You look in awe. At her summery look, her face that glows incessantly – a reflection of her inner peace, the ease with which she speaks about her life, the challenges and struggles. Shilpa, a practicing Buddhist, can leave a lasting effect on you as she talks about her spiritual journey and the significance of destiny in her life. During her recent visit to Delhi, the 'Chak De! India' star took a walk through the bylanes of Majnu Ka Tila exclusively for IBNLive Movies, and explained the essence of the flags that dot Tibetan shops. Besides navigating through the streets, and snatching glimpses of the lifestyle of Tibetan community, she also delved deeper into the intricacies of Buddhist philosophy.
“Now, this feels like home," says Shilpa Shukla as we head to a coffee shop tucked away in the congested lanes of the Tibetan refugee colony. Also referred to as Delhi’s ‘Mini Tibet’, the peace here stands in stark contrast to the crazy, hectic life in the capital. “What really impresses me about the people here is the satisfaction with which they live. They are all so content," she says.
As Shilpa tell us, her “favorite flag in the world is the Tibetan flag." "In fact my profile picture had this for the longest time," she adds.
Besides brining spiritual growth and the attainment of insight into the true aspect of life, how has Buddhism helped her? “It is a study of the mind that tells you how mindful you are of negative emotions because there are loads of it and if anybody is denying, they are lying. We know people are happy because that’s how it appears on Facebook and Twitter, but that is just a projection and you all know it. So that’s how I started questioning things. I want real happiness in life and the struggle is on. It is irrespective of who I am."
For Shilpa, her brother Tenzin Priyadarshi holds great significance in her life. A Buddhist monk, Tenzin is the founder of the Dalai Lama Centre For Ethics And Transformative Values at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA.
“He is already such a high soul. So he wasn’t comfortable with where we were, what we were doing. And of course, he would be uncomfortable because he knows where he belonged," she says, adding, “So I would always protect him when there was family dispute because he is the only son who wanted to become a Buddhist monk in a Bihari family – it is difficult to digest. But at the same time my parents were very progressive and they allowed their son to be a Buddhist monk and fulfill their purpose which he started many lifetimes ago."
Besides comprehending the negative emotions that one experiences, brother Tenzin also helped Shilpa live a peaceful life. “He was a great influence in my life. I’m alive today because of him. He helped me understand my negative emotions, and how to first address them as all problems begin when you are living in denial."
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