To begin, anyone who knows me or has read many of the posts on this blog understands that I have the greatest respect for His Holiness the Dali Lama. I hope that what I say here will not be considered disrespectful, even though it goes against some people’s belief that His Holiness has reached a state of enlightenment that is not influenced by money.
Ever since the Dali Lama established Tibet’s government in exile in the beautiful town of Dharamsala, in a valley at the foot of the Dhauladhar Mountains, one of his greatest supporters has been Analjit Singh, a billionaire who is one of the richest men in India. He is the former head of Max India, a corporation with extensive interests in health insurance, health care and senior living facilities. It costs a lot of money to run any kind of government, so Mr. Singh’s financial assistance has certainly been appreciated.
Dali Lama speaking at Vana, April 6 2016 (photo originally from dalilama.com)
Analjit Singh is from the area around Dehradun, a town in another lovely valley that is at the foot of the Himalayas. His son, Veer Singh (who spends a lot of time here in Colorado – in Aspen, to be more precise), has recently developed the family’s 21-acre Dehradun estate into a wellness and retreat center called Vana. The center is designed for an elite clientele. With rooms starting at 25,000 Rupees per night ( a little less than US$400), and a minimum stay of five nights, plus extras, even the bare minimum stay, with no spa services, would cost more than the annual income of the average Indian (about 100,000 Rupees per year). A retreat there may well be worth the cost. The staff includes practitioners of Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, yoga, Reiki and traditional Tibetan medicine (courtesy of the the initial graduates of the Men-Tsee-Khang Institute that was established by the Dali Lama).
Well, Veer Singh decided that it would be nice for the Dali Lama to come by and talk with a few hundred of his close friends and associates. When that request was made, His Holiness quickly accepted. He was going to New Delhi, anyway, and Dehradun is not that far out of the way. He spent most of the day there last week, on April 6, 2016, and gave a talk in which, among other things, he discussed modern education, which he said is inadequate. Here is a partial quote:
I believe that thinking only of your own comfort and peace to the neglect of other troubles in the world is immoral. The time has come for us to consider seriously how to change our way of life, not through prayer or religious teaching, but through education. Since moral education can sometimes be merely superficial, we need to devise a systematic approach to exploring inner values and ways to create a more peaceful world. This involves thinking about the future and although I will not live to see the happier world that may come about, if those young people who belong to the 21st century generation make the effort they may create a happier world and ensure that this century is a more peaceful era.
I certainly agree with that.
Of course, the Dali Lama’s arrival in Dehradun was a major event. The road from the heliport where he parked his whirlybird to Vana was lined with Buddhist monks and nuns and just regular folks hoping to catch a glimpse as he went by. One of the people standing there by the road was my son, Michael.
Michael is now in India and is helping to bring the Dali Lama’s vision of moral education to fruition. He is working at the Sakya Centre, where he teaches English to Tibetan children and teaches Tibetan Buddhist monks on the faculty how to be more effective teachers. The Sakya Centre school was established by His Holiness Sakya Trizin, the head of the Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism. The Sakya School is older than the Gelug School, of which the Dali Lama is a member, though both schools are known for their attention to scholarship. The Sakya Centre was established in 1964 after Sakya Trizin fled from the Chinese in Tibet. The education offered is essentially a traditional Tibetan monastic curriculum combined with matters needed to function in the modern world – like English.
Now, for doing this good work Michael is paid a basic Indian wage that amounts to about $100 per month, plus an apartment in which he is living. My wife and I have told him that he should consider going on the internet and seeking “crowd funding” since he is basically doing charitable work. The point here, however, is that his impecuniousness eliminated him from the group invited to Vana to rub shoulders with the Dali Lama. (I don’t really understand Pinterest, but there is a nice picture of the Dali Lama with Analjit Singh and Veer Singh here: Dali Lama and)
I have a little bit more money than Michael, and have pretty regularly donated to charities that benefit the Tibetan people. I do not believe, though, that the $50 I sent in earlier this year is enough support that the Dali Lama would feel compelled to accept an invitation to come and talk with a group of my friends. I don’t even think that Veer Singh would stop to say hello on his way to Aspen.
