Dalai Lama Visits Dallas

By Bill Zeeble, KERA News

Dallas, TX – The 14th Dalai Lama delivered his message of peace and non-violence to a packed hall of high school and college students at Southern Methodist University. KERA's Bill Zeeble reports the Tibetan political and spiritual leader took home an honorary doctorate. But he left students with a profound message.

The 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner said his message was simple. In his red and yellow Buddhist robes with matching red SMU ball cap, he told the young audience that his own generation may have left a mess. But the twenty first century belongs to them. He added, with some laughter, they now need to fix it.

Dalai Lama: You are the main sort of people or generation who have the responsibility to turn this century into a more happy century or more sort of unhappy century, or peaceful century, or negative century. That is entirely up to you.

The Dalai Lama thanked the United States for championing universal democracy and freedom. He added democracy is still spreading around the globe.

Dalai Lama: The world belongs to humanity, not kings. Each country belongs to the people of that country. United States belongs to over 300 millions American. Not this party or that party. The 76 year-old Dalai Lama told students they need as broad an education as possible, to tell the difference between fact and emotion. Emotions, he said, can distort reality and interfere with truth. Woodrow Wilson high school junior Jake Schutze says he felt privileged to witness history.

Jake Schutze: Even being in the guy's presence is a pretty big deal. He's one of the greatest thinkers in our generation. To hear what he had to say and for himto shine his light on some of the problems we face today, it's pretty humbling.

The Dalai Lama recently said he would step down as Tibetan political leader in exile. He will retain his spiritual post in India, where he has lived since 1959. He expects Tibet's political leadership will now be determined by an election.

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