Dalai Lama Meets with an Interfaith Forum

Meeting with an Interfaith Forum

Bodhgaya, Bihar, India - Members of an Inter Faith Forum from Gaya, comprising Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Jains, Sikhs and Brahmakumaris came to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Gaden Phelgyeling today. The Secretary, AK Khan speaking on behalf of the Forum welcomed His Holiness to this sacred place once more. He told him that the Inter Faith Forum was established in 2001. Among their activities members visit each others’ places of worship and join each other in celebrating their festivals, acknowledging their common message of love and compassion. They reject terrorism at any level and work to encourage respect for all major religions.

“Spiritual brothers and sisters,” His Holiness said, addressing the group with a fond smile, “as I always say, we belong to the seven billion human beings. With two eyes, one nose and so on, we are the same; some of us just have more hair. Mentally we are the same, emotionally we are the same. Each one of us wants to live a happy, joyful life. In our childhood we learn that love and affection are a source of happiness as our mothers care for us.

“My mother was essentially kind. She would weep when she encountered people who were really poor, but always found something to give them. She was my first teacher of compassion. Now, scientists tell us, based on experiments I’ve seen, that basic human nature is compassionate. So, our education systems need to teach how to develop peace of mind, how to be a happy individual in a happy family and a happy community here and now.

“I sometimes ask if religion is relevant today and since everyone needs love and affection, the answer seems to be “Yes”. However, it’s crucial that members of different religious traditions live in harmony with each other. If instead we quarrel and fight, people are entitled to ask, “What’s the use of religion?” Therefore, we need to be active in promoting religious harmony. In June next year, there will be an All-India Muslim Conference in Delhi focussed on encouraging Sunnis and Shias in the Middle East and elsewhere to befriend one another.”

His Holiness remarked that if we follow religion properly, all our various traditions have the potential to bring about peace of mind. He added that paying lip service to tradition is not enough, nor should religion be a vehicle of exploitation; he insisted that we have to be sincere in our practice. He observed that materialistic education has brought many problems from too much competition to dividing people into ‘us’ and ‘them’. To counter this, His Holiness suggested it should be possible in India to combine modern education with ancient Indian understanding of the workings of the mind and emotions.

original link & photos: https://www.dalailama.com/news/2018/meeting-with-an-interfaith-forum

The Dalai Lama ~ Compassion as a Pillar of World Peace

Discussions about Secular Ethics in Education and a Public Talk - Compassion as a Pillar of World Peace

Indianapolis, IN, USA, 25 June 2016 - A number of experts were invited to join members of the Emory-Tibet Partnership to discuss draft guidelines for Secular Ethics in Education (SEE) this morning. Among them Daniel Goleman, Linda Lantieri, Mark Greenberg and Kimberly Schonert-Reichl have done pioneering work in Social and Emotional Learning.

In his opening remarks, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said:
“We need to implement a program that encourages warm-heartedness—an appreciation that if you are warm-hearted your health will be better and both you and your relations will be happier. If on the other hand you are full of fear and anxiety none of these benefits will arise. This is about here and now, not the next life. If your mind is at ease, education will be more effective.”

Geshe Lobsang Tenzin explained that in trying to reflect His Holiness’s vision, the proposed Secular Ethics in Education framework, whose guiding principle is compassion, covers three sets of skills: self-cultivation, which includes: calming the body and mind; learning to attend; emotional literacy and self-care. The second set involves relating to others, and includes appreciating others; empathy; recognizing our common humanity and social skills. The third set, responsible decision-making, involves: appreciating interdependence and applying critical thinking.

Daniel Goleman observed that the SEE framework addresses problems of lack of attention, scant focus on compassion and little understanding of interdependence not tackled in existing programs. He challenged the use of the word secular, which can have problematic connotations, and asked His Holiness if he had any attachment to the term. He said he hadn’t but that he always clarifies his use of secular as it has been understood in India—meaning unbiased respect for all religious traditions and even the views of those with no faith. Mark Greenberg suggested that referring to ethics alone sounds too much like abstract philosophy.

Linda Lantieri agreed with much that had been said and expressed an appreciation of the focus in the SEE framework on compassion and interdependence.

Asked, as the conversations came to an end, if there was anything he’d like to add, His Holiness said it would be useful to include a simple explanation of the workings of the mind and emotions. Envisaging the benefits the program could eventually bring to China, he contrasted the destructiveness of Mao’s Cultural Revolution with the potential creativity of the Cultural Revolution in education yet to come.

After lunch, at the Indiana Farmer’s Coliseum, Congresswoman Susan Brooks introduced His Holiness to an audience of 6,500 as a man of peace and integrity who has shared his message of compassion for decades.

Saying: “Brothers and sisters, I’m very happy to be here. It’s a great honour for me to address such a large group of people, which I’m glad to see includes people of different faiths,” His Holiness began his talk. He continued:

“For the last 57 years India has been my second home and I’ve been impressed to see there how religious traditions from abroad—Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam—flourish alongside indigenous traditions like the Samkhya, Jain and Buddhist traditions. India shows that inter-religious harmony is feasible. All these traditions convey the same message of love, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and simplicity. Self-discipline is another part of that message. Although the philosophical views they propound may differ, they share a common goal of strengthening practices such as compassion.

“In today’s world we need a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood, because we are all the same as human beings. If we were more aware of the oneness of all human beings, there’d be no basis for killing each other, for the gap between rich and poor, or for discrimination on the basis of colour, class or caste. Killing in the name of religion is unthinkable. Whether you accept religion is up to you, but if you do, you should do so sincerely.

“This is why I think it’s wrong to use terms like ‘Muslim terrorist’ or ‘Buddhist terrorist’. Someone who commits a terrorist act is no longer a genuine Muslim or Buddhist. As far as the monks in Burma who are reported to be harassing Muslims, I’ve appealed to them to remember the face of the Buddha, for the Buddha would have offered them protection.

“When I was on my way to the USA, at Heathrow airport, someone told me that although I’m now 81, my face looks only that of a 60 year old and asked what’s the secret? I first teasingly said, ‘It’s my secret and I don’t want to tell you’, but then explained that it’s to do with having peace of mind.”

His Holiness observed that today, when factors like climate change and the global economy are not confined within national boundaries, reality tells us we are interdependent. He said we need to find ways to introduce warm-heartedness into the education system without necessarily relying on religion. This involves a universal appeal to common human values, as he was discussing with experts and concerned people in the morning. He asked,

“How shall we start? By looking to the UN or the White House? No—the important thing is to develop inner peace within ourselves. If we can be warm-hearted and share it with 10 people and they each share it with 10 more and so on, we’ll make a difference. If, in the early years of the 21st century we just follow the pattern of the past and seek to solve our problems by use of force, this century will be as miserable as the last.

“Once I attended a meeting of Nobel Peace Laureates in Hiroshima and someone suggested that with God’s blessing peace would prevail. When it came to my turn to speak, I said it would take more than blessings to bring about peace; we have to take action. Since it’s human beings who engage in violence and war, it’s human beings who must take action to create peace.”

Among many questions from the audience that followed, several were simple requests to be able to shake His Holiness’s hand. In answering others he touched on Aaron Beck’s judgement that when we are angry and feel the object of our anger is entirely negative, 90% of that feeling is mental projection. About non-violence he said that the real demarcation between violence and non-violence lies in the motivation and that compassion never gives rise to violence.

When a questioner told His Holiness he was the one person in the world that many people would like to meet and asked who he’d like to meet, he mentioned admiring Stephen Hawking’s sharp brain and steadfastness in face of adversity. Although he has met his widow, he would have liked to have met Martin Luther King Jr. Two people he is pleased to have met are his friend Bishop Desmond Tutu and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who he notes has several times used the word compassion in relation to the refugee crisis in Europe.

Asked about his own life, His Holiness said:

“I’m nothing special. As human beings we’re all the same mentally, physically and emotionally. We all want to live a happy life and we all have a right to do so.”

And when a mother asked how to protect the naturally good qualities children have when they’re young, His Holiness advised spending time with them and enveloping them with love and affection. “My own first teacher of loving-kindness,” he said, “was my mother.”

When time ran out he apologised to everyone still waiting to ask questions for being unable to answer them. As at other public events in which he has taken part, a representative of the organizers made a brief financial statement explaining that remaining funds would be given to local charitable causes. After appealing to his listeners to think about what he had said and if it made sense to act on it, His Holiness came down from the stage and slowly made his way along the front row of the audience, shaking hands, exchanging words, signing books and stopping while thrilled individuals took selfies with him.

Tomorrow His Holiness will begin his journey back to India.

Original link & photos: http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1415-discussions-about-secular-ethics-in-education-and-a-public-talk---compassion-as-a-pillar-of-world-peace

Dalai Lama Talks on Ethics and Ahimsa [Non-Violence]

London, England, 20 September 2015 - When BBC news journalist Clive Myrie came to interview His Holiness the Dalai Lama this morning, many of his questions touched on the refugee crisis confronting Europe. He wanted to know if there was not a general lack of compassion in the indifference and hostility being expressed. His Holiness responded:

“It's about suspicion and mistrust. We have to explore how to bring peace and reconciliation to those places where violent conflict is compelling these people to seek an alternative”

When Myrie quoted former Archbishop George Carey’s advocating the use of military force, His Holiness said: “He has his own view. I don’t see things that way.”

Myrie suggested there are young Tibetans who feel that non-violence has failed their cause. His Holiness countered that they too are entitled to their opinion, but that it’s not true to say the Middle Way Approach has failed when it draws continuing support and admiration from Chinese citizens. He reported that many Chinese who come to meet him apologise for what has happened in Tibet.

When asked about the pro-Shugden demonstrations, His Holiness answered that the people concerned should do more research and not let themselves be driven by anger that clouds their judgement. He suggested they go to South India and see the monasteries in the Tibetan settlements where about 2000 monks’ practice is unconstrained.

His Holiness denied that he is disappointed not to be meeting Prime Minister David Cameron on this visit, saying that he has no political agenda. He repeated that whether or not a 15th Dalai Lama is sought and found will depend on the wishes of the Tibetan people. He concurred, as he has elsewhere, that if there is another reincarnation, it could be woman.

Next His Holiness was welcomed by the businessmen, the Hinduja brothers - Srichand, Gopichand, Prakash and Ashok - to their house at Carlton Terrace. This grand mansion was once occupied by Queen Victoria’s Prime Minister, William Gladstone. His Holiness affirmed to a small family gathering that wherever he goes he carries India’s message of ‘ahimsa’ or non-violence and inter-religious harmony. He was introduced to a gathering of about 100 Indian political and business leaders by Lady Mohini Kent Noon, who said how privileged they were to have him there. She mentioned His Holiness’s consistent dedication to non-violence, noting that while there may be hotheads, there have been no Tibetan terrorists.

His Holiness responded, remarking that Hindu, Jain and Buddhist traditions have the practice of ethics, concentration and wisdom in common, the only difference being that the Buddha taught ‘anatman’, the lack of an independently existent self. He said he considered himself to be a ‘son of India’, because his brain is filled with Nalanda thought and his body had been nourished so long by Indian rice and dal.

Asked if he thought there were evil people in the world or just that some were misguided, he replied:

“Just misguided. We can’t find evil children. It’s when people become adults that they behave badly. Human beings are social animals. It is love that brings us together. As to whether the world is getting better or not, we can say that more people are becoming aware of the importance of peace of mind.”

To a question about astrology, His Holiness replied that he didn’t know, but that the 5th Dalai Lama, who had been a qualified astrologer, had made the remark that on the auspicious day of his birth, thousands of dogs had also been born.

After a lunch hosted by Lady Mohini Kent Noon and the Hinduja Foundation, His Holiness left for the Coliseum Theatre, where he was to speak to an audience of 2300 in celebration of ‘Ahimsa - India Day’. In an introduction to the event it was explained that ‘ahimsa’ means to do no harm and that His Holiness considers it to be compassion in action.

“Brothers and sisters,” he began, “all human beings are the same. We are mentally, physically and emotionally the same. We all experience constructive and destructive emotions. Our basic human nature is compassionate, and compassion brings people together. In our daily life, we feel happy when someone smiles and treats us with affection. But if they frown we feel uncomfortable. This is a sign that we need friends. Friendship doesn’t depend on fame, money or physical strength. It’s based on trust and trust depends on love and affection. Therefore, love and affection are important if we are to live a happy life. And the purpose of life is to be joyful and happy.”

