Dalai Lama Loves You All

[holzman_tweed]

On Thursday, jadegirl and I saw the Dalai Lama speak about the Buddhism's Four Noble Truths at Radio City Music Hall. jadegirl has practiced Tibetan Buddhism for years and we of course talk about these things, so we both know about it; but we've both seen in her Buddhist and my Wiccan practices that it's often the basics that have the most in them to find and are always worth coming back to, and who better to have another go at it with than the Dalai Lama?

We were not disappointed. My several take-aways from the talk:

• "No Mind" or "Emptiness" does not mean achieving a nullity of ego, but a loss of the idea that one is independent of the world rather than interdependent.
  
• The call of suffering is ignorance. Prior translations say "attachment," but attachment stems from ignorance. I knew this, but it's good to hear it from his lips; and that the cure for ignorance is knowledge.
  
• A paraphrase: No how polluted the water may be, the water itself remains pure. Again, I knew this, but it explains a point I sometimes take paragraphs to get out in a single sentence.
  
• Wisdom and enlightenment come from doing the work, not from initiation. Once again, I knew this one too, and wish more of my fellow Wiccans got it, but here's a paraphrase of how he put it: A lineage won't make you enlightened. Water on the head will not make you enlightened. I've had a thousand initatiations, easy. [Insert shrug here.] No help! I'm still not enlightened!
  

Comments

[hopebrat.livejournal.com]

I am jealous! I would love to hear him speak!

[acerzen.livejournal.com]

I know this was a bajillion years ago (okay, last summer). I also got to see His Holiness here in the Seattle area last...spring? Yes I believe it was. I saw him twice. I had the opportunity to see him three times that week but gave my tickets (that I got as a volunteer at one event) to my boyfriend so he could combine his 2 free tickets and take his kids and wife (we are poly).

Each time was amazing, though the first time was remarkable. It was a forum on the mind, early childhood development and science. There was a lot of talk about 'can compassion be taught' and what it takes for a child to grow up as a healthy adult. Of course, they discussed the resiliency of the mind and brain and how despite the horrors many people face when young, they can and do also grow up sort of intact.

The entire week was about compassion, and the event was put on by Seeds of Compassion. He was present at several events throughout Seattle.