Anyway..
Abhay happened to send me a courier a few days back. What was it so important that made him spend a few thousand of rupees in that courier? It was a Tee with HH the Dalai Lama's picture on it. One of the best gifts I have ever received. Since that day, I have been wondering, what is it in His Holiness that he attracts millions of people world over? I have been studying him and the Tibetan Government for one of my papers and spent hours reading online literature and watching various video clippings. I had an opportunity to read a few of his books too. But still, I feel incomplete. The more I know about him, the more I realize, it is nothing. I have made many attempts, that have proved my incompetence, in explaining what is it in him, that inspires me.
While wondering how could I best put it in words, I remembered an email, a friend of mine sent to me after the Friends' Society had an opportunity to meet His Holiness in Pune, India. Respecting his choice, I can't name him here, but, he has put in words, the emotions, the feelings, the aura of His Holiness; the way I would never be able to articulate it. The words just seem perfect..
Friends, I am sure the words to follow are going to leave you with the lingering feeling for more.. It is start of a quest, quest for purity, quest for understanding the "Zeroth Infinity of Eternity.."
The email..
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Hi Darshan. I wasnt getting sleep for some reason, so i sat up and was reading something. Then next thing i knew was i was writing about my meeting with the Dalai Lama. it just flowed, without me having to think, and especially towards the end i had no clue what i was writing. it was done in a matter of a few minutes. it's just three paragraphs, and very crude, but just thought i'd send it to you. feel free to edit etc. just one small request... just in case you want to share it with anyone else, or use it, let it be anonymous. this is too personal to share with my name on it. thanks..
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Great people have an aura surrounding them. Usually, this aura hits one like a particularly forceful gust of a particularly powerful storm. On meeting them, one is left reeling, overcome by a feeling of breathlessness, shock, awe, excitement, and, inevitably, a bit of mental restlessness and turmoil.His Holiness The XIV Dalai Lama has possibly the strongest aura I have ever encountered so far. But it's not a violent, in-your-face gust. It's more like a warm breeze blowing gently, caressingly, against one's skin, and then penetrating inside to warm the deepest corner of one's soul, on a freezing day. It's an aura whose power is hidden by its silent unobtrusiveness and the unassuming air of His Holiness. It's an aura that's not unlike an iron fist in a velvet glove. It causes no breathlessness. Instead, I found myself inhaling deeply, like one does when one comes upon something truly wondrous. It causes no shock and awe. Instead, I felt adoration, wonder and an inexplicable feeling of having been blessed.It causes no excitement, restlessness or turmoil. Instead, I felt an incredible wave of tranquility wash over me. And yet, for all the peace surrounding His Holiness, the meeting made such an impact on me that it left me quivering, and still gives me goosebumps.
The Dalai Lama combines the free spirit of children with the wisdom of the ages. The result is there to be experienced when He speaks. His words are full of a deep sincerity. They are profound without being complicated. They go straight to one's heart, without trying to impress the intellect. It's only in retrospect that one's (suddenly humbled) intellect goes back and marvels at the depth of His words.
There's something about the Dalai Lama. I don't know if it's the positivity, so strong you can almost feel it against your skin, that surrounds him. I don't know if it's his eagerness to reach out to the average man. I don't know if it's the calmness he radiates, inspite of the hardships we all know he has faced. I don't know if it's the wisdom he possesses and shares, or the unconditional love and affection with which he greeted us, insignificant strangers, or the lingering feeling of having been blessed... I really can't put my finger on it, but there's something about the Dalai Lama that makes one accept, unquestioningly, the aptness of the title "His Holiness".
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