Buddhism: The Way of Non-Attachment, with the Rev. Kinrei Bassis, by Susan Barber

(See also Wynn Free's A Tibetan Buddhist in America, an interview with Tibetan Buddhist Llama Lanai.)

Susan: Reverend Bassis, could you tell us a little bit about how you chose to become a Buddhist monk?

Rev. Bassis: It began with just reading books and thinking that Buddhism made sense. And I didn't see a purpose in putting in the energy to have a normal career and family and all the rest. I realized that this was what I really longed to do. I've been a monk for 23 years.

Susan: I understand that Buddhism is unique in its concept of God.

Rev. Bassis: Buddhism does not see God as the creator. That's why we don't often use the word "god," because it's not as though there's a Being that's creating everything we see around us.

To the Buddhist way of looking, creation is just karma. When something good happens to you, it's not God, and when something bad happens to you, it's not God. It's cause and effect, but there's no way you can find a beginning, a "first cause." Imagine that science came up with proof of the Big Bang. You still would want to know what caused the Big Bang. You can never come to a beginning.

What Buddhism would call God is this: When you find out what the real nature of things is, you find something sacred, something Divine that's the common ground of everything — that's the real source of everything.

But Buddhism never gives you an answer to the question of what created the world, because it's not considered a question there's an answer to. If you knew what created it, you'd still have to ask, What created that?

Susan: So what is man's task in this karmic creation?

Rev. Bassis: Basically, it's actually to let go of things and find what's real, so you can stop living in a dream of what's important and what's not.

And what is important? What we do, everything we do, is important, because everything we do has a consequence. That's the Buddhist principle of karma. Every thought, speech, and action has a consequence. And some actions help, causing peace and happiness, and some cause more suffering.

So from the Buddhist point of view, good is whatever stops suffering, and bad is what causes suffering. Of course, some suffering is needed and has a purpose. If you exercise, your body hurts, but that can be positive. But to increase the amount of suffering is bad.

Susan: What is the essence of Buddhist practice?

Rev. Bassis: Buddhist practice is designed to teach us to let go of asking for something, or anything.

Susan: "To be without desire."

Rev. Bassis: Yes.

Susan: And how can you achieve that unless you desire to be without desire. Isn't that kind of a Catch-22?

Rev. Bassis: Not really. You just let go, and all will find it's place. You can't stop the mind. You can't stop desire. All you can do is just keep coming back to stillness. The whole point of Buddhist practice is to be still and let go of things.

Since the desire to be at peace can make you unpeaceful, all you can do is just accept wherever you are, whatever is there, and not get caught up in it. All you can do is let go.

You can't make yourself not angry, but you can let go of harboring the angry thoughts. You can't stop wanting ice cream, but you can stop thinking about it by thinking about something else. You can't stop yourself from wanting to feel peaceful, but that's just another thought, like everything else, that you let go of.

You can have all kinds of thoughts that come up. If you don't give them energy, they fade away on their own.

Susan: I understand that Buddhism looks at Four Noble Truths. Could you explain those to us, please.

Rev. Bassis: Buddha came to the conclusion that all human suffering was caused by attachment. So the First Noble Truth is: "Suffering exists." And the Second Noble Truth is: "We only suffer when we ask for something to be different than it is."

The Third Noble Truth tells us that "Nirvana exists."

Susan: The opposite of suffering.

Rev. Bassis: Yes. To say Nirvana exists means there can be a cessation of suffering. And since suffering is caused by desiring things to be different, if you let go of desire, you find Nirvana. You find out that what you want is already there, and that it's what all Beings long for.

The Fourth Noble Truth is that there is an Eight-Fold Path, and that path is basically Buddhist training. Through the Eight-Fold Path, you can find Nirvana.

The Eight-Fold Path:

Right Understanding

Right Thoughts

Right Speech

Right Action

Right Livelihood

Right Effort

Right Mindfulness

Right Concentration

Susan: Do all Buddhists follow the Eight-Fold Path.

Rev. Bassis: No, not today. There are many different pathways. It's different in Tibet, different in Japan... Not every practice works for everybody. That's natural.

Here, we're in a meditation tradition. What we emphasize is a meditation technique in which you just try to be still and present and aware. We simply focus on stillness.

Other traditions, like Nichiren, use chanting or repetition of a mantra. The central practice of Pure Land Buddhism, for example, involves repetition of Namo Amitabha Buddha (Homage to the Buddha of Boundless Compassion and Wisdom).

So Buddhism is not so much a religion as it is a path. That's what the Buddha said. It's a way to help Beings find the truth.

Susan: And the truth is?

Rev. Bassis: The truth is that everything that really matters is always there and doesn't ever change. If you let go, there's always joy there. And that's something that nothing can really stop. No condition can really stop it. When we stop clinging, there's joy.

Reality is a story we are always telling ourselves. When we feel lousy, it's because we are telling ourselves a lousy story, a story about how bad it's going to be, how depressing it is. Asking ourselves, "Why is this happening to me?"

