Dalai Lama’s Emotional Visit to Boston Suburb
By Jean Merlain 10-16-2012 
If you walked down Magoun Ave on a typical day, you wouldn’t notice anything more than a calm and quiet neighborhood with a Tibetan Buddhist Center. But today is no typical day. The Kurukulla Tibetan Buddhist center is preparing for the arrival of His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso.
Federal and local officials heavily guarded the area and barricaded the entire block. Thousands gathered into a massive white tent with excitement anticipating the arrival of His Holiness to the small community Buddhist Center. Ceremonial dancers filled a side street showcasing various dancing recitals setting the mood.
Finally, the moment the community had spent days of preparing came. Among swarms of security, the 77-year-old legendary holy man of Tibet arrived. Grace members of the Kurukulla Tibetan Buddhist center welcomed him expressing the endless joy of what could be His Holiness’ visit to the small neighborhood.
Eventually he was seated inside the massive white tent where thousands had been seated waiting for his arrival with hundreds more outside watching from a projected screen.
He delivered a speech focusing on interfaith and kindness in both English and Tibetan. “Six billion humans in the world today,” the Dalai Lama said. “Six billion people, six billion different views.”
Last year the Dalai Lama retiring from Tibetan political duties, giving all of that to the elected Prime Minister of the exiled state Lobsang Sangay. Talking high-spiritedly during his speech, the Dalai Lama touched on his relationship with the prime minister. “Politically, he’s my boss,” he said. “Spiritually, I’m his boss.”
The Dalai Lama was fulfilling a decade-old promise today. It was 10 years ago when The Dalai Lama visited his late friend and fellow exile Geshe Ngawang Tenley at the Medford community Tibetan Buddhist Center where he promised he would make a return.
Dalai Lama will continue his New England tour making stop in Providence, Rhode Island tomorrow where he will deliver the Brown University 86th Stephen A. Ogden, Jr Memorial Lecture on International Affairs.