It matters not from what walk of life ye venture, it is fair and common knowledge that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is one of the wisest, purest, and most compassionate human beings on the face of the planet, or at least highly ranked on the all-time lists. As well should you also be aware of the fantastic hardship the man has faced, which makes his blissful resolve that much more remarkable. Few of us have been discovered and raised as the cultural and political leader of a nation and the spiritual beacon of a selfless, peaceful-almost-to-a-flaw faith since shortly after birth. Then, as a young man, I’m sure few of us have been forced into exile from our birth country by an invading communist dictatorship for all eternity, while a random selection of our pacifist followers were being tortured and molested. What’s more, I bet DL is about the only person alive who wouldn’t cave in to an unrelenting, falsely righteous burning desire for bleak revenge that consumes every waking moment. Yet, there it is.
He is not a holier-than-thou warmonger leading the world eye-for-an-eye till everyone is blind. He is the world leader for peace, and he establishes so once again by lending his name to another fine, altruistic charity event. Change isn’t in the hands of any one person; it’s a process that, like planted seeds, may not always grow to fruition, but survives by planting as many seeds as possible and nurturing them as best as humanly possible. The more good you put out, the more will come back to you and yours. Appearing on the same stage as world-class composer Philip Glass, sitarist Anoushka Shankar (daughter of Ravi), and a special Tom Waits performance augmented by the Kronos Quartet is an arguably small gesture for the Lama (though it was staged inconveniently well after his bedtime), but its collection and release on Anti-/Epitaph may see its importance reverberated throughout history, remaining as it is, just one moment in a life of empathetic activism.
Furthermore, as we sit just one year from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the timing for this 100%-charitable Concert For Peace & Reconciliation is at its most poignant. I certainly have noticed more protests walking past my slave-driving Hong Kong-owned workplace in downtown Vansterdam lately. This isn’t one of those calls to action, though. Every cent of profit from this record is going to the effort of providing healthcare for Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns living in refugee camps in India, merely seeking to solve problems and not open old wounds. The Dalai Lama himself told people in 2005 to consider Tibet part of China anyway (not that he’s been back to visit, mind you). But even for those who sit totally ignorant to the post-’50s situation in Tibet, this concert holds a feast of good-hearted multicultural collaborations.
Where else could you hear a Grammy-nominated former Tibetan monk jam with a gold record-selling Native American flutist? How about Academy Award-nominated composer Philip Glass jiving with a West African kora player? Seriously, if four cuts of the legendary Tom Waits being backed by the infamous Kronos Quarter doesn’t make you buy two copies, you don’t care about music or human beings in general, and should quit breathing up all that air that could be put to better use by someone with a living soul. What can I say; I never could cut it as a Buddhist. I can tell you the closing Waits/Kronos cuts are absolute magic, though. I’d put money down right now if I could order an uncut copy of their entire 50-minute set. There’s money to be had there, boy, and DL himself said it’s noble to use technology to improve the basic human condition. In the words of Patrick Stewart, “Make it so.” Could be a number one. As is, Healing The Divide merely settles on greatness.
More about: Various Artists: Healing The Divide
