His Holiness the Dalai Lama

By: Vinson Nguyen, Fall 2013 Marketing Intern

His Holiness, the XIV Dalai Lama, visited The Arena at Gwinnett Center in what was called The Visit 2013, and boy was it an experience. For myself as an intern and this being my first event, not knowing what to expect from the day’s showing only escalated the excitement of having the Dalai Lama speak to the thousands in attendance about secular ethics and what it meant to be a human being.

 

 

From the brink of the early morning, I could feel the mass of the day’s festivities as soon as I pulled up to the front parking lot at 6:45AM. The parking lot was packed! The employee parking lot was shut down and blocked off for added security of the impending arrival of His Holiness. The security lines were on par with those of an airport. There were police officers at every entrance and bomb sniffing dogs going through every bag. You could tell this was a high profile event.

As the Dalai Lama arrived and made his appearance on stage, the thousands in attendance stood and welcomed his presence with a thunderous ovation. After what seemed like minutes of straight applause, the word “sit” were softly spoken by His Holiness, along with hand gestures that motioned the audience to sit down, followed by the sounds of the audience’s laughter. You could tell from that moment that this talk would carry a much more informal and laid back vibe. If the first words he uttered didn’t set the tone, then his actions shortly thereafter definitely would. The Dalai Lama walked off the stage and greeted an old friend who was blind by placing his head on his. This symbolized the message behind the Dalai Lama’s talk for the day. Love and compassion.

 

Throughout the two programs that were held, clear messages were sent about what it takes to be a responsible citizen in today’s age. The Dalai Lama addressed many issues that affect today’s world. He did so by encouraging attendees to become less self-centered and to focus more on loving and showing compassion towards others. Education and actions were emphasized in order to achieve a more peaceful world.

As the event winded down to its conclusion, you could see the joy and uplifted spirits of all those who attended. The patrons looked as if they had caught a breath of fresh air. Others were left in tears of the Dalai Lama’s powerful message.  All could agree though that they walked away from the events with a deeper understanding of what it really takes to become a better human being.