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Baring the Soul in the Park

Alan Kravitz in New York

The highly promoted free talk by the Dalai Lama drew an estimated 30,000 people to the Central Park here on Sunday where they heard about denouncing materialism, greed and extreme individualism.

For several days, posters showing a beaming Dalai Lama have been announcing the event. At several subway stations there were more posters of the Dalai Lama than the ones for the hit movie, The Runaway Bride starring Julia Roberts - and Richard Gere, America's most visible Buddhist, who funded most of the Dalai Lama's New York activities. Gere also introduced the Dalai Lama at the Central Park event.

The exiled Tibetan leader, who employed his gentle voice effectively to discuss serious ecological and economic issues, was heard in rapt attention to a speech that lasted little over an hour, He had repeatedly said during his visit that he is not interested in converting people to Buddhism. He would rather have them look within themselves and begin transforming themselves.

Even as some of his views seemed too familiar, the speech was met with a reverential approach. Baring one's soul to oneself, learning from one's mistakes, and espousing forgiveness should be the part of individualistic and societal healing, the Dalai Lama said many times during his lectures and interviews. At the Central Park, he denounced the growing disparity between the rich and the poor, particularly in a city like New York.

Talking about universal traditions of brotherhood and community values, he said:

"These are common for all major religious traditions. Between different major religious traditions there are different philosophies. All these teachings are all the same. All carry the themes of love, compassion, forgiveness, these things."

Many in the huge crowd were not Buddhist, but said that they came to hear a message of peace.

"I brought my ten-year-old daughter to hear a man whose modesty, integrity and compassion should be the model for the new millennium," said a businessman. "My daughter will not understand everything the Dalai Lama says. But she will remember the event. She will remember that rock stars are not the only ones who draw huge crowds."

This was the only public speech the Dalai Lama offered during his New York sojourn. Earlier this week he held three sold-out sessions at the Beacon Theater. Most tickets went for $75. Baring his own soul, 64-year-old Dalai Lama, who is the subject of two recent films, Kundan (a flop) and Seven Years in Tibet (a moderate hit.), said his own life "has not been easy".

He was referring to the Chinese suppression of Tibetan freedom and religion after Chinese Communists had consolidated power in China. The Dalai Lama who fled to India, said: "But one thing I learned -- the compassion, the sense of caring about others' welfare -- brings to me inner strength. It has defined the purpose of my life."

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