Episode 89: The Joy of Awakening with Drupon Lama Dorje & Carolina Putnam

This episode features Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher Drupon Lama Dorje, and his assistant and translator Carolina Putnam, in an exploration of the Buddhist teachings on mindfulness and self-cultivation, as well as the role of art and creativity in Buddhism and everyday life. Lama Dorje became a Buddhist monk at the age of five, completed extensive training in Buddhist studies and meditation, and now teaches all over the world, primarily in Central and South America. Carolina Putnam is the Executive Director of the Lama Dorje Foundation and of Dewachen, Lama’s retreat center in Costa Rica. This episode is in both English and Spanish, as Spanish is Lama Dorje’s primary teaching language, with Carolina providing translations. 

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, Lama Dorje encourages us to cultivate a daily practice of mindfulness and gratitude in order to work with our minds and ultimately to be of benefit to others and to society. 

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 68: Wonders of Creation with Dr. Ladan Akbarnia, Episode 85: Living a Spiritual Life with Wisdom Pathways Co-Founders Jenny Fairbank and Steven Ross, and Episode 87: Dreams and Creativity with Musician, Poet & Psychotherapist Linus Streckfus.

At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals. We also offer resources, creative process tools, and coaching, including a monthly creativity coaching group, to help you bring your work to the world. You can find more information on our website. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube under Syncreate. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review! We’d love to hear your feedback on the show as well, so drop us a line at info@syncreate.org. 

Episode-specific hyperlinks: 

Lama Dorje Foundation Website

Lama Dorje’s Mantras on Spotify

Lama Dorje Foundation YouTube Channel

Show / permanent hyperlinks: 

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate LinkedIn

Syncreate YouTube

Melinda Rothouse Website

Austin Writing Coach

Melinda Joy Music Website

Transcript

Melinda: Creativity and community are absolutely vital in challenging times. Welcome to Syncreate, a show where we explore the intersections between creativity, psychology and spirituality. We believe everyone has the capacity to create. Our goal is to demystify the process and expand the boundaries of what it means to be creative. We talk with visionaries and changemakers, and everyday creatives working in a wide range of fields and media - from the arts to science, business and technology.

We aim to illuminate the creative process, from imagination to innovation and everything in between. I'm Melinda Rothouse and I help individuals and organizations bring their dreams and visions to life. At Syncreate, we’re here to support your creative endeavors. So if you have an idea for a project, whether a creative project, an entrepreneurial venture, or just something you've been wanting to bring to life and bring out into the world, reach out to us at syncreate.org.

Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your goals. We also offer resources, creative process tools and coaching, including a monthly coaching group that happens the last Sunday of every month, to help you bring your work to the world. So, check out the website for more information. 

So, my guests today, I'm very delighted to have Drupon Lama Dorje and Carolina Putnam. Lama Dorje is a Buddhist monk, meditation teacher, and retreat master in the Drikung Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He was born in a small village in the Himalayas, and became a monk at the age of five. And he's been studying ever since, and deeply immersed in the Buddhist teachings. I want to share with you a little bit of his vision for his teachings: 

Lama Dorje’s vision is to awaken the consciousness of all beings, unite all cultures in global peace, and regenerate our home, the Earth, by expanding the altruistic actions of unconditional love, compassion, joy, and equanimity for the sake of all that live. 

Lama Dorje currently teaches in South and Central America, primarily from his base at Dewachen Retreat Center in Costa Rica, and he leads retreats all over the world. He is also an author of several books, and he's released several albums of traditional Tibetan Buddhist mantras, which you can find on Spotify. Carolina Putnam is director of the Lama Dorje Foundation and the director of the Dewachen Retreat Center in Costa Rica. 

She travels the world with Lama Dorje as his translator and assistant. She has a degree in cultural anthropology, and she's the founder of Reviveolution, a nonprofit in Peru. She has worked with indigenous cultures around the world to expand ancestral knowledge and establish land-based sanctuaries for cultural and ecological regeneration. This episode will move between English and Spanish, as Spanish as Lama Dorje’s main teaching language, and we'll have Carolina translating back and forth for us. Okay, so bienvenidos, Lama Dorje y Carolina. I'm so happy to have you here today. Thank you.  

Carolina: Muchísimas gracias. Thank you so much. 

Lama Dorje: Thank you. 

Melinda: Yes. It's great to see you both. So, I want to give people a little, sort of context for how we know each other. So, we originally connected through Mayela at Casa Werma where she's the one who kind of introduced me to Lama Dorje and your teachings. And then, I had the opportunity to come with you and a group of others on a retreat in northern India last fall, which was amazing, up in the mountains of the Himalayas and Ladakh. 

And then we got to go and receive teachings from the Dalai Lama. So, it was quite an amazing experience. And I've been kind of following your teachings and your travels and adventures, since that time. So, really happy to be here with you today. 

Carolina: Awesome. Yeah. Thank you so much. It was such a special experience together in India, and we're so grateful to have the opportunity to meet you, and meet your audience today. 

Melinda: Yes, definitely. So the two of you, you're based in Costa Rica, and you are developing a retreat center there, Dewachen. Which I have yet to visit but hope to make it down there soon. And you travel all over the world giving teachings and retreats. And so, today I want to, kind of focus on a couple of different things. This podcast is about creativity, psychology and spirituality. So I think, you know, quite naturally, these things come together with the Dharma and the teachings of Buddhism. 

And, so I want to touch on these aspects of creativity. I know, Lama, you are very creative yourself. And you've created a lot of the decor there at Dewachen and you chant - you have several albums of mantras that people can find on Spotify. So, I definitely want to talk about that. But I thought maybe we could start today with a question that I think is on so many people's minds. 

And I think you are actively speaking to this in your teachings, that with all the chaos that's going on in the world today, people may feel either overwhelmed by it or they may feel like they have to jump out there and do something about it. But, you know, according to the Buddhist teachings, it's important to start with ourselves, and start with working with our minds. And so, I wanted to see if you could speak to why that is so important. 

Carolina (Spanish Translation): Muy bien, Lama - ella está preguntando, está primero está saludando y diciendo muchísimas gracias, y que su show hoy en día es sobre de la creatividad, la psicología y la espiritualidad. Entonces, ella está preguntando por la gente aquí en el mundo. Hay mucho caos y muchas como dificultades hoy en día en todo el mundo, y mucha gente siente como mucha ansioso y quieren hacer algo, quieren como saltar y tener acción para hacer algo, entonces, pero las enseñanzas del Buda nos enseñan que es más importante primero empezar con nosotros mismos y nuestra mente, y ella quiere preguntarte por qué esto es así. 

Lama Dorje: Okay. Maravilloso. Primero, quiero agradecer a Melinda, yo le digo Más Linda. Para Lama es un honor compartir contigo, y lo que nosotros compartimos en el viaje, las enseñanzas. Especialmente ahora en este momento, que es una oportunidad, un espacio donde se puede compartir una gota de Dharma digamos, no? Entonces, primero agradecer. 

Carolina: And so, Lama says, how marvellous and thank you. I just want to start by saying thank you to Melinda. But I actually renamed you Mas Linda (laughter), which means most beautiful. So he renamed you Mas Linda. And he's saying that Lama is really honored to have shared the time with you in India on our sacred journey and also, in the different teachings together, and is really grateful for this opportunity and space to be able to share a little drop of Dharma with everybody. 

Lama Dorje: Okay. Y, claro, estamos claro, el mundo está un poco muy acelerado, es un mundo hoy en día, un mundo muy díficil, en lo externo, cierto? Y muy negativo como la violencia y mucha guerra, etc. Eso es lo que vivimos. Todos nosotros tenemos intenciones de apoyar, como las personas quieren estar en armonía, paz, no? Todos queremos, no importa la religión, no importan las creencias, o las no creencias, no importan, todos tenemos esa intención. 

Carolina: So, Lama is saying that, yeah, it's true. We live in this really accelerated time. That's really difficult, particularly externally. There's lots of negativity, violence and war. And we all have an intention to help. We all wish to see more peace and more harmony, whether we're religious or not, whether we have a belief system or not. We all have this intention to see more harmony. 

Lama Dorje: Entonces, por qué es tan importante comenzar por uno mismo como el budismo dice, no? Mucha gente piensa que es como ser egoísta, cierto? Oh ya comes, yo sólo me estoy cuidando. Eso no es ser egoísta, porque nuestra intención es apoyar, yo siempre en Dewachen por ejemplo uno quiere compartir una fruta del jardín, o no sé, y si está un poco ácida no sirve para compartir, cierto? Si esa fruta está más madura más como dulcecita naturalmente a todo el mundo le gusta eso, por eso es importante eso.

Carolina: And Lama is sharing that, you know, it's true - we say that in Buddhism, we say it is important to start with ourselves. And to many people, that can sound really selfish. But really, truly, it's not selfish because the intention is to help others. And so, for example, if we want to share fruit from our garden, if the fruit isn't ripe yet, if it's still acidic, then we can't share it because people don't like the taste of it. But if it's sweet and it's ripe, then this is something that people really like. 

Lama Dorje: Yeah. Por eso es muy importante, que todos sepamos, no? Todas las causas de los problemas vienen de la mente humana, eso es muy claro, verdad? Pero no importa si es un problema individual o un problema global, la fuente de todos los problemas es la mente humana, eso es importante. Entonces, nosotros queremes la mente humana, cierto? Como la transformación de la conciencia de los seres, no? Entonces, primero para cambiar a los seres, el primer cambio es nuestra propia mente por lo menos, cierto? Comenzar desde uno, desde dentro hacia afuera y naturalmente tu fruta madura, tu transformación interior se contagia hacia afuera naturalmente. 

Carolina: And so, Lama is saying that, yeah, of course, it's really important, to first of all understand that all of the causes of our issues around the world are coming from the human mind. And whether they’re individual problems or global problems, the source is coming from humans, the human mind. And so, if we want to transform other beings, then we really need to know how to transform ourself first. We have to start from one and then go to many. So change starts from the inside out. And naturally, when our fruit ripens, then it becomes contagious and it also helps others to ripen. 

Lama Dorje: Entonces, como ejemplo, por ejemplo, yo siento que pondré de ejemplo a Su Santidad el Dalai Lama, parte de nuestro Budismo muy importante, seguramente Más Linda usted también tiene experiencia, el Dalai Lama casi no necesita hablar, cierto? Sólo con cruzarlo caminando, y él realmente contagia su presencia, su calma interior, su amor y su compasión, verdad? Naturalmente nosotros sentimos eso, verdad? Porque esa persona cambió internamente. Pero nosotros a veces queremos y a lo mejor hablamos con un poco media rabia, cierto? Un poco criticamos y terminamos haciendo mal o agregamos más rabia, cierto?  Y por eso Buda siempre dice que el fuego. No puede resolver el fuego, y la rabia no resuelve la rabia, entonces por esa razón, y por lo mismo nosotros día a día, nosotros realmente cambiamos, cuidamos nuestra mente y nuestros comportamientos. Eso seguramente puede impactar nuestra propia vida y a nuestra propia familia, y a nuestra comunidad y etc. 

Carolina: So, Lama is sharing that, for example, the Dalai Lama - if you want to talk about the 14th Dalai Lama - and Mas Linda has had the experience of meeting the Dalai Lama - and so, you kind of don't even have to speak to His Holiness - just crossing his path, feeling his presence, his love, you can really feel it. And because he changed internally, and that internal change is what is contagious and makes others feel that change. 

And so, often we talk about this change that we want, but then we go about criticizing others, and we go and express our anger all the time. But really, we're just contributing to the negativity. And the Buddha said that, “Fire cannot put out fire and anger cannot put out anger.” And so, it's really important for us to, on a daily basis, take care of our mind, take care of our attitude. And our life can then - we can actually impact our own life, our family and our community. 

Melinda: Yes. Beautiful. Gracias, Lama. And I love - one of the things I love about your teachings so much, is the metaphors that you use, you know. And they're so descriptive and so evocative that I think it really helps. It’s not so esoteric. It’s down to earth. We're talking about the fruits in the garden and how that relates to our own mind. And I think that's part of what makes your teachings so approachable. 

Carolina (Spanish Translation): Lama, está diciendo muchísimas gracias porque una de las cosas que me gusta de sus enseñanzas son las metáforas, porque tú usas metáforas como si fuera algo en el jardín, algo como muy enraizado, no tan como en el aire. Por ejemplo, las frutas en el jardín es algo que realmente podemos relacionar con nuestra mente. 

Melinda: So, one of the things I want to touch on today - you know, when we were in retreat together in India, we had the opportunity to visit many ancient monasteries, which was really wonderful. And to receive teachings from the monks there, as well as see the young monks, which you yourself were a young monk. You became a monk at the age of five. 

Carolina (Spanish Translation): Y bueno, una de las cosas que me gustó mucho, fuimos a muchos diferentes monasterios en la India y varias cosas, y hemos visto a los monjes chicos y chicas, y yo creo que tú también una vez en tu vida fuiste un monje chico. 

Melinda: Si. What was that like for you at such a young age, to go from being with your family to going into the monastery and studying to become a monk? 

Carolina (Spanish Translation): Y me gustaría saber cómo fue para ti? Cómo tu saliste de tu familia en una edad tan temprana en tu vida, y fuiste a un monasterio para ser un monje? Cómo fue esta experiencia para ti? 

Lama Dorje: Yes. Yeah, yeah. Primero, claro una influencia como cultural nosotros, donde yo nací en los Himalayas, todos estamos bajo el Budismo Tibetano y además todos los abuelos y bisabuelos forman parte del linaje interior budista. Para nosotros el budismo es una filosofía de la vida, una de las mejores, no? Como no extraño. Por ese lado, aveces entra uno a ser monje, como en la iglesia puede ser un poco extraño. Pero para nosotros es muy común como si fuera un colegio. 

Carolina: So yeah, of course. You know, first of all, this was highly influenced by the culture that I grew up in. Like, I grew up in the Himalayas and a Tibetan Buddhist culture, and all of my lineage, all of my parents, grandparents and like, elders, all of them came through this lineage. And so, for us, there's this philosophy of life. And, it’s considered like, one of the highest honors to become a monk. So here in this side of the world, it can be considered maybe a little odd to go do that, but for us, it's like, so common just for us to commit our life in that way. 

Lama Dorje: Yeah, entonces cuando nosotros tenemos 5 o 6 años, entramos no? Y normalmente uno de los hermanos se va al monasterio, no? Generalmente. Y no necesariamente yo pero uno de nosotros tiene que seguir la cultura, y yo desde pequeño siempre sentí conexión con el monasterio, tal vez ya tenía alguna tendencia kármica del pasado, algo ya estaba grabado, no? Para mí ya era algo muy familiarizado con esa filosofía, vivir en el monasterio, y entonces yo le dije a mis padres que tomé una decisión también otros maestros, no? Les dije, “Voy a ser monje.” Y yo no recuerdo, mi padre me dijo tú pediste que quieres ser monje, no? 

Carolina: Yeah. So he said that, when I first entered the monastery, I was five years old. And it's actually part of our tradition that one of the males of the family should become part of the monastery. But actually, I didn't specifically have to go because, someone else in the family, like, was already, like, there or going. So it wasn't that I had to go. It was actually my choice. It must have been some kind of karmic tendency, because I was very familiar with the philosophy. I felt so at home in the monastery and actually made the decision together with my parents and teachers. I don't actually remember asking them that, but they told me that I asked them if I could go to the monastery. 

Lama Dorje: Porque yo de pequeño era un poco más silencioso, no? Incluso yo les digo, cuando yo nací por una hora casi no estuve respirando, cierto? Una hora no respirando. “Yo pienso que murió, déjalo afuera”, mi mamá le dijo a papá, no? Y yo afuera como en meditación en silencio, nací siempre un poco medio callado. Ahora he aprendido muchas palabras no? Antes era un poco tímido, ahora una persona loca. Tiene eso, seguro mi madre dijo eso, por eso uno medita como monje por eso uno siente la conexión de esa manera. 

