As we all know, Emory has many unique characteristics and traditions—such as our obsessions with that one skeleton and that one beverage company we all know and love—that make us proud to call it our home away from home. One of the most distinct, notable, and pretty darn cool events that Emory offers is the chance for us students to meet His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama. I was lucky enough to have tickets and hear him speak on Tuesday October 8 at the Gwinnett Center! There were 3 major lessons Dalai Lama stressed, but first…
A little history on why His Holiness comes to Emory
Since 1998, a partnership between Emory and the Drepung Loseling Monastery began thanks to Robert Paul, the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Anthropology and Interdisciplinary Studies within Emory’s Institute of Liberal Arts, and Lobsang Tenzin Negi, the Emory-Tibet Partnership Director and Senior Lecturer in the Religion Department. Negi started and developed a teaching center, what would become the Drepung Loseling Monastery, stemming from the Dalai Lama’s interest in integrating eastern and western academic traditions. More specifically, His Holiness was particularly fascinated in scientifically understanding the various aspects of the mind that are referred to in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. When he first visited Atlanta in 1995, an Emory committee formed to propose to the Dalai Lama different ways Emory could partner with Tibetan institutions. And, so, the official affiliation between Emory and Drepung Loseling Monastery was formally inaugurated in 1998. Since then, Emory has hosted three major visits from the Dalai Lama in 2007, 2010, and now October of this year.
Now, on to life lessons according to His Holiness
I think all of us can try to incorporate some of these into our lives!
*As a side note, the Dalai Lama was surprisingly down-to earth, normal, and quite funny for having such a high position!
Dialogue is key to solving conflict. He believes that in order to attain peace within yourself, you must create some kind of exchange of dialogue with anyone you consider an enemy. By finding your enemy’s interests and getting to know them better, you can start breaking the bonds of hatred and anger and instead make room for love.
We can start this right here at Emory! Grab a person you have lost contact with because of an argument and invite them for coffee or lunch. You may absolutely dread it at first, but you never know—you may realize they aren’t so bad after all.
Pay attention to your mental health. After taking Health 100, we all know how important it is to have flourishing health. Although we usually remember to work on our physical health, it is sometimes difficult to remember our mental health is just as important. Achieving high physical health is something we all know how to do–eat more veggies, fewer carbs and sugars, and excercise regularly. But mental health is harder to maintain–especially at a high-achieving institution, about to enter a tough job market or trying to get into difficult med schools.
I recommend going to a meditation session or looking at pictures of nature or taking a walk to clear the mind. Another option could be to do something you’re passionate about for at least ten minutes a day, such as reading or writing in a diary. Find something that works for you and stick with it! Soon we’ll all be on the road to flourishing mental health.
Our survival depends on someone else caring. This lesson was the overarching message the Dalai Lama wanted the audience to take away. In order to have peace in the world, we need to have compassion for our neighbors. Compassion does not come easily (no kidding), but by genuinely caring about the people around you we can start to build a network of love and warmth. He mentioned that individuals who receive maximum affection from families and friends are internally happier than those who do not, and that individuals in this latter group can develop insecurities and distrust. Destruction of our neighbors means the destruction of ourselves since we are all interdependent.
Here at Emory we have a large yet interwoven community. What can we do on campus to promote compassion? We can join one of the 300 organizations we have on campus, such as HOAP or Hand in Hand, that all support connections among others! What if you’re not a people-person? No fear! PAWSitive Outreach reaches out to all the furry creatures out there for us to spread our newly found compassion onto.
I hope these lessons help you think about what you can do from campus to implement words of wisdom straight from His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama!