In case you missed it, renowned Buddhist authority, spiritual activist, and Beliefnet.com columnist Lama Surya Das was on “The Colbert Report” with Stephen Colbert earlier this week.

True, his holiness the Dalai Lama has appeared on both Barbara Walters’s and Larry King’s programs, but Lama Surya Das’s courageous interaction with the mischievous Colbert is something of a milestone.

Colbert, if you’ve been going to bed at ten lately or don’t have cable, is the hottest late-night talk show host these days. No doubt a hip and cool progressive fellow in real life, he plays a right-winger in the O’Reilly mode–pompous, dismissive, the whole works. Colbert is, in fact, the ultimate in Jungian tricksters, and I think his brilliance comes from showcasing featured guests while at the same time revealing his always-missing-the-point character to be the ultimate horse’s ass.

With the Lama, I think Colbert pushed his character’s resistance to Buddhism’s teaching a tad too far, by saying, among other things, that anger is what really helps him get ahead, and that a face lift can get rid of wrinkles better than enlightenment. Hard to say. I might be too close to this to give it a perfect read. Surya Das hung in there, calmly representing Buddhism to millions. Passing down centuries of wisdom in a four-minute clip isn’t easy–even for someone who has spent 35 years steeped in spiritual inquiry, eight years of which he spent in cloistered retreat.

It takes terrific gumption to move Buddhism beyond the meditation hall, for the public square can be surprisingly cold, mocking, and unreceptive. So I applaud Lama Surya Das for his appearance. More spiritual activists need to come out of the calm and cozy closet.

Colbert ends the interview by halfway recognizing his own Buddha nature, so that’s a good beginning.