Dalai Lama

Our visit to Pondicherry just happened to correspond with the Dalai Lama's visit to Auroville, a small international community that is a social experiement that was started in the 70s. I will not even attempt to describe it in detail....as an afternoon exploring its visitor's center and talking with our friends who were staying there, left us with more questions than answers! There are many individual farms that make up this community of 1800 Aurovillians. The whole community is set up like a galaxy, and it is quite interesting to read about if this catches your attention (just google auroville!). So, driving through the quiet lanes, it is hard to get a feel for the community as it is spread out over a huge area. The Dalai Lama was visiting to offer a blessing for the new Tibetan center that was opening. He brought in a huge crowd to listen to him speak on universal responisibility and peace. He has a circuitous way of delivering a message and would crack himself up with some of his stories, chuckling heartily. Although Tim and I both agreed that we had seen better orators, it was incredible to see him in person amongst such an international crowd. What I was most touched by though was the woman who introduced him. She was an Indian woman who lived in Auroville, and she spoke of the significance of the Dalai Lama's message on Jan 20, the same day Obama was innaugurated in the US. At first I found the message a bit innapropriate for the setting. I thought we should be focusing on the Tibetan center and the Dalai Lama's message and forget about the US for once. However, the more I though about her statement that Jan 20 marked significant changes in the direction of the world, it excited me and made me quite proud. It also made me feel more connected to the US from halfway around the world. So, while the millions flocked to DC to celebrate the changes that Obama has promised, we sat under tents in southern India listening to the Dalai Lama's message of hope and personal responsibility. It was a memorable day, even from the other side of the planet...this small planet that is so interconnected.