His Holiness the Dalai Lama Visits Harvard

On April 30, 2009, His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Harvard and gave a talk, "Educating the Heart," at Memorial Church. The event, cosponsored by the Ed School and Harvard Divinity School, was covered live by doctoral candidate Hanna Rodriguez-Farrar, on the HGSE Live feed on Twitter. Below the video is the complete "tweet" transcript.

People began lining up as early as 6am!

Tons of people are gathered in front of Memorial to enter the Church. It's a beautiful but brisk day out there!

People have started to enter Memorial Church. It feels pretty exciting!

Memorial Church is pretty full ... Dean McCartney is checking out the stage in final prep.

@leningrajo as soon as I get webcast address, I'll post it! Sorry for delay ...

For webcast, go to gse.harvard.edu!

Audience has been given opportunity to ask questions via note cards that will be collected at the beginning of the event.

The event has begin!! It starts with Tibetan music and dancing.

8 Tibetan dancers in colorful, beautiful costume are performing Toe Nagri Dance.

The dance is being accompanied by a bache, a 2 string instrument.

Tibetan radung or dongchen, a long horn, is being sounded to welcome everyone to a religious event.

HHDL has entered the Church, bowed to us all.

Tibetan dancers now sing and perform for His Holiness.

HHDL thanks the performers ...

Dean Graham greets the audience and opens the program.

Graham: "honored to having you again and looking forward to your talk."

"Integrating compassion with teaching."

"He has become Dalai Lama to the world."

Dean McCartney introduces HHDL.

"education in the sanctuary of religion"

Name = "Ocean of Wisdom" but he says it's "teacher"

"educate the mind and the heart"

HHDL now begins his talk. He's asked to remove his shoes and sits cross legged in his chair!

"I'm more comfortable like this."

He's thanking deans, students, and guests ... "to all human brothers and sisters."

"differences of race, religion, country, age ... fundamentally, no differences, just human."

"mentally, emotionally, physically we are the same. Therefore we can communicate easily. There are no barriers."

"Happy and honorable to talk and interact with people of this famous education institution."

"harvard something sacred, but that's too much I think!"

He's waving to someone he knows in the audience ... gets a laugh (one of many) from audience!

"there are many different traditions and philosophies ... all religion with compassion ..."

"must profess love and compassion ..."

"clear all the differences and realize purpose of different approaches ... room for compassion, forgiveness ..."

"Education is a method or way to improve intelligence ... human brain with potential. Promote the brain."

Get knowledge and education from birth ...

People who are more compassionate are more peaceful ...

Happiness and joyfulness from mental attitude ... that's what matters.

Intelligence can lead to inner peace ...

Story of Tibetan son full of jealousy ... few years ago, he visits HHDL. He's full of sadness and stressed and depressed.

He's very smart but with dangerous action ... unhappy person inside ... development of brain alone not enough.

Intelligence and education alone ... not enough. Next question, what else?

Story of member in monastery ... danger of losing his compassion toward to Chinese while in captivity.

This monk practicing his compassion and his mind calm and peaceful.

Compassionate people at peace despite difficult experiences.

Education in combo with hatred, then destruction. Compassion now useful ... healthy ... something important here.

Older means more experienced ...

Last year experienced gall bladder surgery. Recovery ... some positive effects. Surgeon called him a young person ...

Telling a cute story of being carried by him mom and him pulling her ears to go right and left. Called himself spoiled!

That story got a laugh from the audience.

"... violence from lacking compassion ..."

"Educate [in] order to be healthy ... have to work together ... in order to become good member of society ..."

How to teach? I don't know ... up to you! I don't know!

India more suitable country/area for promoting love, happiness, more compassion through secular way ... without touching religion.

Secular with reservations among other religions.

Secular means respect for all religions.

Harvard a place that stimulates the human brain ...

HHDL will now take questions submitted by audience at beginning.

Q: Have you ever doubted your faith?"

No.

My followers should follow out of investigation and thinking rather than faith ....

Sometimes I feel doubt ... reject things in texts ... ways to transform our emotion.

Q: If you had a military force, would you use it on behalf of Tibetan people?

If I had that power ... silly question.

Q: How are we to seek peace in time of fear as individuals and nations?

Any action must be motivated by compassion ... negative emotion (harm, exploitation, hurt), come out of violence.

@LuminousHeart I'm trying my best! Thanks.

you know the power to strike and hurt people ... out of selfishness of that person. Forget committing negative things.

Instead, have genuine concern for others ... compassion for that person. Essentially, nonviolence.

violent action with psychic effect ...

Bush: in beginning motivation was good but then used force and became more complicated, unpredictable.

Problems are our own creation ... humans created the problems. Respect others' interest ... try to compromise. Only practical way.

Violence means no other ways. Violence is discrimination.

Karmic consequences when defeat your enemy ...

Q: How should we cope with a personal tragedy such as a death of a loved one?

Story of his senior tutor ... when 7-8 yrs old ... he leaned on him, then tutor died.

He'll come back ... tutor was kind to him ... in spite of his death, I carry him and he is in peace.

Be a nice person and do something constructive for that person.

Q: Who or what is God?

We are simply human beings.

God created world ... God is our concept.

I can guess some quality of Buddha.

Highest being ... not our business ... our business is what God has taught us. Our responibility.

If we accept religion, then we must be very serious ...

In his teaching, we must be content and I teach contentment ...

Shopping: I want this ... 2nd question: do you really need that? Need o be sincere ...

You are your master ... everything depends on yourself.

Concept of self-creation ...

Tranquility must be developed within our selves. Faith from ourselves ... Self-lessness part of that.

Different approaches across faiths ...

Wow ... that's the end of HHDL's talk and Q&A. Dean Graham closing the session with a Buddhist reading.

oceans of delight
... fearful become fearless ... health to sick ... weak find strength
... all lands hospitable to travelers ... crops flourish

Universe attain awakening ... Thank you Your Holiness.

He is bowing to the audience ...

Surrounded by secret service, HHDL exits the church but not before greeting many people in the front rows and bowing many times to the audience

What an amazing event ... the Church is emptying to the tree planting ceremony with Drew Faust. Thanks to all for following along!

Couldn't tweet at the tree ceremony, but I have some great thoughts shared by HHDL

President Drew Faust opened ceremony with info about tree: tree planted was a birch that was partly from the East and from the West.

HHDL: tree represents our interdependency with nature. With modern times and in cities can become distant from nature. Tree brings us back to nature

Trees with message that we are part of nature and that we must respect nature.

We need to pay attention to ecology and ecological problems before it's too late.

Destruction of ecology is gradual ... we must take care of nature constantly and make it part of our daily lives.

That's it from your guest tweeter ... thanks to everyone for following along!