Bearing gifts of wisdom and good humor, the Dalai Lama arrived Friday in Honolulu and wasted no time charming the Kamehameha Schools students and administrators on hand to welcome him.
The Tibetan spiritual leader is in Hawaii for this weekend's "Pillars of Peace Hawaii: Building Peace on a Foundation of Aloha," a community peace-building event sponsored by the Hawaii Community Foundation with funding from the Omidyar Ohana Fund.
In addition to private meetings with Native Hawaiian community leaders and others, the Dalai Lama will appear at today's "Educating the Heart," an event for students only, and Sunday's "Advancing Peace Through the Power of Aloha," which is open to the general public.
Born Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama escaped Tibet in 1959 following the Chinese suppression of an uprising in Lhasa. He has spent the last 53 years in exile in Dharamsala, India, the seat of the Tibetan government in exile. In that time, he has come to be regarded as a international symbol of peace and compassion as well as a gently outspoken champion of human rights and cultural preservation. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his ongoing, nonviolent struggle to liberate Tibet.
The students, chastened by the heavy security presence outside and cautioned by school officials to be on their best behavior, said they found it difficult at first to reconcile the exalted reputation of the Dalai Lama with his disarmingly unaffected manner.
"I was intimidated at first because I didn't know what to expect," said Jacob Hookano. "But when he came through the door and was making jokes and everything, I relaxed. He was like a normal person, very friendly."
[8/24/12] What did the Dalai Lama visit Kailua High School?
Four Days With The Dalai Lama (by Don Chapman, MidWeek)
Clearing out the Lama Notebook
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