Today His Holiness the Dalai Lama visits Melbourne. This is the second time I have missed him much to my regret. The first time was when I knocked into his gaf in Lhasa (palatial to say the least!) for a cup of butter-tea. Of course, the empirical nature of the Chinese meant that he was not in at the time. This reminds me that I never posted any thoughts on Tibet. I will address this at some point - a classic case of so little to do, so much time to do it.
For those not aware, the words Dalai and Lama roughly translate as Ocean and Teacher. Thus, the spiritual leader of Tibet is seen to have knowledge as wide and deep as the ocean. The incumbent Tenzin Gyatso is revered not just by Tibetans but universally due to his serenity and charming nature. Upon his discovery as a reincarnation he spent a great deal of time studying and learning from teachers. His natural inquisitiveness helped broaden his knowledge greatly. Often Dalai Lamas can be puppets with their teachers pulling the strings, however, in the case of the incumbent he is very much his own man. He has proved to be a leader of great wisdom and a very likeable diplomat, much to the annoyance of the Chinese.
I was sitting on Ninety Mile Beach - I doubt very much it is ninety miles as the Australians have a penchant for hyper-bull-e, which I find supermagnificantabulously exasperating. Anyhow, as I sat on the beach I was reminded that the horizon is not actually a straight-line; at least not unless you are a member of the Flat Earth Society. I have biked through a reasonable chunk of the world’s scenery at this stage and it is amazing to note that not a single straight line exists in nature. Trees may grow tall but they do not grow straight. I find this incredible because man seems to be wired such that he has a preference for straight lines and smooth edges. Design is a huge industry in the developed world and infiltrates all aspects of our lives, be it interior design, industrial design or even just the aisles in a supermarket and the lines of a copy-book. When design is of an aesthetic as opposed to functional nature, there is a large focus on making things less cluttered and pleasing to the eye. The exacting lines and angles of geometry play a large role. Of course, we subconsciously use symmetry when it comes to choosing a mate ... well, most of us anyway! This obsession with straight-lines is funny considering we couldn’t draw one to save our lives. I’m guessing the lesson in this is that we need to take our cue from nature and be aware that perfection is not that important and maybe even unobtainable. Leonard Cohen says it best in his song ‘Anthem’. The lyric “there is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in” reminds us that we become enlightened through our own imperfections.
While I’m no ocean of wisdom, the arrival of the Dalai Lama in Australia prompted this deep post. This is rich coming from someone who has spent over three weeks in Australia and has yet to plunge more than his feet into the depths of the Southern Ocean.
Best regards
Dalai Marka
Ps – if anyone knows of a straight line in nature please enlighten me via a comment. The freezing-over of a pond is the best I can come up with.