Years ago I was lucky enough to listen to the Dalai Lama talk at the Beacon Theater in New York City. I had only read his books, never seen him in public. What stood out the most to me was his laugh. He was constantly laughing. The conversation was serious, about the challenges of ethics in various parts of the world. He was surrounded by significant ethicists for conversation, hosted by the award-winning journalist Amy Goodman. The Dalai Lama laughed his way through the day-long conversation, all while having intense debate and conversation, alongside his usual deep wisdom. I remember thinking to myself, “He laughs a lot!” I then started watching other videos of the Lama and realized he spends a lot of time in laughter. I hadn’t imagined him that way before that day, but ever since then, when I think about the Dalai Lama, I think about laughter.

This week’s reading from Ephesians has been misused for a long time to suggest that one of the marks of “good Christian community” is judgmental and sometimes violent “naming” of those who are on the wrong side of the path of Jesus. The list is long of the wrongs of the Church in this way: purity tests/culture, the Crusades, colonialism, and so forth. We have engaged in the sin of putting one cultural norm or another in the place of the Way of Jesus, and then measuring others against it in order to punish or exclude. There is no joy in this, only pain.

But the norms of Jesus are something different: radical hospitality, nonviolence, self-emptying, radical communitarism and resource sharing, unconditional love of others and opposition to Empire. If we use these norms of Jesus as Paul is suggesting as our measurement – where then does that leave any of us? What Paul is getting at as commentator Sally Purvis suggests, is the journey and joy of conversion. It takes time (more than a lifetime) to live in the Way of Jesus. She offers these words, “What might we take away from this passage for the long-term, multicultural, global complexity of our context? First, Ephesians offers a clear and convincing picture of the challeng of living out even our most deeply held convictions to call us back to the person we are striving to be. Second, our relationship with God is always expressed in how we treat others; there is no gap between theology and morality. Finally, perhaps the urgency and ultimacy of the eschatological setting of this epistle can encourage some yearning in us for a more enlivened faith and a call to look again at conversion even in our world.”

In his 1996 book on the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels, the Dalai Lama identifies Jesus as the one with the “good heart.” Rather than think of this week’s epistle reading as an invitation to the harmful ways of division, judgment and condemnation – I instead see it as an opening to the renewal of Christian community and discipleship. The ongoing work of conversion and the following of Jesus, the one with the good heart, must be our way. If we focused on the way of Jesus, isn’t that the way of joy?

I encourage you to take some time to watch this short documentary on the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. It speaks to this reading in Ephesians in a powerful way as they talk about their lives, their spiritual friendship and weaving together of their deeply held faithfulness as a Buddhist and a Christian. It tells the story of spiritual conversion for each of them, and how they practice conversion daily. It reminds us that even for a great spiritual teacher and leader, conversion is not an easy path, but one that takes dedication and attention. I am grateful for sage spiritual guides who offer us lessons towards the end of their lives that we might embody wherever we are on our road of discipleship. I hope you’ll take some time to watch and listen to the wisdom they offer, and laugh alongside them too. They laugh a lot. So should we!

Blessings in this 4th week of Lent to you.

Peace,