The audience responded to this last remark with warm applause. His Holiness continued:

“Many of the problems we face are of our own making. Why is that? because we tend to pay too much attention to secondary differences between us. We emphasise differences of nationality, of race, of colour and faith, whether we are rich or poor. We neglect the fact that fundamentally we are all human beings, who all want to live a happy life. And because of that what we should do is to help one another.

“In the past, when nations went to war, they looked for their own victory and the destruction of their opponent. This kind of attitude is out of date because we have now become so interdependent. In defeating our neighbour we will defeat ourselves. In our increasingly globalized world, climate change and the global economy are not limited by national boundaries, they affect us all. I often point out that the 20th century, besides its many great developments, was a period of violence and bloodshed. We need the 21st century to be an era of peace. We need to take a more human approach to conflict and seek to resolve it through dialogue instead of resorting to military force.”

His Holiness affirmed that his first commitment is to promoting human happiness. His second, he said, as a Buddhist monk is to fostering inter-religious harmony. He described religion as having three aspects: religious, philosophical and cultural. The religious aspect includes the message of love, compassion, tolerance and self-discipline that all religious traditions have in common. The philosophical aspects, belief in a creator or the law of causality, are different means to strengthen the practice of love and compassion. In this context ‘ahimsa’ relates to physical and verbal action, but the demarcation lies in the quality of our motivation, which involves our mind.

His Holiness expressed his great admiration for India’s ancient traditions of ‘ahimsa’ and inter-religious harmony, demonstrating to the world that different religious traditions can live together side by side in peace and respect. He said that the Indian community in places like the UK has a responsibility to uphold these ancient traditions and show their relevance in today’s world.

Answering questions from the audience His Holiness said that ‘ahimsa’ doesn’t fall from the sky; it comes of cultivating a warm heart within. Asked if there were even situations when ‘ahimsa’ is inappropriate, he replied that ‘ahimsa’ non-violence and non-harm are the proper solution to any human problem. When a member of the audience asked how to respond to the rape and murder of her friends, he said:

“Ask yourself if getting angry would solve the problem and make it better. Anger and feelings of revenge only disturb your own peace of mind. The 8th century Indian master Shantideva gave advice that I find practical and realistic. ‘If there is a way to solve a problem, there is no need to worry about it and if there is no way to solve a problem, worry won’t help’.

When a young woman cried out a question related to the practice of Shugden and religious freedom, His Holiness listened and suggested that people who demonstrate about this don’t know the full story. They should do more investigation. He said he feels sorry for them in their ignorance.

Finally, asked the purpose of life, His Holiness answered:

“Happiness and joy are the purpose of life.” Again the theatre was filled with applause. “If our actions bring joy to others, that’s good. Thank you.”

original link and photos: http://dalailama.com/news/post/1319-talks-on-ethics-and-ahimsa

Issue 151 – Jimmy Swaggart Makes $1,000,000 A Day/New Agers Bastardize Reincarnation

By Kirby Robinson

I'm not sure which story is more wacky or sad--we'll leave it up to you to decide.

Jimmy Swaggart Makes $1,000,000 a Day. Son Donnie is So Bored he Goes Home Early

Televangelists rank way down on my list almost even with psychics--which are very low. The reasons for it were on display during yesterday's Biblethon, an event hosted every month on the Swaggarts' Sonlight Network. The viewer is given several choices of buying the Swaggarts' bibles ranging from the Expositor's Study Bible to a large print bible, to the Crossfire [youth] and Ladies' Edition. They also have bibles in the Portuguese and Russian languages. Non-sale prices range from $40 to $230. They also have a Bible Outreach Program where they send bibles to various countries.

Now every Christian should have at least one bible and maybe more. But what most don't take the time to realize is that they're helping make Jimmy and his family even richer. Anyone can get a copyright on a bible, all you do is produce one that is 25% different than a standard King James Version [KJV], and you can publish it and watch the money roll in.

Jimmy learned this during the dark years in the 1980s after his fall from grace. He had a publishing company so he would keep every dime on every sale.

He brags that his version of the bible has sold over 1.5 million copies to date. The average price of a bible is $50 and by doing simple math, you'll see that this number is $75,000,000. All of that goes right into the Swaggarts' family bank account/s.

According to my source inside of the ministry, on yesterday's Biblethon they sold 17,500 bibles plus $125,000 in donations. That totals $1,000,000—money that flows right into the Swaggarts' coffers.

