>> Stanford University.

[ Pause ]

[ Discussion ]

[ Pause ]

[ Laughter ]

>> Welcome to the Stanford Memorial Church

for our third annual Harry's Last Lecture

on a Meaningful Life.

I'm Scotty McLennan the Dean for Religious Life and I welcome you

on behalf of all members of the Office for Religious Life.

We're honored and thrilled that His Holiness,

the Dalai Lama is our third Rathbun visiting fellow

following Secretary George Shultz in 2009

and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in 2008.

His Holiness has actually spoken here

in the Memorial Church twice over the last 15 years,

and we're grateful to have him back here again today.

The Harry and Emilia Rathbun Fund for Exploring What Leads

to a Meaningful Life was made possible

by an endowment established in 2006 by the Foundation

for Global Community which is directed

by their son, Richard Rathbun.

Its purpose is to help Stanford students engage

in self-reflection and moral inquiry and exploration

of life's purpose especially in commitment to the common good.

Its centerpiece is a visiting fellow program

which brings notable, wise,

and experienced people to campus each year.

After receiving his undergraduate

and master's degrees in engineering,

Harry Rathbun worked in government

and private industry positions developing

and manufacturing telegraph and radio transmitters.

He became the Vice President

of the Colin B. Kennedy Radio Company before returning

to Stanford to earn his law degree.

As a beloved law professor here then, from 1929 until 1959,

he also became known university-wide

for setting aside his final course lecture in law to talk

about the kinds of values and commitments

that would lead students to a meaningful life as a whole.

Emilia and Harry were also generous

in opening their home weekly to students to discuss ethics,

psychology, and religion.

They cofounded the Sequoia Seminar here in the Bay Area

which was later known as Creative Initiative

and then Beyond War, and finally,

the Foundation for Global Community.

Many board members and participants in the foundation

and its predecessor organizations are here this

afternoon, and I especially want to greet you and thank you.

The Office for Religious Life is committed in its mission

to guide, nurture, and enhance spiritual, religious,

and ethical life university-wide

at Stanford including engaging ourselves

in the sacred duty to repair the world.

My Associate Dean colleagues, Rabbi Patricia Karlin-Neumann

and the Reverent Joanne Sanders direct programs with titles like

"What Matters to Me and Why", "Sports and Spirituality",

and the "Fellows for Religious Encounter"

which are all supported by Rathbun funding.

Three of us work with the talented

and committed staff we're very grateful in particular

to NaSun Cho, the Rathbun Program Manager who's been

responsible for planning and organizing this lecture today.

I also want to acknowledge development officer Maura

McGinnity who's worked with the Foundation from the start

to conceptualize this program

and stayed helpfully involved every step of the way.

So, it's now my pleasure to introduce Richard Rathbun,

President of the Foundation of Global Community--

for Global Community, who will make the formal introduction

of our visiting fellow, the Dalai Lama.

Richard is a social visionary who's put his commitments

into practice from his early days in the Peace Corps

to the groundbreaking work that he did

in leading the Beyond War Organization that's now become

the Foundation for Global Community.

And he's traveled extensively in more than 50 countries

and has one of the most genuinely global perspectives

I've ever known, so with the utmost respect and appreciation

that I now introduce Richard Rathbun.

[ Applause ]

>> Thank you, Dean McLennan.

It's a rare opportunity we have today to gather together

in this awesome place - the place that helps us to connect

with some of the most expansive and important ideas

that we may ever encounter.

It's more than symbolic

that this space occupies the very center of the university.

Our speaker this afternoon hardly needs an introduction,

so I will be very brief.

The typical introduction might begin this way.

His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama has traveled to more

than 62 countries spanning six continents.

He's met with countless political, religious,

and scientific world leaders.

In addition to the Nobel Peace Prize,

he has received numerous awards, honorary doctorates,

and prizes in recognition of his message of peace, nonviolence,

inter-religious understanding,

universal responsibility, and compassion.

He's authored more than 72 books.

Those are among his worldly accomplishments.

But it is his inner journey

that distinguishes him from all others.

There's probably no one in today's world more able to speak

about the meaning and purpose of life than His Holiness,

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama.

His life represents an extraordinary personal journey

of rigorous exploration coupled

with a highly disciplined expression

of the fundamental principles that can lead to pain

and suffering or, on the other hand, to meaning and happiness.

His Holiness takes his rightful place in an extended lineage

that is perhaps as old as our species.

The lineage engaged in the search for answers

to the most profound questions we can ask both of ourselves

and of our societies to which we belong.

So I encourage us all to listen carefully.

