Dalai Lama Vists N Street Village

If you felt a bit more centered on Friday, and were wondering why, then I might have the explanation for you. Mary over at N Street Village let us know that the Dalai Lama paid them a visit this past Friday.

For just over an hour, the Dalai Lama charmed 150 residents and supporters of N Street Village. After meeting meditation program participants in our Wellness Center, the Dalai Lama spoke before an assembly in our Multipurpose Room, commenting on a host of topics related to homelessness and poverty. His Holiness said that he identified with our women, because he was homeless, too, having lost his freedom at the age of 16 and his country at 24. Stressing the universality of humankind, the Dalai Lama told the crowd that only compassion and infinite love can bring internal peace. He emphasized that material wealth does not bring happiness, which elicited a nodding of heads from the first two rows, where our women sat. The Dalai Lama, speaking directly to the women, called them “his gurus” in teaching others about the importance of what matters.

We are just so proud of N Street Village. They've done a great job, especially in recent years, and this honor only adds to their ever-growing list of accomplishments, including winning the 2006 Washington Post Award for Excellence in NonProft Management. Nice job, all!

Here's some links to the Post coverage, the Washingtonian article, and to a Flickr Photo Set of the event, with lots of great pictures!