Inner warmth on the coldest of Delhi days

We are all looking for it are we not ...that happiness that should be with us all to keep a permanent smile on our faces. Most of us struggle terribly and find it hard to do what it takes and so with that perhaps in mind and out of sheer curiosity I went along to hear His Holiness the Dalai Lama talk about ways of attaining this elusive happiness in our lives.

The whole auditorium rose as he walked in. A small figure in his maroon robes and covered only with a bright orange shawl. He is not a big man, stoops a little and wears glasses and as soon as he came in he prostrated himself in front of the images of Buddha. When he got up and climbed on the flower decorated dias he wobbled and giggled and my neighbour said " there is happiness already."

He is not an orator like Clinton or Obama, nor phlegmatic like Sarkozy all of whom visited Delhi recently but out of all I think he holds the most enduring appeal. People come to listen to the soft voice and the sweet laugh. To enjoy his jokes, and there are many, and take away his wisdom.He has the essence of experience and age and yet the joyfulness and sparkle of youth.  He is a complex individual who has a lot of depth and responsibility which bears down upon him and may add to the slight stoop, yet he can choose his words knowingly to tell his audience in the simplest of terms to love in an unbiased way, to make efforts in what they want to achieve and to do good for the benefit of others.

The messages he gave were of universal appeal and thoroughly practical, addressed to all, believers and non believers and his humility came out in everything he said. A young man sitting in the front was ill half way through his speech and he stopped and asked the audience for a doctor and waited until the person was looked after. He answered questions with an honesty that was disarming and amusing and he left us all feeling that much warmer on this cold of coldest days.

He rose and so did the hundreds of people who had come to listen to him but he didnt leave, he came to the front of the stage and he greeted each and every one, giving blessings and thanks to all.