Update: Dalai Lama's gift to Memphis

It seems we were wrong about our fellow Memphians. The house was packed to hear His Holiness speak.

Clipped from The Commercial Appeal:

People skipped work, traveled long distances and one couple even cut their honeymoon short to sit in the presence of the Dalai Lama.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Jackie McNamara of East Memphis.

Sitting in the nosebleed section of the packed 2,100-seat auditorium, the criminal investigator took a day off to hear the author and spiritual figure.

"If any city in the U.S. needs healing, it's Memphis," she said.

The Dalai Lama accepted the 2009 International Freedom Award from the National Civil Rights Museum on Wednesday, showing his appreciation by donating his $50,000 honorarium to the museum.

The Dalai Lama blesses the spot where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated.

A good day for Memphis.

Adios,

Istaboa