Buddhist lama speaks to CSUS students

The Buddhist tradition is an important part of the lives of all Tibetans, a Tibetan lama said to the audience in a standing-room-only lecture hall on Wednesday.

At least 150 students and faculty members sat in the aisles, stood against the walls and packed the back of the room to hear Khyongla Rato Rinpoche speak about Tibetan Buddhism.

"It shows good judgment on your part that all of you came to hear this," said Richard Shek, a CSUS professor of humanities and religious studies.

Shek credited the Visiting Scholars Program for making the lecture possible. He also said that in the last few years, America and the rest of the world had shown a great interest in Tibet and Buddhism.

In Tibet, Rinpoche is hailed as a reincarnation of a holy man who has been returning to mortal life since the 16th century. He was also involved in the education of the young Dalai Lama. However, he does not view himself as anyone special.

"I am only one of a thousand," he said.

Rinpoche, dressed casually in a gray sweater and jacket, spoke to the audience in a low, raspy voice. His words were then repeated loudly by his attendant, a Buddhist monk. Rinpoche traced the history of Tibetan Buddhism, beginning with the birth of the historical Buddha 2,500 years ago.

Today, Rinpoche said, the majority of Tibetans are Buddhist but the practice of other religions is tolerated. He recalled that when he lived in Tibet, he wanted to visit a Muslim mosque during the holiday of Ramadan but he decided not to go out of respect for their traditions.

According to Rinpoche, the central teaching of Tibetan Buddhism is to avoid harming others. Ideally, people should develop a "loving kindness" toward all sentient beings, he said.

Many elderly people in Tibet wake early and circle all the temples and holy places in the city, Rinpoche said. Often, someone will buy an animal from a butcher in order to save its life and then circle the city with the livestock in tow.

"I once saved the life of a sheep," he said with a short laugh.

Rinpoche said that a man on the street begged him to buy the sheep so that he would not have to kill it. Rinpoche said that he bought the animal but he didn't circle the city with it because he couldn't wake up early enough.

"I did bring it to the front door of the temple, though," Rinpoche said.

Buddhist ideals and practices are not always perfectly united, Rinpoche said. For example, in Buddhist tradition, people are forbidden from eating meat that has been killed expressly for them. However, many people do kill for food, he said.

Once in a New York restaurant, someone offered Rinpoche a lobster. He accepted because he didn't know what it was. Later, as he was leaving, he noticed a large tank with one less lobster in it.

"I never ate lobster again," he said.