When he was just 10 years old, Tenzin Priyadarshi made a non-rational decision to become a Buddhist monk. He ran away from school and took a two-day train journey to one of the most sacred sites in the Buddhist tradition. 

“I arrived at this temple and I knocked on the door, and this wonderful monk opened the door. And without even me saying hello, he said, oh good, you're here, we were expecting you.”

Today, the venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi is an innovative thinker, philosopher, educator, and polymath monk. He’s also the president and CEO of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

But it hasn’t been a smooth journey from that initial foray into Buddhism to his current position. Having finally persuaded his parents to let him follow this spiritual path, he then spent 18 years convincing them to meet the Dalai Lama. 

“He has cultivated this compassionate presence that he doesn't even need to say anything. He just sits there, and you're basking in that presence, and it simply inspires you to become a better version of yourself.”

In this episode of Into the Magic Shop, Tenzin discusses what he learned from spending time with Mother Teresa and Guru Rinpoche, the distinction between rebirth and reincarnation, and how to cultivate a spiritual presence.

This is an enlightening episode in more ways than one, download and listen today. 

On today’s podcast:

• His journey to becoming a Buddhist monk
• The Dalai Lama’s influence on his parents
• The distinction between rebirth and reincarnation
• Why cultivating a spiritual presence is different from dogma