19/05/2026
Russian journalist Stanislav Kucher about our beloved Lama. I could not say better.
“Today, at the age of 85, Lama Ole Nydahl passed away — one of the brightest, most effective, and, from the perspective of conservatives, most controversial Buddhist teachers of our time. And simply one of the strongest and most joyful human beings I have ever met.
Twenty years ago, when I first interviewed him at the Moscow Diamond Way Buddhist Center, I asked Ole whether he was enlightened. I remember people around him tensing up, as if to say: he’s a recognized Master — how could anyone doubt that? But Ole laughed and replied:
“Enlightened? Unlikely. Enlightenment would mean that I could see through time and space and know exactly what, for example, your mother-in-law is doing right now. I’m probably more liberated — meaning I’m no longer dependent on disturbing emotions like envy because you’re young and I’m the same age as your mother-in-law.”
Since then, we met many times in different settings — at retreats, lectures, and privately over a “shot of tea” during his visits to Russia. Every single time, I was struck by the incredible energy and love of life this man radiated. Critics called his interpretation of Buddhism a “lite version,” described the global network of Diamond Way centers he founded as a cult, and considered his lifestyle — riding motorcycles, skydiving, allowing himself a beer after a hard day — unusual for a Buddhist teacher. Yet I personally know dozens of people who, thanks to his teachings, left drugs and alcohol behind and turned their lives into an exciting and creative adventure.
When I once asked the 14th Dalai Lama about Lama Ole’s school, he smiled and said:“Yes, I think it’s a sect. But it’s a very good and useful sect! Do you know how many young people came to Buddhism because of him?”
Once, during a public lecture, a woman asked Lama Ole:“Please tell me, what should you do when your hands give up, you don’t want anything, your soul feels heavy, and everything is just bad?”
With a deeply compassionate smile, the Master replied:“Drink some coffee and go help someone.”
The woman, clearly puzzled by the answer, sat back down. But about ten minutes later she raised her hand again:“And what if you feel so bad that you don’t want to do anything at all — not even get up? Like you have absolutely no resources left, you know?”
Lama paused for a second, then looked her carefully in the eyes and said:“For that situation, there’s another recipe: drink two, maybe even three cups of coffee — and go help someone.”
When we become fixated on ourselves, we always find problems. When we think about others, interesting tasks appear. Perhaps that was the main principle Ole lived by himself and shared with the world.
He also left this world the way a Buddha should — calmly, consciously, having warned and prepared his loved ones and students in advance. And when I learned about it today, I remembered another of his strikingly simple and powerful phrases:
“The death of the body is not the problem. The problem is a life of the body without meaning.”
In the photo: Ole and me at a Buddhist gathering near Kaluga in the summer of 2015. I look at it, smile, hear his laughter and his light Danish accent. “A Viking accent,” as he once called it.”
