His Holiness the Dalai Lama Brings Message of Compassion to Santa Clara University
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 24, 2014-- His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Santa Clara University today to deliver a message of compassion and empathy to an audience of more than 4,000 people.
The Tibetan spiritual leader spoke at Santa Clara University’s Leavey Event Center as part of a discussion entitled “Compassion, Business, and Ethics: A Dialogue with the Dalai Lama.” The event was co-sponsored by the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University and Stanford’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, has visited the United States regularly over the last 30 years, but this was his first stop at Santa Clara University. The sold-out event drew an audience that included students, alumni, business people, and clergy, who packed the Leavey Center to listen to the spiritual leader speak about compassion and the interconnectedness of all humanity—particularly as it applies to Silicon Valley.
Noting that all people wish to be happy and suffer less, His Holiness said that the key to happiness lies in how we treat others. “If you think of others, you will maximize your own happiness,” he said. “If you think selfishly, shortsightedly, you will suffer.”
A buzz of anticipation preceded the discussion, which opened when six Tibetan monks took to the stage to perform a distinctive chant. Following opening remarks from SCU President Michael Engh, S.J., and James Doty from Stanford, students from Palo Alto’s Living Wisdom School sang for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Afterward, the 78-year-old peace advocate came forward to shake their hands.
In a moment that elicited loud cheers from the crowd, Engh specially presented His Holiness the Dalai Lama with a Santa Clara University visor. The Tibetan spiritual leader is known for frequently wearing a visor under the bright lights of a stage.
Also part of the conversation was Lloyd Dean, CEO of San Francisco-based Dignity Health. Dean leads one of the country’s largest health care systems and is a reformer in the field. In his comments, Dean spoke about how compassion and creating personal connections between health professionals and patients is essential.
"Compassion isn't just a business strategy, it's at the core of what Dignity Health is," Dean said.
About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California’s Silicon Valley, offers its more than 8,800 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, theology, and engineering, plus master’s and law degrees and engineering Ph.D.s. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master’s universities, California’s oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.