His Holiness inspires us to evaluate
Photography by Michael Eldredge
His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit has come and gone, and I believe left a distinct impression on those of us directly involved in his visit, those who came to, or saw, his public talk, our entire community and I believe the world. For me he leaves an impression of nobility. His leadership is exemplary; his firm commitment to uphold the values he deeply expresses despite adversity is such an inspiration to me. His ability to balance being firm, direct, compassionate, humorous and humble is remarkable – something I hope to learn from and grow with in myself.
Due to the on going struggle several of my closest friends and I have here in Albany - how we have been portrayed in the media – his visiting and message was particularly moving. His coming brought about a certain contradiction: what is written about NXIVM, Keith, Sara and myself in the press – being labeled as a cult – and a world leader showing his support for us after thorough investigation.
How do you resolve such a contradiction?
Tags: Add new tag, contradiction, evaluation, His Holiness the dalai lama, nobility, truth
June 4th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Great post! Just wanted to let you know you have a new subscriber- me!
July 4th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
I have been a long time student of the Dalai Lama. Before I studied Buddhism and Eastern philosophy, I asked the same questions as you about why people behave in such hurtful ways. After studying Buddhism the answer came with striking clarity; in a word “ignorance”.
We are living in very difficult times. Many people lack understanding of what will truly make them happy e.g. serving others, telling the truth, wishing and working for others’ happiness, compassion.
Their delusional thinking makes them feel that if they hurt others or denigrate others, they are doing the right thing. it is very, very hard to destroy delusions, both our own and others. We see the world through them without understanding that we are seeing the world through tinted lenses.
The Tibetans says that “obstacles” are what give us the opportunity to “practice”. Without them there would be no opportunity to practice patience, perseverence, lovingkindness, forgiveness, turning the other cheek, generosity…..
It is no problem loving our friends, ignoring those neutral to us and hating our enemies. the challenge comes from loving our enemies and wishing them happiness. It is not easy to do. ( I’ll admit that I have recurrently failed abysmally.) In the end it is the only way to our personal happiness. It is not an easy road.
Your karma must be very good indeed if His Holiness was convined enough of your sincerity that he came to Albany. That is a huge honor to which many have aspired and few have received.
One of the problems that I see within your organization is the secrecy which you hold your techniques. I understand the proprietary business, and it seems only right that after putting in so many years of effort, that you should be rewarded. However, secrecy breeds suspicion. His Holiness is 100% transparent in his dealings with people. I Inda all of his teachings are free.
If your teachings are that good, then spiritual traditions dictate that they should be made available without the expectation of renumeration. Donations would be appreciated. Then you trust your karma enough to believe that you will succeed in the long run even if you fail in the short run.
Best of luck with your future endeavors.
Sincerely,
Jan