Boca Raton, Florida, USA, 24 February 2010 (By Michele Dargan, Palm Beach Daily News) - His Holiness, the 14th
Dalai Lama of Tibet, spoke Wednesday about compassion and the benefits
of positivity to 3,000 people at Florida Atlantic University's Arena in
Boca Raton. "Out of compassion brings inner peace, and out of inner peace comes
world peace. Without inner peace, we cannot have world peace," he said. His Holiness said everyone has the same capabilities for inner peace
and compassion. If a person is always in constant fear and suspicion,
that's "very bad," he said. Everyone has the same capacity for
kindness, he said. "To me, the audience is brothers and sisters — no difference," he
said. "Emotionally, mentally and physically we are the same. Negative
emotions — anger, fear suspicion [are the] same. Other hand, we have
the same potential for compassion. Compassion is the seed of inner
peace. We all have the same potential." Showing compassion to an enemy helps to achieve inner peace, he said. "Neighbors with jealousy never get peace," the Dalai Lama said. Smiling often and genuinely is another key to finding compassion and inner peace, he said. The more positive you are, the better you feel, he said. "Scientists begin to realize — for physical health — reduce blood
pressure, reduce anxiety, reduce fear .... calm is very, very
important," the Dalai Lama said. An additional 2,500 students, faculty and staff viewed Tenzin
Gyatso, the 74-year-old exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader, by simulcast in
the auditorium. A total of 873 public tickets were sold to the event. People began filing into the arena at 8:30 a.m., with doors closing at 9:30 a.m. Everyone in the arena stood up as His Holiness entered the stage at
10:05 a.m. He shook hands with dignitaries and waved to the crowd. The Dalai Lama spoke for nearly 45 minutes and took questions prepared by students, faculty and staff for 15 minutes. In helping to achieve inner peace, the Dalai Lama said meditation
works best for him. He rises at 3:30 a.m. and recites a Buddhist prayer
to begin his day. A necessary component for compassion: intelligence. Looking at situations only from only one angle brings worry and
frustration. But looking at things from different angles "brings new
opportunities," he said. FAU's Manjunath Pendakur, dean of the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of
Arts and Letters, said, "This is a major boost to work harder .... in
the cause of peace. This is a momentous day in the history of the
university. We are humbled and enriched by it." John Pritchett, FAU's interim president, welcomed everyone to this "historical event." Pritchett called the Dalai Lama "a living example of all the good
that can be accomplished in this world by one person — a person with
courage, a person with conviction to raise his voice for peace.