Now I am not saying that anyone I have spoken about is any better or worse or more or less holy than anyone else. The support the Singhs have provided to the Tibetan people has been well used. The Dali Lama is an international treasure. The concept behind Vana seems worthwhile. Sakya Trizen seems to be a genuinely holy man. Michael and his fellow teachers are performing a worthwhile service.
All that I am saying – and this probably will not surprise any of you readers – is that we still live in a material world where having money confers privileges. That’s life – here in the material world.
Hey Bob,
I would keep the monet. Art on the walls does not take up “space” really. You’ll be happy you did. Just my two cents.
Hi Amy. Bob here.
If we locate the domicile we want it will be under 300 sq. ft. total and on wheels, but that’s still more than the smaller tiny homes, some of them at least. A 16′ x 8′ TH with a 5′ x 8′ loft only adds up to 168 total sq. ft. – so on that scale we’re large-livin’ space hogs.
We too read labels and buy organic, and are probably about as refined as we’re going to get (read: about as refined as someone can get who is old, seen a lot, loosened up, and is OK with living on wheels.) I will say that as we submit ourselves to the status of those who qualify as “tornado bait” we do so consciously, and if that should come up we will make a merry run for it.
If there is justice in the world and it turns out to be our destiny to be cycloned to Oz, it would be great if it turned out that Oz was a Chinese province so that all the made-in-China crap we haven’t been able to avoid buying and decide to keep will be returned to the place which perpetrated it on us in the first place. Then, if we make it that far, we will make a break for Tibet and go visit Michael.
BTW – the bird bath probably would have got us as well. We’re suckers for pretty glass, especially the cheap stuff – as our garage sale proves. It’s all in the eyes of the beholder, right? I have a nicely framed reproduction of an impressionist painting of purple poppies by Claude Monet that I am really, really fond of. It hangs in the LR where I see it every day, and I’ve never gotten tired of it. But I have decided that if it comes down to one or the other I am going to keep our three Mary Engelbright teacups and saucers and let the Monet go. So that’s how we roll.
Well, almost. Actually the Monet “sparks joy” in me, so I am at worst storing it, and hoping to find a place to put it in our new home, even if it’s on the ceiling.
Hey! That’s a good idea! Off to look at pictures to see if there’s a ceiling space that big…
I so love coming here and reading the conversations. 🙂 You guys are awesome.
I love what Bernie is doing this year. I love that he is bucking this whole messed up political system by getting money from us “normal US citizens” and not the wealthy ones that have an agenda for his campaign. Yes, I guess that I have an agenda too. I have an agenda that our system should be more fair and that all races should be treated fairly, regardless of how much money is in the bank. I really hope he wins and I do not see it as a pipe dream that he could.
I am a tiny house dreamer, Bob, but haven’t taken the plunge yet. We currently live in a home that is 670 square feet and sometimes we are swimming in too much stuff. I am afraid if we get a tiny house, we will be like a miniature version of the hoarders. I like having both a food processor AND a blender, thankyouverymuch. But we only have 4 glasses. When company comes over, I give them a coffee cup sometimes for their drink, depending on the state of the dishes. Eric and I love our kitchen toys but clearly we don’t care very much about glasses.
Recently, I saw a documentary about China. Yes, this is a tangent, but a relevant one… it made me start to question what I am buying. I don’t typically buy much (going back to the 670 sq. ft comment) and yesterday I bought a pretty glass dish for a bird bath. I got it home and looked at the label…. doh. Made in China. Should I return it? Earlier, in that same store, I was looking to replace my gardening gloves with prettier, more comfortable ones and not one pair was made in the USA so I just didn’t buy any. (I could save a lot of money doing this…) I just got distracted by the pretty bird bath and forgot that I was not buying crap from China. To me, buying has become a sort of meditation. Can I get through the ENTIRE store without buying anything made outside the USA? (Good luck on that one!) Can I remember my reusable bags at the grocery store? (I mostly do these days…) Can I remember to buy organic and look at the label to be sure that I am not eating any chemical crap? Anyways, its a constant state of refinement.
