The Dalia Lama’s Perspective

This is an excerpt from my forthcoming book, “One Quantum Leap” highlighting the futility of worrying about what others might think of you if you show up and reach for your highest potential!
When you are a soulful entrepreneur you are putting yourself up on your own pedestal. Oh, I know that statement might make your hackles go up, but hang in there. It’s not a pedestal of public or self adoration. You are stepping out into an arena of other transformational service providers and saying to the world, “I have something special that will change your life!” If you do not somehow rise up, show up and stand out, how is anyone to know you are there to help them?
It takes a lot of courage to step away from the crowd and share a unique voice that may be ‘untested’ in your circle of expertise. What if you say the wrong thing and get embarrassed? Or horrors, you embarrass someone you care about by stepping out of the ‘status quo’!
How many people do you honestly know that do not care one iota what anyone else thinks of them?
I throw down a challenge to anyone that says they do not care what others think of them. Except for the Dalai Lama. I believe him.
I saw an extraordinary interview on March 5th, 2017 with the Dalai Lama conducted by John Oliver of the HBO comedy news show, “Last Week Tonight.”
China has openly slandered the Dalai Lama and even gone so far as banned any US citizen from entering China if they have previously met with the Dalai Lama. Lady Gaga’s concert was cancelled because she met with the Dalai Lama publicly to discuss yoga!
The country of Tibet is nearly a quarter of the size of China and has been brutally attacked by China since the 1950’s. Hundreds of thousand of people have been killed, along with the destruction hundreds of Buddhist monasteries. The Dalai Lama is the prime spiritual leader of Tibet and has been in exile since 1959, tirelessly working to share his message of peace all while his country and his people are experiencing horrific atrocities. This man has an entire government that hates him.
During his interview, John Oliver read a statement by a Chinese official that called the Dalai Lama “A wolf in monk’s robes.” The Dalai Lama laughed and said, “Yes, they see me as a demon.” He said he feels no negative feelings about what they call him. He just has feelings of love about that. He went on to say, “I practice taking others anger, suspicion, distrust and give them patience, tolerance and compassion.”
Here is a man who is seen and portrayed as a demon to billions of people in China and yet, to billions and billions more people he is a walking representation of patience, tolerance and compassion.
I offer this extreme example to illustrate that no matter who you really are, and how magnificent your intention are — others can only see you according to their own perceptions based on their own conditioned way of thinking.
So you may as well show up and be your awesome self!
There is no truth. There is only perception.
~Gustave Flaubert
