the Dalai Lama...

Dan DeLong/P-I

I was one of the lucky people who filled Hec Ed pavilion this afternoon to hear the Dalai Lama speak to a capacity crowd. We stood in line for a long time, but it was well worth the wait. The Dalai Lama is in the fourth day of the five-day Seeds of Compassion conference, an event intended to nurture compassion in children and those who influence them. He was presented an honorary degree from the UW, then spoke for about an hour. UW administrators invited students to submit written questions to the Dalai Lama that focused on compassion and other topics that were not overtly political. A few of those were presented by students from across the state. He was gracious in answering the questions - even funny at times. He picked on one gentleman in the front row who was a bit lacking in the hair department. He said they looked alike. His laugh was infectious. What an experience to hear him speak.

No photos from inside, but here's one of the Chinese protesters outside the event:

Official photos from the UW here.