buddhist groupie

we all have our 'idols'.. for some it's Brittany Spears, for others it's Tom Cruise, Princess Mary of Denmark or buddha forbid.. Johnny Howard.. but for me.. it's the Big Ocean of Wisdom..a.k.a the Dalai Lama... oh yes.. i'm a fan.. a big one..

the last time he was in australia was 2002 and he didn't even make it to our little country town of Perth.. but this time.. he got here.. and like an dutiful obessessed fan i was on that dial as soon as the box office opened.. and i dialed till my fingers were sore yet i persisted till i got in my hot little hands one of those tickets that were sold out in 7 hours.. and since then i've been counting the sleeps till the day arrived..

the last time i was this excited about a famous person coming to perth was.. hmmm.. NEVER.. not even mariah carey..

uncontrollable tears welled up in my eyes when i first saw him appearing as a little maroon dot on the stage (takes a lot of self restraint not to follow my compelling urge to prostrate respect).. i held my palm together to greet him as a dot in the masses..

though his message was simple and i've read about in his books.. but it was cool to hear it from him in person... and just like other ppl's description of him.. he emanates serenity and compassion.. he spoke like a gentle grandfather with kindness and wisdom, at the same time with such child-like innocence that sees only the good in everything and every one.. he was charismatic and had a funny sense of humour, he giggled a lot, he spoke every word with sincerity and conviction and at times so animated his voice bears an uncanny resemblance to yoda (tee hee hee)..

and of course i raided the merchandise stand.. though i was bitterly disappointed there was no dalai lama sock puppets available nor were there any t-shirts that says "I *heart* DALAI LAMA" or "i met the dalai lama and all i got was this lousy t-shirt".. i did manage to get myself a bag and a mug..

in hindsight, may be i'm not groupie enough and i should've stalked him around in the burswood hotel lobby or flown myself to melbourne to hear him talk about the eightfold path.. but anyways.. like a good buddhist i'm learning to just be content with the fact that i get to cross out 'meet the dalai lama' off my "things-to-do-before-i-die list" (even if all i could see was a tiny maroon dot)..

i shall go now and continue bask in the serene glow of the presence of his holiness..