I met The Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, the other day!  What an amazing experience! 

“It’s a superb honor to have the Dalai Lama among us for the second time in only five years,” said FIU President Modesto A. Maidique. “He’s coming at a particularly sensitive time in our history as a nation and I look forward to his message.”  President Maidique credits Religious Studies Chair Nathan Katz with having secured this second visit to South Florida. Katz is a friend of His Holiness and was instrumental in having him return for a longer visit that includes several public events and a lecture at the University of Miami.

  Nestor Torres performed a song on the Flute he wrote for todays' lecture.  He brought the house down with his version of the Buddist chant, "Nam iyoho renghe kio" (I probably did not spell that right)

 The Dalai Lama's message was to explore compassion as the source of happiness and peace amongst us.  He wants us to watch less television and think more.  He wants us to use our human intelligence to feel compassion for one another.  He says we need to treat one another in a more "human" way, for example, first we are human, and then we are classified (as in religion, race, etc.)  We need to be in a more human state of mind and less materialistic. 

He wants us to live in the present and think about our future, especially do not dwell in the past, because it is gone forever.  It is a waste of our energies to live in the past.  We must focus clearly on our future and live in the present.

He also said: "We can heal our bodies with our mind, but we cannot heal our minds with our bodies” it has to come from within.  We need to use our minds more and depend less on pills and money to do the healing.  He said it doesn't cost anything to think or feel, but vitamins and jewelry do.  In the end we take nothing with us, just our souls and THAT is what we have to work on for the rest of our lives.

And for those who are wondering, no, I did not meet Richard Gere.