Dalai Lama on Mahatma Gandhi; Ahimsa

I just read a Newsweek article by Dalai Lama on the value of pilgrimages.

He mentions a visit to a spot where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated and that he felt sad that he did not get to meet Gandhi.

The new term I learned from the article is Ahimsa - doctrine of nonviolence. I googled it and according to wikipedia "it is an important part of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism, first appearing within the Hindu scriptures called the Upanishads, the oldest of which date to about 800 BCE." Once again it made me wonder why such a wonderful concept is taking such a long time to spread. On the other hand, maybe it is just another reminder, that change has to start with me.