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Christopher Luna by Alisha Jucevic for the Columbian

Christopher Luna by Alisha Jucevic for the Columbian
Christopher Luna by Alisha Jucevic for the Columbian

Sunday, June 23, 2013

A Found Poem Based on the Dalai Lama's Talk at Veteran's Memorial Coliseum in Portland on May 11, 2013

30 Lessons: His Holiness The Dalai Lama
addresses 11,000 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR
recounted with love and as little parapharasing as possible
by Christopher Luna

1.
sit down:
galaxy is moving

things are, you see, impermanent

there is no place to escape
can’t live on the moon

we have to think seriously
about the future of humanity

be alert
develop new way of life
new way of thinking

2.
ignorance is part of the human mind

me too: ignorance

we have a special sort of mental capacity

we have to think of other human beings’ well-being

3.
too much precious life
in decades, 10 billion population
smaller number of precious lives
much better

4.
education is not just knowledge

three levels of understanding:
hearing
analysis
experience/experiment

biased mind cannot see objectively
conviction translates into action


5.
secular ethics:
[According to Indian culture]
 secular means respect all religions
including non-believers

6.
often religion is lip service
religious institutions
quite often corrupted
too much exploitation
bullying

7.
will power against religious instruction
is sometimes necessary

8.
[to be]
against religious institutions
is very logical

9.
these one billion nonbelievers
are also a part of humanity

10.
[when one is]
sincerely gentle
affection there
sense of concern
is there

11.
carry your activities
transparently

12.
hatred
actually
eating
our
immune
system

13.
those dogs always barking
often remain lonely

14.
meaningful autonomy
use common senses

15.
regarding a problem
we must be realistic
most problems
are not possible
to overcome

16.
analyze
the nature
of the tragedy:

if you can overcome
make effort
with full enthusiasm

if you can’t
don’t worry

always different options

17.
emotions can be positive or negative

18.
anger out of sense of concern
[to protect someone in danger]
is positive


19.
perhaps I am socialist
Marxist
freedom is
extremely
important

interdependent
we must develop
oneness of humanity
we are the same

20.
karma means action
spontaneous and very limited
what we want is unbiased love

[Painfully loud, amplified crash as the microphone craps out.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama reacts with giddy pleasure, like a child.]

I wish for another bang!

21.
happiness is mental
not based on sensory satisfaction

22.
hygiene of emotion
very essential

23.
big self
difficult

strong sense of self
is positive

24.
map of emotion
map of mind
is important

25.
compassion is the key factor
for one’s well-being

26.
compassion
sustain
our immune system
sometimes
even increase it

27.
warmheartedness
must be a part
of your life

28.
lovingkindness
is the wish
for others
to be happy

29.
[although our biological need for affection]
does not come from the religious tradition
religious tradition backs this biological need

30.
affection is necessary
affection brings energy
affection is
very important for
our survival


5 comments:

THE SILENT BOOMER/George Thomas said...

Thank you for passing this on. My wife is a Buddhist and through my discussions with her and sometimes my participation in her meetings, I think you have passed on many essential concepts in the found poem.

S.E.Ingraham said...

I think you have captured much of the essence of the Dalai Lama here Christopher, especially his reputed childlike innocence and purity...I am neither a believer nor a non...but I enjoyed this immensely.

Christopher Luna said...

Thank you for your kind remarks. It was a very special day for me and the others in attendance. I have studied Buddhism for years, but his speech was truly inspirational. It reminded me of many important truths, and encouraged me to continue practicing lovingkindness and compassion.

Unknown said...

This is the most succinct communication of the relationship which Buddhist behavioral practices & insights offer for guiding humans toward increased compassion & well-being that I have ever studied! Thanks to the Dalai Lama and Christopher Luna for sharing this perspective.

Christopher Luna said...

Thank you, Rob. It was a great day. I learned so much just from being in his presence, and felt the energy created when one gathers with like-minded people. Thanks for reading.