Richard Gere 's Buddhism

[Q]

Good observation. Only those that apply the Dharma and the effort to change one's mind from negative to positive will be able to summarize in such a fashion. Glad that you shared this with everyone.

[Andrea Keating]

Whether it is Western or Eastern, Buddhism is universal.  It has been kept in the Eastern region of the globe for 2,500 years.  Now that it has widely spread to the Western communities, many are receptive to the teachings by the Buddha as they find it easy to relate to life.  I am among the fortunate ones to have met the Dharma. The 4 videos of Richard Gear’s spiritual journey were done well for others to relate to Buddhism easily and his sharing of the encounter with the Dalai Lama was interesting.  The story ended with others and Richard himself sharing the changes in him after practicing the dharma. 

May those who watched the story be inspired to learn and practice dharma!   

[Kim Hyun Jae]

Richard Gere clearly has shown indications that he is still karmically connected to Buddhism via being a follower of the Dalai Lama for over 30 years. It is very courageous for him to share his Buddhist knowledge, on Buddhism and what he has experienced during the course of applying these knowledge throughout his life. He doesn't use 'big words' to explain Buddhism but in words that can relate to new Buddhist to educate them.

He may be politically inclined towards the Dalai Lama but I will ignore them for we may not know of his motivation of doing what he is doing currently. We cannot speak on his behalf nor can we assume.

But with his Buddhism knowledge, practice and application of the teachings he is able to make himself a better person and benefit others, then that is the right motivation on the correct path.


 

[eyesoftara]

From the Western point of view which is rooted in Christianity and science, we have a contradicting view of faith in god and logic. Christianity generally is about the faith in God and divine providence (although fatalistic view are practice by some churches), while science is based on logical view.

Richard Gere Buddhism is based more on science, hence form the logically point. Science advocate forming theories, testing these theories through experiment, gathering the results and making conclusion. Further, from these, science advocate practical applications of the new knowledge learned.

Buddhism has stand all the tests of science and in fact there are many unanswered questions of science that the Buddha has given answers to and science has not caught up.

Hence, Buddhism is the faster growing religion in the West and the World.

[SabS]

Richard Gere gained fame when he stared in "Pretty Woman" and yet he did not let his fame and status overwhelm his mind. Instead he seek teachings from the Dalai Lama and became his student for so many years. It must be the accumulation of his good merits from past lives for him to have the right conditions of practice. It definitely would be wonderful for him to start teaching as his famous status will make it easier to reach out to the people. As far as I know, he had been very low-keyed and humble in his practice although often pictured next the Dalai Lama. A true practitioner who does not take sides.

[pgdharma]

Richard Gere is one of the most popular actors well known for being a Buddhist.  Buddhism has taught him to look inside himself more deeply, to worry less and less about the opinions of others and to share the pain and the joy of other human beings. He has learned patience, openness and generosity. It has helped him from been an impatient man to a more tolerant person.  Many Westerners are now turning towards learning Buddhism because Buddha’s Teachings are logical and can be applied to anyone to resolve whatever situations and their practice will increase when they experience the results.