And Now, A Few Words of Wisdom from His Holiness, The Dalai Lama

Whenever I want to find something completely different, I go to a little shop in St. Paul called Tibet Arts.

There, near the corner of Grand Avenue and Lexington Parkway, is THE place to go for memorable, affordable gifts. I’ve visited Tibet Arts many times over the years and am always amazed at the eclectic selection of things proprietress Dolma Lama has on hand. Stop by for a book on Buddhist philosophy, and you might find yourself leaving with a CD of Dewa Che’s “Universal Healing Power of Tibetan Mantras,” some carnelian mala beads, and a hand-woven blanket. Or maybe even a Tibetan singing bowl or two. No shortage of unique finds here, that’s for sure.

Hand-crafted jewelry, hand-dyed scarves, wall-hangings, purses, coats, other clothing, artwork — it’s all here in this recently remodeled shop. Although most of these featured items are imported from Tibet, you can find some things from Nepal and India, too. Let’s just say the shelves are stocked with surprises you’d never find on a one-stop shopping trip at the Mall of America.

Shop small, shop local, and you’ll be a lot happier. So will your checkbook. That’s what I try to do, anyway.

So last week I stopped at Tibet Arts to find something special for a friend and left with another little treasure (as usual). On a rack by some other books, I found a selection of eco-friendly greeting cards. But instead of trite sayings printed inside the cards, there were profound words of wisdom printed on the outside. Really insightful, thought-provoking ideas that read like prose poems. Turns out these keen insights were the teachings of none other that the Dalai Lama himself. One orange card entitled “The Paradox of Our Age” really spoke to me.

Now I’m not a practicing Buddhist, but I was so moved by these profound sentiments that I had to buy two cards — one to give as a gift, the other to frame and put on our wall at home.

That these insights could come from the Dalai Lama himself didn’t surprise me. What surprised me was the contrast between what the Dalai Lama represents to most Westerners and who he truly is. Somehow, in our culture, this profoundly wise religious leader has become some kind of cosmic joke. He’s not considered wise at all, he’s just funny. Why? I don’t know. Maybe it all began over 40 years ago on “The Tonight Show” when Johnny Carson kept telling Dalai Lama jokes in his monologue. Maybe the sound of this name itself seems funny in a punchline. It’s hard to say when such a misperception enters our collective Zeitgeist and takes hold like that.

Too many Americans and Europeans alike refuse to see the Dalai Lama as an avatar. To them, he’s just an old guy who gets up and eats Cocoa Puffs for breakfast, then sits around and meditates the day away. They don’t get it. So they don’t get him, either.

They refuse to see him as a Great Teacher.

They don’t understand that, as a religious leader, he’s embraced a different level of existence. They don’t understand that he’s chosen a spiritual path so that he can help us reclaim our humanity. They don’t realize that he’s here to help us remember lovingkindness and mindfulness — important values that are both sacred and spiritual.

Too many people don’t understand because they don’t WANT to understand. They like being in this state of not understanding because they don’t want to wonder about anything. That way, they can keep on being comfortable AND brain-dead. Case in point: Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, 2001.

Seems like only yesterday, but it actually happened nearly fourteen years ago. The St. Paul Pioneer Press ran a story about it on Thursday, May 10, 2001 (the day after Ventura met with the Dalai Lama), with the headline “Ventura Questions Lama on ‘Caddyshack’.”

Here was the Dalai Lama — in Minnesota — available to answer questions in person about his spiritual teachings and start a meaningful dialogue about human rights. And what did Jesse “The Body” Ventura (AKA Minnesota’s acting governor) ask this spiritual leader who is believed by his followers to be the reincarnation of the Buddha?

According to Ventura, “I asked him the most important question, I think, that you could ask him,” he proudly announced in an interview with WCCO Radio. And what was that, Governor?

“ — if he’d ever seen ‘Caddyshack’.”

Oh, right. The movie. Gee, I suppose if the Pope had ever come to town on his watch, Jesse would have regaled him with 15 minutes of pope-on-a-rope jokes. Apparently, Minnesota’s favorite pro-wrestler-turned-governor-turned-yukster was referring to that famous scene in the movie. Remember when assistant greenskeeper Carl Spackler (played by Bill Murray) boasted about caddying for the Dalai Lama?

Although His Holiness had never seen the movie, he laughed anyway at the question. What should have been a seriously embarrassing gaffe for the governor turned out to be merely awkward, thanks to the Dalai Lama’s good-natured diplomacy.

Of course, Ventura blew the whole thing off. According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, he said he only asked him about “Caddyshack” because “after meeting with him when I did, he has a great sense of humor…He laughs, and he’s a very warm, open person. I just judged that he would get a laugh out of that.”

Amid such warmth and geniality, however, there exists an extraordinary perception. I’m sharing his teachings (that were printed on the cards) to show how keen his awareness really is. His observations are neither ridiculous nor hilarious. They’re remarkable. He’s a deep philosophical thinker who can explain complex ideas in a way that everyone can understand.

(But please respect his words. Be mindful of legal and spiritual copyright laws. His teachings might be for everyone, but that doesn’t mean they should be illegally printed on posters and tee shirts so non-Tibetans and non-followers can get rich quick.)

The cards I bought were Ecofriendly Handmade Products, made in India, and a product of Tibetan refugees. Here are the poetic insights that graced the front of these cards:

THE PARADOX OF OUR AGE

We have bigger houses but smaller families
more conveniences, but less time.
We have more degrees, but less sense
more knowledge, but less judgement
more experts, but more problems
more medicines, but less healthiness.
We’ve been all the way to the moon and back
but have trouble crossing the street to meet
the new neighbour.
We build more computers to hold more
information to produce more copies than ever
but have less communication.
We have become long on quantity
but short on quality.
These are times of fast foods
but slow digestion.
Tall man but short character.
Steep profits but shallow relationships.
It’s a time when there is much in the window
but nothing in the room.

…His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

Wonder if Jesse Ventura would even bother to read a few of these lines today?

As the Dalai Lama himself might say, Tall man but short character.