ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
March 30, 2022
On this day in 1959, a man named Tenzin Gyatso, or better known as the Dalai Lama, was exiled from Tibet. It just boggles my mind when I do the calculations and realize that was more than 60 years ago. Yet everything I know about the Dalai Lama suggests his exile defines him, and at the same time, does not define him. He is a man capable of seeing goodness all around him, while also naming everything that keeps one from living with tolerance, compassion and forgiveness. It is about a life of true happiness. The Dalai Lama wrote, “In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision.” As one who has a deep respect for the Dalai Lama, while also claiming to follow Jesus (they are not too far apart), I see in Jesus that positive vision. In Jesus, I see a table of reconciliation and harmony; a place where the outsider finds true value as one of the beloved; a community utterly absorbed in the power of love. I see in Jesus a vision dripping with positivity and hope. I see in the Jesus life, and in the life of the Dalai Lama, a vision so captivating that a positive action cannot be held back. The only problem I see is how this holy vision is lost in every self-serving, self-aggrandizing vision being promoted and sold in our world. Maybe spending a few minutes with one of the Gospels today is a good start, and then maybe read a little of the Dalai Lama. I would suggest The Art of Happiness or Beyond Religion.
Bring me a sense of peace, O Holy One of the Universe. I’m looking for the peace so many good and thoughtful sages have been living and elevating. I am looking for the peace that draws me away from self and into a life of self-giving. I make this request as one who is open to your guidance. Amen.
