Friday, June 15, 2007
our holiness in His Holiness
I've always been intrigued by the Dalai Lama, ever since my dad would talk about him when I was a little girl. I doubt any other spiritual-political leader has been as enshrouded in mystique as he is. Like many, I always imagined him to be a sort of wise, mythical figure who seemed to be above everything in the material world, a cross between Yoda and the Buddha (although the Dalai Lama is actually believed to be a reincarnation of the bodhisatva of compassion, and not the Buddha as I previously thought). The Dalai Lama is regularly quoted and misquoted, and anything that is said (or supposedly said) by him is almost automatically considered a pearl of great wisdom.
When I heard he would be touring Australia, I trooped to The Domain along with many others to hear him give a free speech on "Peace Through Inner Peace". I guess most of the people there were hungry for some sort of spirituality, but secretly, I was curious to know whether the man was really as big as the myth.
The very first thing the Dalai Lama did was bow, with palms together in "Namaste" position, to the multitudes who had trooped there to see him despite the bitter cold and relentless rain. Why this disarmed me so, I cannot imagine. Certainly it was to be expected from the world leader of Buddhism; and yet, the humility of the gesture coming from such an important man, caught me quite off guard. Others seemed to be caught off guard as well, because tentatively but willingly, everyone copied and returned the gesture, while trying to keep a grip on their umbrellas. And with that, he began his speech.
There he was in front of me in the flesh, the Dalai Lama, one of the world's holiest men, and a world leader destined to shape the course of history. Was this really happening? How did it happen that my life's path crossed his at this place and moment in time? Did I ever imagine this?
However, I was unfortunate enough to be in an area of the field where the audio was not too good. I barely understood his hour-long speech. I remember him saying that as humans, we were capable of generating endless amounts of altruism which is something no other animal, mammal, or species could do. Also, in the middle of saying something absolutely profound, he liked to crack jokes, and he would laugh heartily afterwards. What a laugh he had. So real and mirthful, with a clear, pure ring to it. His laugh seemed to dispel negativity, like a temple bell. He had a calm, serene aura.
The Dalai Lama is a funny guy, and he can very readily laugh at himself. At one point in his speech, he lost himself while he was saying something along the lines of "First we must find peace within ourselves, and then we must practice compassion towards others and then... ". He paused for a few seconds, staring blankly, finger raised in the air, before finally declaring comically, "and then what?!" Then he burst out laughing.
He was more candid during the question and answer portion, and I was lucky enough to find a spot by the speakers where I could hear him clearly.
The Dalai Lama was asked all different kinds of questions, from how to practice compassion in a culturally and religiously diverse environment like Australia, what to do when your loved ones are fighting at home, his opinion on political issues between China and Tibet (to which he declared himself to be "half Buddhist and half Marxist"), and even how to deal with the current drought brought on by climate change (to which he answered, "Gee... I don't know! Take less showers! Or be like the ancient Tibetan Lamas who never took showers!").
But my favorite question (and favorite answer) came when someone asked him how the young should deal with the growing disillusionment with everyday life and with the world.
Unfortunately, I am unable to quote His Holiness accurately, as I have only me memory to rely on. But I can share what I remember.
"After the events of September 11, everyone feels that the world has changed, and that is how the media loves to paint it. But that is not true. The world is still the same. When I look out my window the wind still goes like that -(makes gesture with his hands). It is still the same sun. The only difference is there are more airport regulations now. (Laughs)It's the same with celebrating New Years eve. People like to celebrate and wait for the sun to rise thinking that it's a new day and a new sun. How childish! It is still the same sun!The problem with people is that they like to focus on just one event, and then they want to generalize on the whole world. But if you have a holistic view on reality, if you look at a whole picture of the earth, I really see the world is improving, and that humanity is becoming deeper and more interconnected, through information and tourism.For example, in the past and even earlier in the 20th century, people would willingly fight in wars, as an honor. But at this present day and age, in America for example, there are so many more people now who are against the war, and who advocate non-violent , compassionate means. In the Soviet Union and in the Philippines, dictators and oppressive political structures are toppled through peaceful, non-violent means. This is something very new.I wonder if I was the only person in tears while he was saying this. When was the last time I heard a person say that not only is the world is a good place, but that it's getting better; and that humanity is evolving? Let me tell you, I haven't heard ANYONE say that at all in a very, very, very long time. It's not one of those things you expect anyone to say. It's almost as if it's taboo.
Then there is growing environmental awareness. Till the beginning of the 20th century, we did not feel we had any sense of duty to to care for the earth.
9-11 is just one event. Do not let just one event delude you into thinking humanity is doomed. If you look at the whole picture of the earth, it is improving."
