I just had to use that headline, corny as it is. I covered the Dalai Lama's talk in Ann Arbor yesterday. His Holiness is back there today but I'm not covering it again.
He was quite charming when he chatted with the crowd, laughing and joking quite a bit. But when he got into his lecture on Buddhist teachings, he was all business and the talks were quite boring for non-adherents. Very intellectual theological and philosophical treatises on Buddhism, spoken in Tibetan, with translation. While the Dalai Lama was talking for 10 minutes or so in Tibetan, it was hard to pay attention. Then the translator would talk for 10 or 15 minutes. So it was a weird setup. I wish he had spoken in English. He is so personable when he speaks directly with an audience.
As it was, I enjoyed at times just listening to his voice, the tones and inflections, and his occasional chuckle. Language is an amazing thing.
In my research, I found that the first time His Holiness came to the United States was 1979, and the pope was here at the same time. Interesting, isn't it, that they both are in the United States the same time now. Rare coincidence.
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Covering the talk was a hassle because there was no parking for media and no place in the basketball arena to file stories from. I had to leave right before the end to beat crowd out of the venue, then drive to a panera bread. Once I settled in, I found that the wireless was down. Fortunately the wireless came on eventually and I was able to file my story -- and drink a good cup of coffee while I finished things up.
You can read my two Dalai Lama stories here:
Saturday
Sunday
Toledo, Ohio
April 20, 2008
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