Here is my sharing of the talks by His Holiness the Dalai Lama – Part 3

My emotions when seeing His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

On 25 May 2008 at Nottingham Arena when His Holiness entered the stage he was surrounded by young people who had finished presenting the Opening Dance Presentation (the performance was about the possible future, with the entrance of humans after the destruction of the world).

His Holiness thanked the young people for presenting such a wonderful performance and shook hands with them, including several disabled children.

The energy of compassion from the His Holiness touched the audience. We were able to observe His Holiness’ expressions and movements on two giant TV screens.

I was definitely touched by his compassion and kindness and was in tears with an unexplainable energy. I have a similar feeling when chanting Metta Puja (Loving Kindness Prayers).

His Holiness occasionally showed his playful side when taking pictures with the young people.

He was making conversation with the disabled children and giving them a blessing by touching his forehead with their forehead, this being one way of making a blessing.

In 1999 when I was helping to prepare accounts for a temple in London I received a picture of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a present from a nun there. It was a very good picture taken together with His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, whose details can be found at his website http://www.kagyuoffice.org/karmapa.html.

I was really pleased with the present and the picture has been displayed in my lounge for more than six years. That was my first association with His Holiness.

Naturally, I always hoped that I will meet His Holiness in real life one day. Seeing His Holiness on 25 May was a dream come true for me.

Even though we couldn’t get close to him, I could feel the energy of his compassion by just observing his movements and expressions over the giant screens and by being in the same area with him. His Holiness has demonstrated a character and the power of a great spiritual leader. I am sure a lot of people feel the same.

Here is my sharing of the talks by His Holiness the Dalai Lama – Part 2

As I mentioned in my previous article, the talk was about the environment. His Holiness explained that Tibet is Asia's principal watershed and the source of its major rivers. Machu (Huang Ho, or Yellow River), the Tsangpo (Brahmaputra), the Drichu (Yangtze), and the Senge Khabab (Indus) are among the five most heavily-silted rivers in the world.

Nearly half of the global populations, notably in India, China, Bangladesh and Pakistan, depend on the rivers of Tibet for their sustenance.

The Tibetan Plateau is the largest and highest plateau in the world. It sustains a unique, yet fragile high altitude eco-system much of which remains unspoiled due to its remoteness and inaccessibility.

A significant proportion of river flows in Tibet are stable or base flows coming from ground water and glacial sources. This is in marked contrast to river flows in most neighbouring countries, which are determined by seasonal rainfall patterns.

However, human impact is now taking a devastating toll on the natural resources - the wildlife, forests, grazing lands, rivers and mineral resources are now at a point where they may never recover. Unless urgent action is taken now to stop this the rivers of Tibet, which have brought joy and sustenance, may one day bring death and destruction.

"Destruction of nature and natural resources results from ignorance, greed and the lack of respect for earth's living things."
--His Holiness the Dalai Lama, 1993

Here is My Sharing of the Talks by His Holiness the Dalai Lama - Part 1

I had been trying to book a ticket for the past few months to see His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Nottingham Arena, but without success as the venue was fully booked.

However, my friend Liat told me that there was going to be an extra talk on the afternoon of Sunday 25 May due to the huge demand to hear His Holiness speak.

Thanks to Liat, I had a chance to see and hear for the first time His Holiness and Songyal Rinpoche speak in public. Songyal Rinpoche is a renowned teacher and the author of ‘The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying’.

The public talk was an interview between The Dalai Lama and chosen young people from Nottingham about environmental issues, hosted by Jonathan Dimbleby, the TV and radio presenter.

The most interesting question from one young person was ‘how can we make our friends aware that the environment is important for our future’. My interpretation of His Holiness answer is that the earthquake in China and the cyclone in Myanmar are signs of intolerance from Mother Earth.

Mother Earth has been adjusting to the needs of mankind for past decades. However, it has come to a point where the Mother Earth can no longer tolerate her children (mankind), who are not behaving.

As a result, we will all suffer one day if we carry on harming the environment. It is now happening to China and Myanmar, and natural disasters will continue to happen to us if we are not more compassionate to our Mother Earth.

A positive outcome regarding the China earthquake is that it has united the world - people around the world, regardless of race, have donated money and have given much support to the victims in China.

The disaster has softened the heart of mankind, which has been hardened for a long time - those who thought more of themselves than others.

However, how long will the compassion last? When the disaster is a distant memory, most of the people may forget about it and go back to being self-centred.

I hope that people continue to recall how much the disaster brought suffering to mankind and remember be kind to the environment and to others.