Dalai Lama promotes human friendship: Christians can learn from the gracious and open style of the Dalai Lama--and we can pray for him.

'I am only a simple monk," says the Dalai Lama.

And, yet, this same solitary figure alarms the government of one of the world's most powerful countries (the People's Republic of China), captivates some of Hollywood's biggest stars, commands the loyalty of over five million Tibetans around the globe and recently attracted a crowd of 29,000 to Toronto's SkyDome, where he spoke on the power of compassion.

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was in Canada from April 17 to May 5, visiting Vancouver, Ottawa and Toronto. The focus of his trip was the 11-day Kalachakra Initiation into Tibetan Buddhist teachings, which he led at the National Trade Centre in downtown Toronto. But even though religion provided the occasion, politics inevitably follows wherever this prophet of non-violence goes.

China seized control of Tibet in 1950 when the Dalai Lama was 15 years old. As both the religious and temporal ruler of the country, the teenager was thrust into an impossible predicament. He remained in Lhasa for as long as he could but took refuge in India in 1959 when a major uprising erupted. The 69-year-old leader of Tibet's government in exile continues to walk a fine line between spirituality and politics.

"Politics are not my main concern," he says. "I am interested in the preservation of Tibet's culture and religion. I do not want power. When we reach resolution and can go home to a democratic Tibet, I will not hesitate to give authority to whoever is governing. People ask me about politics always, but we can discuss many other things about Tibet."

On April 23 in Ottawa, Paul Martin became the first sitting Canadian Prime Minister to meet with the Dalai Lama, despite repeated strident warnings from China not to do so. However, he spent only 15 minutes in private with the Tibetan leader. The venue for their encounter, the residence of the local Roman Catholic archbishop, was also chosen deliberately for its neutrality and non-political import.

Still, the hopes of the Canada Tibet Committee were raised by the mere sight--and hence the photo opportunity--of the Prime Minister shaking hands with their leader. And 165 members of Parliament have signed a petition calling for Ottawa to mediate in facilitating negotiations between Beijing and the Tibetan leadership.

Since the invasion by China, Tibetans have expressed outrage as millions of Chinese have flooded into their country, making Tibetans a minority in their homeland. Six thousand monasteries have been closed or destroyed, and it has become illegal in Tibet to possess a picture of the Dalai Lama.

During the 1980s, the Dalai Lama responded by abandoning the pursuit of Tibetan sovereignty in favour of a new strategy. Now he advocates for his people's human rights and, against all the odds, campaigns for the creation of an autonomous democratic Tibet within China.

"We must use common sense. There are people who prefer to fight. They are impatient. But China is much more powerful than us. It would be foolish. And violence will not help anyone. We have to learn to live with our Chinese brothers and sisters. We must embrace them with kindness and friendship. We must respect them and, if we address our rights, we should use non-violence. We can live together. We can share Tibet."

The Dalai Lama's enormous popularity has helped raise international awareness of the plight of Tibetans and their culture. Winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 raised his profile even further. In North America, only the Pope and Billy Graham are more recognizable as religious leaders.

Hollywood movie stars are entranced by the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. They seem to appreciate the religion for how it allows multiple entry-points, often making few demands on the uninitiated. You can get serious and spend many years practising daily meditation like Richard Gere, who was in the front row for three days of Kalachakra teachings in Toronto. Or you can simply be an admirer like Alanis Morissette, who made a fleeting appearance in Ottawa to introduce the Dalai Lama.

On the coattails of the Dalai Lama's celebrity, Tibetan Buddhism is clearly in vogue. But a division exists between those who dabble in Buddhist practices associated with the New Age movement, like meditation, and those who truly convert. The former predominate by far and their numbers can only be guessed at. Largely due to immigration, Buddhism has emerged as one of the fastest growing religions in North America with a million and a half followers, 300,000 in Canada alone. Toronto is home to Canada's largest Tibetan community, numbering around 5,000.

But how do we explain all the fuss? In his book Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West, Donald S. Lopez Jr. proposes that the crucial change has taken place as Tibetan Buddhist leaders chose to promote basic universal moral truths and downplay the religion's more esoteric beliefs and practices. The circumstances of exile have forced them to develop good skills of communication in order to get their message out and for the sake of survival. The individualistic bent of meditation and other techniques that focus on self-help also sit well with those baby boomers, among others, who have opted out of regular churchgoing.

The Dalai Lama's SkyDome talk illustrates the point. His text could have been the Sermon on the Mount or Paul's poem to love in 1 Corinthians 13. He extolled respect as the essence of compassion and exhorted his listeners to go beyond ordinary love and commit themselves to ending aggression. This would pave the way, he declared, for a new period of peace and dialogue in contrast to the unbridled violence of the 20th century. Another key theme was that the interconnectedness of life in our globalizing world today makes conflict with our neighbours more and more self-destructive. It was hard to find anything to disagree with.

However, the Kalachakra Initiation offered more puzzling content. Its basic purpose is the pursuit of enlightenment. At the heart of Buddhism lie the Four Noble Truths: the truth of suffering, the origin of suffering lies with desire, the goal of ending suffering, and the path that allows escape from suffering. The Kalachakra includes the construction of an intricate sand mandala, a geometric design symbolizing the entire Buddhist cosmology and acting as an aid to meditation. The mandala functions as a kind of palace housing 722 deities who represent various aspects of the enlightened mind.

