Holiday Prayers & Wishes from Lama Surya Das
Winter Solstice, December 2011
, for they shall not get bent out of shape.
Blessed are the patient, for they shall be waited on and attended to.
Blessed are the generous, for they shall receive abundantly.
Blessed are the grateful, for their life shall always be bountiful.
Blessed are the wise, for they know not in excess.
Blessed are the lovers, for love is theirs for the asking.
Blessed are the healers, for their world and they too shall be healed and well.
Blessed are those who listen, for they shall be heard and understood.
Blessed...
The Zen of Steve Jobs: Right Livelihood
In this engaging article in the Huffington Post, Lama Surya Das discusses the late Steve Jobs in Buddhist perspective. Surya Das suggests Steve Jobs as an incarnation of Vincent Van Gogh, describes his personal interactions with Jobs, and how he exemplified the virtuous aspect of the Noble Eight-fold Path taught by Buddha: Step Five, Right Livelihood and True Vocation.
"Many people have been asking me of late if Steve Jobs really was a Buddhist. The answer is yes, and for many years..." Read the full Huffington Post article here
How Do I Not Lose My Marbles...
"Today the human soul asks the question: What can I do to preserve the
beauty and wonder of our world and to eliminate the anger and hatred and
inequality that inevitably causes it-- in that part of the world which I touch?
What can you do TODAY, this very moment?"
-- The Dalai Lama, Sept. 11, 2001
Recently I was invited to teach a weekend Dzogchen meditation retreat again at the Tibetan Mongolian Cultural Center in Bloomington, Indiana. While I was visiting we celebrated the spiritual director Arjia Rinpoche's birthday. My contribution to this happy occasion was a little birthday poem for the Very Venerable Arjia Rinpoche, who only escaped from Communist China about ten years ago and was appointed abbot at this long standing center by the Dalai Lama himself.
The Man from Tibet
The Man from Tibet knows his languages, and enjoys the gift of tongues as well; He communicates with...
On Faith, the Washington Post’s religion website invited me, along with a diverse group of the country’s most prominent religious leaders, to reflect on the spiritual impact of 9/11, and share what we have learned about religion in the past ten years. See full article on Washington Post.
REMEMBER TO REMEMBER
by Lama Surya DasA wise Zen master once gave his meditation students the almost unanswerable koan, or existential riddle: “What is the most important thing?”
September 11, 2001 was such a Zen teaching moment, a fit koan for our time. As Americans sought answers and spiritual...
Recently I was asked how I became involved in the happiness field, and what motivates me to help others. Although my memory can be taxing at times, I had no difficulty digging deeply into the beginnings of it all. Here is my answer:
Like most people, especially Baby Boomers--moi grew up to the tune of a song I call "What About Me?" by the Inner Voices. I probably got involved in the happiness field when my mother's water broke, or even before, to begin my journey into the floating dewdrop sphere of this oh so sweet yet dream-like world. When my umbilicus was cut, it severed forever-...
I just want to share with you the joy and blessings of seeing the reincarnations of my root gurus His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa and the Venerable Kalu Rinpoche on their return to the United States this summer, teaching here and on the West Coast. They are known now as HH the Seventeenth Karmapa and Yangsi Kalu Rinpoche.
Lama Surya Das' WEEKLY WORDS OF WISDOM
"Here is the essence of meditation practice and letting go, which implies letting come and go-- letting be. Catching yourself before things catch you. I try to remember that I am the cause of all of my suffering, due to the habits and conditioning of my own mind; for it's not what happens but what you make of it that makes all the difference."
Posted July 19, 2011
Empowering Our Nation: The Importance of the 2011 Kalachakra for World Peace
Last week I sat in front of the Dalai Lama of Tibet at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., where he was leading the 2011 Kalachakra for World Peace and heard him talk about the union of wisdom and compassionate action, and how being an honest and caring person is more important than mere external religiosity or parroting prayers and mouthing platitudes. He said:
We must be 21st century Buddhists, not just ritual faith and belief Buddhists -- and live our values in our daily lives, combining...
Today I was very fortunate to sit in front of the Dalai Lama of Tibet here in Washington D. C. where he is leading the 2011 Kalachakra for World Peace. His Holiness spoke about the union of wisdom and compassionate action, and how being a fine person is more important than mere external religiosity and platitudes. He said:
We must be twentieth first century Buddhists, not just ritual faith and belief Buddhists-- and live our values in our daily lives, combining the development of modern scientific knowledge with timeless wisdom understanding. Self-discipline is the real answer to bringing...