bygjohn's blog

I had some sad news this weekend, when I heard of the death of Geshe Konchog Tsewang, a Tibetan lama who I use to know, who retired to India in the early 90s. He was a lovely man and a very erudite Buddhist scholar, having obtained the highest level of geshe degree (geshe larampa). Plus he had a great sense of humour and my abiding memory of him was a trip to Alton Towers where he was an oasis of equanimity while the rest of us were getting shaken up on the Black Hole ride etc. He even took some of the children on the Pirate Ship, and the sight of him sitting in his monk's robes on the middle of it surrounded by excited kids and adults as the ride swung around in an alarming fashion is one I'm unlikely to forget!

He was also very keen that westerners should practice basic Buddhism rather than going after shiny esoteric practices for which they aren't necessarily prepared. I wish I'd listened to him more.