Lama Surya Das, whom the Dalai Lama affectionately calls the “American lama”, has spent over forty years studying with the great spiritual masters of Asia. He is an authorized lama in the Tibetan Buddhist order and the founder of the Dzogchen Center. Surya Das is the author of the international bestseller Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World and twelve other books, including his latest release, Buddha Standard Time: Awakening to the Infinite Possibilities of Now. His blog “Ask the Lama” can be found at askthelama.com. To see Surya's lecture and retreat schedule please visit surya.org.
Other Books:
Buddha Is as Buddha Does: The Ten Original Practices for Enlightened Living
Letting Go of the Person You Used to Be: Lessons on Change, Loss, and Spiritual Transformation
Awakening to the Sacred: Creating a Personal Spiritual Life
Awakening the Buddha Within: Eight Steps to Enlightenment
Awakening the Buddhist Heart: Integrating Love, Meaning, and Connection into Every Part of Your Life
The Snow Lion's Turquoise Mane
Natural Radiance: Awakening to Your Great Perfection
Natural Meditation: A Tibetan Buddhist Practice for Clearing the Mind and Opening to Effortless Awarness
The Big Questions: How to Find Your Own Answers to Life's Essential Mysteries
Transcript of this interview
Interview recorded 1/5/2013
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Lama Surya Das on Buddha at the Gas Pump
00:02:41 - From Drugs to Meditation, A Journey of Transformation
00:05:33 - Importance of Enlightenment
00:07:52 - The Meaning of Enlightenment
00:11:04 - Being There While Getting There: The Path to Enlightenment
00:14:25 - The Four Steps on the Path to Enlightenment
00:17:50 - The Powers of Enlightenment
00:20:57 - The Importance of Clear Understanding in Spiritual Engagement
00:24:08 - The Names of God and the Spectrum of Wisdom
00:27:26 - Swooping Down and Climbing Up
00:30:46 - The Inner Light and Ultimate Reality
00:34:07 - Swoopers and Climbers
00:37:04 - The Balancing Act of Life in Duality
00:39:58 - Cultivating a Sane, Mindful, Unselfish Life
00:43:25 - Cultivating Mindful and Ethical Relationships
00:46:11 - Mindfulness and Meditation in Schools and Prisons
00:49:28 - Integrating Eastern Thought Traditions into Daily Life
00:53:31 - Building Blocks of a Spiritual Life
00:57:04 - Enlightenment through Sweeping
01:00:00 - Buddha's Perspective on God
01:02:22 - Buddha's Enlightenment and the Concept of God
01:04:17 - Hinduism and the Concept of God
01:06:06 - The Presence of God in Buddhism
01:08:25 - God's Transparent Eyeball and Cosmic Consciousness
01:10:04 - The Inner Power in Buddhism
01:11:31 - The State of Consciousness
01:13:04 - The Journey of Enlightenment
01:14:25 - Finding Freedom in Imprisonment
01:16:12 - Harmony in the Slum
01:17:34 - Details about BatGap.com
01:19:35 - Lamp of Enlightenment