Carolina: (Laughter) So he said, you know, actually, I was really kind of timid and silent when I was younger and like, actually when I was first born, I actually wasn't breathing for an hour and they put me outside. Like, they thought I had actually passed. But it kind of seems like maybe I was just meditating quite silently when I was like, a baby. And so, I kind of was just like, wasn't speaking so much when I was younger. And my mom said that it kind of just had this connection to the meditators. 

Melinda: Yes. It sounds like you were really drawn to the Dharma. And so, as people may have noticed at this point in the conversation, we are speaking in both English and Spanish. And so, at some point you went through all of your studies, you went through a four year retreat, and then you were asked to go to South America and teach the Dharma there. 

And so, tell us a little bit about that, because from what I understand, you didn't know any Spanish at that time. You hadn't necessarily traveled to this area. So, what was that like, going from the Himalayas, where you grew up and where you studied, and then moving to teach the Dharma in South America? 

Carolina (Spanish Translation): Entonces, so, después de los cuatro años de tu retiro también te fuiste a Sudamérica, entonces por qué ya estás hablando Español ahorita, entonces fuiste ahí para enseñar el Dharma. Entonces, cuéntanos un poco más sobre de su experiencia porque yo sé que tú no sabías el Español y eras parte de la cultura de los Himalayas y cambió completamente para enseñar, entonces explícanos de esta experiencia.

Lama Dorje: Yes, maravilloso. Y es lo mismo el interior nos está conectando la conversación porque cambia desde uno, cierto? Y es como esa meta, los monjes y los lamas primero tienen un proceso y entrenamiento como personal, más. No sirviendo, cierto? Yo casi estuve 10, 15, 20 años en el monasterio estudiando y entendiendo para yo servir mejor, para despertar, por lo menos un poco menos como reacción digamos. Entonces, eso como meta, después el fruto es para servir. 

Carolina: So, he said, yeah, like, this kind of circles back to our original conversation around change happening from the inside out, starting from one and then going to many. And so, it really starts from personal change. So, for my, you know - the whole beginning of my life was 14, (I mean, 15 to 20) years of training in a monastery of how to be in service of others, and at the very least, like, have less reactions and be able to be more helpful. And that's actually the goal the fruit is to actually be able to help others. 

Lama Dorje: Entonces, después yo estuve en un retiro, pero algunos lamas no hacen retiro, no necesariamente, dos caminos, en uno puedes seguir estudiando como si fuera un doctorado o una maestría de filosofía, como mis hermanas y hermanos, Khenpo, se llama. Yo camino de meditación, siempre tuve esa conexión, estuve en un retiro de 4 años. 

Carolina: So, after the monastery, you're able to kind of continue your studies and there's two different main paths that you can go down. One is more of a scholastic path to really become a scholar in philosophy. And that title would be called Khenpo. And then the other option is to then become a meditator. So you go off into the woods and you do a specific step by step practice of meditation, and that would be more like a Drupon. So he went down - he felt more called to go down the meditation path. 

Lama Dorje: Entonces, después terminé el retiro y mi maestro tenía una conexión en Chile, tenían su pequeño centro, como grupo, como Sangha. 

Carolina: And so, I went into retreat and then after I finished that four years of retreat, the teacher that guided me had a connection to a - his sangha in Chile. So he wanted me to go to Chile. 

Lama Dorje: Porque él no puede ir siempre y dijo “tú debes ir”, pero en ese momento yo no sabía nada, ni tecnología, no tengo contacto con tecnología, pienso que es algo que está cerca. Okay, puedo ir. 

Carolina: So, yeah, he said that, you know, his teacher said that he couldn't really go anymore, so he asked Lama to go to Chile. And, like, at this point, Lama had no contact with technology. And, like, didn't realize how far it was. He actually thought Chile was kind of close to the Himalayas. (Laughter) 

Lama Dorje: Yeah. Yo siempre Recuerdo, que por lo menos dos cosas le pregunté, yo puedo tener traductora allá? Y si tiene sampa tibetana, como harina tostada. Sólo pregunté eso primero, esas dos. Yo no hablaba nada ni en inglés ni en español, solo tibetano. Entonces mi maestro dijo, no ninguna de esas, ni traductora ni sampa. Y él dijo no esperes una traductora tienes que hacer acción no hay tiempo para esperar. Me dijo eso porque él aveces pasó por lo mismo, y él estuvo sólo una vez en Chile. Donde el tampoco habló de nada, y él me habló de eso. 

Carolina: And so, yeah, of course, so, I accepted this kind of mission or mandate and I just asked him, you know, “Is there a translator and is there tsampa, which is like toasted barley for food.” (Laughter) He's like, “Is there toasted barley and is there a translator?” And his teacher said, “There’s neither. And I need you to go now. Either way, now's not the time to wait. Now's the time to put these practices into action and go help others.” 

Lama Dorje: Yeah, entonces fui a Chile, y claró me demoré demasiado, nunca llegaba, cierto?

Y entonces, yo ni sabía el mapa, nada, solo fui. Y después en el aeropuerto llegó un estudiante de mi maestro y me dijo “Tashi Delek!”, y yo pensé que hablaba más tibetano y me puse a hablar, y después no hablaba, ahí tuve un poco de dificultades. 

