Dalai Lama

[Guest guest]

Dear Gloria:

 

During another time of turmoil and outside invasion when Tibet was a

protectorate of China, I believe around the early 1600s AD our calendar. The

Dalai Lama at that time was fearful of being kidnapped by Mongol invaders

that might hold him for ransom, so he abdicated and named a successor, who

was known only to an inner circle of monks. The now "valueless monk" then

negotiated terms with the Mongols and Chinese.

 

Otherwise, to my knowledge, the title and the owner have theoretically been

the same person since that time.

 

Blessings

Love,

Zenbob

[Guest guest]

Dear Max:

 

If interested Disney is holding casting calls next month for the part of

Dalai Lama in their soon to be opened amusement center "Tibet DisneyWorld"

with authentic Tibetan autoanimatronic robot monks and everything! ))

 

LOL

 

Warm Regards

Blessings

Love,

 

Zenbob

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 08/18/1999 3:24:34 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

glee writes:

 

<< Let me tell you, the ending of the 3 days was so sweet it brought tears to

my eyes. After discussing at such length the 37 Practices of Bodhisattvas,

HH concluded by saying "If one is on a path of compassion, the number of

lifetimes this may take does not really matter."

 

With love,

Gloria

>>

Smile, yes, this is also Chesed, Love, Mercy and Compassion. Another

wonderful source for this is Paramhansa Yogananda, The Autobiography of a

Yogi, if you have not read him, he is truly one of my very favorites, his was

the Path of Love. I attended a retreat for Vietnamese with Thich Nhat Hanh,

one of a few "white" people allowed to attend, it was very beautiful,

Mindfulness, is a very beautiful tool for the pure now, and in the flower I

enjoy the flower, I see the flower ... lovely ... in learning of pure now.

 

Love*Light*Laughter,

RainboLily

[Guest guest]

Dear Gloria:

 

You wrote:

 

<< Let me tell you, the ending of the 3 days was so sweet it brought tears to

my eyes. After discussing at such length the 37 Practices of Bodhisattvas,

HH concluded by saying "If one is on a path of compassion, the number of

lifetimes this may take does not really matter."

>>

 

How very lovely! And it is great to keep mindful of in all things.

 

I began with studies in Meditation, Yoga, Hinduism, general Buddhism, then

went on to Taoism, Zen and Dzogchen (the Chinese True Light Path that was

most responsible for Zen developing in Japan). I have studied most religions

and feel at least on familiar ground with their basic tenets and beliefs.

However, as a Western person, no doubt, I interpret a bit of Buddhism and

Taoism through a Western filter, as must we all who learn cross-culturally.

 

I think that I make a poor expert, since I do not have the detailed knowledge

that "Masters" and learned monks have with regard to specific Sutras, etc.

Yes, I study and read them, but I am ill prepared to debate various schools

of Buddhism as they slice the Lotus Sutra quite thin. I do think that I

benefit from a naturally clear ability to separate essential from

nonessential (an engineer should always learn this skill) and this allows me

to get to the heart of many of these finer details. But, as always this is my

interpretation and my sense of this is my own and should not be taken for

anything close to "absolute" anything. ) LOL

 

Warm Regards,

Blessings,

Love,

 

Zenbob

[Guest guest]

..........

 

ZEN2WRK <ZEN2WRK

< >

Wednesday, August 18, 1999 11:55 AM

Re: RE: Dalai Lama

 

>ZEN2WRK

>

>Dear Gloria:

>

>Your perspective and information is valuable. I agree with your

conclusions,

>but you wrote:

>

>I went to the recent teachings in New York, and I can vouch that HH most

>definitely does not dumb down or cater to the audience.

 

Hi Max,

 

Just to clarify, I meant the above to refer to HH having integrity as well

as being intellectual. That is, as well aware as he must be of their

dependence on us for financial help, I don't think he would choose an actor

or anyone else just on expediency alone.

 

Do you think such an

>intellectual approach can appeal to large numbers in the West? Tho I

skipped

>the Central Park scene on Sunday for the masses, so I don't know about

that.

>

>I believe that it can, so long as the Dalai Lama avoids being intellectual

in

>America for more than 3 minutes.

>The rest of the West can certainly absorb intellectual discourse for up to

>several hours.

>

>Zenbob

 

The monks were expected to know and memorize a lot to understand, yet the

majority of the people were and some still are illiterate even. Perhaps that

is another posssible approach. I am so new to Buddhism that I have

possibly zillions of questions, so I will not ask them all of you, Zenbob.

Yet I would like to know something of your path if you do not mind to share.

