The Dude and the Zen Master by Jeff Bridges & Bernie Glassman

Author:Jeff Bridges & Bernie Glassman
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Non-Fiction, Humour, Dudeism, Philosophy, Religion, Film
ISBN: 9780399161643
Publisher: Random House
Published: 2012-11-13T00:00:00+00:00

BERNIE: The Chinese language is made of symbols rather than letters. Their word for difficulty consists of two characters, and one of the characters is opportunity. Hidden within every difficulty is an opportunity. I’ve worked a lot in the world of business, and the problems you run into in business become golden opportunities.

JEFF: I’ve been often asked in interviews, Why do you do the movies you do, and is there a thread that runs through them? I initially thought there wasn’t, but then I realized that many of my films have the theme of exactly what we’re talking about, that what appears to be a drag is actually a wonderful opportunity. One that really comes to mind is called American Heart, about a guy getting out of prison and the last thing he wants is to see his fourteen-year-old kid and have to take care of him. He desperately wants to go straight and make something of his life, and he thinks he won’t be able to do that if he’s burdened with a kid. Of course, it turns out that getting together with his boy and taking care of his needs really show him what life is all about. They give joy and meaning to his life.

Another practice I find interesting is tonglen. That’s a Tibetan practice that helps us connect with others’ suffering and our own. I’m kind of a beginning student of it, but one idea I really like is that your feelings are not just your feelings, we all have them. So in some ways, you’re a representative of what it is to be alive. As an actor, I feel that I represent a community, the family of man and woman, and my job is to show how different people will act in different situations, like the father in American Heart. So when it comes to feelings of struggle and suffering, you’re not alone; your suffering is on behalf of the whole group, on behalf of all of us.

That thought alone eases things. It’s also the beginning of compassion.

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