The tickets had clung to my bulletin board for months. Finally, today, I’d meet the revered Dalai Lama, the highly respected Buddhist Tibetan leader and Nobel Peace Prize Winner.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I prepared myself to be forever changed by this man and his words. I wasn’t disappointed.

Of course, our meeting wouldn’t be personal. Rather, I’d be one among 5,000 of his closest friends at Denver’s Pepsi Center where professional hockey and basketball is played. The program said he would speak to us about “The Science of a Compassionate Life.” I brought my empty notebook and pen, ready to record all of his wisdom.

Inside the halls of this massive arena, people bought programs and hot pretzels as if they were about to cheer on their favorite team instead of seeing and hearing a Peace Prize winner. Beneath the Pepsi Center’s giant scoreboard was a stage laid out with an oriental rug and two comfortable leather chairs. Except for the murmurs of anticipation, the crowd was quiet.

When the lights dimmed, Denver’s mayor introduced His Holiness. All 5,000 people stood and warmly applauded his presence. Calmly, I smiled as I took in his essence.

Then, when the crowd quieted, His Holiness took a long time leading us in silence. The microphone projected his deep breaths over the audio system. My breath deepened in sync with his. Finally, he spoke. “Nice resolution,” he said disarmingly as he looked up at the giant screen where his image was being shown.

Maybe I was expecting a prepared speech of some sort, as one would deliver a commencement address for graduating students. This was not the case.

“Some of you are here out of curiosity. So, take a look,” he began in a matter-of-fact but friendly tone. “I’m a man, just like you. I’m getting old. I’m losing my hair. I have this terrible itching problem.” He scratched at his back and neck. “And I don’t know how to fix it.” The crowd laughed, surprised by his normalcy.
“I, also, as I am getting older, have noticed that my eyebrows are growing long. And this one,” he motioned to his left eyebrow, “is growing this way,” and he pointed up. “And this one,” he motioned to his right, “is growing this way,” he chuckled as he pointed to his left. “I cannot figure this out. Maybe science has the answer.”

From this moment on, I felt as if it just he and I were the only ones present in that arena. No screens and sound systems. People quietly and unobtrusively around us.

He said that he’s a “simple monk” who’s sitting on this stage only because of the circumstances that led him there. But he’s no different than any of us in the audience. He said that many people come to him looking to be changed, looking for some type of blessing. “That is nonsense,” he decried, saying he cannot bless people anymore than you or I could. “Unless, maybe, they can tell my why my eyebrows grow this way,” he joked.

The Dalai Lama is just a man. A man with a simple message of peace.

While straining to hear his words through his thick accent, I eagerly scribbled the following life principles onto the pages of my notebook:

· “Unrealistic expectations of others create force and violence.”

· “Using force creates more problems. In order to create an enemy, you must be a factor.”

· “There is a wise way to be selfish and a foolish way to be selfish; if you take care of all people, you will win, too.”

· “Elimination of our neighbors in warfare is mutual destruction.”

· “We are all connected in this modern world.”

His words filled my being with a calmness, a feeling that everything would be alright.

From this experience, I realized that we have, can, and do make things complicated in our lives. Instead, if we led our lives solely doing simple acts of kindness, each of us could make the world a more peaceful place.

I also realized that if organized religions bypassed the political messages they send out, their congregations would be more frequently graced with the root message, which is the same in every religion—kindness, forgiveness, compassion, and warm-heartedness.

I believe we can carry out the Dalai Lama’s positive messages even in this modern world, while still being realistic about our human limitations.

Even though His Holiness didn’t bless me with a magical wave of his hand, I did leave the Pepsi Center a changed person—someone resolved to live each day embracing his simple message of kindness. By doing this, I, we can change the world.