Steven Seagal-buddhist

Steven Seagal was recognized as the reincarnation of Chungdrag Dorje

In today’s world, more and more
people proclaim to be Buddhist celebrities. Being Buddhist in Hollywood
has its perks as it is an instant image booster. Whether it’s Richard
Gere being in the Dalai Lama’s intimate circle, Steven Seagal being the
reincarnation of a rinpoche, or Tiger Woods, the followers of the
Buddha enjoy an instant boost in their coolness factor.


Let`s examine some famous people who are or have been involved with Buddhism.


Steven Seagal, American action movie actor, Buddhist, producer, writer,
martial artist, guitarist, and deputy sheriff was recognized in
February of 1997 as a reincarnation (tulku) of the treasure revealer
Chungdrag Dorje by his teacher Penor Rinpoche.

There was some confusion and controversy as of why he was thus
named a reincarnation. Some claimed that he bought his way into
Buddhahood. His teacher felt the need to write a clarification

on his website. Here are some extracts.

Steven Seagal, Buddhist Lama

Mr. Seagal is a controversial man especially because of all
the rumors going around about him. There are some rumors of CIA
involvement, sexual slaves and hit contracts put on some of his
enemies. To say the least, he is perceived as a very egoistical
character, something that doesn’t conciliate well with the views people
have of a compassionate Buddhist monk.

Here is what Penor
Rinpoche had to say about him: “In the case of my student Steven
Seagal, I initiated the decision to recognize him as a tulku based on
my own feelings about him. Neither I nor any of my monasteries have
received or sought any sort of substantial donation from him. What is
important to me are the qualities I have seen in my student. For this
reason I feel confident that recognizing him as a tulku will be of
benefit to others as well as to the Buddha dharma.”

Seagal is
also highly respected for some other things. He has described his
activism as forcing companies to change. We can see the influence his
activism played in films like On Deadly Ground and Fire Down Below.

He has worked with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
to discourage the fur trade, and has written to the Prime Minister of
India to seek increased legal protection for cows. Seagal worked
effectively towards saving dogs destined to drown in Taiwan.

In 1999, Seagal was awarded a PETA Humanitarian Award.

In 2003, Seagal wrote an open letter to the leadership of Thailand,
urging them to enact a law to prevent the torture of baby elephants.

Outside
of his film work, Seagal has volunteered, lending his voice as a
narrator for an activist film project, Medicine Lake Video, which seeks
to protect sacred tribal ground near his ranch in Siskiyou County.

Steven Seagal, reincarnation of a Lama