Standing for compassion, nonviolence and a world without borders, the venerable Dalai Lama has been a spiritual leader to millions for the past 50 years. From Vancouver to Los Angeles, Pasadena to Denver, His Holiness has spoken with thousands of Buddhists and Tibetans in these venues, but with Buffalo as the next stop, one cannot help but wonder why. Why Buffalo? Why UB?
UB wasn't chosen because we were the biggest school, or because we offered the most money. The Dalai Lama chose the University at Buffalo because he sees a remarkably diversified community. Students need to understand that this unprecedented visit of His Holiness is not just an opportunity to learn something about the Dalai Lama, it's an opportunity to rediscover something about ourselves and the identity of the university we attend.
UB has one of the most diverse campuses and greatest concentrations of international students in the nation. We rank No. 11 in population diversity among American universities, enrolling 4,000 international students last year alone. We are also a forerunner for having one of the most widely used study abroad programs, sending students across the world to experience the rich cultures the globe has to offer.
Throughout his speech circuit of North America, His Holiness emphasized a world of globalization and no national boundaries. This concept is not exclusive to the big global picture. It can be applied to our campus community at UB. Everyday we are faced with different kinds of food, cultural events and diverse ways of thinking, and rather than sticking within a comfort zone or sticking with your high school crowd, many UB students leap over barriers and truly get involved.
Countless UB scholars can say that they came from a small area made up of people exactly like themselves, but when they first arrived at UB, they began to learn so many important lessons in and out of the classroom. Whether it's a next-door-neighbor in your dorm or someone you sit next to in Chemistry lab, each student is essentially a part of this source of understanding those who are different from you.
We should be honored and humbled by such an unparalleled visit, but in addition to that, we should be proud. His Holiness chose the University at Buffalo as one of his stops because he saw a highly internationalized campus and a decidedly diversified community. He sees a rising generation of capable individuals. After we get our degrees and head-off to begin our adult lives, we have the potential to spread his teachings throughout the country, as well as the world.
Although we have a long way to go for a world of nonviolence and complete understanding, we are an example of a community on the right track. His Holiness is here this week to express his message of compassion, understanding and barrier-breaking in hope that we will close that book, turn off that television and put down that cell phone so we can realize how much we are already part of his cause, and how much more we could become of it.
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
