Throngs gather in the largest of public venues to hear him speak, just lately at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, where the Patriots play football:  His Holiness the Dalai Lama, exiled political and religious leader of Tibet. I will not be among them; I do not like crowds, even quiet, reverent ones, and I am happy to follow from afar. Besides, I have already had my audience with the Dalai Lama, back before I had any idea what a Dalai Lama was, and in fact, thought he might be one of the colorful, eccentric types that I crossed paths with in California in the early 1980’s. 

 The Dalai was speaking at UC/Santa Cruz Performing Arts Center, where I was house manager, coordinating the start and finish of programs between presenters and audience. I was twenty-one at the time, or twenty-two; he was in his early 40’s, younger than I am now.  Me, in my red or blue “working” dress, that I wore to perform my duties; he, in his trademark saffron robes with just the same hairstyle (shaved).  As I recall, we met outside during daylight, somewhere on the patio section of the Performing Arts Center, and there must have been someone there who told me who he was. Our interaction was brief, something like, “Your Holiness, this is Erin, who will be closing the doors and turning down lights when you are ready to begin.”  I don’t think we shook hands, but maybe a nod of the head, and a smile. My impression was favorable, someone who looked me in the eye, and was likely to be on-time, unlike a few artist-types who were more self-absorbed, shall we say, or even the one or two that had a drink or toke beforehand, and that I had to round up and lead backstage in order to start the show - yes, like a sheep dog. 

 I’ve followed the Dalai Lama since that time; for one, his name stuck in my head; and for another, he’s been more and more in the press.  Although I like what I know of his teachings, and am happy that so many people relate to his message of peace, I don’t recall much of what he said in Santa Cruz at the time; maybe I discounted it as a brand of Buddhism that I could not relate to, or had nothing to offer me. What I think I remember is that he was both sincere and not too serious, that he was, as they say, cheerful and comfortable, even in his “get up” as I regarded it at the time. Whatever his message was, or his agenda, I believed he was “for real”.  It takes someone young and powerless, as I was, to really know who’s on a power trip, and who is not. 

 My memory of those years is not reliable, not at all.  It was a stressful time in many ways, and I operated on “automatic” pilot much of the time.  I decided to Google the Dalai Lama’s travels in California during that period, so I could be more exact and confirm my observations. No such luck; H.H. is a champion globetrotter, and I see no complete record of his visits. So, I consulted my one of my “memory banks”, i.e., husband Donald, and while he cannot remember exact dates, he says I have been claiming to have met the Dalai Lama for a long time now.  I even put it on Facebook, certainly believing it to be true. If, somehow, I imagined this “date”, I like to think it is reflective of my spiritual desires, my longing for someone like him to exist in the world.  Still, I wish I had a gotten a picture…..