Dalai Lama in chicago...
yesterday the dalai lama visited chicago.
i didnt really know what to expect. i wanted to buy tickets but it had sold out to some 100,000 people quite quickly...regardless i knew it would be an interesting experience. aside from the thousands of people seated in the park, there was an equal if not greater number of people scattered about outside the park, just there to feel what it was like to be there. some trying to listen to what he had to say, and some just trying to be still. i had never seen the city so calm. within the sphere that was created from this congregation an aura of complete stillness had taken over. i could not hear the traffic, i could not feel the city around me. there were some 200,000 people together at once, and every one of them was content, quiet, and attentive.
i couldnt hear most of what he was saying...but on the 200 foot led screen on the other side of the park, i could see him laughing and sharing insight...with 200,000 people. it was as if he was speaking to one person... which i suppose is the ideal of Buddhism to begin with. i looked around me and people of all shapes, sizes, colors, and backgrounds gathered in awe to witness something they couldnt really explain. they didnt really know what was happening but they wanted to be a part of it...to catch a glimpse of not just a person, or religious figurehead, but of what kind of words and energy were being iterated and exchanged.
and to top it all off, some wonderful friends had the pleasure of performing for dalai lama on stage. i am so happy for them and honored to know them... not just because they played music for the dalai lama, but because they were there. at that moment, for that reason, for those people. time and space working together to clear the air for those who care.
thank you.
i felt great. later that evening i played a show at subterranean and i think it was one of my best sets to date. it just felt right. and it was loud. i could have blown their system...but i decided to be nice. :)
and so it goes...
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