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05/17/2001 Entry: "Distracted buddhist"
Today, my first day at the Heart of Wisdom Teachings by His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet, was a day of distraction. Though I don't think I missed the teaching entirely.
Gold Lame Zafus
Many things distracted me today and kept me from being fully present for the teaching. One of the first distractions for me was the very ornate setting complete with a giant gold Buddha, giant backdrop of the Lama Shack (Castle? Temple?) in Tibet, robed monks filling the amphitheatre stage, elevated speaking platform with a gold lame zafu. All of these things and many others seemed to distract me at some point today.
"His Holiness is in the Building"
I've struggled since I learned of his visit and the location of the teachings at the Shoreline Amphitheatre with a rock star/rock concert analogy. I have joked about it. The tickets are through Ticketmaster and priced somewhere between Ani Difranco ($31) and Sting ($75). This distraction wasn't helped today when one of the hosts announced that "His Holiness is in the Building" conjuring up remembered images of Elvis.
"The Dalai Lama ought to be able to get me laid!"
I said this one. Not today. I think last night to a friend on the phone. So, of course, today I spend the day surround by many beautiful women, many of whom are engaged in similar value systems to mine and relatively close to my age. I noticed myself being a little distracted this morning, but moved beyond it fairly quickly. But then Gwendolyn sat next to me and chatted briefly and smiled a lot with her beautiful smile and laughed sincerely at His Holiness' jokes. She was earnest in her engagement and probably many of the things that I was not as she listened attentively and took notes throughout the teaching. And she seemed a little crunchy in that Berkeley Hippie sort of way. Unfortunately, I don't think she's from anywhere near Berkeley.
Buddhist Math
Early as HH taught, he went branched off several times explaining how there are 2 directions that this has gone and the 2nd of those has 3 directions and each of the 3 believes in the 37, but the 1st branch of the 1st in monotheistic, but the 2nd is nontheistic.... My head hurt trying to keep track of the eightfold path and the four noble truths being presented in context of the 37 somethings and the variations that have arisen between the different religious offshoots arising from India. Okay, most of that is made up! But like I said, I couldn't track it and felt like I needed to be taking copious notes and diagramming the whole thing.
"Falling Out of Their Halter Tops"
One of the women I met today launched into a criticism of the atmosphere, decrying the come down from what she'd heard they had in Portland. She was critical of the lack of formality and lack of protocol in the setting today and made the above comment about some of the women who were there relaxing in garb appropriate to spending the day in the sun. I can't remember if it was her or another woman that complained about the teaching taking so long because of the translation. (HH spoke in Tibetan then his words were translated by a man on stage.)
It is, thankfully, these women to whom I owe my greatest debt today. It was their distraction at lunch today that helped me ride herd on my own.