Not one bible meant for the Outreach Program will be sent until the money comes in from the pledges, despite what Swaggart claims. The family knows that just like the pledges from the telethon, people may be caught up in the moment. Those 20 cases of bibles at $360 a case may never materialize.

It seems that the money was flowing in so easily that Donnie "Napoleon" Swaggart [heir to the throne when his dad dies, and he lets everybody know it], decided during a break that he was tired and was going home. He left the hosting job to a pair of associate pastors.

New Agers Tell Hindus, Jains & Buddhists How Reincarnation Works!

The following comment came in on my blog debunking the fake reality show Ghost Inside My Child. It's the last comment on it or you can read it below.

http://eyeontheparanormal.blogspot.com/2013/03/issue-108-ghost-inside-my-child-dark.html

Because you latched on to "new age" 30 years ago you think you have all the facts of what reincarnation should be? This is not a debunk, this is a cynical opinion using antiquated and cynical ideas. You would have some credibility if you were actually a family member of the people represented to be incarnated. Looking for a debunk and this rant certainly doesn't come close. I'll continue on.

Sadly, this misinformed person doesn't realize that I long ago left the new age. There were too many false teachings on subjects like reincarnation, an issue that the new age did not give birth. You won't find an expert on the subject due to the fact that they stole and misinterpreted the teachings experts like the Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists.

The new age bastardized the teachings to make them more applicable to Westerners. They eliminated the lower realms: animal realms, hungry ghost realms and numerous hell realms. Many Westerners can't accept the fact that they may return as an elephant or a hungry ghost. They also believe that Catholics have a monopoly on hell realms when in fact, they don't. According to Buddhists, those who go to hell in won't linger there for eternity, they will eventually be reborn into higher realms.

Personally, while I understand the basics of reincarnation, I'm not a fan of the concept. This is because each rebirth would put Christ back on the cross. That in itself is a false teaching as we have one life and we are done with it when we die. Sorry to folks like Theresa Caputo—that's the way it is for Catholics and Christians. 

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Mount Kailash: The Holy Mountain

By Lisa Maliga

Mount Kailash, Tibet

A single circumnambulation around Mount Kailish wipes away the sins of a lifetime. Revered by Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and Bons, this remote Tibetan mountain attracts scores of pilgrims.

High on the remote western Tibetan plateau, in the northernmost region of the Himalayas, sits Mount Kailash, the holy mountain. The Tibetan people have named it Kang Rinpoche, or Snow Jewel, and the Indians refer to it as Mount Meru. Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain pilgrims from the world over go to this holy mountain to circumambulate rather than scale the 22,028-foot high peak. In fact, climbing Mount Kailash is forbidden. The only person to have ever been atop the sacred mountain was Milarepa, a 11th century Tibetan Buddhist yogi.

Mount Kailash is commonly referred to as the center of the universe in Eastern religious texts from India to Japan. Rooted in the seventh hell and bursting through the highest heaven, it is also believed to be the World Pillar. Hopi Indians recognize Kailash as being at the opposite side of their Black Mesa, thus it's a cosmic backbone.

Hindus who walk around the 32-mile circumference of Mount Kailash use the term parikrama. They believe that Lord Shiva, one of their three main gods, resides atop what they call Mount Meru. Tibetans refer to the clockwise circumambulation as a kora. Both words mean the same thing: pilgrimage. Doing a walk around the mountain can wipe away a lifetime's worth of sins, or negative karma as is the term in Eastern religions. "He who performs the Parikrama, the ritual circumambulation of the holy mountain, with a perfectly devoted and concentrated mind goes through a full cycle of life and death" Lama Anagarika Govinda, 'The Way of the White Clouds.'

