Videogames often get criticized by out-of-touch old cranks for causing violence and encouraging aggressive behavior, so it's very interesting indeed to see that one man, who could rightly be regarded as an expert on serenity and anger-management, is recommending videogames as a way to curb aggressive tendencies.
Trinley Dorje is more than just a Buddhist monk. The twenty-four-year-old man is the Karmapa Lama. That makes him the only Buddhist leader to be acknowledged by China, India and Tibet. So yeah, he's a pretty big deal and he knows his stuff when it comes to the Buddhist way of life. He's also a keen gamer, and believes that the so-called "sick filth" of interactive entertainment doesn't clash with his belief system.
"I view videogames as something of an emotional therapy, a mundane level of emotional therapy for me," explains Dorje. "We all have emotions whether we're Buddhist practitioners or not, all of us have emotions, happy emotions, sad emotions, displeased emotions and we need to figure out a way to deal with them when they arise.
"So, for me sometimes it can be a relief, a kind of decompression to just play some videogames. If I'm having some negative thoughts or negative feelings, videogames are one way in which I can release that energy in the context of the illusion of the game. I feel better afterwards.
"The aggression that comes out in the video game satiates whatever desire I might have to express that feeling. For me, that's very skillful because when I do that I don't have to go and hit anyone over the head."
It's very refreshing to see such an open-minded take on videogames, especially from a spiritual leader. He's quite right, too. There's nothing like pumping virtual bullets into your friends to relieve tension and I must say, every time I score a headshot on Killzone 2, I feel one step closer to enlightenment.
Contest:
7:00 AM on 09.21.2009
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Seriously, shop a Yankees hat on that dude.
But seriously great find, it's always nice to see some down to earth religious people, but then again, he is a Buddhists, Christians are a completely different story.
Typo fixed in story now.
Like everyone said, it's nice to see a positive view of our medium from someone religous.
Seriously, so that guy screaming "Ah yeah you fag, you got p0wned!! Take it biotch!" whilst he maneuvers his onscreen character in position to t-bag some poor fellow, could now be a Buddhist monk releasing his negative emotions?
Give this man a fucking medal for actually getting the damn point!
I'm not religious and I don't think I ever will be, but if I was, I'd be buddhist.
Oh, and in the interview this article came from, apparently many people feel this man should succeed the Dalai Lama. Heh, imagine that.
Also, I bet I'll hit a higher state of enlightenment if I beat this guy in a game (just a fun thought that occurred).
No game has ever angered or frustrated me since Ninja Gaiden Black.
Seriously, it is a psychological FACT that releasing anger is not a healthy habit and only leads to more aggressinve behavior. It's amazing how this misconception of anger having to be expressed has spread so rampant. Not all supressed emotions stay in the back of your head until you let them out. It's far more beneficial to learn how to ease them, leading to a greater sense of self-control.
In short don't listen to this guy, he clearly doesn't know what he's talking about. Buddha never taught this crap, he was a figure of peace and love for both the world and the individual.
Really? I'm actually pretty chill after playing fighting games and RPGs. Especially after beating hard modes or getting past difficult characters. I even do a little victory dance sometimes. IDK about other ppl, but gaming relieves stress for me and gives me a little extra self-esteem (that's not dependent on video games mind you) that just goes along with having fun.
I think games help people to look at everything like an interesting challenge and not to stress so much.
And not surprisingly, the buddha didn't mention video games directly. More than any other religion there is room for interpretation in buddhism. 'This guy' is a world renowned leading buddhist figure. His opinion might not be right, but clearly he thinks video games can fit into his practice and that is certainly interesting. His opinion on Buddhism and video games has more weight than yours. Unless you're actually the DL. In which case- Hi!
The Katamari series is also pretty zen, lol.
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