HHDL in Sydney December 1&2

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to be among circa 5000 people in attendance at HHDL's Nagarjuna teachings. This was a major event for myself, as I am sure it was for most of those attending the events offered. Not only had I not left my locality or traveled by train in over a year, but I had never before attended an event with HHDL or an 'official' teaching.

Several things stood out for me. Firstly, although the crowd was not entirely made up of Tibetan Buddhists, there was a strong representation of such among those present. Having had no contact other than through written texts and online groups with such, it was a relaxing and enjoyable experience to be in the same building with so many people practicing the same path as I for the first time.

Secondly, it is the first time that I have heard HHDL speak. I have read many of his books and several articles about him - but never before heard his actual voice. Despite his mentioning that he had flu and sneezing and snuffling on occasion, he spoke very calmly and clearly - and in very good English for a non-English speaker.

Thirdly, I noticed the importance of HHDL to the Tibetan population. Whereas I and many more respect and appreciated HHDL, the Tibetans seemed to cherish him considerably. This was brought out when a chanting-meditation session lead by a Tibetan woman occurred shortly before an afternoon session. It made me realize just how important this man is to the Tibetan people and allowed me to appreciate his presence even more myself.

Finally, it was a wonderful opportunity to connect to the Tibetan people and learn of their culture. Among the various activities, were Tibetan music played during the lunch break, many stalls with information, books, and contact to Tibetan people and groups, and a display of Tibetan traditional dancing performed in front of HHDL!

It was a totally exhausting experience also - as I had circa 2 hours travel before and after an all-day event two days in a row! I had to apply strong concentration during both the teachings and the meditation sessions that I attended - though I had relaxation time out while eating my lunch - they catered well, having both very-tasty vegetarian and vegan wraps!