A spiritual breeze is blowing over Washington, DC these days. Hopefully it will bring some positive thinking and compassion at a time when the White House and the two Houses of Congress are deadlocked on the critical issue of debt ceiling – precisely because of the upcoming 2012 presidential election.

Washingtonians, and Americans in general, are getting tired of this deficit of political leadership and the vested interests clouding crucial debates like the orientation of the US economy, unemployment, health care, etc. This may (to some extent) or may not explain why thousands and thousands are rushing to the Kalachakra celebration - a profoundly meaningful Buddhist ritual for world peace and warmheartedness performed by the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan spiritual leader is currently on a two-week tour of Washington, DC, to give a series of talks and to celebrate his 76th birthday with fellow political refugees.

Last week, I had the privilege to be part of the crowd listening to him. I was already pretty much intrigued by his writings and values of non-violence, especially these lines: “I have come to the conclusion that whether or not a person is a religious believer or not does not matter much. Far more important is that they are good human beings (...) this is why I sometimes say that religion – not spiritual values – is something we can perhaps do without in our quest of a better world.” After my encounter with him, I was quite impressed by his excessive simplicity and his natural sense of compassion, and still very intrigued.

Surrounded by an army of bodyguards and Tibetan monks, the Dalai Lama, in his usual saffron and maroon robe, walked in with a mischievous smile, made some funny faces to the photographers, then stopped and stared at one of them (for 30 seconds the bodyguards and monks did not know what to do). All a sudden, the Dalai Lama burst into a loud laughter. Everyone looked at the photographer who happened to be bald and who had no clue why he suddenly became the center of attention. “He’s my brother, here’s my brother”, shouted an enthralled Dalai Lama, placing his left hand on his head and using his other hand to point towards his newly found American brother. This unexpected occurrence changed the atmosphere of the room which was packed with followers and non-followers of Buddhism, journalists, tourists, celebrities and obscure folks, as well as many US lawmakers who blatantly defied China’s warnings not to meet with the Dalai Lama.

Then the spiritual leader took off his shoes and sat in lotus position, punctuated his English words with chuckles, whether he is saying something amusing or especially insightful. The way he carries himself may appear somehow awkward for someone of his age, of his rank, of his “Great Holiness”. But this “simple Buddhist monk”, as he calls himself, has a rock star status around the world and he seems to like that attention.

Great admirer of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr, he told us very obvious things, but in his own special way: a unique universal language. One gathers the impression that one is having an intimate conversation with the spiritual man, almost soul to soul.

What can we take away from this conversation? Well, some known values like for instance that no matter where we come from, we are all basically the same human beings. We all seek happiness and try to avoid suffering. We have the same basic needs and concerns. “All of us human beings want freedom and the right to determine our own destiny as individuals and as peoples. That is human nature. The great changes that are taking place everywhere in the world are a clear indication of this. This is the impermanence of things.”

The Dalai Lama used to be just a talker, like so many other gurus that fill huge stadiums, often saying one thing and doing a different thing. He used to preach that religion should be separated from politics, but he was himself wearing both hats as the 14th reincarnation of the Buddha Avalokiteshvara. In March of this year, he decided to relinquish his political powers to secular Tibetans. He even called his mixing of the church and the state an act of “hypocrisy.” The Dalai Lama chose to step back politically. He also found his spiritual successor, the 26-year old Karmapa Lama, who was shadowing him in DC. But, it is clear that Dalai Lama is not stepping down from his dream to return to Tibet one day...One therefore can wonder: is the Dalai Lama simply playing political tricks (like the Chinese say) or is he using his cosmic insights to predict this “impermanence of things”?