It was pure coincidence that on one of the smoggiest mornings of the season, Friday 3rd November ‘23, there was a talk on ‘The environmental crisis- seen through a Buddhist lens’ by Venerable Tenzin Namjong in Shikshantar organised for the school community. Namjong La, spent his growing up years in Hawaii, went to Princeton for higher studies but became disillusioned with academic philosophy because “it seemed to have lost the big picture, meaning how we should live our lives.” In Buddhism, he found a rich philosophical tradition that was still very much connected to how we ought to live.
Namjong La began his session by lighting a diya to dispel all darkness, real and metaphorical. He then prostrated in front of his ‘gurus’ a practice that symbolises a humble and modest mind. The tone for the evening was set by a request from Minoti Didi to teach( a Buddhist practice), and meditation for all.
Venerable moved to the topic of environment by recalling his childhood and the habit of collecting 5 pieces of trash, a habit ingrained in his school.That simple assignment made him respectful and actionable towards his surroundings rather than an onlooker of the problem.
Talking about Buddha’s teaching of the 4 noble truths,Venerable Namjong showed us a mirror to the acts of insatiability and dissatisfaction which he stressed were other words for ‘suffering’.
Venerable Namjong stressed on the need to be conscious of our actions and keep the larger picture in mind at all times. All our acts related to our everyday life should arise from an awareness - which gives inner happiness and peace. Being able to identify the sources of ‘inner happiness’ as against ‘external joy’ is the key to contentment. When we take small actions, such as collecting 5 pieces of trash everyday, it not only gives us satisfaction but is also impactful towards society.
Listening to the thoughts and questions coming from parents and facilitators around paradoxes such as being selfless and ambitious; being compassionate and yet competitive he opened the discussion leading us to understand that ultimately the path should be to become a better version of ourselves and look inwards rather than looking at ‘external forces’ for competition or ambition.
When asked to share the link between all-pervasive suffering, freedom and happiness by Minoti Didi, Venerable Namjong simply elaborated on ‘technical’ terms like ‘samsara’, ‘karma’ and ‘death’.The underlying message was that a life lived in the conscious practice of compassion and integrity, in every small moment, was the only way forward.