Heart Sutra lessons with the Dalai Lama

We had a once in a lifetime opportunity to attend some classes with his Holiness the Dalai Lama this week. Our family foundation donated money to allow some monks to attend this teaching. As a result, we became "sponsors" of the event and got some incredible opportunities over the last three days.
My mom, dad, sister, husband and I all flew up to Indiana on Tuesday morning. We left the kids at home with my most fabulous mother-in-law. We flew into Indianapolis around 5:30 and then drove to Bloomington and the home of Indiana University. We were driven in a van with a wonderful monk who had worked quite a bit with the Dalai Lama and who is also an accomplished photographer. We felt honored to ride with him.
Our rooms were in the Biddle hotel which is right in the middle of the student union. We dropped off our bags and walked through campus to 4th street where we ate a fabulous Thai dinner.
The next morning we woke super early and prepared to face the long lines (in the pouring rain)and security before entering the auditorium on campus for the first of our three two hour long sessions. We were requested to arrive two hours early for the first session and we did. We were issued our sponsor badges and then we were free to try and dry off and shop the fabulous vendors while we waited.
Michael and I bought a beautiful tanka with a yellow medicine Buddha on it. We also bought some story books for the kids, some "loving kindness is my religion" bumper stickers and some bracelets.
Laden with our purchases, programs, and notebooks we made our way down to our second row seats in the auditorium and listened to some beautiful cello music created specifically about the Heart Sutra. Monks were seated on the stage on red cushions and the backdrop on the stage was the most beautiful tanka I have ever seen. It was enormous. In the center of the stage was a big golden chair with flowers on either side of it.
Then his holiness arrived. It was so moving I don't think I can describe it. The monks were chanting and everyone was on their feet, bowing. We all had tears in our eyes when he appeared. And then he walked to the front of the stage and bowed to us and then waved and giggled. And we all giggled back and the tension was broken and we all were ready to sit down and learn.
He began each session with general discussion and then would settle in to an in depth analysis of the Heart Sutra. I took pages and pages of notes. I'll probably type them up at some point, but if you ever want to talk about it, I'd love to.
After the first two hour session we rushed to a sponsor luncheon back at the Union. We met some really nice people and had a great lunch. The treasurer of the cultural institute that was hosting the Dalai Lama came by and introduced himself and presented my parents with an enormous and extremely beautiful stature of Manjushri. Then the Dalai Lama himself came into the luncheon only steps away from us. He thanked us and spoke for a few moments and then exited. After he left we all rushed back to the next session of the lessons.
After the afternoon session, I went back to the hotel and worked out for an hour or so and then Michael and I met up with Mom and Dad and walked through campus on our way to find a glass of wine and some appetizers. The campus was beautiful. The buildings are a soft grey brick and everything is green. There are streams and waterfalls running through the campus and dogwood trees in bloom everywhere.
We found a great Mediterranean restaurant called Casablanca where we could sit outside and enjoy the perfect, cool, evening weather and a crisp, cold Moroccan bottle of white wine.
Tiffany met us after her own workout and we moved inside where we had a laughter filled dinner of paella and more wine. After a leisurely walk back through campus we all went straight to our rooms and collapsed.
We woke early again the next morning and ran through the food court before heading back to the auditorium for our final lecture. This lecture was once again amazing and we all really left with a much clearer idea of what the heart sutra was.
After our final session we were hurried to several different locations to have our "private" audience with the Dalai Lama. Security was tight and we were moved three different times. Finally we were settled in a room with all the sponsors and volunteers. His holiness came in and stood at the front. He thanked us all again and then proceeded to take questions. There were some amazing questions and some wonderful answers. I think I got the very most enlightenment out of this session than any of the others.
After he was whisked away from this appearance, the sponsors were taken outside and clumped into a bunch. We waited and waited. Then someone came and put a big chair in the center of us. I was one person away from the chair. Then they brought the Dalai Lama out to our bunch. He sat in the chair and held out his hands. I looked up at him. He looked me right back in the eyes. I made a gesture as if to ask if I might reach up and touch his hands (along with the ten people or so around him who were already doing it). He shrugged and nodded yes with a smile. I reached up and touched his hand and the photographer took our picture. And then he whisked away again.
After this we rushed to the hotel to pack and get out of our rooms in time for check out. When this was accomplished we ran through the rain to have a quick lunch and then got ready for the long trip home.
We caught a shuttle for the 1.5 hour trip back to the airport. Once there, we found our flight was seriously delayed and we would not make our connecting flight in Dallas. We called my sainted mother-in-law and warned her we might not make it home. When we arrived in Dallas it was 10PM, 30 minutes after our connecting flight was scheduled to leave. We ran from terminal to terminal and gate to gate, sweating and breathing hard and missing the next flight every time. At our third gate was the last flight out of Dallas for the evening. We got on! We made it into our house by 1AM and after sneaking into our kids room and kissing them all over, we fell asleep immediately.
The trip was packed and busy, but remained calm and positive throughout. I feel touched and inspired. I feel like I am on my path and it fills me with joy. So much joy it is overflowing.
Here are a few key things that I took home with me:
We are all one.
As long as you have goodness in your heart, and practice life with compassion and kindness and know that we are all connected, it doesn't matter which name you use while praying.
Be peaceful. Calm your mind.
There can be unity between different religions based on mutual respect.
There is possibility of change and illumination. The body grows, changes, dies. The mind, the self, can go beyond.
Read more books. Learn the reason behind traditions. Study. Knowledge helps you gain faith.
Grasping onto feelings, ideas, people is detrimental. Remove objects of grasping.
There are three types of Buddhism- scientific, philosophic and religious. You do not need to be all three.
Buddha was a teacher. You cannot be given Buddhahood. He cannot take away suffering. He can only show you the path.
The heart Sutra is about emptiness. We discussed in great depth what emptiness means. Emptiness is the absence of independence. We as form do not stand on our own. We do not define ourselves. You are me and I am you. We can experience bliss by removing the wearying job of maintaining perceptions of independence and objectification of self.
We are all connected with everything.