His Holiness the Dalai Lama Finally Came to Albany

And finally I wept; tears of joy, love, resolution, and relief. As we stood in the rain to say goodbye to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, he touched each of our cheeks and held our faces next to his with the words “thank you” and “see you again.”  Tears started running uncontrollably down my cheeks. Only 24 hours earlier had he set foot on Albany soil, marking a historic and, I might say, “auspicious” occasion. Not only was it His Holiness’ first visit to Albany, and indeed Albany’s first time welcoming a dignitary of his stature, but it was also a visit surrounded by controversy, fear and negativity – his visit was a privilege we fought for.

The entire 24 hour period was surreal. When I arrived at the airport to greet him on Wednesday morning, and saw the hubbub of police and security officers and vehicles – handsome, shining and ready for duty – it actually set in: His Holiness the Dalai Lama was coming and it was a pretty big deal! I then had the privilege of accompanying him on his visit to the Capital, where he addressed the State Senate with his message of compassion, emphasizing the importance of honesty and transparency in their conduct.

These would become the themes of the day. Whether His Holiness was speaking to individuals, to the press or to an audience of over 2600 people, he spoke thoughtfully and frankly. He not only spoke about truth and compassion but also exemplified them. No matter whether he spoke of friends or oppressors, it was with equal, un-biased compassion.

This morning I said goodbye to the last of His Holiness’ entourage and it is only now I am beginning to digest his visit and what it meant. It was a long road, and one paved with hardship, adversity, and tremendous growth. The highly paid media campaign designed to destroy our company, or any person or entity related to it, reared it’s ugly head at the news of his visit. We had naively believed people would be excited about his visit and that our community would put their pettiness aside to unite for this momentous occasion. We were wrong. His visit was met with fear and cynicism and some of our local media sources worked ardently to destroy the honor faster than we could build it.

After an onslaught of negative articles and powerful local personalities voicing their lack of support for his proposed visit, His Holiness postponed until the truth became evident.

In the end the truth prevailed, but in the process we lost participants, money and good faith.  However my hope for humanity was restored by possibly the greatest leader of our time. A leader who values humanity above all else, who has a strong enough sense of himself not to seek external security, and who conforms to truth as his standard, nothing short of it.

I could say he stood for us this past Wednesday, but he stood for more than us – he stood for truth, justice and morality. It was a victory for us, for this region and for humanity. I feel proud to have been a part of this great feat.

photo by Michael Eldredge