We don’t have to orphan the shadow sides of our psyche.”Īs people browsed through the aisles of the bookstore, the author encouraged the small group gathered near the front window to befriend their difficult emotions and understand their oneness, even with their adversaries, through co-meditation. “We don’t have to shut them off or suppress them. He explained that emotions and sensations are just the ripples on the surface of existence.
“The whole world is my body consciousness my heart,” he said, referencing the Tibetan verse that opens the book. The sense of connection felt with a loved one or a teacher can be applied to all relationships, Lama Surya said, even the troubling ones.Īppreciative audience at Bunch of Grapes bookstore. All I have to do is relax and breathe out into it.” “It’s ridiculous for me to close my eyes and try to concentrate and observe my breathing in front of that. “Water meditates me,” he said, describing the effects of a waterfall or a flowing stream. He spoke of a different kind of meditation, where connection itself is the practice, rather than just concentration, or resting one’s awareness on a specific object or sensation. He advocated for bringing a practice to everyday activities and interactions.“Nature does it for me,” he said - and water in particular. “We can’t just think about our own self-help,” Lama Surya said, especially in a world that is increasingly interconnected. He spoke of the importance of seeing the oneness in every encounter - with friends, pets, natural elements like water and fire, and even oneself.Ĭo-meditation implies that inward-focused meditation - a popular practice in America - is just one type of meditation. “Letting go means letting come and go,” he said at the Wednesday evening event, inviting people to settle in for the talk. With Buddhist prayer beads wrapped around his hand, Lama Surya spoke casually but mindfully about oneness, the illusion of separateness, and the practice of co-meditation, which is the topic of his new book, released in May. Finally, he says, “What, no change?” To which the vendor replies, “Change comes from within.”
It’s an old joke, Lama Surya admitted in his Brooklyn accent, but he took it a step further: After receiving his hotdog and paying the vendor, the Dalai Lama stands silently for a long moment.
So, what did the Dalai Lama say to the hot dog vendor? We can’t just think about our own self help.” - Jeanna Shepard Lama Surya Das: “Letting go means letting come and go.
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