In this day and age, cynicism is chic. Only the foolish say the world is a good place. Day by day, the media tells us that humanity is getting meaner, more corrupt, and more stupid. We shake our heads and say "people never learn, and people never change." More and more, I hear people my age saying they don't intend on bringing children into this world because it's not such a great place, and that they don't want to pass on their defective genes to another person. I feel a deep sense of tragedy whenever I hear that. It's an injustice. Something inside of me begins to protest.
What about the parts of life that are good? I, for one, still think the world is a beautiful place. I want to bring children into this world, even if it's overrun by terrorists, or if I might pass on the cancer gene, or if I might put them at risk of dying from some pollution-related illness. Giving them an imperfect world or an imperfect life is, to me, still immeasurably better than not giving them a life at all. What is a "perfect" existence anyway?
The world is a beautiful place, and life is beautiful even in all its shittiness!
Thank you, Your Holiness, for saying so.
Before he left, he blessed the people with him on stage by draping a white cloth around them (they seemed quite at a loss for words), blessed his audience in a way that made every one of us feel he was blessing us personally, and bowed with hands clasped many times before exiting.
Carl Jung says that when we idolize heroes or leaders, what we actually see in them is our own light qualities that we're not ready to own up to. And so we "project" them on to another, and make that person "carry" those qualities for us, because we can't bear the burden of being heroes.
It's nice to think that I've been blessed by a holy man. But it occurred to me that while the Dalai Lama is indeed wise, and compassionate, and a very enlightened and extraordinary human being, maybe he just thinks of himself as a regular guy, and much of the mythical holiness and compassion we see in him is actually the holiness and compassion we already have in ourselves.
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Monday, June 04, 2007
I've been going to church again. Even though I'm not sure I'm Catholic. Either way, I believe in God, and I feel the need to actualize a spiritual life in some ritualistic way.
I realized today why I'm so turned off by organized religion. It's because I find it alarming when religious peoples start believing they are the chosen ones and that the path they've found is the only path. I'm afraid of the repercussions it will have on the world. I think a lot of people in my generation feel the same way, because this is the era of religious war. If our parents had Nam and the Cold War, we have terrorism and Al Qaeda and people dying and being killed in the name of God.
But doing away with all that, I believe religion is healthy, because it gives us an organized way to actualize and ritualize a collective belief in a higher power, though it isn't necessarily for everyone.
I don't mind it when people don't follow a specific religion, but I still believe it is highly important to search for God, and actualize a relationship with God in a conscious and ritualistic way.
I feel that believing in God but doing nothing to consciously acknowledge it is like telling yourself you love a person, but you never tell him or show him that you do. It remains inert energy. It has to be activated.
I meet so many kids who say "I don't believe in that stupid church stuff", but then they've never actually stopped to think about what they do believe in. There is a divine spring that runs deep underneath the terra firma of the tangible, that they will never tap.They are like dry, cracked earth. They ignore a vast dimension of themselves, never wake up to their infiniteness, and it is such a loss.
Though I am not a straight-up Catholic (I'm still searching), I don't feel threatened by religious ritual like some searchers do. Whether I'm Catholic or not, a blessing from a Catholic priest is still a sincere blessing from another human being; and it is a good thing. When we offer each other the sign of peace in church, I see even the most grouchy looking people seeing the best in others even for just a few seconds. It is almost like "Namaste". Hymns, no matter what religion they're from, are all sung to the same God, and all ask for the same universal things: love, guidance, forgiveness, and blessing. The good, peaceful aura that a Holy Mass generates is probably the same aura in any holy gathering of people from any true religion. And prayer is making conscious, and giving focus to good intentions.on leave
That being said, I may be going on an indefinite blog hiatus. Life has been very challenging, and I haven't been my best. I find it difficult even to write.
I find that cooking has been a more fitting outlet for me, because it leaves no room for negativity. With painting and writing, you can make "negative art" or write "negative prose" and still be a good artist. But to make "negative food" simply means you are a bad cook.
Cooking and baking leaves no room for negativity, and it is always an unselfish, life-giving, and loving act, because not only are you concerned with the pleasure of others, but you're nourishing them, too.
I think I am a pretty good cook. I get more hits than misses, and can elicit a "mmm" and a few seconds of eye enlargement on the first bite. So, you see this time in my life, though difficult and challenging, is actually honing my housewife skills.
Haven't shared any art in awhile:I made this last December as a gratitude gift for everyone who helped me in Australia. Printed out more than a hundred copies and gave it to everyone who helped us adjust and settle in.
What do you think, is it "intellectual" or "challenging" enough? (See previous entry if you don't understand what I am talking about.)
Or maybe the answer is: does it seem like I f*cking cared about any of that while I was making this? Hahaha.
More stuff in my deviantart.
Toodles.
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