Purists. What you gonna do? Ann took it to the limit, and I suspect the rewards earned are out there, too – what I would call a really great return on investment.
We’re of a similar ilk, with a bit of moderation – but only relatively speaking. Most folks wouldn’t even think about what we’re doing if the feedback we’ve been getting is any indicator. We too will rely on the kindness of strangers even while maintaining a somewhat independent lifestyle.
We do have a preference for indoor plumbing, believing that the toilet and hot water tap represent the apex of human technological achievement – at least from a practical point of view. And I am at this very instant using a new laptop which will keep us tethered to the tech world. So in comparison to Ann we are wimps. That being said, it’s still an adventure with challenges for us – and we’re goin’ for it.
It’s hard to type on this dang laptop keyboard. Some of the keys are in the wrong place!
I was curious, so I looked this up and read on the Dalai Lama’s scheduling page that he usually offers his events free in India and charges at locations outside of India, but requests that the costs are only to cover the host’s expenses to get him there, marketing, etc. Perhaps this has changed or this is a one-off?
I am watching House of Cards with my husband on Netflix right now and the politics that is possible for people to get what they want is both scary and intimidating. I can imagine that even people like the Dalai Lama get caught up in this sort of thing sometimes, however unwillingly. Sometimes requests look innocent enough and the repercussions of these decisions is not thought out fully. In the end, he’s just a man.
I have often thought it impressive how the Indian culture is so good about taking care of their monks. Way better than we are. It is built into the fiber of their culture. I saw a documentary once of this one monastery that feeds thousands of people. Volunteers come from all over to help and it just happens. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2013/11/pictures-kitchen-feeds-100000-daily-20131117124238293396.html
Pretty amazing stuff.
I am also impressed by your son and his work. That is really something to commit your life to helping people in another part of the world to be successful. In my book, that alone should get him a ticket!
Initially I should point out that like many of my opinions, what I have written is not necessarily influenced by facts. Up until last month I could not have found Dehradun on a map – though I could usually find India. I do not believe that the Dalai Lama charged anything for his talk at Vana. However, I do believe that many of the wealthy guests that participated in that event did contribute to provide assistance to charities that will help the Tibetan people. And, I believe that is a good thing.
The Tibetan people certainly need help. For centuries the vast majority of them were oppressed by their own rulers. Then they had to either risk the consequences of remaining in their homes under the oppression of the Chinese or leaving to become refugees in India and elsewhere. It has been difficult for them and I wish them nothing but the best.
For more than half a century the Dalai Lama has been the face and emblem that the Tibetan people present to the world. He has been a wise political leader and an inspirational religious leader. He has also become one of the most successful fundraisers anywhere.
You mention the Dalai Lama getting caught up in politics, and that certainly has occurred. I don’t want to even conjecture about the millions of dollars he received in the early days from the CIA or what became of the 60 tons of gold, silver and precious jewels he supposedly brought with him to India. Those are, in the end, political issues that I think are behind him and us. It seems that in his leadership of the government of Tibet in exile he has adhered to the Buddhist Middle Way, which is commendable.
What I was really trying to convey (though I didn’t do it very well) is that wealth is very important in a material world and that wealth is a prime contributor to the stratification of societies. Certainly, Old Tibet was stratified with the religious leaders living a life of luxury while the vast majority of the population was barely able to eke out a living. India, of course, has historically had a strict caste system. You can look at European nobles and American titans of industry and the disparity between the Hawaiian ali’i and the commoners and many other examples. Sometimes I just feel like making a comment about that aspect of society.