Carolina: Yeah. And so, I got on the plane and the plane never arrived. It seemed it was so long. It took forever. I didn't realize how far Chile was, I had never seen it on a map. So, finally I arrived there and one of the students of the sangha picked me up and they said, “Tashi Delek.” And I was so happy because I thought they spoke Tibetan. But that was the end of their Tibetan. They didn't know anymore. (Laughter) And so I was, you know, really like - that was really hard. I was in a place where I couldn't speak to anybody. 

Lama Dorje: Entonces, esa experiencia, tuve mucho esta experiencia. Y cuando llego a Chile yo no hablaba nada, me sentí como mudo, claro, como un animal por ejemplo no habla, pero percibí qué estaba sucediendo todo, verdad? Y no tuve amigos por supuesto. Y mi trabajo era hablar, cierto? Como una conversación, porque si no coversas no hablas no hay amigos no hay eventos, cierto? Yo estaba viviendo en la casa de una señora ya jubilada, una estudiante, y ella y yo estabamos estudiando el diccionario del Tibetano al inglés y del Inglés al Español. 

Carolina: (Laughter) Yeah, he said that, yeah, I mean there were so many different experiences in Chile, but like, one of the hardest is that I couldn't speak anything. I felt kind of mute. I felt like in the state of an animal where - the animals understand, they’re very sensitive, understand what's going on, but actually can't speak back to you. And so, it was also challenging because I didn't have friends and also like, my job or my service is to speak to others, to teach, but I wasn't able to do that. And so, I was studying by having - I had a Tibetan to English dictionary and an English to Spanish dictionary. So, I was going between these two dictionaries and trying to learn some basics. 

Lama Dorje: Entonces, cuando llego allá no me gustó nada, ninguno, no me gustó la comida, no me gustó el idioma ni la cultura, no me gustó nada, porque yo era totalmente diferente, venía de los Himalayas. Cierto? Idioma totalmente diferente, ninguna gente Budista, nada. Y la gente como que se asustaba, como que tenían miedo de mí. Porque tenían otra religión, la católica, pensaban que era una contradicción en realidad, pero era un malentendido. Y yo me sentía muy solo y también muy apegado a mi cultura, cierto? 

Carolina: And so, actually, when I got there, I didn't like anything. I didn't like the food, I didn't like the language, I didn't like the culture. Everything was so different than what I was used to in the Himalayas. And also, there was no Buddhists here. So, like, it was - also people were kind of like, scared of me because I looked like a monk, you know. So, they’re kind of scared of me. Because most of that region is Catholic, and they thought it was kind of a contradiction there. Like, if you were to, like, accept something different, it's a contradiction to their own belief. But that's really not true. It's really kind of just a misunderstanding. So I felt really alone and I felt really attached to my own culture. 

Lama Dorje: Gracias. Y después poco a poco yo solté todo, no? Y como me fui abriendo tuve más amigos, y poco a poco fue mejorando de esa manera. 

Carolina: And then, I just finally kind of let go and relaxed. Little by little, I learned how to speak more. I got friends and everything continued to get better.

Melinda: And here we are, at this time. And you've been teaching all over South and Central America for a number of years now, and you're building a sangha there in Costa Rica, and you know, you've really done an amazing job of sharing the teachings in Latin America. And, you know, here in the US, you have many students as well. 

Carolina (Spanish Translation): Entonces ahora ya estamos aquí, y ya tienes mucho tiempo ya en Sur y Centro América, ya tienes un Sangha creciendo en Costa Rica, tienes muchos Sanghas también en Estados Unidos y estás haciendo un trabajo maravilloso compartiendo las enseñanzas en Latinoamérica. 

Melinda: So, I think that's a real testament to your resilience and your creativity and just tenacity, you know, in helping to share the Dharma. 

Carolina (Spanish Translation): Entonces yo creo que esto realmente es un ejemplo muy grande de tu resiliencia,  creatividad y coraje para realmente compartir el Dharma. 

Melinda: So, I want to talk a little bit about the, sort of, arts and creativity as it relates to Dharma and specifically, to Tibetan Buddhism. So, as we see in both of your environments there, your backgrounds and the Tibetan Buddhist tradition is a very colorful tradition. There's a lot of iconography. We see, behind each of you, the thangka paintings that depict different Tibetan deities, bodhisattvas, the Buddha himself, and so on. 

And so, I'm curious - and I know that you've done a lot of these traditional Tibetan arts yourself, Lama and Carolina - and so, what do you think is the importance of art and creativity as it relates to the Dharma? 

Carolina (Spanish Translation): Okay. Entonces, también me gustaría hablar de por qué hay mucha arte y creatividad conectando con el Dharma, especialmente con el budismo tibetano, especialmente se puede ver atrás de ti y atrás de Caro que la tradición tibetana es muy colorida, tiene muchos símbolos, tiene ah, podemos verlo en las pinturas y Thankas atrás de ustedes hay muchas deidades tibetanas, Bodisattvas y el Buda mismo. Y yo sé que tú mismo has hecho mucho arte tradicional y quiero entender cuál es la importancia de qué es la importancia del arte y creatividad en relación con el Dharma. 

Carolina: Actually, Lama painted this behind me. 

Melinda: So beautiful. So beautiful. 

Lama Dorje: Maravilloso. Yo especialmente yo mismo desde pequeño siempre me ha gustado el arte, no? Como por ejemplo todas las cosas, ejemplo, como cantar o pintar, como danzas tántricas de Vajrayana con máscaras grandes. Y he hecho varias cosas. Naturalmente me nació eso. 

