Seated in front of an audience of students and faculty, enveloped in long burgundy robes, Lama Pema Wangdak spoke softly. "One of us cannot exist without all of us. You would not be standing on center stage without the audience in front of you. Artists must acknowledge that they would not be there without the people for whom they are performing. The key lies in whether or not you can make that audience impressed."

These and other ideas were discussed in a master class in Buddhism held on February 3 in Room 321. Co-sponsored by the Liberal Arts Department and Student Affairs Office, the lama's talk for the Juilliard community at large was an expansion of previous talks on a smaller scale the lama had given to Humanities I classes, beginning four years ago, at the invitation of liberal arts faculty member Jo Sarzotti. The event was scheduled to coincide with the Humanities I unit on The Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha.

Lama Pema Wangdak Photo by Ira Rosenblum

Born in western Tibet, Lama Pema has been a monk since the age of 7. He received his master's degree in Tibetan studies in India (where his family eventually settled after fleeing Tibet in 1959), before coming to the United States in the early 1980s. In 1989 he founded the Vikramasila Foundation of Tibetan Buddhist Studies and Meditation, based in New York City and Fairlawn, N.J. He was introduced to Jo Sarzotti nearly 15 years ago, when he taught her brother. "I first met Lama Pema in my brother's kitchen, cooking. My first impression of Buddhism was this image of nourishment, of nurturing," said Dr. Sarzotti as she introduced the lama to those who had gathered to hear him speak.

Lama Pema began by taking questions from the audience, which he used as a basis for his talk. With gentle humor and a very human sensibility, he described the basic principles of Buddhism, the foundation of which is wisdom and compassion. Wisdom is the possession of truth -- which can be found just as easily from an enemy as from a teacher. "A word spoken by an enemy should be respected as much as a teacher's word," said Lama Pema. But wisdom alone will not suffice; the heart must support it, and this is where compassion comes in. The unification of these two ideals allows an individual to best realize their dreams of happiness, he added.

One audience member raised the question of whether Buddhism qualifies as a religion or a philosophy. According to Lama Pema, either label is acceptable. "Religion" is a name given in the Western world, while many who practice it consider it simply a way of life.

The lama touched upon the topic of meditation, to be used as a key to mindfulness -- the way that we check our emotions, which often subvert logical thought. "Take five minutes sitting," he explained. "Look inside for a moment. See that there's only a body. This is a body of physical feeling and emotion." Through meditation, one can strive to cease the constant stream of thoughts that pervades our busy minds.

Lama Pema spoke extensively on the idea that no one person is any higher or more important than another. He used Albert Einstein as an illustration: "Einstein was very, very smart. But he was mortal. His knowledge was important but limited. The plumber, the man who cooked his food, the garbage collector were no less because they also are necessary."

When asked about the impending threat of U.S. war on Iraq, the lama was hesitant to offer a solution. "Buddhism was founded on one idea: there can be no Buddhism if there are no believers in non-violence. It is often called the 'religion of peace,'" he said. "This is not naive, nor softhearted. It is because there is no human, animal, or insect that does not like happiness. Everyone's actions are motivated by the desire to improve one's own situation. President Bush calls for war for security. Others say it is for peace. Some believe destroying can bring happiness. But we do not know the right answer.... We must meditate: Is war the answer? We only know because it is what we have: 'If it doesn't work in peace, let's go to war.' I believe that, if you came up with a very good idea about what to do in this situation, Bush would listen to you. He doesn't have the answer. I don't have the answer either." He urged us to think harder about how to achieve peace before resorting to war.

Response to the lama's visit was warm. Despite limited time and some difficulty hearing him, the speaker and his subject matter captivated listeners. Art history teacher Greta Berman observed, "He seemed very down to earth -- not at all like you would think of a priest or a preacher or anyone who was telling us how things should be. He had a wonderful, almost paradoxical combination of being very much at peace with himself yet being almost feisty." Said first-year dance student Austin McCormick, "The idea that you are never the same, that the self changes from day to day, really rang true for me." Another first-year dance student, Davon Rainey, commented, "I loved the part where he spoke about being in the moment, really staying in the present. That has stayed with me."

Laura Mead is first-year dance student.