But Buddhism doesn't attempt to answer that question, because it's not a question we can know the answer to. It simply asks us to cease from evil — from acts that cause increase of suffering — and to do good and purify our hearts.

Susan: So where does "belief" or "faith" enter in?

Rev. Bassis: From a Buddhist point of view, you can believe that green goblins control the universe if you want. It doesn't matter. As long as you live in ways that promote good and provide service, you'll do okay.

It's not what you believe. It's what you do.

A Tibetan Buddhist in America

with Llama Lanai

by Wynn Free
When Llama Lanai came to the United States ten years ago, he could not speak English and had never even used a telephone. But he had a burning desire to teach Americans the basics of Tibetan Buddhism and meditation.

Wynn: Could you tell us a little bit about your origins?

Llama Lanai: There are many different religions in the world, and I respect all religions. And there are many divisions of Buddhism. I am from the Nima school, which is the earliest Buddhist tradition in Tibet. It started in the 6th century.

But then there's Korean Buddhism, Japanese Buddhism, Chinese Buddhism — all different Buddhist schools, with different robes and clothes, different prayers, different languages... But it's just like sugar: Even though there are different kinds of candy, the sweetness is the same. All the teachings are filled with the teachings of Buddha, and even though they have different appearances, they taste the same.

Tibetan Buddhism combines all the levels of schools, including Mahayana and Hinayana. Tibetan tradition includes in itself four different schools, each one having a different branch.

Wynn: How did you end up in Los Angeles?

Llama Lanai: I just wanted to come. It's karma and the wind. The wind blows and karma turned me to this direction. I think maybe I've had past lifetimes born in the Western region, which gives me some karmic connection, and that's why I've come here.

When I was a little boy with my mother, my nickname was "white boy." My Grandpa jokingly called me "American boy."

Wynn: So you're teaching Tibetan Buddhism and meditation?

Llama Lanai: I teach mainly Tibetan Buddhism, but I also teach yoga, breathing, movements, stretching, and art. I also teach about life, how to make life more meaningful or simple, and how to find ourselves.

Wynn: Let's talk a little bit about the religion itself. In Tibetan Buddhism, where do you go when you die?

Llama Lanai: It is not really dying in our mind, but changing our bodies.

It's like changing clothes. Every morning you go into work wearing new clothes. It's like life. The circle of life never ends. Or like a mala, a chain of beads, next to next, we come back again and again, with no beginning and no end.

The human condition offers the chance to be reborn in a higher state. We believe that if you do good things this lifetime, you will be reborn next lifetime in a higher position.

Wynn: Do you know about your past lives? Were you recognized as the reincarnation of another teacher?

Llama Lanai: Of my own knowledge, I can't say. But in an eastern Tibetan monestary I was recognized as the reincarnation of a very high teacher. They recognized me from different readings, fortunetellers, and prophecies.

Wynn: In Tibetan Buddhism is there a good and bad. Is there such a thing as evil?

Llama Lanai: You have the potential to reach enlightenment in your heart — and you have the potential to be evil. Evil is when ignorance, anger, and attachment rise in your body. If you do harm to another, then at that moment evil takes over your mind.

You can reach enlightenment because you have the essence of the Buddha nature in your heart. You have never been separate from that, but the task is to manifest it, and to do that you must awaken from samsaric ignorance, attachment, and anger.

Wynn: How do Tibetan Buddhists differ from other forms of Buddhism?

Llama Lanai: Tibetan Buddhism is the most comprehensive because it includes the other ways, also. There are differences among the teachings. But they all take refuge in Buddha, and they all seek to reach enlightenment.

Wynn: When was Buddha on the Earth?

Llama Lanai: Buddha came to this world, by the beliefs of most traditions, 2570 years ago in India.

Wynn: How do you regard prophecies, especially regarding what the world is going through right now?

Llama Lanai: Of course, there are prophecies and predictions. But we are the cause of all the changes. We created this material world and the negative things in it.

Wynn: Is there a message you'd like to leave with our readers?

Llama Lanai: Buddha said, I give you these beautiful teachings but it's not up to me, it's up to you. If you really want to see positive changes, the choice is in your hand. Buddha's teaching is how to develop wisdom, knowledge, and compassion, how to respect ourselves and others, and how to reduce ignorance, anger, and attachments. The ultimate result is enlightenment.

People are focused so on the material world today. It is my hope that they also will focus on their spiritual lives, their loved ones, eating healthy food, and keeping a clear mind.

Rev. Kinrei Bassis is the priest of the Berkeley Buddhist Priory. His master was a British woman, Roshi Jiyu-Kennet, and his priory is affiliated with the Shasta Abbey that she founded in Mt. Shasta, California. His center follows the Soto Zen tradition, one of the two main traditions of Japan.

There are many articles about Buddhism at the website. You may contact the Reverend Kinrei Bassis by email at
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Llama Lanai travels all over the USA, Mexico and Canada, and has started an orphanage in Tibet with donations from Americans who have given him support. He is centered in Los Angeles, where he has founded a meditation center. His website is .