Lama Ole Nydahl in Miami

By Aaron Crook

 

Lama Ole Nydahl kicked off his 2006 Springtime American tour in Miami with a public lecture "Buddhism: The Science of Mind."

Lama Ole Nydahl used the backdrop of European history and the development of world religions through the ages as a basis for understanding how modern science has developed into a reliable test of truth.

 

While many religions have maintained their premises in spite of the inability to objectively verify their teachings Lama Ole differentiated Buddhism from other religions stating that Buddhism's goal is both truth and joy, and at the highest level the two are inseparable and objectively verifiable.

 

He cited recent scientific experiments in neuroscience and quantum physics as evidence that meditation makes one happy, and that the most subtle findings of modern physics point to a cosmology remarkably similar to what the Historical Buddha taught in India 2550 years ago, that at the most subtle level space is information.

 

Lama Ole went so far as to say that whatever is verified by science must be accepted as truth by practitioners of Buddhism, and that no religious truth can be above science or humanism.

Lama Ole ended his lecture by giving Buddhist Refuge and guiding a meditation for those in attendance.

Lecture at the New School
Opening a Door to the Wisdom of Buddhism
by Marija Sajkas

 

Marija Sajkas

When it comes to understanding relationships, it seems that all we need is love ... and some wisdom too. In the second week of May, Students of the New School University (New York City, NY) had a pleasure of hosting a Diamond Way Buddhist traveling teacher from Germany. In a fully packed conference room Karola Schneider, a Buddhist practitioner for nearly 30 years, gave a lecture about relationships and love.   Karola started by explaining one of the basic ideas of the Buddhism which is crucial for understanding relationships - the notion of impermanence. She reminded us of an experience most of us had - being very much in love, looking in the eyes of that special person, wishing and maybe believing that the magic moment would last forever.

 

Sure it will. They lived happily ever after. But, as the experience too often teach us, that happens only in a fairytale. Trying to keep a moment forever unchanged is not possible. Life is altering all the time, and the impermanence always interferes, even with our firmest plans, ideas or the strongest wishes.

 

According to Karola however, we can all benefit from the notion of impermanence: "One can learn to base one's love on a constant perception of it, and this training will open the door to wisdom of Buddhism," says Karola. To be able to enjoy in love and relationships fully, Karola's advice is to "always trust the moment, to always be completely fresh in the moment, and to enjoy whatever comes up."

 

So, are you interested in instant recipe for happiness? There are no shortcuts, I am afraid. If one starts to mediate however, she or he can count on all benefits that a Buddhist practice has to offer – discovering that special sparkle in every moment, and finding ever lasting love in a relationship which is constantly in change.

 

Since the New School lecture on love and relationships from the Buddhist perspective, Karola Schneider has been traveling with her teacher, Lama Ole Nydahl. Please join us at Lighthouse International, the last stop of Lama Ole's lecture tour in North America "Mediation: The Science of Mind" and meet Karola again at the Open House on May 28 2006 at our center in Brooklyn. (For more details see the events page).