Last Saturday, we had the privilege of hosting Awakin Call with Lama Tsomo.

Lama Tsomo, born Linda Pritzker, is an American teacher in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, an author, and a philanthropist living in western Montana. Her path of spiritual inquiry and study led to her ordination as one of the few female American lamas in Tibetan Buddhism. Known for her warm, candid and humorous teaching style, she often weaves scientific research findings into her teachings. She is particularly passionate about reaching young people and supporting those working for positive social change. Born into a Midwestern Jewish household, Lama Tsomo is an heiress to the Pritzker family fortune via Hyatt Hotels and other enterprises. She had no interest in joining any of the family businesses. As a teenager, she discovered a passion for the environment and came to believe that a civilization built on an ever-growing demand for material things (and the natural resources required to produce them) does not result in happiness and well-being, and is not sustainable.

Below are some of the nuggets from the call that stood out for me ...

Q: Was there a formative event from your childhood or background that you like to share?

A: The night before my 9th birthday, and I couldn’t sleep. I was thinking about my wish, and I thought about how wishes in fairy tales never quite work out. What was behind the wishes was the happiness. What could be the wish that could give me the happiness that wouldn’t slip behind my grasp. And then I thought, “Why don’t I wish for happiness?” Then I went to sleep peaceful, and every birthday after that I’ve wished for happiness.

Q: You seemed to have a calling from a young age. Can you share more about that?

A: I went on a camping trip in my early teens, and it was live changing. I realized I was meant to be in that environment. It was my natural habitat. When I came back to Chicago, it was shocking and I went into a depression. I realized this house of cards we set up was bound to fall and wasn’t a way to be sane in the meantime. I always loved to be in nature, but this experience bought it to the fore. I wanted to live close to the land, and eat from the land. I later moved to the country in SW Wisconsin. We had a few goats, started homesteading, and I started a school in the meantime.

Q: Would you describe yourself as following an inner guide or path at this time?

A: Absolutely. In my games with my younger sister, we would find ourselves pretending that we were homesteading. By the time I was 16, I knew I wanted to be a psychotherapist. Yet there was no meditation practice in my life at that stage. We grew up in the Jewish tradition, and there was a strong cultural identity but no spiritual training. At some point we lived in a place with only 5 Jewish families, and use to gather to study together. I found I really loved that. At Namchak, we are hoping to reproduce that. With families and with kids. We created these toolkits for families and that’s what we do. Separately, there was a time in college where I was interested in Bahai. It helped me appreciate oneness. An image from Buddhism, the ocean and the wave, helped me appreciate that more deeply.

Stay tuned for the full transcript and recording of the call!

And for those local to the Bay Area, Lama Tsomo will be giving a Four Immeasurables Retreat in Berkeley starting February 14, 2020.

Lots of gratitude to all the behind-the-scenes volunteers that made this call happen!