The Jains who refer to Kailash as Mount Ashtapada believe the founder of their faith, Rishabanatha, resides atop the mountain. And the Bons [or Bonpos], the religion which predates Buddhism in Tibet, maintain that the entire mystical region and the Nine-Story Swastika Mountain is the seat of all power. When viewed from the south face, a swastika can be seen. Unlike the Jains, Buddhists or Hindus, the Bons make counterclockwise circumambulations. "According to Bonpo accounts, 18 enlightened teachers will appear in this eon and Tonpa Shenrab, the founder of the Bon religion, is the enlightened teacher of this age. He is said to have been born in the mythical land of Olmo Lung Ring, whose location remains something of a mystery. The land is traditionally described as dominated by Mount Yung-drung Gu-tzeg (Edifice of Nine Swastikas), which many identify as Mount Kailash in western Tibet. Due to the sacredness of Olmo Lung Ring and the mountain, both the counter-clockwise swastika and the number nine are of great significance in the Bon religion." From "˜The Office of Tibet'

Devout Tibetan Buddhists will do full length prostrations, a feat which takes several weeks, around Mount Kailash, increasing the amount of purification they will receive. Many pilgrims do a complete round of the mountain in one day, an accomplishment made more difficult by the 15,000-foot high altitude. Pilgrimages are by their very nature meant to be arduous, and as the Ngari region of Mount Kailash has no airports or train stations nearby, people arrive at their spiritual destination by foot, horseback, yak or jeep. Tarchen is a small settlement near the south face of the mountain; the place where most pilgrimages begin.

Those unwilling or unable to make the kora around the mountain can hire someone who will, thereby splitting the accumulated merit 50/50. This doesn't allow either the person who sponsors the kora or the one who actually makes the journey to attain instant enlightenment. For those who make the kora, aside from enduring highly changeable weather conditions, there are four prostration points in which to pay physical homage. Many pilgrims make sure they visit the three monasteries located along the path. Near the top of the kora is the Shiwa Tsal, named after the famed cremation grounds in India. Pieces of clothing, a lock of hair or a drop of blood are left there as an offering, signifying the pilgrim's understanding of death and rebirth. At the highest point of the circuit, just over 18,000 feet, is Dolma La Pass, meaning 'She Who Helps Cross.' [The Sanskrit name for the female Buddha is Tara]. This refers to the crossing over to liberation as well as being able to complete the pilgrimage circuit around Kailash. The great boulder of Tara is swathed with long, colorful strings of prayer flags which send out messages of peace with each flap they make in this windy region.

Mount Kailash is also the source of four major rivers: the Indus, the Brahmaputra, the Karnali and the Sutleg. The comparison to the Indian legend of Mount Meru from whose summit flows four great rivers that irrigate all of Asia is hard to miss.

Eighteen miles southeast of Kailash is the circular, turquoise Lake Manasarovar, or Tso Rinpoche, [Precious Lake], a 64-mile circuit, which is rarely completed except by the most devout. Bathing in the lake, or even dousing one's head with the holy water, is said to be of enormous spiritual benefit to those who can brave the icy water which many claim contain miraculous powers. Hindus are told that complete immersion into the lake ensures they be reborn as a god. Tibetans, on the other hand, avoid bathing in the lake so as not to make it dirty. This is a freshwater lake, three miles above sea level. There is a saltwater lake, separated by a narrow peninsula, named Raksas Tal, or devil's lake. Pilgrims don't bathe or circumambulate this crescent moon-shaped body of water, but do pay their respect by glancing in its direction.

Five monasteries have been rebuilt on the shores of Lake Manasarovar since 1981before the Chinese invasion in 1959 there were eight. Fatigued pilgrims are allowed to stay in the monasteries. Fewer than 500 Indian nationals are allowed to make the pilgrimage per year due to the Chinese and Indian governments. Most of the Indians allowed in are selected via a lottery and the ability to pay their own way is evident in the fact that the majority of them are middle-aged businessmen from large cities.

Before the Cultural Revolution, pilgrims were selected by their bountiful faith. They traveled on foot or horseback. Some of them made the journey by doing the full-length prostrations along the way, an endeavor which could last for years, depending upon the distance and the weather conditions. Few pilgrims were armed, making them prey to thieves. But even under such extreme conditions, they were unafraid of death; dying during a pilgrimage pretty much guaranteed them a lot of good karma points. Pilgrimages require a degree of flexibility that most people aren't required to possess in a world with guaranteed insurance benefits and retirement plans. To make a spiritual journey is to rid oneself of habits and to open the heart, making the pilgrim ego less and pure; then allowing this transformation to reach out and positively affect others.

"There is no place more powerful for practice, more blessed, or more marvelous than this; May all pilgrims and practitioners be welcome!" Milarepa, Tibetan Buddhist yogi [circa 1052 - 1136]