Buddhist celebrities that inspire!

[Positive Change]

I have been fascinated with Buddhism for a while now and what is inspiring is when we see celebrities breaking the norm and living a life that has that balance we all seek. And that it is not only decadence and the pursuit of materialism that is so associated with Hollywood and Bollywood.

My favourite Buddhist celebrities are:

1. Actress that has stood the test of time, Goldie Hawn - seen here giving her view on Buddhism and Spirituality:

Goldie Hawn on GOD & Spirituality.avi

2. World acclaimed singer, Tina Turner - on Chanting and Spiritual Practice:

Buddhist Tina Turner talks about her Spirituality and even Chants	Small | Large

3. Actor, Orlando Bloom - on Spirituality and Buddhism:

Orlando Bloom on religion and spirituality as a motivating factor

4. Golfing superstar, Tiger Woods - on being Buddhism and Craving during his public apology:

Tiger Woods Apology (Buddhism) - Craving Leads to Suffering, Apologizing

5. Last but not least, Noble Peace Prize Winner and champion of her country, Aung San Suu Kyi - on what she learnt on Buddhism:

Aung San Suu Kyi Q&A : On Buddhism

Do take the time and watch these videos. The amazing thing is they all have very similar experiences and calm nature regardless of their diverse and different backgrounds!

[icy]

I like to share with you my favourite Buddhist celebrities it is of course none other than H.H. The Dalai Lama. His 14th documented incarnation as a lama, easily beating our other celebs who have at best only one lifetime of practice each — although admittedly in His Holiness’s sixth incarnation he refused to become a monk and spent much of his time chasing the ladies (ah, those youthful indiscretions!). The Dalai Lama also gets top marks for modesty: His Holiness describes himself as being “a simple Buddhist monk.”

H.H. the Dalai Lama is the cause of controversial issues on Lord Dorje Shugden thus making DS famous.  We must be most thankful to the Dalai Lama that because of him we are now in this forum sharing and learning supported by such beautiful and informative blog on DS benefitting many people across the globe.

[WisdomBeing]

Thank you Positive Change for posting those videos of the celebrity Buddhists. I used to think that it was rather contradictory for celebrities to be buddhists because the very concept of celebrities is associated with materialism, media, hype - in fact, a magnified image of everything that is false and deluded. Movies are about false worlds with false characters, characters who do not exist. The actors and actresses project imaginary worlds of perfection which is all not real yet so many people think that those imaginary people and circumstances are real. So i used to think that why would these buddhists be feeding this illusion. Then i thought that i guess these celebrities could share positive messages about buddhism from their platform as a celebrity, like in these videos here, and help others to find a possible spiritual path for them.

[pgdharma]

Buddhism offers a spiritual journey that focuses on personal spiritual development and the attainment of a deep insight into the true nature of life. Wealth and fame cannot always create happiness. Many celebrities have already achieved fame, success and wealth and they have realized that those things alone can't bring happiness which may have lead many of these celebrities to turn to Buddhism for guidance.

[dondrup]

Celebrities who had turned Buddhists had definitely experienced the benefits of practising Buddhism. Buddhism offers much more that what the celebrities could get from their profession. These celebrities are the ambassadors of Dharma. They can effectively reach out to more people to embrace Dharma.

[Pilgrim]

I agree that celebrities can be great ambassadors of Buddhism but there's also a (potential) downside to this. If a celebrity claims to be a Buddhist and are vocal about it but does not practice it seriously or learn the deeper knowledge that comes with Buddhism, their words and actions can build a negative link to Buddhism.

Buddhism is not just a hype. Modern practitioners should promote Buddhism as a cool way to live a better life with meaning and with much longer-lasting benefits than what just one lifetime can offer. But it's not only a trend. Trends come and go, Buddhism is a way of life.

Celebrities who practice Buddhism do inspire but they also have a responsibility like all of us.

[Positive Change]

I agree that celebrities can be great ambassadors of Buddhism but there's also a (potential) downside to this. If a celebrity claims to be a Buddhist and are vocal about it but does not practice it seriously or learn the deeper knowledge that comes with Buddhism, their words and actions can build a negative link to Buddhism.

Buddhism is not just a hype. Modern practitioners should promote Buddhism as a cool way to live a better life with meaning and with much longer-lasting benefits than what just one lifetime can offer. But it's not only a trend. Trends come and go, Buddhism is a way of life.

Celebrities who practice Buddhism do inspire but they also have a responsibility like all of us.

I hear what you say Pilgrim, however what I am highlighting here is about Buddhist celebrities that inspire... there are Buddhist out there who do not practice and who shed a bad light on Buddhist, celebrity or not. Of course celebrities have a "social responsibility" to act a certain way because of the influence they have and I do not discount that.

But if they can inspire using their celebrity-hood all the better as their reach especially in this degenerate age, is wider and it transcends barriers. So we should rejoice that there are more celebrities embracing Buddhism and they are more vocal about it! Take for example, Tina Turner chanting on National TV!!!

[Pilgrim]

I agree that celebrities can be great ambassadors of Buddhism but there's also a (potential) downside to this. If a celebrity claims to be a Buddhist and are vocal about it but does not practice it seriously or learn the deeper knowledge that comes with Buddhism, their words and actions can build a negative link to Buddhism.

Buddhism is not just a hype. Modern practitioners should promote Buddhism as a cool way to live a better life with meaning and with much longer-lasting benefits than what just one lifetime can offer. But it's not only a trend. Trends come and go, Buddhism is a way of life.

Celebrities who practice Buddhism do inspire but they also have a responsibility like all of us.

I hear what you say Pilgrim, however what I am highlighting here is about Buddhist celebrities that inspire... there are Buddhist out there who do not practice and who shed a bad light on Buddhist, celebrity or not. Of course celebrities have a "social responsibility" to act a certain way because of the influence they have and I do not discount that.

But if they can inspire using their celebrity-hood all the better as their reach especially in this degenerate age, is wider and it transcends barriers. So we should rejoice that there are more celebrities embracing Buddhism and they are more vocal about it! Take for example, Tina Turner chanting on National TV!!!

Positive Change, I totally agree with you! We need more positive examples and we should certainly rejoice that we do have celebrities showing the world that there's so much more to life than just samsaric pleasures.