THE HUSBAND of murdered woman Michaela Harte was among a number of victims of violence who attended an address by the Dalai Lama on the “Power of Forgiveness” held in Limerick yesterday.
John McAreavey and his father-in-law, Tyrone football manager Mickey Harte, joined more than 3,000 people at the University Arena to hear the Tibetan spiritual leader.
The sold-out event, streamed live on the internet, was organised by Richard Moore of the Children in Crossfire organisation, which works on behalf of children caught up in poverty and injustice.
The Derry man was blinded at age 10 when he was struck by a rubber bullet fired by a British soldier whom he later went on to meet and befriend. The soldier, Charles Innes, also attended yesterday’s ceremony.
During his address the Dalai Lama (75), who insisted on standing “so he could see more faces”, spoke about the power of compassion, love and forgiveness, and described religious harmony as his life-long commitment.
Mary and Anthony Geoghegan, the mother and brother of murdered Limerick rugby player Shane Geoghegan, were also present, as was Limerick woman Mary Fitzpatrick, whose son Michael was stabbed to death, age 19, in Southill in 1999.
Speaking afterwards, Mickey Harte said the subject matter was very relevant to his family, but that there were others also touched by tragedy. “I think it showed how the power of compassion can be of benefit to all of us,” Harte said.
Moore said he received a lot of correspondence in the run-up to the Dalai Lama’s visit from people who had lost loved ones through violence. “So if anything, it proved that the decision to bring his holiness to Limerick was certainly the right one, and I hope that you down there today get the same experience from listening to his holiness that I had,” he said.
During his 90-minute address the Dalai Lama said the ultimate source of happiness was inner peace. Describing religious harmony as one of his life-long commitments, he said all religions were dedicated to the same principles of love, contentment and compassion.
“I’m a Buddhist but I shouldn’t develop too much of an attachment to Buddhism because if you have too much attachment to your own faith then your mind becomes biased. You should be faithful to your own tradition but you must have an open mind to others,” he said.
“The ultimate source of a peaceful mind is not money, power or status,” he warned.
“One of my friends may be a millionaire but as a person he is a very unhappy person. Money fails to bring inner peace . . . Stress will not bring real inner joyfulness or peace. The heart really brings inner strength. Trust brings friendship. We are a social animal,” he continued.
He received several rounds of applause and a standing ovation from the audience after he urged them never to give up hope. He described mental experiences as “far superior” to physical ones and said society placed too much emphasis on sensory experiences.