A group of Tibetan monks is on tour across America to share their teachings, meditation and other practices with a goal to help others achieve happiness through a simple lifestyle.
“As a human being, we've been chasing for many, many years, how we can be able to get the help and support for material things,” said Geshe Tenzin Lekshey, one of the monks on the tour. “But the thing is, what we are really losing is how you can use your mind to be able to achieve many things.”
This month, the monks have been based in Aspen, spreading a message of compassion and simplicity with near-daily events. Aspen Tibet, a nonprofit that aims to preserve and share Tibetan traditions and culture, has helped coordinate the visit. The monks have a few more events on the calendar before they depart on Saturday, with a schedule posted at aspentibet.com.
Reporter Kaya Williams spoke with Geshe Tenzin Lekshey after the monks performed a chant outside the Red Brick Center for the Arts in late June. This audio postcard includes sound recorded by community engagement producer James Bars.
Geshe Tenzin Lekshey: I was born to be a monk, and to serve in [a] monastery and live a monk life.
We are living a very simple life, with all those high qualities of achievement so that you won't waste the precious human life that we have with all those freedoms and enrichment.
We spread the message of compassion. And we teach and guide the people of America, to how you can use your own mind internally, to [be] able to achieve happiness so that you don't have to depend on the materialistic things and the external things.
Just only having awareness inside your mind and being yourself — you can really go through all those kinds of accomplishments of many different [kinds of] happiness that you never know of.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
