Contact is taking a holiday!

Twin Cities.com, 21 February 2016

Elliot Veverka drove to Minneapolis from Deep River, Iowa, to check on the Dalai Lama’s health Sunday.

Veverka, who lived for a time in the Dalai Lama’s hometown in India, said he was reassured after seeing the 80-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader in person.

The 14th Dalai Lama, who is being treated for a prostate condition at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., came to the Minneapolis Convention Center to celebrate Tibetan New Year.

“This is the sixth time that I’ve seen him. I came because I heard he’d been sick, and I don’t know when I’m going back to India,” said Veverka, 26, a substitute teacher and coach.

Draped in red-and-yellow robes, the Dalai Lama addressed the crowd of 2,800 people for more than three hours. He sat on a large golden chair flanked by large vases of flowers, bowls of fruit and rice and bottles of juice. His lengthy address, which included an extensive discourse on the “Eight Verses of Mind Training,” a popular Buddhist teaching, also touched on gun control, compassion, inner beauty and happiness.

Sunday’s event showed that the Dalai Lama, who had canceled U.S. appearances in October after Mayo doctors advised him to rest, is back in good health, said Tsewang Chokden, media coordinator for the Tibetan-American Foundation of Minnesota.

“It’s an extremely joyous occasion,” Chokden said. “After having been through this treatment, everyone was interested in his health and well-being. After seeing him here looking vibrant and healthy, we are all very excited today.

The Dalai Lama talked for about 90 minutes longer than expected — a feat that “shows that he really enjoyed it and that he is well rested,” Chokden said. His next scheduled appearance is March 9 in Madison, Wis.

“I want to share my basic thinking and also I think some of my experience as a human being, not as a Buddhist, certainly not as a Dalai Lama, but as a human being,” he said. “How to create a happy humanity, a peaceful humanity, that ultimately lives with a sense of concern — that is compassion.”

Addressing the issue of recent mass shootings, he urged more “living kindness.”

“The worst thing, even in the name of religion, is killing each other. It’s unthinkable. Ultimately gun control must take place here,” he said, pointing to his heart. “If people … are to respect each others lives — then these destructive actions eventually reduce or eventually can disappear.”

The crowd applauded loudly when he said: “The first level is to save humanity. What do you think? Is that logical or illogical?”

Peace of mind and happiness are key to being physically healthy, he said.

“Happy family, happy community and, finally, happy humanity,” he said. “Now scientists say constant fear, constant anger is actually eating our immune system, so be calm and peaceful. A calm mind, I feel, is very important, according to my own little experience.”

When friends ask about his health, the Dalai Lama said he takes off his glasses and shows them his face. “I’ll say, ‘How old that person?’ ” he said, taking off his glasses and smiling. “Most of them say 60 years old. What do you think?”

“Peace of mind is the best, most important factor to keep healthy body,” he said. “And with healthy body, also with smile, that is much better. Very strong body, no smile, then some people may feel fear. Healthy body, strong body, full of love, smile. That is the way to build firstly happy individual, then happy family, then happy community, finally, happy humanity.”

Once those factors are in place, then it will be possible for this century “to be more peaceful, more compassionate,” he said. “Real change must start from individual. … We need more compassionate and intelligent people.”

His talk, delivered in a mixture of Tibetan and English, was punctuated by moments of humor.

At one point, he mimed putting on lipstick. “Young women, sometimes you spend lots of money on cosmetics,” he said. “Inner beauty is more important than outer beauty.”

When he saw a member of the audience holding food, he stopped his translator, urged the audience member to eat and then, chuckling, took a few red grapes from a bowl next to his seat and popped them in his mouth. He smiled as he chewed.

Later, when three young Tibetan boys came to stand near the front of the stage, he tossed pieces of candy to them. “If any more come,” he told the laughing crowd, “I’ll say ‘bye-bye.’ ”

Veverka said the Dalai Lama’s humor is infectious.

“I love his laugh,” Veverka said. “He’s got the best laugh in the world. I think that he’ll be around much longer, and we need him to stay around. This is definitely a very good place for him to be because we need lots of compassion in this country right now.”

His Holiness’ visit was a “blessing,” said Tenzin Khechco, 24, of Columbia Heights.

“His speeches are always inspiring to us,” she said. “I think it really helps us, especially during this time, when it’s … Tibetan New Year. For us to be able to be blessed by him and have him pass on his wisdom to us, I think it’s really a true blessing.”

Khechco said the Tibetan community in Minnesota held many prayer ceremonies when they learned that the Dalai Lama was going to be treated at the Mayo Clinic for a month.

“Everyone was worried,” she said. “So we are all relieved to see him today, laughing and smiling with us. It’s just really a blessing. You don’t really get that a lot here.”