Green Mountain Outlook

Springfield — History and fate are full of twists and turns, and there’s no better example than the inspiring life of Tibetan Lama Pema Wangdak. This quiet holy man also has a Vermont connection, so the twists and turns brought his spiritual footsteps back to Springfield.

The lama returned to Springfield’s Studio Time and Space last weekend. The visit was part of a mission to the west the lama embarked on beginning in 1982.

The holy man is the first of a new generation of Tibetan teachers teaching in America from the ancient Buddhist Sakya School. Starting at a young age, Pema has been guiding western students in Buddhist practices for nearly three decades.

According to Tom Lauritsen, of Springfield, who with his wife Kathleen have arranged the special visit, Lama Pema escaped Tibet with his parents in 1959, the only child among his siblings to survive the relocation to India.

“Nearly 30 years ago his teacher, the head of the Sakya lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, sent Lama Pema to New York to lead and instruct the Sakya community in the Northeast United States,” Lauritsen said.” Having spent half of his lifetime within the Tibetan culture, and half within the American culture, his combined experience presents a rare view into the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. His style of teaching is readily accessible to newcomers, and is highly valued by experienced meditators.”

Starting in the morning and lasting until early afternoon, the holy man conducted a quiet meditation session at Studio Time and Space.

“New meditators and longtime practitioners attended,” according to Lauritsen.

After a lunch break, the lama discussed the nature of the human mind and include words about a revered, 1,000-year-old Buddhist text by Shantideva known as “The Bhodisattva’s Way of Life”.

“This ancient text is appreciated by Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike for its scholastic precision, spiritual depth, and poetic beauty,” Lauritsen said.

The lama will continue his tour of the northeast, as part of the Vikramasila Foundation which he founded in 1989, according to Lauristen. The lama’s ongoing spiritual trek include visits to New York City, Woodstock, N.Y., Philmont, N.Y., Cresskill, N.J., and Dayton. Ohio.