Carolina: Yeah, so, since I was young, art’s been a really big part of my life. I like to sing, I like to paint, and I really like to do the Tibetan masked dances as well. So naturally, since I was young, this has been something that I felt really called to. 

Lama Dorje: Entonces, claro, especialmente el budismo tibetano, como el llamado Vajrayana, el camino de la transformación o camino de alegría, digamos, enjoyment camino, no? Porque todos disfrutan como, nosotros tenemos problemas con el apego o rechazo, cierto? Cualquier cosa, no? Entonces nosotros podemos ver todos esos símbolos que representan nuestras cualidades interiores, como Iluminadas, una cualidad, cada deidad cada símbolo. Nosotros aprendemos a recitar a través de como mantras o pinturas, etc. Entonces eso ayuda a despertar nuestro potencial. 

Carolina: And so, yeah, especially in Tibetan Buddhism, which is called the Vajrayana path, it's called the path of transformation and enjoyment. So the point is to be able to enjoy life and all of these experiences, because really what’s triggering us and triggering our suffering is actually attachment and aversion. So, if we can see this all as symbols, see everything as symbols that represent our own inner qualities, our enlightened qualities, particularly for each deity in every symbol. This is actually part of awakening our potential. 

Lama Dorje: Yeah. Y como la, cuando nosotros vemos las deidades como al Buda y muchas deidades tibetanas, como no? Pero nunca están separadas de nuestra esencia, cierto? No está afuera como si algo de esa deidad estuviera mirando hacia a mí, no? Siempre está conectado a nuestra naturaleza, y brota hacia afuera y se incorpora esa sabiduría con todas las cualidades, no? Por eso es importante entender eso. 

Carolina: So, whenever we're talking about looking at these photos of like, the deities or the Buddha, it's really never separated from our own essence. It's not something outside looking in on us. It's more like our own inner nature is blossoming in front of us. And so, this is what embodied wisdom or embodied qualities look like. This is what it is. 

Melinda: Yes. And I think it's important to have that reflected, and when we have these things of beauty and these reminders of our own awakened nature in our space, you know, that affects our state of mind, right? 

Carolina (Spanish Translation): Right. Entonces, ella está diciendo yo creo que es muy importantes que nos reflejamos esto externamente porque cuando esos recuerdos y símbolos están en nuestros espacios nos hacen recordar nuestra naturaleza misma. 

Lama Dorje: Exactamente, para la forma de uno recordar, forma de como puente como donde va uno a conectar esos cablecitos. 

Carolina: Yeah. He said, exactly. Like, this is a way for us to remember. It's kind of like a bridge that connects us. It's like a cable. 

Melinda: Yes. And I also practice and teach contemplative arts, including contemplative photography and these kind of things. And also, when we're creating art in this way, it's a way of working with our mind, kind of a meditation in action, right? And so, we can kind of embody those awakened qualities of mind as we're creating. 

Carolina (Spanish Translation): Entonces, está diciendo yo también trabajo con el arte contemplativo y también fotografía. Entoces, también el arte es una manera para trabajar con nuestra mente y puede ser que la misma acción de hacer el arte es una meditación que nos hace provocar o recordar esas cualidades. 

Lama Dorje: Por supuesto, excelente. Y también la vida es como un arte en realidad, no? Como nosotros podemos vivir con el arte del Dharma, eso significa vivir con el Dharma, se llama. Dharma nunca está separado de nuestra vida, no? Uno piensa –oh, Dharma, yo necesito meditar poco en el templo o  en el bosque, y después ya tengo otro comportamiento. Eso no no debe ser, el Dharma no está fuera, dice un Maestro, no está fuera, no está en un libro, Dharma está siempre en tu corazón, no? Dice y eso es muy verdadero. 

Carolina: And so, also, that's so excellent. Like, life itself is art. We're kind of in this constant state of creating. And so, we can actually live with the art of Dharma. And what that means is to live with the Dharma and to never separate our life from our spiritual practice. It's not just about meditating in a temple or meditating in the woods, and then having a different action in life that's not aligned with those values. Dharma is not something on the outside. It's not in a book. It's actually something that lives in our heart. 

Melinda: Yes. Beautiful. And I have to say, Carolina, you're doing a great job with that fly that is obviously enjoying you so much. (Laughter) 

Carolina: You know what? These tiny little black bees, they’re just enjoying. (Laughter) 

Melinda: So, Lama, also, you sing mantras and you've released several albums of mantras. And I think, Carolina, you often chant and sing with Lama as well. And so, love to hear a little bit more about what is the role of mantra in Dharma practice and what are the benefits of chanting these mantras? 

Carolina (Spanish Translation): Entonces, Lama ella dice que tú también tienes muchos discos de mantras que están en Spotify y cree que Caro también a veces canta contigo, y entonces, quiero entender qué es el rol de las mantras en la práctica del Dharma, y también qué son los beneficios? 

Lama Dorje: Um, Maravilloso. Y mantra, mantra es como una palabra como “esencia”, no?, esencia del Dharma como unos códigos yo les digo. Como donde nosotros conectamos en resumido con todo el Dharma porque eso no deben ser traducido esos mantras, son como el lenguaje de los Budas. 

Carolina: Entonces. He said, marvelous. So, the mantra is like the essence of the Dharma. I like to say it's like a sacred code. So, it's like, we can connect to the summary of the Dharma teachings. So like, its core essence or pith instruction of what the teaching is about, that's what a mantra is. It encompasses the essence. So, they say this is like the language of the buddhas. 

