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Prof. Kittay and Lama Jamspal Concluding teachings at Tibet House NY Teaching at Burning Man

Lozang Jamspal, who passed away Muzzafer Ozak in Turkey and Pir knowledge, and kindness, going
one year ago. I decided to “test” him Vilayet Khan in France, I continued to beyond the worldly but squarely
by asking, “What is Dharma.” He meditate and, though I felt the world within the world, merging, as
thought for a moment, then looked open up to me when I sat down, I Lama Tsongkhapa put it so well in
at me and said, “Benefit others.” I’ve decided that I wasn’t sufficiently his Praise of Dependent Arising,
never heard a better definition. incarnated to have anything other dependent arising and emptiness
than a superficial spiritual life. So – this world and beyond – without
My interest in Buddhism in this I became a lawyer, got married, any contradiction.
life started I was sixteen years old had kids, experienced the passing
when I was reading D. T. Suzuki’s of loved ones, and worked hard at Second, the logic of the teachings
Essays in Zen Buddhism. He wrote that phase of life until I felt I had and their constant focus on helping
that when you fall in love your ego become a bit more incarnated. I others, most exemplified in Jamspal’s
feels a split in itself because for the emailed Bob Thurman at Columbia directness and modesty and in Bob’s
first time you have found something University, whom I didn’t know, passion for spreading wisdom and
more important than yourself. I and asked him who could teach me compassion in the world.
was very romantic, so that struck a Tibetan so I could find out if the
chord. Next was Alan Watts and the Tibetans really knew anything. Bob And then there’s something else that
Way of Zen, and then, till a teenager, sent me to Ladakhi Lama Lozang isn’t quite rational or historical, a
in Mesa Verde, Colorado, by the Jamspaland for the next 30 years we familiarity and feeling at home with
ruins, I was thinking “What is the met at least weekly, living together it. Not everything in this life and
meaning of life?” “What is the ego?” sometimes, and translated many other lives is logical and takes place
“Who am I?” “Why do we die?” over Tibetan Buddhist and Sanskrit texts. in what we consider ordinary time
and over. Then someone dropped Jamspal and Bob introduced me to and space, and the small taste I’ve
a coin, and the stone-struck sound many wonderful teachers, including had of that has been very moving.
filled everything, and time stopped. HH Dalai Lama, Sakya Trizin,
I can still hear it. Rizong Rinpoche, and Denma Locho As the term Tantra is not found
Rinpoche. After a while, I applied in the early teachings recorded
Then I heard about this Tibetan, to Columbia and somehow was in either the Pali Nikayas or
Chogyam Trungpa, who had just admitted to the PhD program, where Sanskrit Agamas, can we consider
gotten to Vermont, so I hitchhiked I studied with Bob and Jamspal and Tantra as the authentic word of
up to Tail of the Tiger. There I found many other wonderful friends and the Buddha?
Rinpoche and half a dozen other teachers. I’m still there.
people and we meditated together, Sure we can. The tradition is
and I would go up there occasionally What inspired me most about that Buddha taught Tantra at the
over the next few years. After getting Tibetan Buddhism? First, my same time, chronologically, that he
into Sufism with Suleyman Dede and teachers! Their deep faith, taught Sutra. And there are many