It’s just been announced that Victor Chan — founder of the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education, and a co-author and good friend to His Holiness himself — will be one of TedX Vancouver’s first three speakers this year. (See TedX’s announcement, here.) Our congrats to him, and to TedX, too, for such a fine choice.
Victor recently wrote about his friendship with the Dalai Lama for the Shambhala Sun in an article called “At Home with the Dalai Lama.” And it’s just that, a snapshot of a morning at the Dalai Lama’s residence in Dharamshala. An excerpt:
With his prostrations done, he walked to a treadmill tucked away by the window. He hung his prayer beads on the handlebar next to a draped towel and began to pace rapidly on the moving belt. Almost immediately, he closed his eyes as he surrendered to the machine’s rhythm and meditated as he exercised. It was a much faster version of walking meditation.
After showering, the Dalai Lama took me up to the roof of the residence. The surrounding mountains were still dark, their barely discernable outlines untouched by the sun. Tiny tendrils of smoke curled from unseen chimneys and then dissipated in the chilly air. Further down the Kangra Valley, a sprinkling of lights from the Indian towns could be seen in the distance. It was so early the birds had not yet begun their songs.
The Dalai Lama stared into the distance, absorbing the quiet, allowing all of his senses to experience the tranquil majesty of the surroundings. He was very present, undistracted by my being next to him. As I watched him, standing perfectly still, one hand lightly resting on the green metal railing, I was touched by the ineffable grace of the moment.