Mr. Thupten Jinpa, the Dalai Lama's personal translator and the editor of many of his almost 40 published books, explained that the Kalachakra is for everyone, from serious students of Buddhism who go through the whole ritual, 2,000 of whom gathered in Toronto, to sympathetic bystanders who only wish to receive a blessing. The ceremony is more broadly intended to reduce conflict and violence in the whole world.

"No one is excluded," Jinpa pointed out. "There was a ritual permission taken from the Earth's elements and, when the mandala is completely utilized and has finished its function, it is then given back to the Earth by throwing it into the water. There is a symbolism that the animals in the water can benefit from the blessing too."

Other religious were also invited to join in the Kalachakra at an interfaith service on May 1. Many groups were represented, including a Zoroastrian, a Mohawk and an Eskimo from Iceland. Each delegate said a prayer or shared a reflection. For Christian content, the Roman Catholic and Anglican archbishops of Toronto read selections from the New Testament about loving your neighbour and brought greetings from their churches.

"All religions have same message. All emphasize love, compassion and forgiveness," suggested the Dalai Lama. "Of course, there are differences. Different philosophies because different location, different time, therefore different way of approach. But humanity needs all of them so there is no need to debate. For some, one may be more effective; for others, another way is better."

Prof. James A. Beverley questions how widely this message of interfaith harmony would be accepted within the Buddhist world. Beverley teaches world religions at Tyndale Seminary in Toronto. In 2000, he travelled to India to interview the Dalai Lama. "Most orthodox Buddhists would disagree with the Dalai Lama saying all religions are fine and that everyone should stay with their own faith," he said. "They believe that Buddhism is the best way--end of story."

Beverley points out that some differences between Buddhism and Christianity are impossible to sidestep. For example, Buddhists advocate self-salvation, usually with a spirit of humility, but in distinct contrast to the centrality of grace with Christianity. In response to an inquiry about Jesus, the Dalai Lama acknowledged Christ as a fully enlightened being but could not recognize his relationship with God because Buddhists are not theists. He also suggested that Jesus was a Buddhist in a previous life.

Expressing admiration for the Tibetan leader, Beverley further observed that "Christians can learn from the gracious and open style of the Dalai Lama. We can also pray that he comes to realize what it means that Jesus is truly enlightened--so enlightened that he taught the truth about God, the human dilemma and salvation."

And, yet, the Dalai Lama's call for respect resonates in a pluralistic society like Canada. Having brought Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Christians, Jews and others together, he urged people to continue to meet with those from different religious traditions. Both leaders and laity should get to know each other. "That is really powerful," he asserted, and encouraged everyone to adopt a spirit of generosity in relating to other faiths.

The attentive crowd at the National Trade Centre did not greatly resemble your average mainline Protestant congregation. Three main groups attended the Kalachakra: monks, Tibetans and young adults of a whole range of ethnicities. Many of those originally from Tibet dressed in their colourful traditional garb and blended in nicely with saffron-robed monks. Both seemed delightfully out of place against the noisy backdrop of SUVs and minivans whizzing along the Gardiner Expressway, intent on escaping the suffering of downtown gridlock.

Others with less elaborate outfits also took part. Carol Boucher travelled all the way from Quebec to join in the Kalachakra. Now in her 20s, she grew up in the United Church but is no longer involved in church life. Her interest in Tibetan Buddhism derives from her personal practice of meditation. "I meditate to help me observe the sensations that I'm experiencing," she said. "I came here because of the way the Dalai Lama draws people together, even those who are unrelated to Buddhism. He is such a pure being. You can just feel the incredible devotion to him. It's thrilling how the energy swoops through the crowd whenever he speaks."

For her part, Khrystalla Chew of Toronto came for the blessing. "I had a call to be here, there's no doubt. I was raised as a Roman Catholic and I want to try to live more compassionately. Like no one else in the world, the Dalai Lama extends blessing. There are amazing vibrations all around here. This is life-changing."

Evan Dales was introduced to Tibetan Buddhism by his mother, a professor of religious studies. He and his wife are practising Buddhists in the Toronto area. They came to the Initiation to honour the Dalai Lama and "share their energies with others," they said. "Being here really enhances our meditation. Our own practice is amplified by thousands of others, and it's bringing about an astonishing shift in our consciousness. The goal is to let go of egocentric impulses."

Manu Bhai Panchal learned about the Dalai Lama while attending high school in India. He wanted to see him in person. "I've always admired the Dalai Lama. He's like Gandhi or Nelson Mandela, one of those people who change world history because of their work for peace. I am Hindu, and Buddhism came out of Hinduism. We should work together."

One final vignette captures the visit. After receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Toronto on April 27, the Dalai Lama was on his way back to the Royal York Hotel when he stopped his car in traffic. He described the encounter: "Yesterday, driving in car from university, road worker waves. I put down window and shake his hand. Not very clean hand, but I feel very happy. One hundred per cent innocent. Only motive sharing human friendship."

Simplicity, happiness, humour and friendship--he pointed to these things.

Alex MacLeod lives in downtown Toronto where he works with young adults at Knox Church (Spadina).