The Dalai Lama's Dream

The Dalai Lama's Dream
To His Holiness the Dalai Lama
with respect and admiration

fiction
edward w pritchard

When Rien's uncle heard he was going to work as a chef in New York City rather than stay as a chef in Lyon, France in 1957; the uncle said what many in the family thought but were too polite to say. Rien's uncle said to his nephew, I would rather spend a year in hell than eat a meal in the United States.

Fifty-two years later Rien was head chef at the Pierre Hotel in New York. In those fifty-two years the worlds opinion about American cooking had grown considerably and the gap between fine French Cuisine and excellent American food was now too close to call; which was a great compliment to American cooking. The Pierre Hotel had just underwent a 100 million dollar renovation and the restaurant had been reinvented by a major London restaurant group and was determined to become the finest restaurant in New York City.

Still Rien, as head chef at the Pierre would rather face a secret Michelin undercover diner than the hotel guest he was about to serve. His holiness the Dalai Lama was a guest at the hotel and he would be dining in Saturday night. The Dalai Lama was a humble and unassuming Buddhist. Like most Americans Rien respected and admired his holiness the Dalai Lama.

However, as a food person Rien knew the Dalai Lama's opinion of American Food; which was not that far off from what his Uncle had said in 1957. Several times the Dalai Lama had exclaimed that he found American food to be overdone, stultifying, full of fat, and unhealthy.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama had become a celebrity and the American media was fascinated by his vegetarian eating habits. Often if the Dalai Lama ate veal it was reported as a shocking development rather than a matter of individual choice. Out of respect for the Dalai Lama's Buddhist traditions Rien decided to prepare a gourmet meal using no animal products and to have it be the best his holiness had had in a long time.

New York City was one of the only places in the world where his Holiness could walk through the lobby in a hotel on the way to the restaurant in flowing red robes and not attract the attention of the other guests. The Pierre Hotel in New York's guests were on top of that very discrete and private and left the Dali Lama to his own space and did not intrude on his person.

Rien's family were famous chefs in Lyon France and were competitors of the Bocuse Family, the finest restaurateurs in the world . As was traditional Rien at age 14 trained in another kitchen, outside the family, for four years, to obtain seasoning as a chef, before he returned to the Family kitchen. Of course at the age of eighteen rather than entering the family business Rien decided to take a job in far away New York City. Rien was fortunate to train with Paul Bocuse from 1953 to 1957 at the Bocuse family restaurant in Lyon.

Paul Bocuse was destined to become the world's greatest chef of the 20th century and many considered him the finest chef since Careme inventor of haute cuisine, or Escoffier, who modernized Cameme's style and later published the cook's Cookbook, Le Guide Culinaire. Paul Bocuse trained at the Mere Brazier a two Michelin star restaurant[ three possible but very rare- one of the best tables in France]. Later Bocuse worked for the demanding M. Pointe of La Pyramid, who some considered the mature Paul Bocuse's equal as a chef. As a mature chef Paul Bocuse was formidable and there was disagreement if he was more like Napoleon or Julius Caesar in his management of his kitchen. There was no doubt however that Mr Bocuse had a regal bearing and ran the kitchen as an autocrat.

Bocuse challenged his student Rien to become the finest cook in France. When he came to America Rien had worked his way up through the restaurant world of New York City and helped to professionalize the restaurant business in America and bring French quality and standards to American cooking. It is not an exaggeration to say that Rien was one of only a few chef's who could be credited with making a favorable comparison between French and American cuisine possible.

The Dalai Lama did not order his diner from the menu, preferring Chef's choice. Rien, the head chef at the Pierre, served first to his holiness,[ in deference to Paul Bocuse, his mentor, who invented the dish,] truffle soup, and then his own invention vegan Orange Souffle,[ no butter eggs, or creme ] no small accomplishment- a vegan souffle , brussel sprouts with pear sauce, soy cheese[ 2 kinds] and wild berries with strawberries and walnuts. After the meal the Dalai Lama went to the kitchen and thanked Rien personally for the fine meal.

