During the most anticipated live event since the Beatles’ performance at Shea Stadium, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, stunned fans yesterday at the Ben Light Gymnasium into a respectful, contemplative silence.

Two months ago, the same fans camped out for weeks by their computers waiting for tickets to go on sale. After 90 seconds of feverish clicking, every last ticket had been purchased, and the lucky few began preparing themselves for the afternoon of their lives.

The Dalai Lama is the first A-list celebrity to perform live at Ithaca College. Lama groupies — or Loopies — like sophomore Jason Fancier, couldn’t have been more excited to see his favorite spiritual leader in person.

“I don’t know how to describe the feeling,” said Fancier. “It would be like if Britney Spears came here, but the old Britney Spears ­— and if she were the 14th reincarnation of Avalokiteśvara who had been raised to embody selflessness and compassion.”

Fancier, along with many other Loopies, attended the event in full Tenzin Gyatso apparel — red and yellow robes, large square glasses and rubber bald caps. They waited backstage before and after the event hoping to snag an autograph or a trifle of timeless wisdom.

“Apparently he doesn’t sign autographs,” said a dejected Fancier.

The focus of His Holiness’ visit to the college centered on the teachings found in the classic text “Eight Verses on Training the Mind.” In a methodical, patient manner, His Holiness drew upon several verses of traditional Tibetan Buddhist metaphysics and epistemology, causing several giddy teenage girls in the front row to shriek out of pure joy and faint.

“I didn’t think he was going to do verse eight” said Fancier. “But then I thought, ‘He always does verse eight,’ and then bam — the next thing I know he’s talking about the world as illusion and freeing myself from bondage throught the exploration of the self. And that is what keeps me coming back for more, you know?”

The loyal fans noticed that he brought back some of his oldest hits, including “Cultivating the Conventional Awakening versus the Ultimate Awakening,” and “The Necessity for Constant Inquiry into our Shared Reality through Science.”

His Holiness said farewell after two hours because of a strict tour schedule. Before leaving the stage, he performed his signature respectful bow, during which he received a standing ovation.

His Holiness’ visit leaves the Ithaca community with a lasting message of hope for a better tomorrow — a feeling that will endure at least until Stephen Colbert’s visit later this month.