Again, though, I am not saying it is bad to be wealthy. I understand that the Singh family, for example, has provided assistance to many needy people through their personal generosity and the Max India Foundation. A few years ago when Warren Buffet and Bill Gates made headlines for suggesting that the world’s richest people should be enthusiastically philanthropic, it was reported that Analjit Singh was one of the first billionaires to meet with them to promote the idea.
Still, in the end, I wish that my son would be able to earn a little bit of money while he is helping to teach these students who really need the education. I guess that is a bit like the bumper sticker that says the world will be moving in the right direction when schools have all the money they need to educate the children and generals have to hold bake sales to fund a new bomber.
That’d be quite a bake sale, one I’d probably only be able to browse at.
$564 million for a cupcake (Northrop’s guesstimate for the new Long-Range Strike Bomber) plus another 200 million for sprinkles on top (cost over-runs) is a little rich for my blood. I’d definitely be able to throw a hundred bucks in the local schools garage sale, especially if it was for a former military-industrial complex hammer valued at a cost of $436 (see Ronald Reagan speeches, 1985.)
Money ain’t the problem. It’s just a bunch of inanimate totting-up markers that are used to denote the amount of human energy involved to produce something. The problem is the human social order, which sinks to the lowest common denominator when deciding the order of the value of things. Value problems are related to morality and consciousness of what is virtuous and what is not. Inside the continuum of the human experience virtue is often derailed by self interest. That’s the problem.
PS: Yes, it would be nice if Michael were to earn a little bit of money while he is helping to teach others. What is really great is what he is earning.
I was sitting out on the front porch a couple of days ago trying to divine my own future, trying to discern what problems might come up as we go on our next adventure and what resources we will have to meet them with. I suppose it started with the thought that somewhere out on that horizon our money could run out – we’re what you could call “humbly capitalized.”
What occurred to me – thanks to what I call the mystery – is that while money is always a necessary part of such considerations there are other resources we have acquired down through the years which needed to be added to the tally.
At the cost of acquiring more money in the past we earned enough good karma to have a decent amount to draw upon – although I hasten to add that karma doesn’t work that way, like some bank account you can draw upon. It’s just a way of looking at what we’ve done and how and why we did it, and what personal strengths were developed and what mysterious alignments and positive energies have manifested in our lives as a result. We can definitely count on all that as a very real resource that will help us meet the problems of our future.
And Michael can count on the same thing because of what he’s doing, and how and why he’s doing it. He’s earning a huge stash of riches right now.
As for us, selling out everything and going on the road has earned us admiration from some folks and the pity of others who think we are fools and will “lose everything.” Well, in our case we can’t lose everything. We could end up broke, but we’ll always be who we are – folks who can bloom where they’re planted and do what needs to be done in order to be happy. And have a little fun and see some beautiful things along the way.
When I was done thinking about it, the final tally reflected one of our refrigerator magnets. It says,
“Ever notice that what the hell is always the right decision?”
I suspect that part of the way that others look at your coming adventure depends on their view of karma. Is it merely recognizing that what goes around comes around? Is it only based on this life, or do we have to assume and include former lifetimes? Could it simply be a type of chameleon? Does anyone even remember Boy George?
It doesn’t matter. Instead, let me tell you about a lady named Ann Sieben. Perhaps you have heard of her. I only did because she was in Denver back in November. She is another who decided she didn’t need a house or a large bank account or any of those things. She got rid of all her stuff and hit the road. She didn’t even take an RV, or any kind of motor vehicle. She became a pilgrim, travelling on foot with all her belongings in a backpack, and having no money whatever. She was in Denver to begin a pilgrimage to a shrine in Quebec, and she reached that shrine on Easter Sunday. She has done longer and more dangerous pilgrimages, including going from Northern Spain to Jerusalem across North Africa (which means Libya and Egypt and Syria and places like that) and from Buenos Aries to Mexico City (where, among other things, she encountered armed men in the jungle) and from Denver to Mexico City. She doesn’t even have a cell phone, she just depends on the kindness of strangers – even beyond what you would expect of Blanche DuBois. She writes about some of her experiences on a blog called winterpilgrim. She would probably feel that you are planning to live a life of luxury.
