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tempt our desires. The shopping spree during
th
the 11 of Nov is a very good example. Greed is a Tibetan
vicious circle: you have many desires, and you want
to earn more money to fulfil more desires. When
you want to earn more money, there will be more Buddhism
competition; hence there will be more stress and
and Indian
suffering. Meditation can help reduce greed because
when our mind is focused and still, our desire for
sensory pleasures would decrease.
Yoga: Union of
Secondly, our minds are scattered and distracted.
Even I am not spared from this. For instance,
during Zoom meetings on the computer, I would Sun and Moon
sometimes instantly check my mobile phone
whenever a notification pops up. It is very common By Dr Lyudmila Klasanova
to have multiple devices distracting us these days.
Regardless of the distractions out there, we need Lyudmila holds a
to have a clear direction. I realized many youths bachelor’s degree in
today lack directions in life. It is very important to
Fine Arts from the
take some time to meditate every day. Therefore, we
Book and Printed
have organized several virtual meditation classes
Graphics Department
and online meditation retreats during the pandemic
of the National
and I believe these have helped many people. Those
Academy of Arts,
who have done meditation for a while are able to
Bulgaria, a master’s
return to the present moment and less likely to be
degree in East Asian
affected by adversity.
Studies, and a Ph.D. in Indian and Tibetan Culture
It is very challenging to attract more people into from Sofia University, Bulgaria. She teaches eastern
Zen meditation because people are so used to religions and cultures at the Sofia University “St.
sensory stimulations. Normally people who come Kliment Ohridski,” and as Buddhistdoor Global’s
and join the meditation classes are those who have East Europe Correspondent, she writes articles on
encountered problems in life. In fact, the COVID Buddhism. She is the author of the book Female
pandemic has been a ‘no good, no bad’ (as Master Figures in Buddhism of India and Tibet, published
Seung Sahn would always say: ‘everything is no in Bulgaria. Do You Want to Try? Yoga for Kids is
good, no bad’) situation, as it gives us a chance
her second book, inspired by her Bulgarian-Tibetan
to reflect and release ourselves from stress and
son Kalsang Yeshe and dedicated to her passion for
suffering. Our task is to use skilful means to attract
yoga and painting. The book consists of the author’s
people into the world of Zen. In 2020, we hosted
hand-painted illustrations and personally clicked
‘The Whole World Is a Single Flower International
photographs. In an interview with Lyudmila for
Zen Conference’, and from Oct 2021 – May 2022,
Eastern Horizon, Benny asked her about her
we organized ‘Zen Blooms Everywhere · Zenlog’
interests in Tibetan Buddhism, how she integrates
Best Original Vlog competition together with
her Dharma practice with her role as a lecturer,
‘Reminiscing Life with Zen’ Online Sharing Session
to encourage people to appreciate and capture the Buddhism in Bulgaria, and how she sees Yoga and
beauty and wisdom in their daily lives. EH Buddhism.