By Lobsang T. Namru
Lately a renaissance of sort, if you will, in Tibetan Buddhism is taking place especially among the youths in Minnesota. Tibetan youths are setting new trends in approaching Buddhism in a whole new way. Confused by the conflicting worlds of Tibetan Culture versus American Reality, Parent’s versus School Teacher’s (Inji’s) advice, Buddhist Dogma versus Practicality, the Tibetan youths in Minnesota embarked on a spiritual journey for three days in search of the deeper meanings of life as expounded by the Lord Buddha some 2500 years ago.
Organized entirely by some volunteer youths, a Seminar on Tibetan Buddhism was held at the Tibetan Center (Cheekhang) in Minnesota for three days from December 28 – 30, 2009 from 9 – 5pm. Dr. Tsewang Ngodup, the President of the local Tibetan Community told me that besides a limited guidance from the organization, this maiden event was managed by the youths themselves. Four exceptional Tibetan Buddhist masters were invited to teach and debate on the different tenets of the Buddhism. There were about 70 participants each day and the average age of the audience was about twenty something. Lama Migmar Tsetan, a Buddhist Chaplain at the Harvard University in Boston is one of the leading Buddhist scholars in North America. He taught on the four Noble Truths. Another lecturer of the seminar was Gelek Rinpoche, one of the few remaining “giants” of Tibetan Buddhism who was educated at the Drepung Monastery of pre-1959 independent Tibet. Despite his advanced age of 70 plus, he explained the Six Perfections (Pharchin Drug) and Bodhicitta (Jangchub Sem) with much ease and clarity. Lama Pema Wangdak led us through the different types of Buddhist Meditations and the Law of Karma. He was the recipient of the 2009 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, one of the most prestigious awards in America for his outstanding social services that include establishing schools in India and Nepal, and creating the first Braille system in the Tibetan language. The fourth master to teach the seminar was Geshe Lharampa Abong Rinpoche, a resident teacher at the local Gyuto Monastery in Minnesota. He skillfully elaborated on the Eight Verses of Mind Training (Lojong Tsik-Gayma) and led us through a very personal journey along the verses; replete with regrets, redemptions and resolve.
The very setting of the seminar defied all the conventional norms of the Tibetan religious teachings. There were no prostrations, no blessings, no initiations, no monologues and no rituals. Through a series of direct and frank discussions, Buddha’s words were scrutinized just as ‘a gold smith would test the purity of a gold’, to borrow His own words. At the end of the three days, the audience was thoroughly satisfied and yearning to explore deeper into the Buddhist philosophies. One 20 year old Tenzin was energized and said, “I never realized that Buddha’s teachings are that direct and personal to my life.” Choekyi, a college student confessed to me, “What I learnt here is so different from the Buddhism that my parents practice.” Of course, most of our elders’ emphasis is on shrine room and initiations. The Q and A sessions after each lecture were often times hilarious and penetrating. One 14 year old Dolkar asked Lama Migmar in a kind of Zen-like fashion, “If attaining Enlightenment is so difficult, why should we try it?” Another teenage boy asked Gelek Rinpoche, “What do you think about homosexuality?” One girl innocently asked, “Are you enlightened?” Our lamas were challenged, perplexed and yet, embraced in an open and frank discussion. Lost in this flurry of teenage curiosity, I looked up and imagined HH the Dalai Lama beaming down upon us and saying, “Keep it going”.
Certain names are changed to respect privacy. The writer is a Tibetan American residing in Minneapolis, MN and can be reached at thinkoftibet@yahoo.com
