Amid sylvan surroundings and the anachronistic charm of flags with 'peace' symbols redolent of the 1960s fluttering on its sidewalks, the town of Woodstock, ensconced in the Catskills area of New York, welcomed the Dalai Lama.
The Tibetan preceptor stopped there for a brief reception on September 21, the International Day of Peace, en route to a Buddhist monastery and the Menla Retreat and Conference Center in Phoenicia, New York, run by 'Tibet House'.
The reception at Woodstock was kept unpublicized to minimize the onslaught of crowds and traffic on the town, but the 'surprise' meeting, nevertheless, attracted over 2,000 people, mostly from, or around, Woodstock. The town has acquired prominence as the site of the country's oldest arts and

crafts colony - Byrdcliffe Art Colony founded in 1903 - and has had many art and music festivals organized under its name.
The venue of the reception was a large field in the town, where security arrangements seemed relatively unobtrusive. People sat on blankets and tarpaulins under a balmy sun, listening to the 'Living Buddha' expound the virtues of compassion and harmony. Interspersed with lively humor that was sometimes directed at himself, the 71 year Dalai Lama began his speech by pointing to a cemetery lying adjacent to the field and remarked, "There, that's the final destination" and that before "reaching there," we should live a "meaningful life," which he characterized as being "happy oneself" and bringing "happiness to more people."