Glimpse of Bliss

If you do not transform your attitudes you may go meditate in a cave, but samsara will still be there with you. ~ Lama Yeshe

"During an interview with Lama Yeshe, journalist Vicki Mackenzie suggested there must be some advantages to his new Western lifestyle. “I think it is truly a challenge,” Lama Yeshe replied. “I want my life to benefit others, so I am hard-working and feel very satisfied. Otherwise, what else work I do? Sit somewhere, meditate? I don’t think that is good enough. So I feel lucky that I have the opportunity to serve by using this knowledge.”

“I enjoy all international Western food and apple juice is my favorite Western drink,” Lama continued. “I think Western things are good, especially cars. Otherwise, I cannot get around, you know. But I feel Western society is set up in such a way that material things are the only valuable things in your life. That makes the Western world unknowing, sad. It is not your fault but it is the way things are oriented through your entire life, since you born up until you die. That makes me little bit sad. An attractive outward appearance is the only thing you gain from all your material wealth. I find that very ugly and it’s not so good from generation to generation. It produces unstable minds. Human relationships are broken and unstable. There is no trust in the fundamental human relationship. Human relationship has become nothing now. It’s like you have a relationship with a piece of wood, you know.

“I talk about bliss to help people go beyond the mundane world. I thought if I explained bliss then at least Western people have a glimpse of something to think about. My thought is to introduce the inner quality. These are not secret teachings, nothing special. Westerners sometimes have superstition about the teachings.”

Regarding his health, Lama Yeshe said, “I have already been alive for seven or ten years more than Western doctors said. They are completely mistaken. They administrate medicine. Forty doctors looked at my heart photo on television and decided I can only live three months, six months. Unbelievable, these people putting heavy trip, you know. I don’t have faith in Western doctors. I think they really make human beings sick. I don’t think they are bad. I believe what they saw in photo is true—three damaged valves in my heart. But even you have such a bad point of view, human beings are something special. You cannot make decision you are this, you are that.”

To Vicki’s question about an expedition of Western scientists to remote regions of India to test yogis for their ability to control body temperature, Lama Yeshe replied, “For the Western mind this is a very interesting subject. Heat comes from the mind. But putting heat into the body is not difficult. Also, we have physical exercises for this. Not difficult. But controlling the berserk mind – that is difficult.”

~ Adele Hulse, Public and Private Time

Photos ~ Lama Yeshe teaching at UCSC
            ~ Lama Yeshe at Manjushri Institute.