Dalai Lama arrives on Oahu, brings laughter to welcoming ceremony
April 14th 2012
Honolulu, Hawaii, 14 April 2012 (by Ben Gutierrez, HawaiiNewsNow) - Tenzin Gyatso, better known as the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, arrived on Oahu Friday and quickly charmed a group of students who greeted him with music and hula. (video of arrival at http://youtu.be/gHND6kxtsxQ)
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| His Holiness the Dalai Lama shaking hands with Kamehameha Schools students during welcoming ceremonies on his arrival in Honolulu, Hawaii, on April 13th, 2012. Photo/JHook/Civic Beat |
The Dalai Lama was accompanied by eBay founder and
chairman Pierre Omidyar, who also accompanied him to the welcoming
ceremony. Omidyar's foundation also provided a lead grant to fund the
visit.
There was a nervous hush in the room as the Tibetan
spiritual leader first entered. But the Kamehameha Schools Glee Club
and Hula Ensemble quickly caught his attention; instead of walking to
the stage, he headed the students to shake hands, and to smell the lei
that glee club member Jonah Ho'okano was wearing.
Ho'okano was caught by surprise. "He grabbed my lei, he smelled it, and all I could utter was the word 'plumeria,' because that's the lei, and I didn't know what else to say," said Ho'okano.
The Dalai Lama also interrupted the beginning of the ceremony to put
on an orchid lei and a maile lei. "One!," he said as he placed the
orchid lei around his own neck, eliciting laughter from the room.
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| His Holiness the Dalai Lama poses
with Kamehameha Schools students during welcoming ceremonies on his
arrival in Honolulu, Hawaii, on April 13th, 2012. Photo/Eye in the Islands Photography |
He also told the students to smile.
"You show me smile," he said. "I think everybody seems to decide to show
me your teeth," he added, drawing another round of laughter. "Some
teeth seems not very good." Even louder laughter.
The Dalai Lama last visited Hawaii in 2007. "Although I have been in Hawaii on a few occasions, I think your customs seem so familiar," he said.
After speaking for a few minutes, the Dalai Lama took a group photo
with the glee club students, and then did a traditional Hawaiian ha, or
exchange of breath, with Kamehameha Schools Trustee Corbett Kalama.
"To share our custom of sharing our breath with one another, the Ha
-- to allow someone in your space is very significant," said Kalama.
The Dalai Lama then walked back to the students and quickly exchanged
another ha with one of them before leaving.
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| His Holiness the Dalai Lama does a traditional Hawaiian Ha with a student during welcoming ceremonies on his arrival in Honolulu, Hawaii, on April 13, 2012. Photo/JHook/Civic Beat |
While he brought laughter to the
brief meeting, the Dalai Lama is still a controversial figure in the
dispute over Tibetan independence or autonomy from China, and security
is very tight for his visit. The media was told not to even disclose the
location of Friday's welcoming ceremony.
The Dalai Lama is scheduled to make two public talks in Honolulu,
one for students on Saturday at 1:30 p.m., and another on Sunday for the
general public at 1:45 p.m. Both events are sponsored by the Hawaii
Community foundation and will be held at the Stan Sheriff Center. The
University of Hawaii has already issued an advisory that traffic and
parking will be tight, as the events will happen at the same time with
athletic and other activities this weekend.
The students were still in awe after the Dalai Lama left. "Probably
the most amazing thing that I've ever had happen to me in the shortest
amount of time that I've ever experienced," said Ho'okano. "I'm still
kind of -- 'he smelled my lei!'"
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