The Brown & White

The Dalai Lama, speaking to a sold-out crowd in Stabler Arena Sunday, encouraged compassion and kindness as a solution to the 21st century problems his generation will leave behind.

"Kindness and compassion brings in effect back confidence," the Dalai Lama said. "That reduces fear."

Sitting cross legged in the traditional Buddhist maroon and yellow robe, the Tibetan leader brought the crowd of 5,000 to laughter and applause throughout his lecture, "Generating a Good Heart." Whereas his other lectures throughout his six-day visit are teachings of a specific Buddhist text, the Sunday lecture was a more general and informal talk about his life and his ideas.

"First we need internal disconnect from dishonesty, anger, too much jealousy, too much self-centered economics of interest. Those bring violence or conflict," the Dalai Lama said.

Among the flurry of simple advice was to always greet people with a smile, which throughout his 73 years of life, he has found brings most people joy. The overall theme throughout the lecture was to develop compassion and a warm heart.

"We all have some potential to develop warm-heartedness, not necessarily a religious person, even someone who is very critical of religion. Those people need to use compassion," the Dalai Lama said.

The Dalai Lama was brought onto the stage by President Alice Gast and occasionally assisted by a translator sitting on his left. Following an hour-long lecture, Gast asked him questions collected previously by Lehigh University.

On a question about the high amount of unhappiness in the United States, the Dalai Lama first joked, "I'm the wrong person to ask. You should ask Americans."

He then followed up with his answer.

"Generally speaking, I think too much a too much competitive sort of society, something new, something more, something more, something more. That also may be one causing factor of anxiety or unhappiness," the Dalai Lama said.

Throughout the question and answer session he also defended Islam, saying that it was wrong and totally unfair to call Islam a violent religion. He then called on the young people in the audience to solve many of the environmental and economic problems through non-violent methods.

Gast presented the Dalai Lama with an honorary doctorate at the end of his lecture, for which the Dalai Lama said he was thankful for. Then joking, as he did throughout the lecture, he said he was thankful because it was a degree he did not have to study for.

Outside Stabler Arena, more than 300 Buddhist Shugden protestors shouted, "Stop lying Dalai Lama," before and after the lecture. They accused the Dalai Lama of causing segregation and division between the main Buddhist beliefs and the minority Shugden after the Dalai Lama banned the worship of their deity Dorje Shugden in 1996.

A much smaller group of about six protestors from another group were also there, holding posters saying that Tibet has always been a part of China.

The Dalai Lama will continue to speak at Lehigh University until Tuesday, after which he will speak at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia this Wednesday on Buddhism in the 21st century.