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OPEN MIND: THE BACKDOOR TO ENLIGHTENMENT. One day, Za Choeje Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist teacher, was approached by
Ashley Nebelsieck, a college grad; she knew nothing about Buddhism but wanted to know what the word ‘ Bodhisattva’
meant, because it was the name of a character in the film Point Break and it intrigued her. Thus began a collaboration between
the college grad and the Tibetan Lama; she learning about Buddhism, and he learning how to present in a way that would be
more accessible and culminated in a book they co-authored, called 'The Backdoor to Enlightenment'. Wrapped around a story
of contemporary intrigue, they attempt in their book to ‘bypass’ the scholarly density most Buddhist practitioners
are used to. And what feels pressing is the need to help people understand what ‘enlightenment’ means.
For our OPEN MIND series, producer Julie Adler asked Za Rinpoche to elaborate not only on the term itself but on why
he’s decided to coax us into taking the back door rather than the front door to enlightenment.
BIO:
ZA RINPOCHE is a Tibetan monk, who was born in Nepal and who grew up in Southern India and studied at Drepung Loseling
monastery, receiving his Geshe degree there. While still in high school, at age sixteen, he was recognized by the Dalai Lama
as the sixth reincarnation of the ZaChoeje Rinpoche. His predecessor, the fifth ZaChoeje Rinpoche, had died in a Chinese prison
after the Communist takeover of Tibet. In 1998, he led the Mystical Arts of Tibet Cultural Tour to sixty cities across
the United States, and lectured at thirty universities. Thereafter he settled in Phoenix, Arizona. He is the founder
of the Emaho Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sharing Tibetan culture with the West, supporting humanitarian
projects, and assisting with personal spiritual development. Za Rinpoche teaches throughout the world, while maintaining his
obligations as the spiritual leader to many monks.
Web links:
Emaho Foundation
The Backdoor to Enlightenment
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