The More We Run From A Problem,

That's The Great Advantage Of Being A Foreigner: You're Not Paying Your Dues, But You Are Getting All The Benefits.

I Loved The Quiet Places In Kyoto, The Places That Held The World Within A Windless Moment. Inside The Temples, Nature Held Her Breath. All Longing Was Put To Sleep In The Stillness, And All Was Distilled Into A Clean Simplicity. The Smell Of Woodsmoke, The Drift Of Incense; A Procession Of Monks In Black-and-gold Robes, One Of Them Giggling In A Voice Yet Unbroken; A Touch Of Autumn In The Air, A Sense Of Gathering Rain.

Literally, When You Wake Up At 9 O'clock In The Morning In Havana You Don't Know Where You'll Be At Noon. But It's A Safe Guess That You'll Either Be Married, Arrested, Or In The Midst Of Some Incredible Transaction Where Somebody Is Stealing Your Passport Or Paying You In Dominican Pesos For It, Or Whatever. It's A Wild Place.

The Ultimate Purpose Of Zen,' I Remembered The Roshi Telling Me, 'is Not In The Going Away From The World But In The Coming Back. Zen Is Not Just A Matter Of Gaining Enlightenment; It's A Matter Of Acting In A World Of Love And Compassion.

Dalai Lama Is Transforming Those Criteria - And The Whole Way Of Conducting Politics. He's Conducting Politics In A Much Deeper Way Than Most Politicians Are Able To. He's The Only Politician I Know Of Who's A Monk. The Pope, Of Course, Is In A Similar Position, But The Pope Isn't In The Same Way Leading A Country Of Many Million People.