only inches above the ground, they waited until the Dalai Lama climbed off the chair onto the thick woven carpet that lay upon the ground. Breathing a sigh of relief as the weight was removed from the chair, the monks waited until the Dalai Lama started up the stairs, then they set the throne chair upon the ground and rose to their feet.
With a soul seeped in tradition and divinely inspired, the Dalai Lama ascended the stairway.
Reaching the top, he slowly turned and stared out at the crowd. The mass of humanity stretched across the meadow and onto the surrounding hillsides. He bowed his head, then closed his eyes for a moment. Then he spoke.
“I have missed you,” he said simply.
The crowd, so subdued only seconds before, once again erupted into cheers.
Twenty minutes would pass before it quieted down enough for the Dalai Lama to speak again.
