occasions and it was such a joy to be in their presence. Both men are body laughers, lifting their knees to their chests to properly get into the laugh. Desmond Tutu's laughter sounded like holy laughter. I think that is what it might sound like in heaven. My whole being contracted in joy at the sound.
The third one was at the very end of the dialogue. The Dalai Lama garlanded each of the luminaries with a white shawl (prayer shawl?). As he is quite short, everyone had to lean down for him to put the shawl on. When it was Rabbi Schacter-Shalomi's turn, he leaned down, grabbed the Dalai Lama's head with both of his hands and kissed the Dalai Lama's bald head.
I've got a lot to think about. But while I'm processing, here are a couple of my favorite moments of the day.
The first one came when Dr. Archibald led the crowd, including the luminaries, in an exercise designed to touch on the essense of the First Nations Circle. She had us raise our left hand, palm up and extend our right hands palm down, symbolizing the connection with the Spirit and the earth. Then we joined hands and kept them joined for some time. I looked down (I was sitted in the dress circle, above and just to the left of the stage, right in the front) and saw that the Dalai Lama was gently playing with Desmond Tutu's archbishop's right, twisting it slowly around and around. He was doing it carefully and thoughtfully. Archbishop Tutu had the most marvelous smile as he watched and held the Lama's hand.
The second one (ones, plural, actually) was listening to the Dalai Lama and the Archbishop Desmond Tutu laugh together. The Dalai Lama has a deep voice and deep laugh. Desmond Tutu giggles. They got each other going on a number of occasions and it was such a joy to be in their presence. Both men are body laughers, lifting their knees to their chests to properly get into the laugh. Desmond Tutu's laughter sounded like holy laughter. I think that is what it might sound like in heaven. My whole being contracted in joy at the sound.
The third one was at the very end of the dialogue. The Dalai Lama garlanded each of the luminaries with a white shawl (prayer shawl?). As he is quite short, everyone had to lean down for him to put the shawl on. When it was Rabbi Schacter-Shalomi's turn, he leaned down, grabbed the Dalai Lama's head with both of his hands and kissed the Dalai Lama's bald head.
posted by Lisa at 9:30 p.m.
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