Lama Dorje: Entonces, primero mantra, Man-tara, hace dos palabras y símbolos, no? Y MAN significa mente, no? La mente. Y TARA significa liberación, no ? La liberación de la mente, y nuestra mente está muy atrapada con las aflicciones como la mente dualista, que se libera cuando se canta, es el primer beneficio. 

Carolina: And so, the word mantra itself has two syllables to it. Man is mind and tra is liberation. So, the liberation of the mind. So, when our mind is trapped in its afflictions and, kind of, cyclic thoughts or dualistic thoughts, then if we sing the mantra, its first benefit is to liberate our thoughts from that cyclic pattern. 

Melinda: Beautiful.

Lama Dorje: Y por suerte, eso tiene una vibración, una vibra muy especial porque, este, con palabras iluminadas es un lenguaje muy especial, no? Y también mantras, hay muchos mantras, cada deidad tiene sus mantras. Entonces, cada cualidad puede ser, cualidades. Cuando cantamos, por ejemplo el mantra del amor y compasión, no? Simplemente nuestra mente nos lleva hacia el amor y compasión, cuando cantamos OM MANI PADME HUM, por ejemplo. 

Carolina: And so, the second benefit is that it brings about the inner quality. So, it's a vibration that's very special and it is enlightened speech. And so, the mantra - like, each of the deities have specific mantras and they represent different qualities. So if you start singing “Om Mani Padme Hum,” the essence of that mantra is love and compassion. And so, you're invoking your mind to be full of loving compassion. 

Melinda: Yes. And so, would you share just a little taste (and you mentioned the “Om Mani Padme Hum” mantra), how that might be chanted or sung, just so people can get a taste of it? 

Carolina (Spanish Translation): Lama, tú puedes cantar un ratito OM MANI PADME HUM? 

Lama Dorje: Yeah. Por supuesto. Yeah. Ese mantra es muy como popular digamos, no? Todos pueden cantar, es muy sencillo. Cuando cantas simplemente tú sientes como la presencia del amor y la compasión, no? Incorporadas, lo sientes en tu corazón, no? Entonces, esa energía de amor y compasión, primero claro limpiar nuestra mente, no? Donde hay solo luz no hay oscuridad. 

Carolina: So he said, yeah, absolutely. I'd be happy to share. And it's good to know that, like, this is a really, like, well-known and simple mantra. And what your job is when you sing this mantra is to feel the presence of love and compassion. So, it helps to clean your mind, because wherever there's light, darkness can’t exist at the same time. And so, the idea is to bring that light in. 

Lama Dorje: Entonces voy a cantar un canto chiquitito. 

Carolina: So, I'll sing a little bit of that mantra. 

Lama Dorje (Singing): OM MANI PADME HUM, OM MANI PADME HUM, OM MANI PADME HUM, OM MANI PADME HUM. OM MANI PADME HUM, OM MANI PADME  HUM, OM MANI PADME HUM, OM MANI PADME HUM. 

Gracias. 

Melinda: Que bueno. Muchas gracias. And so, I know a lot of people, Lama, know you from your mantras. Maybe that's the first way that they came to know about your teachings, is through them - so, it's really a powerful transmission unto itself. 

Carolina (Spanish Translation): Entonces, Lama yo sé que muchas personas te conocen la primera vez con tus mantras, entonces siento que el mantra mismo es una transmisión muy poderosa que le trae a la gente también a sus enseñanzas. 

Lama Dorje: Exactamente, por eso ahí como en el budismo digamos, no? Todos nos hacemos artistas de la vida, no? Todo es enseñanza realmente, como no? Porque mucha gente como la, muchos amigos y amigas ni conocen el Dharma nada, solo con escuchar mis mantras naturalmente cambia algo internamente, vibra y lleva hacia el Dharma. Quiero saber más de la filosofía, eso sucede. 

Carolina: And so, exactly, yeah. This is the art of life. Everything really is a teaching. And something changes in people when they hear the mantras, even without the teaching. And then it's like, once they connect from that source, then they say, “Oh, I really want to know more about the philosophy.” 

Melinda: Yes. Beautiful. I was listening to some of your mantras in the car on the way up here, and it just brought me into such a peaceful state in preparation for our conversation. 

Carolina (Spanish Translation): Eso es mucho muy verdad, yo estaba escuchando muchos de sus mantras en el carro en el camino y me trajo mucha como paz preparando para nuestra conversación hoy. 

Melinda: So, muchas gracias. And I know we’re almost at time. It goes by so quickly. But I like to end each episode with what I call a Creativity Pro Tip. But in this case, maybe what is one thing that people, whether they already practice Dharma or whether maybe they're new to the teachings and just hearing some of this for the first time… like, what is one thing that people can do each day just to bring more kindness and more compassion into their hearts and thoughts? 

Carolina (Spanish Translation): Entonces, Lama, está diciendo en cada uno de sus shows me gustaría terminarlo con un tip, una sugerencia de creatividad, pero me gustaría que tú nos puedas presentar uno hoy para las personas que puedan estar escuchando, que ya son practicantes del Dharma o puede ser que son totalmente nuevos y esta es su primera vez en conocer. Entonces, cuál es un tip una como sugerencia que tú tienes que las personas pueden hacer cada día para traer más como compasión y más cariño en su vida y en su corazón? 

