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40 EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

Namgyal: In Buddhism, we generally speak of the going on for innumerable lifetimes in the past and will
sentient beings as inhabitants and the earth as their continue to do so in the future until one’s full freedom
shared habitat. We are totally dependent on our habitat from the bondage of unceasing rounds of unenlightened
for everything, from food to clothing to shelter and birth and death.
so on. There is not one need that we have that we can
provide for ourselves. However, earth’s resources are If one is a non-believer in any of the above affiliated
not unlimited, nor do we have another inhabitable religions or any form of metaphysical principle, I would
planet at our disposal. For those reasons, it is crucial suggest they remember and keep remembering, again
that we realize our common responsibility to care for on a regular basis, that, just like themselves, everyone
and ensure its continued health, rather than exploiting else wants happiness and no one wants suffering
it out of greed and selfishness and short sightedness. and that everyone has the same right to pursue these
We must stop thinking of the earth as something goals. On top of that, they should remember that we
outside of us. We should think of it as part of ourselves. are all connected and dependent on each other, both
temporally and spatially, for all comforts and luxuries,
Yancy: How might we overcome greed and selfishness? physical and mental, far more than we know or may
ever know, and let the natural outcome of these
Namgyal: We must come to understand what walking contemplations guide our thoughts and actions vis-a-
the path of greed and selfishness is equal to. In vis others. In fact, this alternative is one that anyone,
the case of greed, it is putting oneself voluntarily, irrespective of personal belief, can contemplate and use
though blindly, on a path of no fulfillment, unlimited as the foundational cultivation.
exploitation, and constant impoverishment, while
selfishness leads us on a path of constriction, constant Yancy: What is the meaning of love?
distrust, and loneliness. We need to realize that greed
and selfishness, on the one hand, and fulfillment and Namgyal: One can speak of self-love, as well. However,
independence, on the other hand, do not match up. here, I will address this question in terms of love for
Whereas contentment and altruism do match up with others. In that sense, it is a sincere attitude of caring and
fulfillment and independence. So, we need to take time concern over others, rooted in the recognition of the
out, think through this paradox, and experience the fundamental sameness as well as connectedness and
transformation firsthand that is entailed from attuning indebtedness. It is being willing to reach out selflessly to
to the gradual unfolding of these insights. others in times of need. Such a sense of love is informed
and fueled by who the other is essentially, not by who
Yancy: How do we rid the world of racism, sexism, and he or she is superficially or what he or she has done
classism? or will do to you. In the depth of such an attitude is
the sophistication of wisdom to be flexible, not rigid;
Namgyal: If one is a believer in some form of God or creative, not fixated; giving, not expecting; and open, not
Creator, I would suggest to them to remember and closed, all in the spirit of pure caring and giving.
keep remembering, on a regular basis, that everyone is
created equal and in the image of God and has a greater Yancy: I only wish that more people understood and
purpose to serve for being the way they are. practiced what you are communicating. What role
If one is a believer in the concept of reincarnation, with should love play in the 21st Century with so much
or without a belief in some form of God or Creator, hatred, conflict, and antagonism between human
I would suggest to them to remember and keep beings, nations, religions?
remembering, again on a regular basis, that everyone
has served as one’s loving mother, caring father, Namgyal: Love and compassion is the only hope
enlightening teacher, generous sister, or some other for humankind, its environment, and the world
benefactor, even at the cost of their lives. This has been going forward. Resorting to animosity and division,