Hollywood actor Richard Gere recently shared a powerful moment with the Dalai Lama, reflecting his deep commitment to the Tibetan cause. He said “...Once I went to the Dalai Lama when I was feeling very tired. I asked His Holiness, Can I stop now? He said yes, you can stop when I stop, which is never. This is not a commitment for one lifetime. This is many lifetimes of commitment, not just for Tibet but for the people of Tibet who have been highly abused for many decades by the Chinese Communist party..."
00:00One time I went to His Holiness and I was feeling very tired and I've been doing a lot of interviews and I've been doing things and I said, Your Holiness, can I stop now? And His Holiness looked at me and he said, yes, you can stop when I stop.
00:14Everyone was so clear to him around the world, all the Tibetan communities, even from inside Tibet, that he said, look, okay, if you want it, we'll still do this. And of course, everyone was very happy with that.
00:28The Dalai Lama has left the earth for us. Would you keep supporting the cause?
00:33Oh, sure. Of course.
00:35How do you do that?
00:36No, we continue.
00:37It was almost 15 years ago that perhaps if the people didn't want it, there was no reason to have this institution of Dalai Lama.
00:47But everyone was so clear to him around the world, all the Tibetan communities, even from inside Tibet, that he said, look, okay,
00:57if you want it, we'll still do this. And of course, everyone was very happy with that.
01:02And how do you explain, I mean, how do you want to continue supporting the cause, you know, because you are the second most visible face of this movement after His Holiness.
01:11You know, I'll tell you a story. He said, one time I went to His Holiness and I was feeling very tired and I've been doing a lot of interviews and I've been doing things.
01:19And I said, Your Holiness, can I stop now? And His Holiness looked at me and he said, yes, you can stop when I stop, which is never.
01:28So, I mean, this is not a one lifetime commitment. This is many lifetimes of commitment, not just for Tibet and for something wonderful to happen for the Tibetan people who have been highly abused, you know, for many, many decades under the Chinese Communist Party.
01:50But this is something that is for everyone. This sense of peace and liberation, sense that we're all in this together, that if we have problems, we can talk through them.
02:03We don't have to hurt each other, we don't have to fight. There's always a way to work through things and everyone wins.
02:11The universe is not zero sum. It's very expansive and there's space for all of us.
02:16Mr. Geir, sorry, one last question. Even after the Dalai Lama has left the earth or us, would you keep supporting the cause?
02:27Oh, sure, of course. How do you do that?
02:29No, we continue. You know, we were blessed to have His Holiness as a leader, but His Holiness has been very clear. At some point, the body is going to fall apart.
