SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 8, 2000 -- How about this for a test of inner peace? A wailing newborn screaming in the middle of the night -- every night. That's right. Looks like the road to nirvana for the Buddhist-minded Richard Gere will, for a little while at least, be one characterized primarily by dirty diapers, the above-mentioned nightly cacophony and a decided lack of quiescence. Gere and actress Carey Lowell, the actor's on-again, off-again partner since 1995, welcomed the birth of their first child -- a baby boy -- Sunday night in New York. The kid, given name Homer James Jigme Gere, weighed in at a healthy 8 pounds, 12 ounces. No word from either of the proud parents on the exact etymological inspiration for the kid's three-part name. Gere is, of course, best known for the type of rough-trade hunkiness he embodies in such flicks as "American Gig