by Teresa Tobat, CT features reporter
By the time author Thomas Laird was 20 he had already traveled from Europe through Turkey, Persia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India to Nepal six times. Starting in 1979, he lived in Nepal for 35 years and worked as a photographer, Himalayan guide and journalist. Laird’s work has appeared in the New York Times, National Geographic and Time.
Laird has spent more than 60 hours interviewing the Dalai Lama and compiling the Tibetan history in his 2007 novel, “The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama“. He spoke Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Torgersen 3100 and discussed some of his experience abroad with the Collegiate Times Monday night.
Q: Do you miss Asia?
A: I miss it a lot. I’m not going back as much as I’d like to. I lived in Kathmandu, Nepal. I had Pneumonia four times because of the air pollution. I don’t miss that. I miss the mountains. I miss the remote, pristine area of the Himalayas.
Q: What was it like completing your most recent novel, “The Story of Tibet: Conversation with the Dalai Lama”?
A: “The Story of Tibet” was a real task, and a lot of work. I think people think of Buddhism as New Age and very sort of … stoned, or loose. But The Dalai Lama is very pragmatic. I loved spending a lot of time with him … I think it will be in print 200 years from now. It’s not because of me. It’s because of (the Dalai Lama). I recorded his ideas. I said to him “I don’t think a history of Tibet has to be so complex.” He looked at me in absolute seriousness and said, “Yes, I’ll do that with you.” I had agreed to do something that was valuable to him.
Q: It says on your Web site that you had to try and understand the Dalai Lama as a Western journalist. How did you bridge the gap as a Western journalist?
A: I have to be very careful in my conversation with him, especially when he would use the word “connection” in speeches. He would say I felt a strong connection with that person or with another Dalai Lama. After five to 10 hours of conversation with him, I realized that the word “connection” to him means more than the English word. When he says “I have a special connection” with the fifth Dalai Lama, he means a past life with him. You have to understand this to get the meaning … He doesn’t point it out. He’s very casual.
Q: What was spending time with the Dalai Lama like?
A: Spending time with him was just amazing. A lot of Westerners I’ve met who practice Buddhism seem flaky, and very serious and not humble. But the Dalai Lama isn’t like that. He’s is like the best person you’ll ever meet. He’s very funny and wise. You really feel like maybe a little bit of it might rub off on you. He gives you the feeling that you could be a better person. He gives you hope that human beings can be better. He gives you hope that you could do something important.
Q: Is the Dalai Lama the most impressive person you’ve ever met?
A: He is the most impressive person I’ve met. And I’ve met Princess Diana, Oliver Stone and JFK Jr. He’s not a rock star or a celebrity … when you lean in close to him you can see he’s wearing a T-shirt underneath his robes. It’s a frayed T-shirt that he’s washed himself a hundred times. He wears flip flops.
Q: What do we all have to learn from Tibetan culture?
A: Tibet is the canary in the coal mine … The Chinese communist party has killed 70 million people, including Tibetans. Every aspirin and every shoe is from China. Look what’s happening in Sudan and Burma … Chinese people are wonderful.
The Chinese people are the first victims. Americans should be asking themselves the question, “Do we want to support a dictatorship? Are we going to sell our souls for cheap shoes?”
