And Insects Too

 Watching Mickey Lemle's movie The Last Dalai Lama, I was moved by how the Dalai Lama remarks in two points that he has compassion for three kinds of beings: humans, animals, and insects. Philip Glass, who composed the music for this documentary film, also seems to have been moved by this statement, since it's often hardest for a human being to bestow compassion on the small and fragile creatures who are often considered pests or detrimental to human crops and food supplies.        
     How is it possible? Although His Holiness does allude to mindfulness, meditation and the process of taking and receiving, I think that it is the actual presence of the Dalai Lama that inspires people the most. It is most impressive that this movie shows people of many different political spectra (such as George Bush) expressing a sincere humility and self-awareness as they relate their encounters with the Dalai Lama. What it suggests to me is that one needn't become to mired in philosophic disputes over which religion is most conducive to compassion. In fact, as Dalai Lama suggests, all the religions are leading toward the same universal qualities of love and compassion.
  The key is how Dalai Lama treats people. For him, all people have something special, and as he explains it, it's most important to look at a person's precious humanity rather than looking only at their social role or status. I don't think that the secret to his way of being is to try to save others from suffering. As the Dalai Lama remarks toward the end of the film, loving kindness is about helping one's own being first and foremost, by cultivating a sense of peace first. It's only in having a sense of calm and peace that people can make a real difference to the lives of others. In fact, during one point when children are sharing in a gratitude circle with the Dalai Lama, he shares about how the calmness is such an important aspect of practicing loving kindness and gratitude. If I am so worried about how I can save or help others, I lose the ability to develop unconditional compassion within me. In fact, it will get lost in the anxiety and distractions of a mind that is getting caught up in conflicting agendas. In a sense, the Dalai Lama uses a simplicity of vows and hearts to cut through those competing agendas and stay in the present with everyone around him. Most important is that this simple heart of vows creates real confidence which is grounded in an awareness of all sentient beings.
    I found it interesting that, like one of his closest friends Thomas Merton, Dalai Lama has aspired to spend his final years in solitude, deepening his practice of wisdom and compassion, yet, somehow life is not taking him in this direction. In fact, for both people, being a public figure has eclipsed solitude somehow. I don't know whether to be sad about this or whether to accept that it's the reality of being an effective person whom people look up to for guidance and inspiration. Of course, balance is important here, and I can't help but wonder whether the Dalai Lama's busy schedule makes him rush through life. Of course the answer is not at all, so long as his heart is in his vow. And as long as the vow is there, time cannot steal the mind away.