She would also probably not be jealous because there are other ways than money to measure energy.
I agree, Louis. “…a beneficial use of material goods…such good works by the wealthy should be recognized and even rewarded.” That’s a good perspective to have inside the material continuum. And good luck with Clyde. If you can get him through the eye of the needle and the straight narrow gate there’s a lot of rich people who’ll appreciate it a lot. Hmmm… let me think about that, appreciation doesn’t usually pay that much…
I got it! I think you could realize a better gain on the project if you sold shares ahead of time to venture capitalists to fund it. There are probably enough of them around who could use the reassurance and would invest handsomely on the chance of having it. 😉
Do you happen to know any of those venture capitalists?
The privileges and ascribed status human beings tend to extend to wealth and acquired material, whether they are acquired nobly and deservedly earned or obtained by ignoble means and lower consciousness, is a conundrum for the beholder. At least it is for this beholder.
I subscribe to the idea that belief creates the gods rather than the other way around. In the context here that means, basically, that what we come to believe about money and material acquisition has the potential to “materialize” as a very real god. Pun intended. Sorry. No, wait a minute. I’m rarely sorry about puns. I believe in them. Which probably means that somewhere in my cosmos there is a god of puns whose existence has been created and is sustained by my belief, and the belief of others.
Money becomes a god when people come to believe in it as such. Belief gives it power, so it becomes a powerful and necessary fact of life in the human world, a god whose attributes and powers are to be respected and feared and submitted to. It becomes institutionalized, and religionized. (That’s actually a word, religionized. I looked it up thinking I might have made it up, but by golly it’s a word. Found back in the mid 19th century…)
Sadly, as you note, it does confer more dispensations to a few of those who worship there, ironically often at the cost of the majority of fellow worshipers. Adherents to the belief often find themselves feeling unhappy because they don’t have enough, and sometimes that morphs into a value system which believes there is never enough no matter how much has been acquired.
It becomes a very tricky, confusing universe to live in when we create such gods. In the words of an acerbic quote from one of Robert B. Parker’s “Spenser” novels, when it comes to the gods of money and material acquisition (and other gods as well which are created by selfishness, greed, and fear and manifest themselves in unjust, violent and/or bizarre social behaviors involving exclusivity and privilege) “the ways of the Lord are often dark, but never pleasant.” When these beliefs become institutionalized in the human social order the results are indeed often dark and rarely pleasant over the long haul.
I reckon the bottom line is that in the social order things are what they are, as you observe. In the universe where so many believe that money talks with authority and commands attention and respect – in the minds and hearts where that belief creates such strange gods – it is a fact of life.
My universe is a bit bigger than that, and I think yours and Michael’s is, too. The dispensations and privileges we earn are not so material, but there are great rewards there. Of course the material world looks at such a condition as baffling or nonsensical. I’ll leave it there and end with another quote from another book by Robert B. Parker:
“You spend too much time reading, Spenser. You know more stuff that don’t make you money than anybody I know.”
Bob, your insights into god and mammon and the god of mammon and even the mammon of god (which counteracts the belief that there is never enough) are very interesting and there is little I can add. I don’t know the people who attended the Dali Lama’s talk at the retreat centre, but I assume most of them are among those who have materialized their material abundance. I assume, too, that most of them took the opportunity to make generous contributions to His Holiness for benefit of the Tibetan people. That seems a beneficial use of material goods. Such good works by the wealthy should be recognized and even rewarded. I need to start training my camel (I don’t actually have a camel yet, but if I did I would call him Clyde) to jump through the eye of a needle. That’s the least I can do, in addition to contributing a few bucks every now and then to a group like the International Campaign for Tibet (“ICT”)
Actually, Charity Navigator only gives ICT 2 stars out of 4, mostly because it spends more than 1/5 of all it receives for administrative and fundraising expenses. The money the Dali Lama raised at the retreat centre will probably be used more efficiently. All the more reason to start working on the needle jumping.