Question: Do you lamas go to movies? I heard the Dalai Lama doesn’t but was shown “Little Buddha” by Bertolucci at its Paris premiere.
Lama Surya Das: Word travels slow up here in Tibet. But I wanna give a shout out to femme filmmeditations of recent years including “Rust & Bone” and the original Swedish version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”. “Beasts of the Southern Wild”, and “Silver Linings Playbook”, were both very fine; but I genuinely appreciated the samurai bodhisattva-warrior spirit of the heroines in R & B and TGWTDT, who served their own inner...
The Difference Between "Never Give Up" and "Grasping"
Helen writes: At the moment I am pondering the difference between “never give up” and “grasping”. Perhaps you can help me.
Lama Surya Das: This is a juicy subject, well worth pondering. Holding on too long is one problem, for sure; on the other hand, letting go too soon and too easily is another extreme (unbalance) or mistake.
Firstly, never say never. Or don’t say it much. Or say always much, either.
Discovering right action and appropriateness for yourself as an active agent and being responsible for your own life...
Posted April 22, 2013One allegedly violent 19-year-old boy pretty much shut down our fine city of Boston last Friday. Not to mention the terrible damage he and another are believed to have wrought on innocent lives near the marathon finish line on Monday. Now four young people are dead and scores injured as result of the bombing suspects' actions. Why? Will we ever really know? As authorities are working to get to the bottom of this, and prevent similar possible future crimes, let's together strive to get to root causes and origins of our violent society and era, and genuinely do something about...
One violent nineteen year old boy has, it seems, pretty much shut down our fine city of Boston. Not to mention the terrible damage he and others wrought Monday on innocent lives near the Marathon finish line. Now four young people are dead and scores injured! Why? Will we ever really know? Of course everyone is working together to get to the bottom of this, and prevent similar possible future crimes. Let’s together strive to get to root causes and origins of our violent society and era, and genuinely do something about it.
I’m praying, meditating, counseling people, and holding the victims...
Today is a day of tears and prayers here in Boston, and in widening concentric circles around the country and world. So many were involved in yesterday’s tragic events. Personally, I can’t get over the thought of 8 year old Martin Richard who died, standing in the sunshine, waiting for his Dad to come home across the finish line on a festive and historic occasion. (His mother and sister, aged 6, are still in the hospital.) Now the Boston Marathon, which is always held on Patriots' Day, will sadly be remembered differently.
My minister friend Reverend Kim Harvey was downtown at her Arlington...
Simply aware of the arising-fallingOf all and everythingRight before your eyes Like a dreamMirageSit-com Letting it come and goLetting goLetting be Breathing outinto itAnd inout of it Grokking it allAs part of yourself Like film-meditation(who the projector?) Letting go totallyLetting bePurely presencing Being itInseparablefrom one and all Lama Surya Das, from “Co-Meditations”
"Enlightened Leadership: Kings, Queens and the 99 Percent"
posted January 24, 2013
I watched the inauguration on Monday, and thought about how desperately our county needs visionary enlightened leadership. As President Obama takes on the next four years, I pray for the safety and flourishing of his young family and for an era of self-control as well as gun control, to help us safeguard our society and ourselves from the violence and strife characteristic of people not at peace with themselves.
Buddha's renowned Eightfold Noble Path is the world's oldest extant business plan. His business is happiness,...
I started the new year at our 19th annual winter Dzogchen Center meditation retreat, which we've been holding for the last ten or more years on the snowy banks of the mighty Hudson at the Garrison Institute in New York, right across from Bear Mountain and West Point. I love going there every winter and watching the river flow by, while praying, meditating, chanting, and walking through the lovely woods. My students and I spend the week dancing the life of awakefulness into being through practices including meditative mindfulness training, centering, presencing, Tibetan energy yoga, self-inquiry,...
Happy New Year Dear Friends,
As we lay to rest a turbulent, challenging 2012 and approach the new beginning of 2013, let us all take a moment to focus on bringing forth a more peaceful and compassionate year.
With that in mind, I'd like to share with you my latest article, An American Lama's Thought on Prayer, in the Huffington Post, and my contribution to Tricycle Magazine's article, Buddhist Teachers Respond to the Newtown Tragedy.
With love, blessings, and best wishes for an enlightening 2013,
Lama Surya Das
Breathe, relax, center and smile. Let things come and go, and just let be. Practice Presencing. It’s not about trying not to think but about letting things come and go. Learning to relax, just be, center, and naturally meditate is a well known spiritual secret that people ought to be able to learn and integrate into life. Like mental flossing, it keeps one open and free, calm and clear. I too was a teeenage thinkaholic, even till recently, but I’m much more spacious now.
American Buddhas, awaken! Loosen your attachments.”
Lama Surya Das, New Dharma Talks 2012
