Dalai Lama share vision of peace

“We wanted to show him how we do it through our youth,” Sanchez said. “I think he really did get an up-close look at who we are and what we do.” She added that the Dalai Lama’s tiffany jewelry of compassion is a natural fit with traditional Lummi ways. “You have very little but you share what you have,” Sanchez said. “That’s how we were raised.” Other people from Whatcom County also went to Seattle for the event. “It’s been one of my lifelong dreams to get a blessing from the Dalai Lama,” said Bellingham resident Shelley Muzzy. “It use Valentines Day gift.”Before the Dalai Lama spoke to the stadium throngs earlier in the day, the Lummis joined a colorful procession of cultures marching into the stadium on the first warm and sunny day of the year to greet the spiritual leader. Among the marchers were Cambodian, Indian, Vietnamese, Iranian and Chinese contingents.James and Lutie Hillaire of Lummi were among the small delegation of dignitaries who joined the Dalai Lama on the rostrum, along with Gov. Chris Gregoire. James Hillaire, wearing a feathered headdress, also addressed the crowd, thanking the Duwamish tribe for allowing the gathering to take place on their ancestral lands. He suggested that world leaders and their families should get together for a week or two to get to know one another without discussing any weighty matters. Then, he said, when weighty matters must be discussed, they will be more likely to see one another as fellow human beings. “If each individual makes the effort, without losing hope, I think this century will be a better century, a happier century,” he said.After his address, he answered questions that organizers had selected from hundreds submitted in writing. One questioner wanted to know what compassionate people could do to get their leaders to move away from use of force. “The real answer for that question? I don’t know,” he replied. But he also said he saw small signs of hope, small signs of gradual change in the way world leaders address problems. Sometimes, in the home, in the family, women are the top troublemakers.” But at the global valentines day money clips, he said, men are causing most of the trouble. Later, as an obviously appreciative Gregoire clasped his hand, he mused that female leaders may help the world become more compassionate.