Lama Dorje: Es importante, sin importar sus creencias, que esto sea un fundamento, yo mismo lo hago incluso, en el mindfulness como atención plena, porque cada uno de nuestros comportamientos cuando hablamos, cuando pensamos, cualquiera, siempre estar alertas digamos, no? Como la conciencia plena, no? Eso permite entrar hacia adentro. 

Carolina: So, really what is most fundamental (and I do this too), is mindfulness. By having this mindfulness, we need to be aware every moment, every day what we think, what we say, what we do. Be alert, to be conscious. And it's through that - that consciousness and more of this kindness can actually enter. 

Lama Dorje: Y otra cosa importante, en segundo es como, todas las mañanas despertamos como un nuevo renacimiento y sentir gratitud, como tenemos vida preciosa uno es favorable, no? Y la gratitud que tenemos a todo nuestro potencial y gratitud a nuestros padres o linajes ancestrales, etc. Porque la gratitud ayuda realmente y también siempre conectar con cuál es mi propósito de vida, no? Y para nuestra vida es ser feliz, y mejor persona, y servir. Entonces, es muy sencillo. Cada vez conectando y conectando naturalmente tu dirección va hacia ese lado. 

Carolina: And so, he said that, so, really another thing as well is each morning when you wake up, consider this a new birth and just have gratitude be your first thought. Remember that you woke up as a precious human again today. You have favorable conditions, and give gratitude to your family for giving you a life. Give gratitude to your lineage, to your community, and then connect with your purpose in life. 

Which is - your purpose is to be happy, to be a better person, and to serve others. So keep connecting to that. And this, if you just keep remembering that, then naturally your direction is going to be corrected each day. 

Lama Dorje: Entonces, siempre es bueno, siempre yo hago en las mañanas una pequeña meditación como conectar con la intención, incluso si alguien no medita no importa, mientras esté tomando café o agua siempre con la mente y la intención positiva y mantener esa influencia durante el día, cierto? Nosotros comenzamos trabajo y etc. Después en la noche, bueno, una meditación cortita como un sandwich que permite que nuestra vida más, una vida que termine con felicidad y paz, eso eso es bueno cada día. 

Carolina (Spanish Translation): Pero, Lama, qué es la parte de la noche que hagan? 

Lama Dorje: En la noche solo como gratitud o revisar cómo fue mi día, hoy día, fue productivo o fue un día más o menos, mañana quiero cambiar a un poco mejor, por ejemplo, no? 

Carolina: Yeah. And so he said that, yeah, so the idea is each morning you wake up and you set your intention, whether it's while you're having coffee or water, or whether you actually do a meditation in the morning. But just make sure you set your intention. Again, that intention is happiness. Be a better person and serve others. And that's going to positively influence your day.  

And then he said, I like to also tell you that it's good to sandwich it. So at nighttime, right before you go to bed, do a little review in your head. And also do gratitude. Gratitude for the day, for what went well, review what you could have done a little bit better and make a commitment that, “Tomorrow, I’d like to continue to do better.” And continue along with that intention to serve others. 

Melinda: Yes. Beautiful, gracias. And so, I know that you all are teaching different classes online. You travel throughout the world leading retreats. And so, what's the best way for people to connect if they want to learn more? We'll give a link to the Spotify, to the mantras and to your website. But what's the best way for people to find and reach out to you? 

Carolina: Yeah. I would say that is the best way - is to check out the website. You'll see a list of all of the different events that we have going on. We've got a - how do you say - like, a really steady course happening right now, and there's still time for people to join. So, it's like, going step by step exactly what Lama learned in his four year retreat. We're teaching everybody online. So you have an at home daily practice.  

And then you'll see that this year we're going to Bhutan as our sacred journey. We've got retreats in Costa Rica. We're going to be in Arizona, in the US, and many places - Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Chile. So, just check it out online and you'll see all those options. And maybe we could also put on your - a link to our WhatsApp group because that is where a lot of announcements come in as well if people want to be part of the community. 

Melinda: Absolutely. Happy to do that. And I can attest to the Mahamudra course that's happening right now, is really wonderful. Really great way to immerse oneself in the teachings. So, great. And you also have a YouTube channel as well, right?

Carolina: Yeah, we have a YouTube channel. It's mostly just the recordings for all of the different - the Monday Meditation is a really great place for people to be if you want to. Every Monday at 7pm in Costa Rica, we have a short 30 to 40 minute meditation with Lama. So, that's a really great place to just, you know, get our feet in and just meditate with Lama. But yeah, all of our recordings go to YouTube. But yeah, the best place I think will be his Spotify, the music, the website, and then the WhatsApp channel. We keep those the most active. 

Melinda: Okay. Beautiful. Muchas gracias, Lama y Carolina. It's such a treat to be with you. And I hope to see you in person again soon. 

Carolina: Yes. Thank you so much. Thank you for this beautiful opportunity. 

Melinda: Okay. Great. 

Lama Dorje: Thank you, thank you. Maravilloso. Muchas bendiciones y alegría. 

Carolina: So many blessings, so much joy and happiness to you. 

Melinda: Find and connect with us on YouTube and social media under @syncreate. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review. We'd love to hear from you as well, so please reach out to us at info@syncreate.org. We'd love to hear your feedback on the show. 

We're recording today at record ATX Studios in Austin, Texas, with Lama and Carolina joining us from Costa Rica. The podcast is produced in collaboration with Mike Osborne at 14th Street Studios. Thanks so much for being with us, and see you next time.