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FACE TO FACE | EASTERN HORIZON 23

Benny: What was your first encounter Buddhism, From my perspective there are many Buddhist
and what made you choose to be a Buddhist scholar teachings pertinent for facing the fear of planetary crisis
and teacher? and working to repair it. Teachings on the dangers of
desire and greed give us a starting point to reflect on
Karen: I grew up in Hawaii which is a multi-cultural the egocentric emotions and the consequences of those
and multi-religious state. I saw Buddhist shrines in grasping misunderstanding of the self and all reality.
my Japanese American friends’ homes; I was invited In his book, The Heart is Noble (Shambhala, 2014), the
to O-Bon dances at Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji temples, Karmapa urges all of us living in capitalistic societies to
and had meditation practice at Zen temples with my be careful in differentiating between wants and needs
parents who were culturally and religiously Jewish and to live by the latter. If we live with a commitment
but also spiritually open and curious. I encountered to consuming only what we need to live there will
the academic study of Buddhism as an undergraduate be enough for all living things in our ultimate web of
student and I also studied amongst Buddhists on a interconnections to live with joy, and not suffering.
study-abroad Tibetan Studies program in Kathmandu,
Nepal. I learned Buddhist stories and different ways The word Sangha means community, and in
of reading them while in Nepal. I brought those Buddhism it comprises of like-minded people with
approaches into my PhD studies at Harvard University a common purpose. Is it realistic to think of a global
and narratives continues to be my academic and society with people from different religions and
personal passion. political persuasions living together in peace and
harmony?
You have the rare opportunity to work with
His Holiness the 17 Karmapa on his book Yes, Buddhism teaches me this is a possibility based
th
“Interconnected” (Wisdom: 2018). What was the on the foundational premises that we don’t all have to
main message from His Holiness on how we can all be like-minded. However, we have to be open minded
live in an inter-connected manner? to the possibility of a multiplicity of truths and a

multiplicity of paths. Secondly, happiness and joy is
To me, the Karmapa urges us to move beyond an not a zero-sum game. I believe the greater we work
intellectual understanding of our interconnectedness to on the conditions for peace, joy, and happiness to be
feeling those connections, both bodily and in our hearts. available FOR ALL BEINGs, we ourselves will strengthen
The emotional experience of our interconnections the presence of those same positive conditions for
can inspire us to move from understanding our inter- ourselves.
connectedness to the goal of sustained action to
alleviate the suffering of all living things to whom we On one hand Buddhism teaches that we are all inter
are connected, including the planet. Reaching the final connected to one another and therefore should have
goal of sustained action is one of the most important love and compassion; yet Buddhism also tells us to
messages in the book. Environmental problems are so be non-attached. Isn’t this a contradiction?
large that people are easily daunted. When we feel our
interconnections, giving up is not an option. I am asked this question frequently by my students
at the university where I am a Professor of Religious
A major problem in our interconnected world today Studies. To explore this seemingly contradictory
is environmental degradation. While this may not teachings, we must understand the foundational
be an issue during the Buddha’s time, are there Buddhist teaching of impermanence. that is, because
lessons from the Buddha’s teaching that can help us all things are made up of a myriad of conditions
overcome it? outside of themselves all things change; That is true
for individual as well as the relationships between