The Dalai Lama is teaching in Ireland for a few days. Here's a live link to his teaching in Limerick. Not sure if they will archive it, if any of you are interested. Gassho, Soen.
http://www2.ul.ie/web/WWW/events/Dalai_Lama
The Dalai Lama is teaching in Ireland for a few days. Here's a live link to his teaching in Limerick. Not sure if they will archive it, if any of you are interested. Gassho, Soen.
http://www2.ul.ie/web/WWW/events/Dalai_Lama
The Dalai Lama seems like a very nice man.Originally Posted by soendoshin
Gassho, Jundo
He does seem a nice man, indeed. For many non-Buddhists I think the Dalai Lama IS Buddhism. They may know nothing else about Biddhism than the image of the Dalai Lama. And that image is a smiling face delivering the message of compasssion. He projects and embodies well the Buddhas's teachings.
I'm a Soto Zen Buddhist, not a Tibetan one. But I have deep respect for the Dalai Lama.
Gassho,
Soen
Hi guys. I agree very much with what is being said. Before deciding to travel the path of Soto Zen, I did experience Tibetan Buddhism as well and found it not to be my "cup of tea". However, I remain to have a deep respect for the Dalai Lama and his message to the world.I'm a Soto Zen Buddhist, not a Tibetan one. But I have deep respect for the Dalai Lama.
Gassho,
John
Hello friends,
Last year, my wife and I made a trip to see HHDL, as the monk (and mutual friend/university teacher) that married us was ordained by him and asked us to come along. It was a very interesting, and both happy and sad visit.
There were many, many monks and priests from many, many sects that made the trip to hear him speak. Not just the tantric schools, but I also met a few Vietnamese monks/nuns, a Ch'an monk, a couple of Bhikkhus, and think I saw a Rinzai priest (they've got tassles on the O-kesa, right?) passing through. It's really heartening to see people come together from across the spectrum in mutual support.
However, it seemed to me that there were quite a few people setting up questions to provoke a certain, expected response, to say nothing of people there out of some sense of exoticism. It was, in a way, almost like visiting a zoo, and while the vast majority treated him with great respect, I still feel for someone who has become a walking "photo-op." I think that if people were interested in listening to what he has to say versus putting a feather in their collective cap ("Guess what! I saw the Dalai Lama today! He was cute!" [really, I overheard someone saying this on a telephone conversation]), it would be a better experience for all involved parties.
I really do think that people believe that His Holiness is something like the Buddhist Pope, and while I do occasionally have to explain that he's the head of one school (just like, as I understand, Ohmichi Kosen Zenji is the head priest of Soto-shu at the moment), I find it difficult to find a reason to strongly criticize this widely held view. As Soen says, "He projects and embodies well the Buddhas's teachings," at least as far as I can see. The man radiates joy and compassion.
All that to say, it's worth the effort to see him if one is able.
Metta,
Saijun
I know what you mean about the circus. I saw his Holiness a few years back at the Albert Hall, the place where we have the Proms concerts each year. He was very disarming. when he sat on the large thrown type chair they had set up for him he just wiggled his legs and giggled like a schoolboy in a grown up's chair. Once he started talking however he was quite captivating and talked the kind of common sense compassion that I feel can convince non Buddhists that we a few good points. He is a great ambassador for Buddhism and like other events mentioned the place full of robes of every hue and style.
After his talk they seemed to think it necessary to put on Tibetan dancers and musicians, well it is what the Albert Hall was built for, after all.
Actually, the Pope isn't a bad example for the layman since he too is head of but one "school" of Christianity, right?
Hello Dosho,
Good point. I suppose I'm as guilty of generalizations as the people I was referring toops: .
Thank you for pointing that out.
Metta,
Saijun
To add a little: the Dalai Lama is not only the head of the one of four schools in Tibet (Gelugpa) he was also the political leader of the whole of Tibet.
