Thank God for Buddhism. Facing cosmic absurdity, I’ve learned to laugh back. When I can separate myself from my own story-line, I always find it interesting that I assume there is a right way to do anything…a secret right way.
Pema Chodron, a Buddhist nun and one of wisest people in the Western World, talks about the importance of “befriending who we already are”. She says that making friends with ourselves is one of the essential goals of meditation and spiritual practice, more important than any other kind of transformation.
This goes against the grain of our American...
Henry R. asks: Why is it so hard to change my life and implement positive new directions? I keep resolving to start doing things differently, like in the New Year for example, but it doesn’t stick?
Lama Surya Das: We all know about New Year’s resolutions, and how often they don’t really work out. Habits are difficult but not impossible to overcome.
The bad news is that we’re heavily conditioned; the good news is that this is simply conditioning, which is the essence of karma— the law of cause and effect. We can consciously recondition and de-condition ourselves, if we work on it— especially...
“I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, men other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive goodwill will proclaim the rule of the land.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Here are my 10 suggestions to help turn this season into a genuinely spiritual time, making the holidays more meaningful for you and your family:
1. Practice generosity in the form of donating, gift-giving, volunteering, and reaching out by making phone calls and writing. This cultivates cheerfulness and the spirit of giving and doesn’t require or foster overindulgence in consumerism.
2. Share a prayer or inspirational poem or quote with someone.
3. Give yourself a gift, whether material or a gift of time and space for some reflection, noble silence, and solitude.4. Make group meals and holiday...
Lately I have had many questions about how to create a lasting relationship. Several years ago I wrote an article outlining some exercises you can cultivate to attract the relationship you are looking for.
Ten Principles of Sacred Relationships
1. Unselfishness and selflessness—Consciously put your loved one at the center of your heart and cultivate awareness of his/her needs. But don’t go overboard; remember to also take care of yourself. 2. Generosity—Give of yourself, sharing time, things, and emotions.
3. Acceptance—Commit...
Susan C: How can we deal with difficult emotions like anger?
Lama Surya Das: One moment of anger can destroy a life or a world, they say. Anger is poisonous, and erodes the heart and soul as well as body and mind, and must be dealt with in a healthy and intelligent manner. Anger is just an inner energy and an emotion; it is not necessarily the same as violence. Feeling it rather than suppressing or indulging it is one of the most important lessons. Mindful anger management helps us create some time to breathe, reflect, and then choose how and if and when to respond, rather than simply reacting...
Danny: I’m a high school student from New York State. I’ve just begun reading your book “Awakening the Buddha Within” and am so far very pleased with what I am finding within its pages. However, that is not the reason I am writing you. To keep it simple, I have a question: my whole life I’ve wanted to travel, to be set free and roam the earth with nothing more than my iPod and backpack. I am 16 and have a family that cares for me deeply. My mistakes have brought them much trouble and misery, I am torn. I do not know whether I should stay and try to make up for my ignorance...
So many of you have been writing me and asking me how to fit spiritual practice into your fast paced modern life that I felt that it was a worthy topic for my session at the second International Conference on Tibetan Buddhism, at Emory University in Atlanta, with the Dalai Lama, a truly joyous occasion. The session titled, Encountering Modernity: Buddhism in the Modern World and Western Culture, discussed the challenges and opportunities we find now with the tremendous spiritual hunger and need in the fast-paced and changing world today, while we have a great reservoir-like treasure trove in the Tibetan...
Deborah R.: How do we become confident and acknowledge our personal power yet not become open to ego? How does Buddhism view competitiveness?
Lama Surya Das: Self-confidence is good and useful, but we should strive to develop genuine confidence in the right thing. There’s more to this matter of inner empowerment than mere egotism. Do we really know our true selves, which we all are part and parcel of and equally share— or are we merely reveling in egotism and pride, whether subtle or even gross, which separate us from others and also inhibits the realization of our true heart and soul?...
Nicole C: Ever since the Spring Retreat I have been meditating more than ever. Oftentimes, I imagine myself at the retreat, in the meditation room, with you there in front. So my question is…by imagining that I am somewhere else, is that a problem? It really works for me.
Lama Surya Das: That is how Tibetan Buddhists practice what is called Guru Yoga, meditating on or with your root teacher. It’s a great way to travel, if it works for you. (It certainly does for me, and many of my teachers as well, and is highly recommended.) For instance, I was just with His Holiness the Dalai Lama...
