Good Influences
Dear Rinpoche,
This is a vintage Bionic Woman doll complete with its packaging. Its an offering from me.
Pastor David
Dear Pastor David Lai,
Thanks for the iconic memorabilia of Bionic Woman figure. She does bring back good memories and reminders of my favorite Bionic Woman show. I liked the show because although the Bionic Woman character has bionic power, she uses her compassion, fairness, love of others, acceptance of all races, acceptance of all creed, spiritually open attitude to deal with each situation that came her way. She didn’t bully her way with her power and strength. She never lost her fair minded, compassionate judgment when assessing various situations – I like that so much. She always spoke up or did something in the show when she saw something was to be done TO HELP ANOTHER. She always shared what she went through to teach others what they can overcome also. She did it with grace and kindness. The actress Lindsay Wagner infused much of who she is into this character and that is amazing. The Bionic Woman never remained quiet and hide or avoid – I LIKE PEOPLE WHO TAKE ACTION and not watch and remain silent when something can and should be done. I guess taking action to me is an expression of compassion in action and that is why we are Buddhists/spiritual. We have to be Buddhists in action, not in name only. Whatever religion we believe in or are theists, we are still human who can take good positive action to make a difference and we should make a difference. We should always try to make a difference. Life is not about only good things for ourselves, but the difference we can make in others’ lives. This is so important.
This type of show influenced a generation of people who watched it as TV has great influence on how we think. Media is very powerful to shape how people think. This is what made the Bionic Woman show very popular and fueled mainstream culture in contributing to thinking differently when the Bionic Woman show became a huge hit and a household name. Yes the basis is she was bionic in the show and had tremendous super strength, but from that they built a person who had very human weaknesses but also strengths. Bionic Woman character overcame her fears in each episode and her inner strength shined through. Maybe it was all fantasy but it is using fantasy to teach and share what all humans can do, which is to overcome our weaknesses and build our strengths. This is positive TV and positive media. I like that as did millions who watched it.
I guess when we were all growing up, positive children’s stories reinforced our morals and ethics and it helped us to shape who we are today. For me, Bionic Woman, is beyond a show or fantasy, but it was stories in each episode that taught people to BE afraid, to ACCEPT limitations, to BE imperfect, but don’t let those negative natural qualities in us stop us from working on ourselves to be more and we can be more. To overcome fear, limitations and imperfections and grow. Be strong from them and don’t let them knock us down. Because we can make it. Hope. Therefore this show had that type of influence on me and many growing up watching it.
Thank you for the gift of the Bionic Woman figurine and Fembot figurine, it brings back good memories of the ideals I admired while growing up and still very much admire the same ideals now. I appreciate your thoughtfulness Pastor David and generosity.
This figurine has reminders of the Bionic Woman show that opened my mind to many strengths we all possess and can achieve. The episodes had great stories that build us and that is why I liked the show very much and still do.
Tsem Rinpoche
P.S. Pastor David is a well rounded guy with good thoughts on many subjects and has been a long time friend and student of mine. He writes well too. Please visit his blog site. He has interesting reads.
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Thank you Rinpoche for sharing the old article yet interesting which I came across. Wow…..it is indeed a lovely gift from Pastor David. A gift of the Bionic Woman figurine and Fembot figurine, which brings back memories to many of us. The Bionic Woman is an American science fiction action-adventure television series. It reminds me of my childhood when I used to watch Bionic Woman, a former tennis pro who gains superhuman abilities through bionic implants and prosthetics. Great stories of her using her bionic powers to help and save people. I remembered I do always looked forward to the show.
A good memories of Bionic Woman that could inspire us to be a better person
What we can learn from this post is humility: even though she was already “up there”, Bionic Woman continue to challenge herself and grow and develop with each challenge she faces. What I like about her the most is that nothing seem to be impossible and she is always very graceful in everything she does
Thank you for sharing with us your good article and how even a series like Bionic Woman can inspire us to be better humans.
Growing up there were two other series which taught me a lot about overcoming adversity by helping each other, determination and hard work – “Little House on the Prairie” and “The Waltons”. I guess it opened my eyes to a world that I would have otherwise not known or thought about. I must say they had I think a positive impact on my life.
The Bionic Woman episodes were always entertaining and left a “feel good” factor which comes from helping others.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing the article. It is indeed a lovely gift from Pastor David. We can never find that figurine here in Malaysia nowadays. Bionic Woman really did set a heroine image in everybody’s heart during that time, in the 70’s and 80’s. I remember in my childhood, they did show it on the TV. During that time, I only watched it as TV series, and treated her as a heroine. But after reading Rinpoche’s post today, I realize it actually taught us compassion in handling the situation we face, the braveness to accept the truth and take action in situation we have to come across daily. I will apply this in KSK when we face the street clients. No matter what race, what religion, we must treat them all equal, and take the first step to help them, no matter what situation they are facing. Thank you again Rinpoche, with folded hands _/\_
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article on Bionic Woman. I personally didn’t really watch the show so I didn’t know that in this show also have some simple teachings like showing compassion by helping others who are in need and also to overcome fear, limitations and imperfections and grow. Be strong from them and don’t let them knock us down. Because we can make it.
With folded palms,
Vivian
Dear Rinpoche,
This post reminds me of my childhood when I used to watch Bionic Woman and The Six Million Dollar Man on our little black and white TV with my brother. I used to want to be like Jamie Sommers and have her bionic powers to save people/world. Hehehe!! In those days, we didn’t have very much but yet I didn’t feel like we were lacking in anything. Those were great shows. 🙂
Thank you for this post.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this post. I would love to watch cartoons when I was younger. But now these days I watch YouTube videos ,I don’t watch cartoons . When I go to YouTube I watch people play games and do experiments like dry ice and more .
