Is time speeding up? It seems so as we fill our lives with so many “labor saving” devices. The 21st century mantra could very well be: There isn’t enough time. Lama Surya Das warns us, “The lesson here is not how we can get up earlier or stay up later, or make more time, but how we can reclaim, reframe, and own time.” He shares many gems of wisdom, such as: “Right driving–When you’re driving your car, you don’t get there any faster by being where you’re not” and “Nowness is the ultimate therapy.” In this dialogue we explore how we can free ourselves from the tyranny of time, as we step out of the fast lane on to the off ramp, in order to enjoy a saner and more balanced relationship with time. (hosted by Justine Willis Toms)
Bio
Lama Surya Das, a renowned Western Buddhist meditation teacher and scholar, teaches and lectures around the world, conducting dozens of meditation retreats and workshops each year. He is the founder and spiritual director of the Dzogchen Foundation and founder of the Western Buddhist Teachers Network.
He is the author of many books, including:
- Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World (Broadway 1997)
- Buddha Is as Buddha Does: The Ten Original Practices for Enlightened Living (HarperOne 2008)
- Buddha Standard Time: Awakening to the Infinite Possibilities of Now (HarperOne 2011)
To learn more about the work and retreats of Lama Surya Das go to www.surya.org.
Topics Explored in This Dialogue
- How awareness is the alpha and omega of spiritual life
- How the fourth dimension of time is the now, beyond past, present, and future
- How the now is always present like the sun
- Why hugging and walking the dog is a natural meditation
- How time is and is not actually speeding up
- How is time cyclical and not linear
- How “nowness” is the ultimate therapy
Host: Justine Willis Toms Interview Date: 6/20/2011 Program Number: 3407