this is the one of the first pictures
I’ve ever taken to the Dalai Lama this
was back in 1988 and this is before he
won the Nobel Peace Prize so nobody
really knew who the Dalai Lama was back
then and this is at his home and it was
his secretary that heard about the work
that I was doing going from all these
Tibetan settlements back before people
are really doing this I probably had
more coverage of Tibet Tibetans in exile
than anybody but his secretary said the
Dalai Lama wants to meet you and I was
like oh how great may well get a
blessing from him and I go there to his
home and we had this amazing day
together he gave me a Tibetan name he
gave me an ultimate in coin he really
spent time with me and was very
interested and concerned what was
happening with his people and especially
the young people you know they’re in
between a rock and a hard place there’s
Tibetans being born in exile like what
we’re you know they don’t want to do
agricultural work like their parents you
know what were they going to do and so
we had a lot of really great you know
questions and dialogue and I had just
adopted a little Tibetan girl not to
keep and take home but that I was
helping send a school there so I had six
weeks there so we actually got a lot of
time and so I actually befriended the
Dalai Lama which was great so whenever I
would go back he’s like oh come on we’re
gonna go consecrate a Buddha statue and
star not jump in you know and so I’d
ride in his car this entourage and you
know here he was meeting like every all
the refugees anyone that comes in from
Tibet he would meet with them and I
actually ended up years later doing a
book on him called a simple monk of
these years of you know taking photos
and so here I’ve sent this picture back
to my parents I’m so proud look who I’m
hang with you know the Dalai Lama and
they had no idea who he is my mom’s like
does he work in a dry cleaner I mean so
so but then she you know she’s like wait
you left
Simon 3 for 3 weeks and all I know
you’ve been gone for four years never
hang out some guy with mala beads and
shaved head and months Rove so she calls
my father Frank she’s joined a cult go
over there and get her so my father
shows up and Paul with my brother to
have an intervention I swear well anyway
I brought them to Tibet and I’m like
this is not a cult
you know so we actually had a great time
and my father became a huge advocate and
you know loved it thought is a kick this
is leaving his home and I kind of love
this moment of you know we’re just
talking and all of a sudden he just
stops and he just blesses his guard
that’s just beaming and you could just
feel that love that he not only emanates
and and and gives out but but receives
and I’m one of the times that I went to
go see him one of the more recent times
because now he’s ubiquitous and it’s
really hard to spend the time with him
that I’ve have spent with him in the
past it’s nothing like that and like we
used to have it’s not like we used to
have and I said to him you know I’m
really started to take your time I want
you to know that I really have the best
of intentions and he stopped and he
looked at me like really looked at me
like I’ve never had anybody like look
that deeply like in me and he said I
know and he’s a good intent most
important and all that you do always
remember and I just I really carry those
words because he said that’s what
matters is the intent and that has made
me such a softer person to myself
because we’re all human and we all make
mistakes and we don’t always do the
right thing but I do stop and think what
was my intent here and it gives me a
little pause and I think that as long as
you’re carrying the good intent and I
think about that when I’m making a
picture also and I think that that is
what I try to convey when I’m making a
picture of somebody that they can read
what is my intent
am i there to just exploit them am i
there to
celebrate them and I think that
everybody wants to feel special so if
you make that person feel special and
celebrate it then it’s not an exploitive
situation because a lot of people ask me
how I take pictures of people because
not everyone is comfortable doing that
I’ve ever taken to the Dalai Lama this
was back in 1988 and this is before he
won the Nobel Peace Prize so nobody
really knew who the Dalai Lama was back
then and this is at his home and it was
his secretary that heard about the work
that I was doing going from all these
Tibetan settlements back before people
are really doing this I probably had
more coverage of Tibet Tibetans in exile
than anybody but his secretary said the
Dalai Lama wants to meet you and I was
like oh how great may well get a
blessing from him and I go there to his
home and we had this amazing day
together he gave me a Tibetan name he
gave me an ultimate in coin he really
spent time with me and was very
interested and concerned what was
happening with his people and especially
the young people you know they’re in
between a rock and a hard place there’s
Tibetans being born in exile like what
we’re you know they don’t want to do
agricultural work like their parents you
know what were they going to do and so
we had a lot of really great you know
questions and dialogue and I had just
adopted a little Tibetan girl not to
keep and take home but that I was
helping send a school there so I had six
weeks there so we actually got a lot of
time and so I actually befriended the
Dalai Lama which was great so whenever I
would go back he’s like oh come on we’re
gonna go consecrate a Buddha statue and
star not jump in you know and so I’d
ride in his car this entourage and you
know here he was meeting like every all
the refugees anyone that comes in from
Tibet he would meet with them and I
actually ended up years later doing a
book on him called a simple monk of
these years of you know taking photos
and so here I’ve sent this picture back
to my parents I’m so proud look who I’m
hang with you know the Dalai Lama and
they had no idea who he is my mom’s like
does he work in a dry cleaner I mean so
so but then she you know she’s like wait
you left
Simon 3 for 3 weeks and all I know
you’ve been gone for four years never
hang out some guy with mala beads and
shaved head and months Rove so she calls
my father Frank she’s joined a cult go
over there and get her so my father
shows up and Paul with my brother to
have an intervention I swear well anyway
I brought them to Tibet and I’m like
this is not a cult
you know so we actually had a great time
and my father became a huge advocate and
you know loved it thought is a kick this
is leaving his home and I kind of love
this moment of you know we’re just
talking and all of a sudden he just
stops and he just blesses his guard
that’s just beaming and you could just
feel that love that he not only emanates
and and and gives out but but receives
and I’m one of the times that I went to
go see him one of the more recent times
because now he’s ubiquitous and it’s
really hard to spend the time with him
that I’ve have spent with him in the
past it’s nothing like that and like we
used to have it’s not like we used to
have and I said to him you know I’m
really started to take your time I want
you to know that I really have the best
of intentions and he stopped and he
looked at me like really looked at me
like I’ve never had anybody like look
that deeply like in me and he said I
know and he’s a good intent most
important and all that you do always
remember and I just I really carry those
words because he said that’s what
matters is the intent and that has made
me such a softer person to myself
because we’re all human and we all make
mistakes and we don’t always do the
right thing but I do stop and think what
was my intent here and it gives me a
little pause and I think that as long as
you’re carrying the good intent and I
think about that when I’m making a
picture also and I think that that is
what I try to convey when I’m making a
picture of somebody that they can read
what is my intent
am i there to just exploit them am i
there to
celebrate them and I think that
everybody wants to feel special so if
you make that person feel special and
celebrate it then it’s not an exploitive
situation because a lot of people ask me
how I take pictures of people because
not everyone is comfortable doing that
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