The Proust Questionnaire

I’ve being tagged by Danny Fisher and so he are my answers to the following questionnaire.

I will tag…
Vincent Horn
C4Chaos
Hokai
Danzan
William Harryman

I haven’t answered all the questions as some of them are silly.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Well being a Buddhist monk my understanding of happiness is not based on experiences of bliss generated from physical stimuli. Besides the bliss that is a by product of meditation is far far far greater than most people can even imagine.

However to answer the question…the happiness from being generous.

What is your greatest fear?
I’m not afraid of anything. But, if I had to pick something it would be dying before I have finished my life’s work. I know that sounds corny but its true. 

Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Identity…hmmm…that is a tricky word…if it means relate to or feel close to, then that would be Lama Tsong Khapa the head of my school of Buddhism, the Geluk school of Tibetan Buddhism.
He was a great meditation yogi that strove to articulate what he saw in meditation.

Which living person do you most admire?
No brainer here! His Holiness the Dalai Lama and my root Lama Geshe Acharya Thubten Loden

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Deplore is a strong word, lets just say I’d rather not be so ‘A’ type.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
From within the context of love and compassion with a genuine wish to help all living beings.
This would be anger, attachment, pride (in the sense of arrogance), doubt, wrong-view and ignorance.

What is your greatest extravagance?
Too many books. I seem to collect them. Even though I keep telling myself I have enough!

What is your favorite journey?
The path to being a prefect being of course…what other journey is there!

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
While I don’t want to take away the fun of this post. I have to say that if it is a virtue
it is pervaded by being a functional mind and by definition not overratedable.

On what occasion do you lie?
If it is beneficial to others. That is, if through lying I can help protect other living beings, then it is my obligation to lie. Although I was once debating (in the Tibetan monastic sense) with my teacher about this, and it turns out that from a debating pointing of view. This would not constitute lying as lying is necessarily negative and protecting others is positive.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?
I’m quite happy being a middle aged, balding, with a bit of a tummy Buddhist monk. I’m quite happy with the skin I’m in. I find it funny that these question comes from a magazine called VanityFair.

Which living person do you most despise?
All being want happiness and do not want suffering just like me. If you really understand these words fully it is impossible to hate or despise anyone….yes I mean anyone! This doesn’t mean Buddhists are a passive lot!
It is permissible to defend and even in some cases prevent problems from others by using force. But NEVER with hatred. 

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
My father would say I use the ‘umm’ word too much.

What is your greatest regret?
Not seeing Geshe Jampa Gyatso again before he passed away.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
The Buddhist path and helping others.

Which talent would you most like to have?
The ability to articulate dharma well.

What is your current state of mind?
very happy, thanks for asking

If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?
I’d like to see all mother sentient beings find real happiness.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I haven’t achieved anything…yet!

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
This is clearly a non-Buddhist question but, anyway to play along. I’d say I don’t care as long as it is a human person in a country where I can practice without fear of being persecuted for doing so.

If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?
as above…this is getting silly!

What is your most treasured possession?
My vows

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Pride is the worse. Because someone with pride suffers from not being liked by others. They cant see their own mistakes and therefore have problem changing. All other forms of mental suffering can be removed more easily over time. Pride on the other hand is difficult to remove. A person with pride won’t listen to advise. They think they are correct even in  the face of many people saying they are not. It is the illusion of knowledge. I find that I can help most people with mental suffering but, people with pride are the most difficult.

Where would you like to live?
I like living where I am, if I didn’t I’d move

What is your favorite occupation?
Anything that can make a contribution.

What is your most marked characteristic?
This is not something I don’t think about much. Not because I don’t like to. Just because it relative.
What I might see as a quality, if compared to other is not. It doesn’t really help me develop my mind and so I don’t.

What is the quality you most like in a man?
I will answer the next 3 question here by saying the quality that I admire in all beings, regardless of their gender is compassion, loving-kindness, spirit of enlightenment, the spirit of enquiry, open-mindedness (in the sense of not being judgmental)

Who are your favorite writers?
The Buddha, Lama Tsong Khapa, HHDL, Geshe Loden.

Who is your favorite hero/heroine of fiction?
don’t read fiction…sorry

Who are your heroines/heroes in real life?
The Buddha, Lama Tsong Khapa, HHDL, Geshe Loden and all those beings who have realized the path regardless of age, race or gender!

What are your favorite names?
???

What is it that you most dislike?
Silly question!

How would you like to die?
With a clear mind, slowly and without pain.

What is your motto?
There is a verse from Shantideva that HHDL likes that would be nice here.

For as long as space endures,
For as long as sentient beings remain.
May I too remain to remove the suffering of the world.