65,000 Gather in Seattle to See and Listen to the Dalai Lama
By Diane Smith
14:15, April 13th 2008
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65,000 Gather in Seattle to See and Listen to the Dalai Lama

In a speech held in front of almost 65,000 people packed in a Seattle stadium on Saturday, the Dalai Lama called for more compassion and nonviolence as the only means through which a better world could be achieved.

The message of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader was delivered as the centerpiece of a three-hour program which featured a vast procession of cultures as well as more than 100 drummers and a choir of children and parents.

His Holiness seized the occasion and urged the world super powers to consider the nuclear disarmament.

"The concept of war is outdated," said the Dalai Lama, who was introduced by Gov. Chris Gregoire as "a deeply humble man of peace."

The Buddhist spiritual leader said that a genuine disarmament will take lots of willpower as well as dissolution of hatred, jealousy and fear.

The appearance of the 72-year-old Tibetan Buddhist monk in Seattle at Qwest Field (the loudest outdoor stadium in the NFL) is part of a five-day Seeds of Compassion campaign. His Holiness is taking part at a tour of protest along the Olympic torch route. He arrived at Seattle just a day after the Olympic torch relay was disrupted by pro-Tibet demonstrators in San Francisco.

The spiritual leader explained the crowd that by having a "genuine sense of compassion toward your enemy" people can transform the world they are living in.

From a red upholstered chair on a stage set with yellow pillars and a white canopy, the Tibetan spiritual leader watched the procession of 1,000 people representing the cultures of Washington. Tibet's flag was also among the procession and was carried by children.

The procession entered the stadium in an Olympics-like pattern and passed by the stage where authorities were seated and then moved into the stands. At the center of the field, there was a bright yellow circle with a heart shape inside a flower representing the symbol of Seeds of Compassion.

"We all have the same ability, the same potential to develop compassion," the Dalai Lama said.



Image Credit: dalailama.com
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