Recently, the Dalai Lama visited the United States, and along the way he regaled, edified, and touched the lives of countless individuals who were blessed enough to be in his presence. One individual who was particularly enlightened by The Fourteenth Dalai Lama was writer/activist/proud mother Kiri Westby.
Westby, who attended the devout holy man's congregation at the University of Colorado's Coors Event Center, was specifically intrigued by the fact that his Holiness touched on the subject of motherhood during the assembly. Specifically, she was amazed to hear his unique advice for mothers around the world. In summation: "mother's milk".
Okay, there's more to it than that. In fact, when discussing mother's milk, he was speaking in a literal and metaphorical sense.
According to Westby, when asked about the subject of motherhood and raising children, The Dalai Lama responded by saying, "Maybe, I’m the wrong person to ask? First, I would need to marry and then have children to really know how to answer...and I think I am too old for that now!” The unexpected humorous response set off a chain of laughter in the event center, but to the surprise of everyone in attendance, he continued to give his advice on the matter.
He made references to scientific studies that demonstrate the adaptive qualities of a mother's milk. Specifically, how the nutritional and immunoglobulin content are naturally able to adapt and cater to exactly what developing babies needs to thrive on daily basis. “We need to do this same thing with society and with the whole world,” he added.
Learn more about the wise words this devout world leader has for mothers across the globe! Click next for more!
In a piece composed for The Huffington Post, Kiri Westby wrote of the holy man's words regarding the subject of parenting:
"He went on to say, as he has many times before, that his first teacher of compassion was his mother. But then he delved deeper, into a reverie of his early childhood, his face taking on a youthful glow as he mimicked riding on his mother’s shoulders while she worked in the fields, steering her by the ears, kicking to move faster. How her patience and care taught him love. He spoke of the 'maximum mother’s milk' he received from his teachers and trusted advisors in the monasteries where he was raised and was clear, as he shifted focus back to the present moment, that we need to extend that level of 'maximum nutrition' to the entire world."
"Then he said something that was quite wise indeed. Pointing to several moms in the audience sitting with their children, he offered, 'But if you want to know about a mother’s compassion, just ask her...or her...or her.' And with those humble words, he pinpointed what’s always been true along my motherhood journey: Moms, we have each other. We learn from and guide one another and, collectively, we know the exact nutrition and immunoglobulins needed to sow peace in our next generation."
To clarify, what this devout world leader believes is that mothers must depend on one another and look to one another to grow as individuals. They must learn from one another to cultivate a generation of youth that has been imparted with compassion and wisdom. “If we can do this” the Dalai Lama predicted, “The 22nd century will be more peaceful than the 21st.”
[H/T] The Huffington Post
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