Dalai Lama welcomed to Memphis with offering of scarves, fist bump
By Michael Lollar (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Dalai Lama had to flee Tibet when it was occupied by the Communist Chinese, but he became an honorary citizen of Memphis and Shelby County on Tuesday in a ceremony in which he left behind a white scarf as a blessing of the Mississippi River.
Head of the government-in-exile of Tibet, the spiritual leader was under heavy State Department security when he arrived from the airport in a black Cadillac DeVille and walked across a squishy Tom Lee Park in his amber and burgundy robes.
Memphis Mayor Pro Tem Myron Lowery and Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton, political rivals, declared "peace and harmony days" Tuesday and today during the Dalai Lama's Memphis visit to accept an International Freedom Award from the National Civil Rights Museum.
Lowery greeted the Dalai Lama: "They say you have a sense of humor. I've always wanted to say, 'Hello, Dalai.'"
Lowery then offered a fist bump as a casual greeting to the man who calls himself a "simple Buddhist monk." The Dalai Lama hesitated briefly, then smiled as he returned the fist bump.
The mayors came prepared with long white scarves to present to the Dalai Lama as part of Tibetan tradition. The Dalai Lama had brought his own scarves, exchanging them with the mayors and placing his scarves around their necks. The mayors took turns reading the proclamation of "peace and harmony days" and presenting the monk with a single key to the city and county.
The Dalai Lama began to thank the mayors, "Firstly, thank you. I very much appreciate ..." but his address was mostly drowned out by a helicopter circling overhead and a motorboat patrolling the river's edge.
A team of agents from the diplomatic security division of the State Department coordinated security with the TACT Squad of the Memphis Police Department. Armed, they stood in stark contrast to the Dalai Lama, who spoke of his respect for the peaceful nonviolence of the civil rights leader he called "Luther King."
"I have never met him, but I am a fan of his compassion," he said.
The Dalai Lama briefly offered part of his philosophy, pointing to his heart as he said, "If you keep here fear, anger, jealously, everything appears suspicious."
The helicopter then circled again.
"Everybody is the same human being. ... We are all the same," the Dalai Lama said.
When he finished, the Dalai Lama turned to Lowery and gave him a fist bump, then, laughing, playfully slapped Lowery on the back.
Film commissioner Linn Sitler, who helped coordinate the ceremony because it involved a documentary film by the Missing Peace Project, said an etiquette book came in handy. It said the proper form is to introduce those of lower rank to the higher-ranking person: "Welcome to Memphis, your holiness. May I present the mayor of Memphis, Myron Lowery, and the mayor of Shelby County, A C Wharton. Mayors, may I present the Dalai Lama."
Everything went smoothly, she said, "except for the helicopter."
After the brief ceremony, the Dalai Lama blessed another scarf and tied it to a railing overlooking the river.
Prior to the ceremony, Lowery said, "Everybody should know who the Dalai Lama is. This is a big deal for Memphis to greet somebody of his stature and to make the correlation of significance of the Dalai Lama, who stands for peace a few blocks away from the man (Martin Luther King Jr.) who died for peace."
Wharton echoed the thought: "It's of particular significance to Memphis and Shelby County because one of the Dalai Lama's main tenets is peace and nonviolence. I can't think of a more perfect place to continue that legacy than in Memphis, Tennessee, where Dr. Martin Luther King died."
At today's International Freedom Award ceremony, the invocation will be given by Memphian Thomas Dyer, a former Baptist minister who converted to Buddhism and was recently named the first Buddhist chaplain in the U.S. Army.
Dyer, who had planned to wear his formal Army uniform to the ceremony, was told the U.S. government did not want the Army's role in the ceremony to look like a partisan political statement. Dyer was told to wear civilian clothes to the ceremony.
Appearances
The Dalai Lama makes two public appearances today in Memphis:
The Peabody
What: National Civil Rights Museum's International Freedom Award Ceremony and Luncheon (sponsored by The Hyde Family Foundation)
When: 11 a.m.
Where: Grand Ballroom, The Peabody
Tickets: Individual tickets cost $325. For details, call 526-1813 or go online to civilrightsmuseum.org.
Cannon Center
What: His Holiness the Dalai Lama talks about "Developing Peace and Harmony," a talk sponsored by the Missing Peace Project
When: 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Where: The Cannon Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets: $35-$85. Go to Ticketmaster.com or call (800) 745-3000, or tickets may be bought at the Cannon Center ticket office by calling 576-1269 or 576-1200.
— Michael Lollar: 529-2793