Thanks for sharing Rinpoche. Media actually influence people a lot specially children, what is in our mind is what kind of info we absorb. By watching a positive, meaningful and moral drama/cartoon, children has correct thinking by what should they behave. Parents should always pay attention on what kind of information children is getting from media, and try to play the educational cartoon for them.
Dharma is in everything if we know how to look for it. Despite so many shows and movies that show us that when challenges arises, yes initially we do not know how to do, but we know we have to do it anyhow, then we start to deal with the problem and take action. In real life there are not many people who see a predicament and take action to do something about, one of the strongest examples I have seen is through Tsem Rinpoche’s action whether it is helping a homeless or an animal in pain, Rinpoche does not back down from the task and dives right in.
What an awesome gift from Pastor David, never knew they actually had a doll of Bionic Woman made, Wow! And definitely it was an awesome movie! Use to watch it when I was a kid, it was one of mum’s favouritye. Even though I cannot remember much of it but the gist of it is exactly what Rinpoche said above… she reminds me of someone who has “compassion in action”. She was someone with super mega strength and powers and is always “helping others”, always saving someone or a situation. What I like about her the most is that nothing seem to be impossible and she is always very graceful in everything she does. Lindsay Wagner definitely portrayed the character well to a point when you think of her you automatically think Bionic Woman. I guess she must be similar to her movie character to be able literally become one with the character. Yes the media these days do not show such good influential movies as much as before. Thank you Rinpoche for sharing with us your good memories and how even a series like Bionic Woman can inspire us to be better humans.
Thank you Rinpoche for the sharing .I did enjoy the show very much when I was young.I could say never miss an episode every time it was aired.
Those were the days were family entertainment have some sort of moral value to it.Nowadays they focus on how to glorify ego and wealth.The attachment on revenge is justified.Premarital sex is condoned.If the story line of the story deplic more attachment on feelings and materialism the more popular the drama would be received.What a pity…..
Well I hope they would do a rerun on the Bionic Women on our tv soon to remind the younger generation that good moral,strength and power could be focus to help others.The joy of helping others should be valued instead of attachment to personal gains and pleasure.
Thank you. I enjoyed reading this article. It brought back good memories because I used to watch Bionic Woman and always looked forward to the show every week. She was, to me, a very beautiful and brave woman.
Dear Rinpoche,
This brings back a lot of memories of me as a child who wanted to be Bionic Woman to save the world. My brother and I used to pretend that we were Bionic Woman and Six Million Dollar Man fighting the baddies. Those were such happy times. 🙂 I thank Rinpoche for yet another meaningful teaching and reminding me that even though we had much less in those days, we were still rich in so many other ways.
感谢仁波切与我们分享這簡短卻充满意义的文章，也譲我感觉仁波切在這通過Facebook和Twitter等博客和社交媒體平台使數以百萬計的人們提供佛法開示。這和無敵金钢女的本領相比更甚深。
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this with us.
As i read through this i could only think of being my own version of Bionic Women. She is so powerful and compassionate. And she only uses her powers to help others. I think we can learn from this and use our powers (not super powers obviously haha) for the good of helping others. I mean, it doesn’t take a lot to make someone else happy. Its mostly the smallest things that can make someones day.
Secondly, Pastor David was so kind to have thought of getting this for Rinpoche. Without him getting the doll for Rinpoche, I wouldn’t even be learning such a powerful lesson right now. Its also people like Pastor David who are compassionate and caring, just like Bionic Women. Pastor David has his own abilities and ways of helping people and so does Bionic Women. But it doesn’t matter, for as long as you help people we are all just like Bionic Women.
Lastly, i would like to say that I agree with Rinpoche that its TV shows like this and the media which can truly change how people think. In our generation now, a lot of things are happening over the internet, television or social media. This means if we put up the right things for people to see, we are also helping people change the way they think. A good example of this would be this blog. People need their minds changed.
Dear Rinpoche,
Such a simple figure on TV could led Rinpoche to link with so many of our human characteristics, and how it would positively shaped us is amazing.
I agree with Rinpoche that TV back in those days is a huge influence, and it [media] can change how people, especially children who were growing up, thought / think.
Media is still a strong force is determining how each individuals reacts and behaves.
Using social media [the new media] as means to teach, guide and influence positively others is what Rinpoche is doing now.
If back in those days, Bionic Woman is Rinpoche’s idol, Rinpoche is my idol in this modernised age.
Thank you for teaching us through such a simple gift in this article.
Thank you Rinpoche for this short, sweet yet very meaningful post. As I read Rinpoche’s post the first time, the learning that came through is that true bionic strength is in the super power within us, which is our mind. As Rinpoche wrote, even for bionic woman who can to super things, she overcame fears and put effort to let her INNER strength shine through. Therefore, regardless of how strong we are externally, true power is when we develop the strength of our mind to embrace kindness and wisdom. At this point, it is when I feel deep gratitude to Rinpoche for being so generous with the Dharma by making it available to millions of people all over the world through the blog and social media platforms like facebook and twitter.
Another learning from this post is humility: even though she was already “up there”, Bionic Woman continue to challange herself and grow and develop with each challenge she faces. Although we may be distracted by her outer beauty and super powers, I believe what made us love her is her inner qualities.
Thank you again Rinpoche for this meaningful and enjoyable post!