The message we are about to hear today may contain some

of the most important information we will ever hear,

that's one of those little warning lights.

Labels that you see on the gas pumps.

The message we are about to hear today may contain some

of the most important information we will ever hear.

So please join me in giving a warm Stanford welcome to a man

who describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk,

His Holiness, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama.

[ Applause ]

>> Usually I prefer to speak from there,

but today, a little time.

So I'll-- I want to seek your permission

to speak from here, okay.

[Laughter] And from here, no difficulties to see your face.

Sometimes to see little bit low, then I'd prefer to stand,

but here, not need to stand.

So, indeed I'm very happy, great honor to speak,

share some of my experience with you.

Basically, we are same although I come from Tibet.

In the past, outside world consider mysterious land.

>> And of course the Tibet, land of snow, a bit isolated.

And Tibetan themselves also easily prefer being

in isolation.

I think that I feel foolish.

[Laughter] So, in any way, I come from that area-- that land.

You are these very modernized nations.

Not only human level, fundamental level we are same.

I think I often received feeling

that modernity maybe means external sort of structure,

buildings and more emissions, more cars.

But we here, user of these modern things,

still we are I think same human being.

Last, at least several thousand years, we still the same.

Our emotions, same.

Our intelligence, the real sort of the--

the seat of intelligence, same.

So long the size of the brain remain same, these are same.

And then, so therefore, my only experience also maybe some--

offer some help to you and particularly experience

from one older people to younger people sometimes maybe useful.

So, now here the thing, meaningful life.

Actually, of course the explanation

of meaningful life may be the different explanation due

to different philosophical teaching.

For example, according to theistic religion,

theistic faith may have some different explanation.

And non-theistic and other non-theistic sort

of religion faith also may have some difference of explanation.

But I always see talking on the level

of human being not as religious faith.

So a meaningful life on that level

in the sense of meaningful life.

Firstly, you yourself achieve happy days and nights,

weeks and months, years.

Then second-- secondly, we are social element.

Individuals so sort of the happy life much depend on the rest

of the community because we are one of them.

If we really remain-- when I was young, I saw one--

thousand or something--

>> Thousand.

>> Thousand or something remain very smooth area

and occasionally shouting.

[Inaudible] like that, then okay,

only think oneself not necessarily to develop sense

of concern of other, it was you yourself is

completely independent.

Your survival depend on some fruits,

some wild fruits, that's all.

But we are not that way.

Our daily existence, our food, our shelter, our clothes,

all is they come from other fellow, other's effort.

Then one very important sort of element

for happy life is good friend

to whom you share your difficulties, your joyfulness.

Friendship on the basis of genuine affection.

Friendship, genuine friend will not bring by money alone

or by those that's we may call friend

who showing you some smile, some nice word, but actually

such friend are friend of money or friend of power,

not friend of being, the person.

So genuine friendship comes from heart,

genuine trust measure respect.

So genuine trust and respect come if you treat them honestly,

truthfully, sincerely.

And with that, no hypocrisy, no telling lie.

Transparent.

These are the basis of foundation of trust.

So this very much a little bit your most sense of concern

of other's well-being.

That automatically brings respect and trust.

Other hand, extreme self-centered attitude,

they often brings suspicion, distrust, hypocrisy.

So therefore, to both one's own happy life,

you need self confidence.

Compassion brings self confidence.

More self confidence, more inner strength, less fear.

Less fear, your mild will be more calm.

That also immense benefit to body health, physical health.

So sometime back, some sort of discussion about health

with scientist or concerned scientist is indeed healthy

mind, healthy body.

Without sort of big attention in order to have healthy mind,

just healthy body is difficult.

So we must bring equally attention about healthy mind.

So for individual's happiness, successful life, healthy mind,

healthy body, important.

And second level, as a social element is that we have

to create more compassion in the society,

compassion in the family.

There also key factor is wholeheartedness, honest.

So that be respective both a believer or nonbeliever.

So long we are human being, so long we are part

of the humanity, these are fundamental value

that I believe.

So, in order to carry meaningful life, money,

power, these are secondary.

You know what in order to be--

in order to carry meaningful life, money, better facility.

>> These are important but not ultimate source, factor.

Ultimate factor is mind, more compassionate mind.

So then that's usually I describe secularly of approach

to increase this inner value which itself secularities mainly

by logical factor of these things.

Then alas a thousand years, I think 4 to 5 thousand years,

the faith eventually developed on this planet.

So all these different faith, the essential message,

essential teaching is same - love, compassion,

with that forgiveness, tolerance, and self-discipline

and the practice of contentment.