For the next five days, Seattle will light up its environmental and surrealistic lights as it enters 120 hours of Zen during the Seeds of Compassion Conference led by the Dalai Lama. In a city fraught by whispers of wrinkles on its neo-tech surface, the enlightenment of his holiness may bring us pause from the heaviness of posturing, politics, and sitting on our posteriors. Then again, it could just bring road rage as thousands of orange-robed would-be believers jam traffic on its way to Saturday’s Mariners game at Safeco Field.
The presence of the Dalai Lama — far from the Olympic torch-lit Tibet battle fields of Paris and San Francisco — may bring attention to Eastern religions in the West as next week’s papal visit to Yankee stadium brings attention to Western religions in the East. Of course all is not necessarily about colorful robes and brotherly love —especially if the brothers are under 21, as in the case of some religious leaders serving unexpected prison ministries. It is a time to raise expectations, a time to manifest our greatest hopes — not only will the Mariners win the World Series this year, but they will never move to Oklahoma City.
The torch has been passed to a new generation of expectations. Let us hope that we will all be able to touch a tiny part of the rainbow this weekend that will shine all the way from headquarters of Beijing’s occupying Army in Tibet to Clay Bennett’s office in Key Arena.
May the Force be with us.
Meanwhile, if you need a way to reach a higher state of Zen than the Dalai Lama and the Dave Matthews band can provide at Key Arena tonight, come instead across the street to the Mainstage Comedy and Music Club to visit with the New York Comedians of New York. Jeff Glasse and Jason Good will meditate in a constant state of high comedy as performed in the tombs of Manhattan. Tonight, walk, run, or levitate to an evening of comedy at either 8 pm or 10:30 pm. Rinse, repeat, and return Saturday evening for more of the same at 8 pm and 10:30 pm.
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