Author brings message of peace to Naperville schools

Although Robert Thurman may not be as well known to area high school students as his daughter, Uma, his message of peace is one they aren't likely to forget.

"If we want peace in the world, the first place we have to find peace is within ourselves," Thurman told students Wednesday, explaining the mantra of the Dalai Lama.

Thurman, professor of Indo-Tibetan studies at Columbia University, spoke to students as part of Naperville's monthlong Celebration of Peace.

Teens from Naperville Central, Naperville North, Waubonsie Valley and Neuqua Valley high schools attended the session, encouraged by their teachers to spread the lessons to their peers.

"Every day you have the opportunity to practice nonviolence, to understand what it means to have that philosophy and that is not inaction. It is action," Central humanities department coordinator Michael Bochenski told them before the talk. "It's hard but you can do it and you can change society one at a time."

A former Buddhist monk and friend of the Dalai Lama, Thurman has written numerous books, including the recent release, "Why the Dalai Lama Matters."

He told students Wednesday he always has wanted to understand the world and after a serious accident at the age of 20, he realized life is too short to wait in pursuing answers.

"From the Buddha's point of view, knowledge is bliss," Thurman said. "If you know the nature of reality you can be happy."

Part of that knowledge, he said, is tied to inner peace and controlling one's anger.

"If you learn to control the heat energy, control your strength, your opposition to injustice, your insistence on the good, if you learn to do that while you remain calm and in control of your words, in control of your body and in control of your soul. If you develop that ability you then are a strong person. That is real strength," Thurman said.

He also spoke out against war - both in Iraq and in general - saying it is counterproductive, unwinnable and seldom justified in addition to being outdated.

"That was the days of imperialism, of genocide when people would go and conquer a whole other country ... but we're not moving to Iraq, any of us," Thurman said. "We're not going to. It would have been a lot cheaper just to pay the price and buy the barrel of oil."

In the Iraq war, he said, the major victims have been civilians and these deaths will only breed revenge. He added that the money spent on war could be going to education, environmental causes and fighting poverty and disease.

Asked by a student what kind of politicians America needs Thurman simply replied the country should "elect someone who seems sane," which elicited laughs from the crowd.

Students also wanted to know what the Dalai Lama is really like.

"He's a cool guy. He's very funny," Thurman said. "He has a good sense of humor, quite mischievous, actually. He likes to play jokes. He's also a very good scholar, a very good debater and philosopher."

Central sophomore Allie Madonia said she enjoyed Thurman's talk and believes his message applies to high school students.

"In a few years we're going to be the people controlling things and changing the way the world works," Madonia said. "So it's important for us to have strong views on how things should be done and ways to change and impact our world."

Naperville's Celebration of Peace is a partnership of the ThinkGlobal Arts Foundation and groups including the city, Naperville Unit District 203, Indian Prairie Unit District 204 and North Central College.