Interview: Ven. Karma Lekshe Tsomo

In conversation with Buddhist nun, scholar, and activist Ven. Karma Lekshe Tsomo, tracing her remarkable arc from surfing in 1950s Malibu to ordination under the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. On hitchhiking through Southeast Asia, surf contests in 1960s Japan, Zen and copying the Heart Sutra. On women’s traditions within Buddhist orders, surfing as meditation. On Vipassana, near fatal snake bites, to living with 348 percepts. On navigating the importance of ethics, on consciousness, a critique of secular mindfulness commodification. The importance of debate within Buddhism. On being kind, on Dharamsala, on grief and death, on supernormal powers, advice for finding a teacher, on comparative philosophy, on the current discourse revolving the struggle for Tibet. On the Holiness the Dalai Lama, on perseverance, on the listening to birds, on the current moment. On insight, on death, on the importance of ultimately living for others.

Excerpts

On Surfing

I found surfing quite spiritual because, you're alone out in the ocean. It's quiet. You get a totally different perspective on life because you're not one of the little ants running around. You've got a sort of meta view of human society, which is, quite instructive.

On Peace and Love

I'm still trying to figure that out. Especially in the current climate. How do you account for that? It seemed to me that peace and love were the answer and that everyone. If everyone were full of peace and love, then we would have a happy world. And so why? And then, of course, Buddhism was very helpful because it pointed out that it's our self cherishing, it's our obsession with our ourself that messes everything up.

People are struggling, clawing and scraping to get their own advantage. And of course, that interferes with all their relationships and destroys their personal happiness. And very few people really figure it out.

On Freedom

And when one of the monks cut my hair, it was the most freeing experience of my life. I saw my hair drop into my lap and I thought, whoa, free at last.

On the Dangers of Mindfulness without Ethics

You can kill someone very mindfully. You can rob a bank very mindfully. If you don't have any ethical foundations for your mindfulness practice, it can go all wrong.

On Action

Belief is cheap. You can say anything you want and even some of the greatest religious leaders have had doubts apparently, including up to and including Mother Teresa.

But how do we live our lives? That's the important thing.

How do we try to create happiness for ourselves and others?

How do we avoid harming ourselves and others?

These are the questions that Buddhism takes up.

On Supernormal Powers and Ethical Conduct

Super normal powers are no surprise if we train our minds well. Our minds are capable of so much more than we credit them for.

These are not the aim of Buddhist practice, but they are, there are many records legends and also texts that document attainments. The descriptions of supernormal powers occur in the very earliest strata.

On Reality

We take things to exist as they appear, but we all know that's false.

It's an illusion, this desk, it looks so solid. One match it's history, right? It's toast. So the Buddhists are very good at questioning the question, things like appearance and reality.

On Awareness

Consciousness is a string of conscious moments, from the moment of conception, it's only one moment back to the last moment of our previous lifetime. If we meditate we can track it back.

Every moment is precious. Listen to the birds - remember that human life is impermanent. That our time on this precious planet is limited.

That every moment is precious and we should do, try to make the most not waste even a moment. We can gain insight, awakening in this present moment.

Time Stamps

00:00 Introduction to Consciousness and Meditation
01:10 A Personal Journey into Buddhism
02:39 Early Encounters with Zen and Surfing
07:20 Exploring Buddhism in Asia
25:16 The Path to Ordination
31:38 Finding Teachers and the Tibetan Tradition
34:59 Advice on Choosing a Teacher
37:19 The Importance of Choosing the Right Teacher
38:41 Navigating Political and Cultural Challenges
39:45 The Ongoing Struggle for Tibetan Freedom
41:52 Balancing Political and Spiritual Perseverance
44:20 Western vs. Eastern Buddhism
48:59 Gender Disparities and Feminism in Buddhism
56:06 The Role of Mindfulness and The Importance of Ethical Foundations
01:00:31 Belief Systems and the Concept of God in Buddhism
01:04:33 Supporting Buddhist Nonprofits and Education
01:07:23 Supernormal Powers and Ethical Conduct
01:12:18 Final Reflections and Advice

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About Ven. Karma Lekshe Tsomo

Karma Lekshe Tsomo is a Buddhist nun, scholar, and activist. She has been a professor at the University of San Diego (USD) since 2000, teaching topics like Buddhism, World Religions, and Dying, Death, and Social Justice.

She co-founded the Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women (Sakyadhiata means daughters of Buddha) and is the founding director of the Jamyang Foundation, which supports the education of women and girls in areas of the Himalayas, Bangladesh, and elsewhere.

After studying at Dharamasala for 15 years, Dr. Tsomo completed her postgraduate work at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, obtaining a PhD in Comparative Philosophy in 2000. She has published in topics including women in Buddhism, death and dying, Buddhist philosophy, and Buddhist ethics.

Links

Jamyang Foundation

Sakyadhita

Photo Credit: Sakyadhita International Association