I went to see a film - The Dalai Lama Awakening - at The Wellbeing Centre yesterday evening. I have to admit I was partially drawn to it because there would be interviews with the Dalai Lama himself and I am a massive admirer.
However, it was much more than that. It was a documentary about a journey of transformation of 40 of the "big thinkers" of the world as they met with the Dalai Lama to try and solve some of the world's problems.
They came together, as you may expect, with a process, which they hoped would help them produce a plan. There were many different types of people, each with their own ideas and inevitably the process broke down. But what came out of the trip for each of them was a personal transformation - an opening of their hearts and a calming of the ego.
The message that came out of the film was "change the world by changing yourself".
This resonates with me because this is what I've been working on with myself on my journey. "Be the change you want to see in the world" is how I remember it (originally said by Ghandi), but it all starts with ourselves.
In my sessions with clients, I talk to people about how we can't change those around us, only ourselves. However, this will still make a difference as when we change, those around us change towards us.
The other key thing I learnt is the value and implication of compassion. Now, I realise the value of it already, but not always the implication of practising it. The film briefly touched on the Tibet issue and someone suggested imposing sanctions on China. However after consideration, the Dalai Lama voiced concerns over how that would affect the people of China, most of whom are not guilty of oppressing anyone, and hence how compassionate it would be.
I will try to be more aware of the greater effect of my decisions.
I have to say it was an inspiring evening and a real pleasure to meet the director who's touring with the film at the moment.
If you get the chance to see it, I'd recommend going.
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