Gala Dinner with His Holiness

Last October, I had the honor of attending a gala dinner celebrating the Dalai Lama's acceptance of the Congressional Gold Medal. It was a really special and exciting evening for me. It is always an honor to be in the presence of the Dalai Lama.

I remember the first time I was in his presence. It was at the Hollywood Bowl on October 10th, 1999. Actually, I wasn't going to the event to see the Dalai Lama. I was going to the World Sacred Music Festival to have a picnic with several friends. The atmosphere was lively and very casual. You could barely even hear the music that was being played because everyone at the Bowl was talking amongst each other. Then, the music stopped and His Holiness came onto the stage and just like that....SILENCE... unbelievable silence. I could hear the wind blowing, the birds singing and the voice of the Dalai Lama. He spoke to us about compassion and wisdom and happiness. He also spoke to us about the problems of Tibet with China and of his desire to be able to return to Tibet someday. Feelings of sadness for him and the Tibetan people started to well up inside of me. I started to have concern for his plight and I felt like I wanted to do something about it. Then tears started flowing from my eyes. It was sudden and unexpected. I continued to sob until the Dalai Lama made some jokes. He has a knack for lightening up the mood of his audience just when they need it and I needed it. Then I was laughing and crying at the same time. I knew I was in the presence of someone really special.

So in attendence at the gala dinner was a handful of politicians as well as Richard Gere, Martin Scorcese, and Marvin Hamlisch. I was actually standing right next to Richard Gere when I first arrived at Mellon Auditorium. And in case you're wondering if he's really that good looking in person, he certainly is. Of course I pretended not to notice him, which is what I generally do when I encounter someone famous. Marvin Hamlisch wrote a song for the occasion and it was performed that night during dinner. And the night wouldn't be complete without a few tears. Earlier in the evening we watched a clip from Kundun, the movie that Martin Scorcese made about the Dalai Lama's life up until his exile to India. And subsequently, Scorcese was banned from China for making it. There's a scene in the movie when the Dalai Lama turns around to look at the lamas that brought him to the safety of India. They were turning back to return to Tibet. And then we see an image of the lamas covered in blood on their horses. They were dead. I was barely able to hold back the tears during that scene. But then Richard Gere described the Dalai Lama remarking to him, about that scene, that he never did see them again. They were killed by the Chinese. How could anyone hold back their tears after that? Again I was sobbing among strangers, although kindred spirits. The evening was very emotionally moving and uplifting. To be in a room with so many people that share the same concern for the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people, that feeling is indescribable.

The only disappointing part of the evening was not being able to actually meet His Holiness one on one. He was escorted onto the stage only after everyone was seated at their tables. Then he spoke for a short while and was again escorted out. I was told that there was concern for his safety and health so his exposure to guests was going to be limited.

If all goes well over the next few weeks, I plan on going to India to sit in on teachings by the Dalai Lama. Otherwise I will have to wait until later in 2008 when he returns to the States to hear him speak again.

Why Yak & Yeti?

A dear friend of mine asked me why the name, Yak & Yeti for my blog. He thought maybe it had some relation to the Yak & Yeti Hotel in Nepal. Nope. I think he has Nepal on his mind since he's climbing Mt. Everest this spring.

The way I came up with the name is really kinda lame. I went to the Animal Kingdom at Disney World in December and there was a restaurant called Yak & Yeti and the name just stuck in my head. In my mind it made sense to have a blog by that name for the following reasons: according to the dictionary, to yak is to talk, uninterruptedly and idly; gab; chatter. That's something I do rather well and often. And the Yeti part is symbolic for the bizarre or absurd things that I talk about sometimes. Once again, that is something I do rather well and often. Ok, maybe it's a stretch, but I still like the way it sounds. Oh, for those of you that don't know what a yeti is, it's a creature, aka the Abominable Snowman that is supposed to live in the Himalayas. I suppose Sasquatch is the American version of a yeti.


Side note: I checked out the Yak & Yeti hotel online (http://yakandyeti.com/) and it seems like a nice place. I hope to have the opportunity to stay there someday.