What began as a traditional Distinguished Lecture by Lama Ole Nydahl became a more informal affair when the lama lectured on the Terrace after a fire alarm forced an evacuation of the Wisconsin Union Theater Monday night.
Lama Nydahl, one of the few lamas in the Western world, discussed how Buddhism can be used in today's modern society.
Nydahl compared Buddhism to other organized religions and said the biggest difference is while Christianity and other religions focus mainly on the goal of keeping a society together, Buddhism concentrates on the full development of the mind. He also said in faith religions, people never become the god they worship, but Buddhism teaches them how to \become"" Buddha.
Nydahl said while Buddhism ""teaches,"" the most important thing students can do is question all information they receive from their teachers, as this is the only way to rise to the level of Buddha.
""I don't want followers, I want colleagues. I don't want my students to believe [what I teach them], I want them to know,"" Nydahl said during his lecture.
Nydahl's lecture also touched on how to best handle anger. He said avoiding anger is important for developing spiritual health, especially since 95 percent of the things that bother a person do not merit anger.
Nydahl fielded questions from the audience on topics ranging from what happens to the mind during death to his own reincarnation.
When asked if he would recommend taking bits and pieces from different religions, he said absolutely not, as this would be too confusing to be beneficial.
Students in attendance agreed that a visit from someone like Lama Nydahl is important for opening the eyes of people who would otherwise not be exposed to Buddhism.
""I'm just starting to learn about [Buddhism], so I don't know that much about it, but this definitely helped,"" UW-Madison freshman Laura Mueller said. ""I feel that he's knowledgeable and handled himself really well, especially during the questions [from the crowd].""
UW-Madison sophomore Erin Lowy said it was good for people to see a Buddhist like Nydahl, who is white, instead of someone from Tibet who would be thought of as more stereotypically Buddhist.
