One of the most learned and highly trained American-born lamas in the Tibetan Dzogchen tradition. He is a meditation teacher and author.
The Dalai Lama of Tibet is in the USA these days, speaking at universities and teaching publicly at venues including Radio City Music Hall in New York City. “Human intelligence is something of great potential,” he told a rapt audience of several thousand at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. “Education opens that potential, so it’s extremely important. Now I really like today’s three words: listen, learn, love.”
His hearty message is always one of peace and harmony, tolerance and reconciliation coupled with a constant call for and commitment for human rights and universal responsibility for our human family as well as the environment and all species. The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (1989) often counsels us that, “This century must be an era of dialogue rather than of bloodshed. War is an outmoded form of conflict resolution.”
Although he is learned philosopher and a doctor of divinity, as well as a disciplined lifelong monk and meditation master, His Holiness is sharing personally his own feelings and pleasures. During a short question and answer session after one of his talks at University of Wisconsin in Madison, when asked what the source of his strength was in the face of trouble; his honest and straight-forward answer of “Good food, good sleep,” was met with many laughs and applause. This simple sense of humor was present throughout his entire speech, with several light- hearted remarks and playful gestures punctuating the two-hour-long session.
In NYC when asked what makes him happiest, the Dalai Lama replied: “Oh I don’t know (laughs), yes, I know, talking to you people, talking and talking bla bla bla bla bla!” People there just fell out laughing with him.
I think the moral of this story is that finding inner peace and the wealth of contentment makes one wise and happy, far beyond external conditions and circumstances. This is the joy of authentic inner spiritual being.
His Holiness was in my backyard (Amsterdam/Netherlands) beginning of June 2009. He gave 3sessions a day, in a congress center, just a 2 mins walk from where I live.
I would have like to attend. The ticketprice for each session of about 3 hours was about 150 EURO. (HORROR). I couldn’t afford that. To me it seems His Holiness is like a famous rockstar. Well… that’s about the price that was also asked for a gig by 3 of my favorite musicians (Nick Lowe, Flaco Jiminez and Ry Cooder in Carre, also a big theater in Amsterdam last week… All tickets were sold old by the way, for Rockstar His Holiness as well as for the other rockstars. Recession…??? Proabably not.
Soon, I will go to my yearly 10 day Vipassana silence retreat (as taught by Goenka). For free. But of course we ALL give proportionally. Those who have a lot, give a lot, who have less, give less. True Damma. NO one is left out, and cannot attend because you can’t afford those scandalous prices I see asked everywhere for retreats. Just today I got a newsletter for a 7 day Jeff Foster – Retreat – Awakening from the dream in Holland. 750 EURO.
Awakening and spiritituality??? Just Big Biznizz.
I am SO grateful for the Vipassana/Goenka retreats.
I DO realize however, that I’m far away from being enlightenment being so judgmental about the retreats that are so terribly expensive. So… More work to be done. But help is on the way… just an hour ago, I bought your audiobook “awakening the buddha within”, to help me out. It’s so tough you know, getting in touch with my true Buddah Nature, and recogizing that there is no need to feel so lamed and poverty sricken for not being able to attend a meeting with the Dalai Lama, or my favorite bunch of rockstars. There is NO LACK, is there??? (GRIN)!!
QUESTION: I was able to burn the audiobook on 3 cds. Unfortunately I didn’t get a tracklist. If you have one, could you send it to me, please? (I added a working email address to this comment).
Thanks much.
Love, Peace and Blessings for Everyone.
Hello dear Lama Surya Das,
I am from Iran,live in tehran,i bought ur translated book in Persian a week ago and i am reading it,i realy enjoy every word and page,i was seraching for peace and wisdom for long time,now i can see in my early young age i was in Way without i knew that,but 4 years ago some bad things happend to me and i became sick…so i read and searched alot and buddhisem healed me….like water on fire…so now i am very interst in sprituality and even i am thinking about become a nun….how can u advice me??i don’t know where i can go for traditional meditation??….in Mahayana tradition ….can u please giud me? thanks alot….