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God
and Buddha: Raja and I attended a dialogue held at Tibet House New York in December 1999 between Robert Thurman and Deepak Chopra. They were to explore the ultimate harmonies and differences between Buddhism and Vedanta, the most universal concepts behind Hinduism. They described how both the Rishis, the ancient sages of India, and the Buddha, the Enlightened One, taught the way to freedom from suffering and also revealed their insights into the truth that lay behind all things. Hinduism believes that behind the cosmic veil, behind all the layers that form this illusion of the Universe, or Maya, lies a supreme intelligence called Brahman or God. The word Brahman comes from the root sound Brah - which means pure energy. That Intelligence is prevalent throughout the Universe in everything and is mainfest everywhere. Hinduism sets out that Brahman is also within each of us in the form of Atman or our souls, and that we are actually that which we seek. The pursuit of Hinduism is to go beyond the veil and realize that you and the creator are one and the same: Tat Tvam Asi - Thou art that. Buddhism is very similar in it's precepts but takes the further step that when we realize enlightenment, we find there is no God, no Brahman, just a superconscious self which is a universalized version of our own little self. The pursuit of Buddhism is to go from the small self to a realization of the Buddha self in each of us and then to realize that suffering and the pains of life are in our own interactions with the world and can be transcended through Buddha realization and the following of a prescribed path. The gathering at Tibet House was an impressive crowd of New York's most imminent and influential seekers and the atmosphere that evening was conducive to a spiritual conversation between two of the foremost thinkers in the west on Mind, Body and Spirit. The evening started out with both Chopra and Thurman taking 10 minutes each to outline the precepts of Vedanta and Buddhism. As the evening progressed Thurman expresses that Buddha was also a Vedantist in nature except that the language which described the transcendantal experience was the only real differentaitor between these two major schools of thought. At the end of it all, both paths agreed upon one fundamental thing, that the universe we observe around us is a creation of our minds, and that if we can work within any tradition to become universal in our thinking, then we will transcend all the limitations and sufferings of this reality and realize that our true nature is out there with the stars. Then we will look at each other with new eyes and the world will change as a result. As my first opportunity to see either of them, I was simultaneously pleased and also slightly disappointed by their interchange. Both were very charismatic, as you would imagine, but their manners varied to a wide extent, maybe reflecting the differences between the cultures. Deepak Chopra was extremely well prepared in presenting the fundamental qualities that characterize Vedanta as a magical projection of divine consciousness that we all share, not coincidentally because he had just written a book about this very subject. Then, Robert Thurman presented the Buddhism viewpoint that was highly idiosyncratic and humorous, but it seemed to me that he was less apt (or less interested) in presenting the fundamentals. He seemed to get enwrapped in his own stories and anecdotes rather than provide the missing (and necessary) half of the dialogue. Not that it was important that they go for contrast rather than the obvious similarities between the two major Indian religions, but there seemed a deference given by Thurman that was not reciprocated by Chopra. This potentially powerful interaction was a bit less potent than it could have been, although it was still a very valuable start. It was clear how fundamental both Vedanta and Buddhism are to understanding and liberating our being and our selves. Buddhism particularly teaches the total awareness of reality, awareness that embraces our ultimate oneness and our relative, or virtual individuality. When we know we are God, we connect to all beings through Buddhahood. Science and poetry meet in the mantra Ð OM MANI PADME HUM. "Love is the ultimate truth at the heart of creation. We are all the same being in different disguises. If I start to peel the layers of my soul, I begin to go beyond my constricted fabricated self and discover who I really am." Ð DEEPAK CHOPRA "It comes from India, the idea that we can know our way free from suffering. Our actual birthright as human beings is that we have the right to be in love with all beings, the entire universe, all the time. God means being in love with everything." Ð ROBERT THURMAN DEEPAK CHOPRA, a physician and expert in mind/body medicine, is the author of the recently published How To Know God, and numerous other best sellers, including The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Ageless Body Timeless Mind, Quantum Healing. You can visit Deepak Chopra on-line at http://www.chopra.com ROBERT THURMAN, Professor of Religion at Columbia University and a close associate of the Dalai Lama, is one of the foremost spokesmen for Buddhism and Tibet and is also the founder of Tibet House in New York.. His books include Inner Revolution, Circling the Sacred Mountain and a translation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead. You can visit Tibet House on-line at http://www.tibethouse.org/ The dialogue was a co-production of Tibet House New York and Mystic Fire Video. Produced and directed by Sheldon Rochlin, edited by Maxine Harris and Sheldon Rochlin. You can watch video clips of this dialogue or purchase the video that has just been released by going to Mystic Fire's Web site at http://www.mysticfire.com A T
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