While returning to his room after a very enjoyable meal the Dali Lama was met getting off the elevator by a few members of the housekeeping staff who wanted his blessing. He also gave three of them a signed copy of his latest book on the obtainment of happiness that he was in New York to promote. In addition to being in New York to promote his new book, the Dalai Lama was receiving an award from the American publishing industry, for he was becoming one of the most prolific writers of all time.

After his prayers and meditations the Dalai Lama went to sleep in the extremely quiet room on an exquisite set of hand ironed linens.


Part 2

The Dalai Lama's Dream

Because of years and years of mental training to promote effective meditation and logical thinking skills the Dalai Lama had lucid dreams and often remembered them nearly intact.

After the excellent meal in the restaurant of the Pierre the Dalai Lama was dreaming:

In his dream-He was again at the restaurant and was getting up to find his chef. Another waiter, not his own, however intercepted him and said it was protocol in America to first thank the Waiter and then the Chef. The Dali Lama's own waiter was in the kitchen.

the dream continues"

Entering the kitchen was like it had been a few hours earlier but the Dalai Lama was hyper aware of all the details of the kitchen at once. Row after row of copper pots lined the kitchen. Cleaned and plucked chickens, ducks and geese were laid out in row after row on the counter ready for cooking. Twenty or more pots and pans were cooking at once on the stoves and grills and waiters ran in and out and grabbed completed dishes from the four cooks.

The Dalai Lama couldn't find his waiter in the dream and approached the head chef directly. The head chef was wearing a high cook's hat and had the nature and bearing of a Roman emperor.

The dream continued as Dalai Lama thanked the head chef for his meal. The head chef who was very busy asked his holiness "did you clear this with your waiter?"

"No," said the Dalai Lama, I couldn't find him". "Then, said the chef who had changed into a lovable fat man with a Scottish accent" you must answer to me in writing."

Who are you asked asked the Dalai Lama?"

"You know me, You studied my ideas long ago I am David Hume the philosopher" " you must answer to "My Treatise of Human Nature" in writing." said the head chef.

Dalai Lama of course in his dream asked "Why"

Because said the philosopher David Hume " Despite all the books you have wrote and published, "we have no certain knowledge that the world really exists" so if you would please answer my skepticism in writing." With that the head chef in the dream kitchen handed the Dalai Lama a book.

The Dalai Lama asked the chef David Hume " may I have my philosophical assistant the chief metaphyscian answer for me?"

Mr. Hume again "No", only you may answer and it must be in writing."

The Dalai Lama then in his dream reached and took the book from the head chef. Looking at the title of the book David Hume had handed him, the Dalai Lama noticed it was in Mandarin Chinese. The book was titled "Tenets of Dialectical Materialism."

With that the Dalai Lama woke up.

End of his holiness the Dalai Lama's dream.
End part 2

part 3

David Hume is a skeptic and all philosophers who came after him must answer his reservations concerning the existence of God, lack of causation, denial of the possibility of miracles, and our ability to know anything about the future. According to Hume any knowledge people have except that gathered by direct observation, ie. gathered through our senses or certain types of pure mathematical knowledge [ 2 + 2= 4] is not legitimate knowledge.

Karl Marx- The Marxian interpretation of reality views matter as the sole subject of change, Marx and Frederick Engels in "Tenets of Dialectical Materialism" published on that subject. To Marx all change occurs because of a constant conflict between opposites. The conflict is caused by internal contradictions inherent in all events, ideas, and movements. Marx was an atheist and built a large system of belief based on materialism and atheism. To Marx religion exists to justify and promote economic ends. Thus Marx' system saw an inevitability to human history and each epoch in human history was an outcome of its methods of production and distribution. The primary tenant of Marx's philosophy is that most philosophers attempt to describe the world, Marx believed his job was to change the world. Currently Marx' ideas have the most influence in modern China.

The Dalai Lama is the current leader of the religious officials of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism and is the latest reincarnation of a series of spiritual leaders who have chosen to be reborn in order to enlighten others. His holiness was the spiritual leader of Tibet, but Tibet since 1951 has been a part of Modern China. The Dalai Lama resides in India when not traveling.