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Eboo Patel thanks the Dalai Lama for Compassionate Listening << Previous Next >>
On May 18, 2010, Patel, writing "A Blessing from the Dalai Lama" for The Washinton Post, said,
"Twelve years ago, I went to see the Dalai Lama with the small seeds of a big dream: a movement of young people from different traditions building bridges of interfaith understanding through service. Last week, I had the chance to thank His Holiness personally for speaking encouraging words to a 22-year-old kid with a head full of radical spangles."
"I thought back to my first audience with His Holiness. I was experimenting with Buddhism back then, trying to figure out who I was and what I hoped to contribute to the world. I was eager to explain the Interfaith Youth Core to His Holiness during that first audience, but the Dalai Lama insisted on asking me questions about my own religious path first. I stammered that I didn't know. He prodded gently..."
Patel had the opportunity to say thank you during the Dalai Lama's visit to Bloomington, Indiana, USA, where His Holiness was giving a teaching on the Buddhist Heart Sutra, and took time to meet with a small group of Muslim and interfaith leaders to launch Common Ground Between Islam and Buddhism, his new book. Patel adds:
- "Several times His Holiness spoke of the importance of "coming together", emphasizing that when people interact positively with each other they learn how similar they are, and when they are separated the gap is often filled by hostility."
- "Clearly, compassion lies at the heart of the teachings of both Islam and Buddhism, as it also lies at the heart of other great religious traditions ... The time has certainly come for followers of the world's great religions to work together to create a more compassionate and peaceful world."
Click "A Blessing from the Dalai Lama" to read Patel's reflection.
Who might you thank for offering compassionate listening to you?
