Outside, the weather was more inviting for winter hibernation than spiritual ecstasy, but I decided to make an exception. After all, it’s not every day you get the chance to see the Dalai Lama live. The very fact that instead of a rock concert, the arena filled with people looking for peace was an event worth noting in itself. I walked inside with curiosity and immediately felt that the atmosphere was completely different than at most mass events. Nobody was pushing their way to the front row with elbows ready for action. Everyone looked as if they had been practicing patience since morning. I, of course, after a few minutes started wondering if I was sitting in the right seat. Had I accidentally already achieved enlightenment and that’s why I stopped caring?
Meeting the Dalai Lama in Warsaw
When the Dalai Lama appeared, the whole arena fell silent in an instant. I thought then that this is an extraordinary skill. To walk into a huge hall and make several thousand people forget about their phones, watches, and what they’re having for dinner. I’ve tried to achieve a similar effect during family gatherings myself, but at best I managed to get the dog’s attention.
What surprised me most was his smile. It was so natural that I started to suspect he knew some secret to life that the rest of the world hadn’t discovered yet. Me, after a few hours in a winter jacket, I could only discover that the pocket with my gloves had mysteriously vanished again. I sat and listened with great interest, trying to remember as much as possible. My brain, however, organized its own private retreats from time to time. One moment I pondered the meaning of life, and a moment later the meaning of the tea vending machine standing in the lobby. Spirituality and tea are apparently very close cousins.
Peace of mind and freezing feet
I looked at the people around me and concluded that everyone came there for something different. Some were looking for inspiration, others for answers to important questions. And still others probably just wanted to see a man whose smile is more recognizable than many famous company logos. I left with the conviction that peace of mind really does exist, although in my case, it sometimes first has to win against eternally freezing feet.
After the event ended, I slowly left Torwar along with the crowd. Nobody sprinted for the exit. It was as if everyone had unanimously agreed that after a few hours of talking about peace, it wasn’t fitting to organize a race down the hallway. Even the Warsaw winter seemed a bit milder. I didn’t come back from Torwar as a monk, nor did I achieve instant enlightenment. I still get annoyed when the TV remote disappears under unexplained circumstances. But I took away something more valuable—the conviction that a genuine smile can warm a person up more effectively than many a thick winter coat. And if you could have a laugh at yourself along the way, that was a pretty nice bonus.
