Buddhists Urged to Make Religion Real Part Of Life

May 13, 2010

Author: Peter Smith

Source: The Courier-Journal

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100513/NEWS01/5130362/Buddhists+urged+to+make+religion+real+part+of+life

Hundreds of Buddhists on Thursday crowded around a Buddhist temple in a verdant field on the edge of this university town, most natives of Tibet or neighboring Mongolia who now live in the Midwest.

Then the dark skies suddenly opened, drenching participants wearing traditional clothing or modern T-shirts and jeans.

But no one was budging or complaining. They were eagerly awaiting a more intimate encounter with their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, after hearing 11/2 days of his teachings at Indiana University.

Soon they had their wish, crowding into every available space in the small temple, still soaked from the rain.

There the Dalai Lama urged them to learn and preserve their Buddhist traditions in their new world. Many held cameras or phones aloft, recording his every word on video.