Carey Meyers
Introduction
The Tibetan House was created due to numerous individuals being inspired by the Dalai Lama’s visit to New Orleans in 2013 (“Tibetan House”). The Tibetan House is a unique experience of a Buddhist center created by Westerners that is not just dedicated to meditation for self-help, but encourages people from all walks of life to preserve a connection with the Dalai Lama. Th
e center also operates as a store for Tibetan artwork but promises that all proceeds go to helping nunneries/monasteries in Tibet or those in exile (“Tibetan House”). The existence of the Tibetan House speaks volumes of the charisma of the Dalai Lama and the insightfulness of his teachings.
Founders
The founders of Tibetan House are Gael Thompson and Diana Fisher. Gael Thompson was involved in the Dalai Lama’s visit to New Orleans as the coordinator of Community Outreach. She practices neurokinetic therapy, inner space techniques, as well as encourages meditation both privately and within the classroom. Diana Fisher was introduced to Tibetan Buddhism on a trip to Dharmasala and was also
impassioned to cofound the Tibetan House after the Dalai Lama’s visit (“Tibetan House”). Though both of these individuals had an interest in Buddhism it was his Holiness’ visit that inspired them to take action.
Communities Practices and Views
Though Tibetan House supports Tibet during its long plight under the Chinese government, its meditation emphasizes “a continuing connection to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama” (“Tibetan House”). Indeed, the mission of their classes is to strengthen this connection and better understand his message for us all.
Their meditation classes emphasize “the evolvement of awareness that leads to the silent knowing of yourself and beyond” (“Tibetan House”). According to Tibetan House, all philosophies of meditation are an exploration into the quietest parts within yourself. Their introductory level classes are called “Sitting in Stillness” and aspire to cause a shift in awareness that brings freedom, enthusiasm, serenity, reflection, and can awaken compassion (“Tibetan House”). Though this description starts to sound more similar to self-help meditation than Buddhism, the end goal of creating a connection with the Dalai Lama makes it more authentic. They also emphasize that meditation is cumulative which means that they prescribe to gradual awakening rather than instantaneous.
The Tibetan House’s November Newsletter portrays their dedication to the Dalai Lama by praising his actions for peace, non-violence, inter-religious understanding, mutual responsibility, and compassion. It further explains how the Dalai Lama is recognized as the rebirth of the Bodhisattva of Compassion and that Bodhisattvas are those enlightened beings who take rebirth in order to help all sentient beings achieve enlightenment. The Dalai Lama’s speech from a recent conference was transcribed for the followers of the Tibetan House to read in the newsletter. His Holiness focused on the connection between Buddhism and quantum physics, the oneness of humanity, peace of mind as the ultimate source of happiness and joyfulness, genuine love without attachment, and lowering carbon emissions (“November 2016 Newsletter”, 2016).
Buddhist Tradition
Tibetan House is linked to Tibetan Buddhism through the Dalai Lama as their inspiration and assistance to all of Tibet during Chinese occupation.
The Dalai Lama is part of the Gelugpa school. The Dalai Lama was given his title by the Mongols; it translates to “wisdom as vast as the ocean.” The position of the Dalai Lama has struggled numerous times throughout its history due to suspicious deaths and disagreements over lineage. The 13th Dalai Lama proclaimed Tibetan independence in 1913 after the collapse of the Qing Dynasty. The current Dalai Lama was born in 1935 and recognized at age two. He was raised in the Potala Palace and assumed control of Tibet in 1950 when it was occupied by Communist China. The Dalai Lama was forced to flee in 1959 and has received international
recognition as a political and religious leader. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his Five Point Peace Plan with China which asked for Tibetan autonomy rather than independence. In 2011, he stepped down as the head of the Tibetan government in exile and advocated for democracy. The Dalai Lama has become famous as he turned the plight of Tibet into an international cause and promoted Buddhism as a “religion of kindness”.
Relationship with other communities
The Tibetan House appears to have good relationships with other Buddhist communities and branches of Buddhism as they have invited Thich Thien Tri as a special guest from the Vietnamese Buddhist tradition to teach a course on meditation from the Zen perspective in their meditation center (“Tibetan House”). The Zen tradition is uniquely a Chinese Buddhist tradition that is correctly called Chan Buddhism. Zen is the special transmission outside of teachings that calls for sudden enlightenment. Therefore, the Zen tradition of sudden enlightenment practiced by Thich Thien Tri is contradictory to the beliefs of gradual enlightenment practiced by Tibetan House. Allowing teachers of different traditions speaks to the open-mindedness of Tibetan House and reiterates that their main focus is preserving a connection with the Dalai Lama rather than how one goes about doing so.
Conclusion
The Tibetan House is unusual as it cannot be described as insight meditation because of its strong emphasis on the Dalai Lama but it also does not speak clearly on its specific beliefs regarding different forms of awakening and meditation. However, it is safe to assume that they follow the Dalai Lama’s beliefs when it comes to such practices. Ultimately, it seems like Tibetan House is more concerned with following the Dalai Lama’s example of kindness, compassion, and peace than disputing over how to simply achieve enlightenment for its own sake. They seem to support that every person may chose a different way to connect with the Dalai Lama but it will ultimately require some introspection and meditation. Though some would dispute its authenticity when the Dalai Lama inspires Westerners, such as he did for those who founded Tibetan House, he goes great bounds in insuring a future for Buddhism.
Sources
“November 2016 Newsletter.” Tibetan House. Good Work, Nov. 2016. Web. 27 Nov. 2016.
Tibetan House. Good Work, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2016.