|
 For the Hollywood
celebrities, the choice of religion is as critical as the choice of a new role.
They are guided by considerations of their personal philosophy or by trends -
Kabbalah spread in Hollywood thanks to Madonna, while Scientology was made
popular mainly by Tom Cruise. Buddhists stand apart in this «vanity fair of
beliefs» as they are rather low-key in expressing their religious views. Many
stars, including Steven Segal, Orlando Bloom, and Tina Turner, confidently declare
that Buddhism has changed their lives for the better.
A Hollywood
blockbusters star, Steven Segal, in 1997 surprised the fans of martial arts by
confessing his obsession with Buddhism. This sensational statement soon
received most creditable confirmation: the Tibetan Lama recognized the actor as
tulku - in Tibetan Buddhism a person who has achieved a high level of spiritual
development. As it turned out, Seagal is a Buddhist and went to an Asian
country as a teen to learn Buddhism, acupuncture and martial arts from Tibetan
Buddhist monks, who left China and sought refuge in Japan. Not only is he a 7th
degree black belt and Aikido master, he is a Zen teacher and healer.
The star of
«Pirates of the Caribbean» and «The Lord of the Rings» Orlando Bloom turned to
Buddhism for very good reasons - the actor claims that «the philosophy of
Buddhism is one of the ways to find harmony». In 2007, Bloom even said that he
was thinking of leaving the film industry to «take a break» and engage in spiritual
self-improvement: «The philosophy that I've embraced isn't about sitting under
a tree and meditating, it's about studying what is going on in my daily life
and using that as fuel to go and live a bigger life», Bloom said.
Kate
Bosworth is another celebrity who started practicing Buddhism because her then-boyfriend,
Orlando Bloom, was into Nichiren Buddhism. Despite the break-up that followed
soon, Bosworth didn't give Buddhism up. Bosworth's affair with the Buddhadharma
really seems to mean something: «It's just a really incredible state of mind.
It's basically about constantly growing and making yourself a better person and
focusing on what you want for yourself and the world and really putting it out
there».
Richard
Gere is one the most well-known and devout Hollywood Buddhists. Moreover, he is
a friend of Dalai Lama. Gere is a passionate advocate for human rights in
Tibet; he is a co-founder of the Tibet House, creator of The Gere Foundation,
and he is Chairman of the Board of Directors for the International Campaign for
Tibet. Because of his support for the Tibetan cause he's banned from the
People's Republic of China - and he's also banned as an Academy Award presenter
because of using the podium to denounce the Chinese government. Born into a Christian
family, Gere says that he has no idea where his inclination towards Buddhism
comes from, and explains its rise to new faith by karma. Gere scores high marks
for sincerity of practice, and meditates daily. «It helps me set my motivation
for the day», he says.
As a majority
of Hollywood celebrities who practice a religion, Tina Turner used Buddhism
mostly to solve her personal issues. As shown in the biopic What's Love Got to
Do With It, it was Turner's Buddhist practice that gave her the strength to
leave her abusive marriage to Ike Turner, who abused drugs and often resorted
to battering, in the 70's, which in turn made her an icon for abused women
everywhere. Tina Turner has been practicing Buddhism for more than thirty years,
guided by the principles of religion in most matters. Turner is open about her
passion for Buddhism - she talked about it on Larry King' show, and even sang
some Buddhist hymns live. Commenting on her religious beliefs, Turner said: «I
had to teach myself because I didn't have the freedom to go to actually go to
meetings or for people to come to me ... and it changed my life».
Inessa Hyder
|
