Surya Das

Surya Das (born Jeffrey Miller in 1950) is an American lama in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.Template:Sfnp He is a poet, chantmaster, spiritual activist, author of many popular works on Buddhism, meditation teacher and spokesperson for Buddhism in the West.Template:Sfnp He has long been involved in charitable relief projects in the developing world and in interfaith dialogue.

Surya Das is a Dharma heir of Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche, a Nyingma master of the non-sectarian Rime movement, with whom he founded the Dzogchen Foundation and Center in 1991. He received Nyoshul Khenpo's authorization to teach in 1993.Template:Sfnp

His name, which means "Servant of the Sun" in a combination of Sanskrit (sūrya) and Hindi (das, from the Sanskrit dāsa), was given to him in 1972 by the Hindu guru Neem Karoli Baba.Template:Sfnp Surya Das is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.Template:Sfnp

Early life and education

Surya Das was born Jeffrey Miller and raised in Valley Stream, Long Island, New York.Template:Sfnp He attended the State University of New York at Buffalo, graduating with honors in 1971, with a degree in creative education.Template:Sfnp

Early studies

After his best friend's girlfriend, Allison Krause, was killed during the Kent State shootings,Template:Sfnp Surya Das began pursuing spirituality.Template:Sfnp From 1971 to 1976 he traveled in India. There he studied Hinduism with Neem Karoli BabaTemplate:Sfnp as well as Vipassana with S. N. Goenka and Anagarika Munindra, of the Theravadin tradition.Template:Sfnp Neem Karoli Baba gave him the name Surya Das in 1972.Template:Sfnp

During his travels in India and Nepal, Surya Das studied with Tibetan Buddhist Lamas Thubten Yeshe,Template:Sfnp Kalu Rinpoche,Template:Sfnp The 16th Gyalwa Karmapa,Template:Sfnp Tulku Urgyen,Template:Sfnp Thrangu Rinpoche,Template:Sfnp Dezhung Rinpoche,Template:Sfnp Dilgo Khyentse,Template:Sfnp and Kangyur Rinpoche.Template:Sfnp In 1973 and 1974, he lived in Kyoto, Japan, where he taught English and studied Zen BuddhismTemplate:Sfnp with Uchiyama Roshi.Template:Sfnp

Monastery and retreat

In 1977, Surya Das helped establish Gyalwa Karmapa's Karma Triyana Dharmachakra monastery on a mountaintop overlooking Woodstock, New York.Template:Sfnp He resided at the monastery from 1977 to 1980. He attended the first Nyingmapa retreat center in Dordogne, France in 1980. At the center he completed two Dzogchen three-and-a-half-year retreats under the guidance of Dudjom Rinpoche and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.Template:Sfnp

Teaching career

Founding of the Dzogchen Foundation

File:Surya Das and friend.jpg

Pictured is Lama Surya Das (left) and Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche (right)

In 1991 Surya Das returned from his two decades at Tibetan monasteries and retreats, and with Nyoshul Khenpo established the Dzogchen Foundation and Center to help further the spread of Tibetan Buddhism in the West.Template:Sfnp He received Nyoshul Khenpo's authorization to teach in 1993.Template:Sfnp The Foundation has brought many Tibetan lamas to teach and reside in the United States and continues to do so.

Appearances

Surya Das travels, teaches, and leads meditation retreats throughout the world. He is often called upon as a Buddhist spokesman by the media and has appeared on TV and radio. One episode of the sitcom Dharma and Greg, "Leonard's Return", was loosely based on his life and return to America.Template:Sfnp He has appeared as a special guest on the Comedy Central television show The Colbert Report.Template:Sfnp

Sexual misconduct allegations

In 2020, Surya Das told a reporter that he had slept with "probably one or two"Template:Sfnp of his students. Later, in a statement released by a spokesperson, he said that he had had intimate relationships with "a few" of his former students before 2010.Template:Sfnp New ethical guidelines were established as a result.

These admissions came after five women, working through a lawyer, brought allegations of sexual misconduct by Surya Das to Dzogchen Foundation's board of directors in 2019. Three of them said Surya Das suggested that meditating while naked in his lap (based on the yab-yum image) would help their spiritual practice. Two others recounted sexual encounters with Surya Das, including one who said that he told her sleeping with him would complete her Buddhist training.Template:Sfnp

Officials, teachers, and board members of the Dzogchen Center resigned following the allegations. Surya Das has disputed some details of these allegations.Template:Sfnp

External links

• Ask The Lama blog