The Dalai Lama in Portland 2013

Friday the 10th of May was a busy one indeed as I journeyed down to Maitripa College in Portland to see HH the Dalai Lama!!! Since arriving here on Wednesday the city has been abuzz with excitement as he attended various venues( University of Portland,University of Oregon) surrounded by adoring fans and high security. I knew what to expect as I'd traveled down to Long Beach,California last spring to see him there and attend a lecture at the convention center. That day we walked in the sun for hours with 20,000+ others to get through security,which was very tight and controlled. No cameras,recording devices or backpacks. Funny how that worked out as every phone deemed acceptable had high quality cameras and video capabilities.

That venue was huge with my only glimpses of the Dalai Lama being from more than a football field away. The photo here shows how far away we were last year.

If I could have been closer I'd have had a shot like this, of Richard Gere and HHDL together!

But,alas, I was what seemed miles away. Still, the public talk was delightful and my friend Jenny and I had a glorious time there in Long Beach!! It was nice to go back and visit the city of my birth. Here is a photo of us that trip,on the steps of the Disney Hall in downtown Los Angeles before a concert with the LA Philharmonic.

Fast forward to now,May of 2013. I'd read of the Dalai Lama coming to Portland way back last September and was thrilled he was coming back to MY locale and staying for a few days. A rare and delightful visit for sure as his last was twelve years ago! As money was tight, I could not afford the very expensive tickets to see him at both The University of Portland nor the upcoming Memorial Coliseum talks today,which fetched anywhere from $50 to over $500. So my best chance to go see him, well, HEAR him, was at Maitripa College,Portland's own Tibetan Buddhism university. Off I went at 7am to SE Portland to secure a spot as I knew there would be an estimated 5000 people there to watch a big screen presentation.

Imagine my delight as I arrived at how casual the atmosphere was. Not too many people had arrived yet so I was prepared for an onslaught of media and adoring disciples and fans. That never happened. I had my trusty Nikon D50 digital SLR as well as my ipod Touch for quick shots and video. Security was very tight here with Portland police all over as well as the personal security for HHDL.

Here are a few pics showing the stages of security and the location of the event.

 

The real joy was how orderly and respectful everyone was.The hundreds who attended,not thousands as predicted,were well behaved and loving,kind as the the Dalai Lama arrived and greeted well wishers. I was fortunate to be very close as he arrived and snapped these photos of him,the closest being a mere 5 or 6 feet away instead of the usual long distance that those in the big venues have to endure.

After his greetings to the crowd,he went inside the college and then gave his hour long talk with students and graduates about life and after life. We knew he would make another appearance but were not sure when that would happen. Some said they heard AFTER the entire program but we waited nonetheless. Sure enough, at a break during the talk he came out to greet well wishers. Another chance to shoot some photos and take this all in. Funny though how of all the media attention he brings that only two news channels,KGW 8 and KPTV 12,were there to cover this. Add that the "thousands" predicted were hundreds,making this a much more intimate gathering than expected. Thank goodness I say!!!

 This next pic came from an online source but I liked it and decided to add it here. All of the rest were taken by myself.

Finally, one of myself from the ipod,proving I was there in the sun and crowd during the event.

Also, here is a short video I shot with the Ipod Touch. Shaky but I was shooting it with my left and taking stills with the Nikon with my right!

Summing things up, it was a very worthwhile experience and one I'd certainly do again. Who knows how long the current Dalai Lama can maintain this schedule and tour the world. I'm fortunate to have been able to see him not once,but twice. And this close as well!!

Although I'm not a Tibetan Buddhist, I do follow some of the philosophies of Buddhism,especially Zen Buddhism. So this makes the visit by HHDL even more special.