The Buddhist Channel has a wonderfully rich interview with the Dalai Lama in which the spiritual leader of Tibet discusses his views on terrorism and violence, the role of logic in his belief system, and why monks don’t particularly miss sex.
Speaking from the Heart
One of the traits I admire about the Dalai Lama is his openness. He speaks from the heart. I had the opportunity to experience his teachings live, along with a public lecture, when he visited Indiana University Bloomington in 2007. He spoke with the same familiar openness and humor there as he does in the interview above. It was as if a good friend had decided to converse with you–and invited a few thousand other folks along too.
When he doesn’t want to answer a question… he says so
I don’t like to listen to political speeches much, because the “spin” is always front and center, and it bugs the heck out of me. I appreciate how the Dalai Lama will politely (and often humorously) refrain from answering questions rather than giving a “spin” answer. And he will very bluntly answer questions with responses that aren’t meant to be the popular response–they’re just his viewpoint. (See his warm reference to George W. Bush, or his quick response on the station of the Dalai Lama for examples.)
Laughter
The other trait I adore about the Dalai Lama is his laugh–he laughs frequently, and freely. He sees the humor in everyday life, and he values it. He shares it. He doesn’t take things too seriously to laugh at them when they’re funny. And he’s not taking pot-shots or offering up tongue-in-cheek satire at any other person’s expense… he’s just reflecting on the simple parts of life that strike his funny bone. That kind of genuine, frank, and warm humor is a rarity among public figures–it’s a bit verboten among political folk. I love the Dalai Lama’s laugh. It’s so… human.
Logic and Belief, Science and Religion
The last point I wanted to emphasize was the Dalai Lama’s discussion of the role of logic and investigation in his belief system. What stood out for me about his comments was that he doesn’t connect someone’s urge to question and investigate with a threat to the idea system they’re questioning. He sees logic and belief, a scientific approach and religion, as going hand-in-hand. One does not threaten the other. A commitment to one is no exclusion of the other–and in fact, may well be a support of the other. Awesome. Beautiful. And he says it soooooo much better than me.
What can we take away?
What would our own lives be like if we took a cue from the Dalai Lama, and really endeavored to respond to others from our heart–and if we didn’t want to answer, we said that, instead of talking around the question? And when something was funny, we said so, and we laughed about it, even if it involved us or our ideas? What would corporate America be like if our corporate leaders responded this way?
Tiny Clip from the Interview
With violence, the reaction comes immediately. But with the environment, the reaction is invisible. So, we take things for granted. My own contribution to keeping the environment is that in my own house, I don’t use the bath, only shower, to conserve water. It’s my small contribution to save water (long laugh).
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I’m Marissa, can-do-ologist, perpetual Curious George, and daily adventurer. 
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
As always your posts are full of insight and wisdom.
Enjoying the posts very much as usual
-Sam
That was lovely. I just shared the interview with others. Yay.