Hi,
To be clear on my point, I find the Dalai Lama a gifted teacher, someone who appears to truly walk the walk of Practice. I respect him for his message of non-violence. He seems like a very nice person who has embodied many of the Buddhist Teachings. I do not personally consider him to be a "Living Buddha", the embodiment of Avalokitesvara ... although I think we are all Buddha(s)/Avalokitesvara, and I also leave others to their beliefs.
Furthermore, the Dalai Lama has said of himself that he is an "ordinary monk", and I will take him at his word on that.
I once saw the Dalai Lama sneeze really loudly in front of hundreds of people at a conference I attended in which he was a speaker. The Dalai did not realize that he had his microphone on and turned beet red. It was wonderful to see the embarrassed, natural response. That was Kannon sneezing!
Gassho, Jundo
I laughed to myself after reading this..was half expecting him to say:
There once was a man from Tibet...
Gassho,
Shawn
The Dalai Lama remains an inspiration to me. Like many, he was one of the first Buddhist voices I encountered. I still marvel at his humility and his humor, his refusal to buy into the hype of his title while living up to it with his expression of kindness and his dedicated work on behalf of others in need of compassion. I have no trouble seeing him as the manifestation of Avalokitesvara, in the mythopoeic and non-literal way I have of understanding these things. I am proud to have him as one of the public faces of Buddhism. I think he does justice to the ideals and teachings of the Buddhist tradition in the way he lives and presents himself, though certainly he is a fallible human just like any of the rest of us.
Because you don't see him as the embodiment of Avalokitesvare he will not be that for you.
Personally i have HH the 16th Karmapa higher on my Tibetan lama "ranking list" unfortunatly he is dead.
Gassho, Edward
We are all manifestations of the universe. Carl Sagan called us star dust. Hindus believe that "self'" resides in the heart of each of us. Tibetans believe the Dalai Lama to be the embodiment of Avalokitesvara. Roman Catholics believe the Pope to be perfect when it comes to theological matters. Zen Buddhists believe they have a direct line back to Buddha. My mother thought I was wonderful. So, what I feel it comes down to is; when in greeting any other sentient being (or non-sentient for that matter), you can place your hands together in gassho without 'self' in mind and feel that warm fuzziness of belonging, you are paying proper respect to the sanctity of life and have it made in the equanimity realm.
Having said that, Shawn, can you give us the second line ??
Hello everyone,
just my two rambling novice cents.
I too find the Dalai Lama to be a great inspiration, however, just a little bit of research will show to anyone googling "dorje shugden", that some of his religious decisions have created enemies amongst his own people. As sad as it is, even someone like Tenzin Gyatso can't please everyone. The world view that is inherently transmitted through his Kalachakra initiations is also anything but uncontroversial. I for one think that it is precisely because of their being humans, that great teachers can do more than just inspire us, they can show us that the path of the Bodhisattva is a true path open to us all. That this path will have us encounter bumps along the road is also nothing but life as it is.
If the historical Buddha and the ancient Masters had all been superhuman deities, what hopes would we mere mortals have to ever truly follow in their footsteps?
As it is,
step by step,
sometimes bumpy, sometimes smooth.
Gassho,
Hans
I, too, respect HH the Dali Lama, but I also feel very deeply for him. He is a man torn between two distinct worlds - his political leadership (albeit in exile) and his spiritual devotion. Time has shown again and again that theocracies, even ones with the most benevolent of dogmas behind them, don't work out too well. Sometimes it ends in oppression, but other times it is because politics and religion don't play well together.
HH has to try and convince the world to become involved in expelling the Chinese government from Tibet, while at the same time trying to reconcile that we are all the same, not different from one another. He has to stay strong in his cultural heritage and his national pride, while trying to teach others that mountains and rivers don't care about the borderlines drawn on a map, and one must not become attached to things.
It must be difficult for him and it must draw him in many tough directions at the same time.
Thought I should add that as of March 19 he no longer has any political responsibility. He resigned from the political leadership.
Was it resign or retire? Slight degree of difference 8)
In the Dalai lama's case, I am sure the difference is purely semantic.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote