His Holiness the Dalai Lama...

was as wonderful as I expected. Oh, and no, I didn't take the picture above--no cameras allowed today. He discussed "Songs of Spiritual Experience - Condensed Points of the Stages of the Path". I very much enjoyed his insights. Luciana got bored and was antsy, and Mark had a case of the nods. I tried very hard to ignore those distractions and get as much as I could from his talk. He has such a sweet spirit and a good sense of humor. He frequently breaks into laughter during his talks, and his wonderful personality (sense of humor and humility) shows through. His geniune spirituality and compassion are very obvious. I see such a contrast between him and the spiritual leaders of the christian community, who usually seem to come across as smarmy, disingenuous, judgmental, pious, or some combination thereof. When the talk ended, they played a tape/cd (?) of the Buddhist monks' chanting. I absolutely love that! I find it very centering. I wish we had been able to stay and listen to more, but we were running late and needed to get back for my dad's birthday dinner. I also enjoyed seeing the Tibetan women wearing their beautiful dresses--gorgeous colors and patterns.

We were given books that contained the texts of his talks (I only attended one of five or six possible talks). I read some of it today and really look forward to reading the rest. I was very touched and inspired by his favorite verse, written by Shantideva in the eighth century:

For as long as space endures

And for as long as living beings remain,

Until then may I too abide

To dispel the misery of the world.

Happy 59th birthday dad! He didn't want to go out or do anything extraordinary tonight, so we had dinner with them at my parents' house. Desert was a hot fudge cake with soy ice cream. We all really enjoyed that! Brandon joined us and met my parents for the first time.

Tomorrow morning, after I finish my class and grading, I am taking Luciana to a rock climbing event with the homeschooling group. She's excited about climbing. It's a HUGE wall! I am absolutely dreading it (the event, not the wall). The group is comprised of 90% or so rabid christian women.--the type who homeschool their children, so they are not exposed to people like me. They don't talk to me and look at me as if I am going to eat their children. If Luciana has as much fun as I think/hope she will, though, I guess it will be worth my pain and suffering. I MUST remember my camera! I also have to miss my normal Friday lunch at El Jardin with Denny and Orinda. I NEVER miss that lunch!