“Embracing the Beauty of Diversity in Our World” was the title of the public address given by Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on Friday, June 16 at UC San Diego’s RIMAC Field. The presentation, one of two given that week, was delivered to an audience of 25,000 students, faculty, staff, and members of the public. UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla and San Diego Mayor Kevin Falconer were also in attendance. The Dalai Lama was introduced by journalist Ann Curry, who noted that the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism was so devoted to humanity that he was up every morning by 3 a.m. to meditate and pray for world peace. His Holiness, now 81 years old, had flown in from Rochester, N.Y. the day before, but was cheerful and energetic as he delivered his 35-minute message about the importance of compassion. His suggestion in facing an enemy was to extend compassion to that person, even if not to that person’s negative attitude because “Compassion is not a religious issue, it is a human issue. We all have the seed of love in our hearts.” The Dalai Lama, who calls himself “a simple Buddhist monk,” then provided an example of how he applied this lesson to his own life. One of the greatest crises he experienced was leaving his Tibetan homeland and going into exile in India. Yet about the event, he sees benefits, saying he would not have become as worldly and would have remained more narrow-minded had he only lived in Tibet. During the question and answer session following his speech, His Holiness was asked for a definition of success. He posited that our human purpose is to have a happy life and that keeping a happy mind was key.
The next day, Saturday, June 17, the Dalai Lama, sporting a UC San Diego sun visor and blue and gold commencement robe, spoke at the all-campus commencement addressing another audience of 25,000, this time composed of graduates and their families. UC San Diego had a record 9,100 graduates this year; 6,600 were in attendance. In his keynote speech “The Value of Education, Ethics and Compassion for the Well-Being of Self and Others,” His Holiness told graduates that just as personal hygiene is important for the maintenance of the body, “hygiene of the mind” is important for emotional well-being. He noted that young people should be taught to understand their emotions through exercises like meditation, reading, or prayer. While he characterized the 20th century as a century of war, he expressed hope that the 21st century could be a century of peace and compassion. Calling upon the Chinese Communist Party and President Xi Jinping to be more aware of the 400 million Buddhists that he said live in China, he also encouraged China to pay attention to the gap between rich and poor. “China needs another Cultural Revolution,” he explained, “but this time they need a revolution of compassion.” His Holiness was brought to the U.S. by Friends of the Dalai Lama, a nonprofit organization based in California. He first visited UC San Diego in 2012 for the “Compassion Without Borders” symposium. In keeping with the Buddhist belief in reincarnation, he is referred to as the 14th Dalai Lama. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 in recognition of his nonviolent struggle for the liberation of Tibet, and the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal in 2007.