Are you particularly into Zen of some type and just knowledgeable of all in

general as well? From my brief experience, I have already noticed some

differences from Thich Nhat Hanh's approach to presentation and of course

the cultures may account for that more than beliefs.

 

Let me tell you, the ending of the 3 days was so sweet it brought tears to

my eyes. After discussing at such length the 37 Practices of Bodhisattvas,

HH concluded by saying "If one is on a path of compassion, the number of

lifetimes this may take does not really matter."

 

With love,

Gloria

[Guest guest]

Dear Gloria:

 

Very well put. I have think someday this view of religion and secular life

will be the prevalent one. At least I am hopeful.

 

Zenbob

[Guest guest]

>"Gloria Lee" <glee

>>I went to the recent teachings in New York, and I can vouch that HH most

>>definitely does not dumb down or cater to the audience.

>

>Hi Max,

>

>Just to clarify, I meant the above to refer to HH having integrity as well

>as being intellectual. That is, as well aware as he must be of their

>dependence on us for financial help, I don't think he would choose an actor

>or anyone else just on expediency alone.

 

I don't either, and I didn't mean to question the integrity

of the Dalai Lama or of Steven Segal. Its just that Segal was

recently in the Twin Cities in a spiritual context, and his

having been told by the Dalai Lama that he was a lama in a

previous life was part of the story in the local press, so

when it was mentioned on this list that the Dalai Lama might

appoint someone from the West to be the next Dalai Lama, it

made me start thinking "hmm, could it be Steve?"

 

I do accept reincarnation, and there's no reason why Segal

couldn't be a former Lama, and hence resume a Lamaship. As

an outsider to Tibetan Buddhism, I lack strong feelings for or

against the idea, although I find it interesting, and it would

certainly be newsworthy if it happened.

 

But I wonder about the future of the Dalai Lama position

given not only the circumstances in Tibet, but also in light

of the ongoing history and development of Buddhism. And I

wonder if the role of the Dalai Lama is limited in time and

place and will expire soon after the death of the current

Dalai Lama. How did this position arise, and why? Will it

be needed or valuable forever, or will a time come when it

has fulfilled its purpose? Are we entering a phase in human

history when the overly 'religious' aspects of spiritual paths

will fade away, leaving a post-religious spirituality and a

less mediated access to self-realization?

 

-- Max

 

 

 

---------------------------

FREE - yourname - Just visit http://www.philosophers.net

[Guest guest]

"Max Harris" <max_harris

 

 

But I wonder about the future of the Dalai Lama position

given not only the circumstances in Tibet, but also in light

of the ongoing history and development of Buddhism. And I

wonder if the role of the Dalai Lama is limited in time and

place and will expire soon after the death of the current

Dalai Lama. How did this position arise, and why? Will it

be needed or valuable forever, or will a time come when it

has fulfilled its purpose? Are we entering a phase in human

history when the overly 'religious' aspects of spiritual paths

will fade away, leaving a post-religious spirituality and a

less mediated access to self-realization?

 

-- Max

 

Little as I know, there was never any separate political head of Tibet like

a king, the monasteries locally governed. They were truly isolated from the

rest of the world until the 50's, which protected them from any need for

political involvement and also made them so vulnerable. The former Bon

religion still co-existed, after Buddhism was introduced. Way back, there

were 3 somewhat equal head lamas, and the Chinese chose the one lineage to

represent the whole country for purposes of negotiation. This is the 14th in

that succession. I'm not into long term speculations, but the current

concerns include the dispersal of Tibetans into diverse countries, and a

subsequent loss of their culture. Even the Dalai Lama regards all this as a

mixed blessing. Thanks to the Chinese, HH is much closer to his own people

and they are all "sharing" in the spread of Buddhism. When the young people

leave their homes in India's refugee area, he asks them not to forget their

language. If they go the way of most other immigrant groups, it takes very

few generations to do so. Americans who are joining them as monks and nuns

are learning the prayers and chants in Tibetan tho.

 

As for your last question about a post-religious spirituality, I would guess

it depends on what people are hungry for. Some people like the new age way

precisely because it seems less connected to any religions. Speaking just

for myself, there is a need for authentic guidance from trustworthy sources

which the Eastern religions represent to me. Tried and proven methods and

results, etc. On the other hand, I admit I was first catapulted into all

this by experiences and sought some way to make sense of what was already

happening. One does not need to know sanskrit to begin, but the science of

understanding all these subtle states of consciousness is already familiar

and known, so it saves having to re-invent the wheel. I can no longer

distinguish sacred from secular; it's all life. You ask a very profound

question and lets hope some others will give opinions.

 

With love,

Gloria