Seeds of Compassion in Seattle

Eye to Eye with Dali Lama, by Ward Serrill, Special to The Seattle Times, April 11, 2008 (abridged)

“The eyes are the windows to the soul,” says an old English proverb. I am about to look into a pair of eyes that will change my life.

The 14th Dalai Lama walks into the room and sweeps his gaze across the dozen or so people standing around, bowing to each of us, his hands placed together in a blessing …

For 24 minutes I observe, ignored by all, invisible as a bird in the shadows. He never anticipates an answer. He listens as if for the first time and his answers defy expectation …

When asked about his religion of kindness, he replies “… all these things: compassion, charity, patience, forgiveness, joy; these do not belong to religion … They are simply the expressions of what it is to be human.”

The interview is over … We don’t speak a word. As he moves in front of me, my hands voluntarily reach out he looks up at me and my world stops spinning. His eyes reveal a deep gravity. I see serious work behind his childlike humor and spontaneity. The man has suffered much and discipline has made him into a spiritual warrior. This serious work, these eyes tell me, this inner work to discover peace and being.