Session 2 | Part 1 - The Dalai Lama - Essential Writings - editor Thomas A. Forsthoefel | |
Introduction - The Teachings of Buddhism | ||
"Love and kindness are the very basis of society. If we lose these feelings, society will face remendous difficulties; the survival of humanity will be endangered. Together with material development, we need spiritual development, so that inner peace and social harmony can be experienced. Without inner peace, without inner calm, it is difficult to have lasting peace. In this field of inner development, religion can make important contributions." ... p156 |
It is recommended to click the Refresh or Reload button to ensure current information. |
Index | Commentary | PowerPoint | Videos | Discussion | References | |||||||||||||||||||||
Commentary - Jock McTavish | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Editor Thomas Forsthoefel has selected writings of the Dalai Lama on 3
pillars of Buddhism: Wisdom, Morality and Meditation, and then on the subject
of Religions and the World. The first one third of the book is his own
introduction of the basics of Buddhist principles. This to prepare us for
the words of the Dalai Lama. For the underlying philosophies and principles
of Buddhism are quite distinct from Western traditions. We come through
different doors to a familiar call of compassion for others. Spiritual transformation per Forsthoefel "isn't becoming something you are not; it is becoming more who you are. The appeal of Buddhism in the West is due to:
The eight fold path describes the way to the end of suffering, as it was laid out by Siddhartha Gautama whom history calls The Buddha. It is a practical guideline to ethical and mental development with the goal of freeing the individual from attachments and delusions; and it finally leads to understanding the truth about all things. Together with the Four Noble Truths it constitutes the gist of Buddhism.
Now we will watch a portion of Rick Ray's documentary movie "10 Questions for the Dalai Lama", which rather well presents the man whose words we will be reading in the four following chapters. This documentary shows what it is that catches the world's attention about this holy man, how thoroughly rooted he is in Tibbetan Buddhism and how thoroughly uprooted things have become. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
PowerPoint Presentation - click whatever works below - the complexity is because computers are like that! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Video Presentations | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The video presentation is a low definition excerpt of an excellent and highly recommended documentary film, Rick Ray's "10 Questions for the Dalai Lama". It is embedded in the above PowerPoint presentations as the last slide. If you are a user of Apple itunes, you can easily download the full hour and a half documentary for only $10. The photography is of course excellent and the larger story is well done. It has much to do with China and politics. Our excerpt is more focused on the spiritual issues. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Summary of Discussion Notes There was an appreciation of the Dalai Lama's writing style. It was much
easier to understand and appreciate. His speech has a rambling style that
is often hard to follow.
The approach to suffering seems particularly eastern. While an awareness of the core value in both Christianity and Buddhism of compassion, it was observed that historically it has appeared that in the east, a sense of karma obviates a sense of moral obligation to work to change matters, whereas in the west there is a strong tradition not only of charity but of work towards systemic justice. The metaphysical approach takes some getting used to. It seems generally very similar to our own philosophy though. What is best for everyone seems to have both practical and theoretical considerations. There is resonance with our own experience. The key idea of interdependence is most interesting. The notions of karma, of cause and effect make more sense now. Compassion is hard to implement. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References Related to Chapter Two There are many excellent web resources on Buddhism. Here are 2. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Clicking the icon left will activate the e-mail on your machine and direct your comments to us. Comments are welcome and will be posted with usual editorial courtesies. St. David's United Church.Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Jan 2008 |