The Dalai Lama Visits the Bodhi Tree

Participating in Prayers by the Bodhi Tree
January 17, 2018

Bodhgaya, Bihar, India - His Holiness the Dalai Lama left the Tibetan Monastery under a sunlit blue sky this morning. He drove the short distance to the Mahabodhi Stupa, where the Great Prayer Festival of the Nyingma Tradition began today. This was His Holiness's third visit to the Stupa during his current stay in Bodhgaya. Once more he stepped through the stone railings surrounding the inner circuit on the west side next to the Bodhi Tree and walked round to the inner sanctum, where he paid his respects before the statue of the Buddha and lit a lamp. He then completed his circumambulation, smiling and waving to people gazing through the railings, and took his seat facing the Bodhi Tree and the Seat of Enlightenment. To his left sat Lamas like Kathok Getse Rinpoche and to his right the current Ganden Tripa and his predecessor and others. Hanging before them were two thangkas depicting the fourteen Dalai Lamas.

In association with the ongoing Prayer Festival Namgyal Monastery had organized a collection of prayers and praises to be recited in gratitude to the line of Dalai Lamas. They began with a praise to the Buddha known as a ‘Daily Practice in Three Parts' and continued with Tsongkhapa's ‘Praise to the Buddha for Teaching Dependent Arising', the ‘Supplication to the Buddha known as Drumbeat of Truth', the ‘Praise to the 17 Masters of Nalanda', the ‘Clouds of Ambrosial Blessings' by Trulshik Rinpoché, which reviews the qualities of the line of incarnations of Avalokiteshvara that include the Dalai Lamas, the ‘Invocation of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas' with its associated rite of ablution, the ‘Cloud of Offerings', the ‘King of Prayers' (the Samantabhadra Prayer), the ‘Invocation of the Dharma Protectors of Tibet, the ‘Sages' Song of Truth—a Prayer for the Spread of the Teachings without Sectarianism', the ‘Words of Truth' and the ‘Prayer for the Flourishing of the Dharma' by the Buddha.

The whole recitation was concluded with a verse composed by His Holiness :

May whatever is undertaken by those malevolent beings—

Be they visible or invisible—who due to their perverse aspirations

In the past, are hostile to the Buddhist teachings,

Be uprooted by the truth of the Three Jewels.

Back at the Tibetan Monastery His Holiness met with a group of 170 professionals from all over Vietnam.

“Whatever your specific occupation, whether it brings benefit or does harm depends on your motivation,” he told them. “If you’re self-centred, working as a teacher may seem to be good, but the reality may be different. As I said, everything depends on your motivation. The Buddha always emphasised that we need to purify our minds, so we need to analyse what kinds of mental state are helpful and which bring us trouble.

“Mental afflictions like anger, hatred and jealousy are harmful because they disturb our peace of mind. Medical researchers have also observed that constant anger and fear undermine our immune system. To reduce anger we need patience and tolerance, but the most effective step is to cultivate warm-heartedness. In addition, it’s important to think about the oneness of humanity—how we are all the same in being human. Because I think of myself as just another human being, with nothing special or different about me, whoever I meet I also think of similarly as another human being, no matter what their race, faith or nationality might be.

“Buddhists accept the idea of life after life and the key to achieving a good rebirth in the future is to lead your present life in a meaningful way. And that entails doing no harm and being of help to others.”

original link & photos: https://www.dalailama.com/news/2018/participating-in-prayers-by-the-bodhi-tree

Dalai Lama's Pilgrimage to the Mahabodhi Temple

Pilgrimage to the Mahabodhi Temple

Bodhgaya, Bihar, India - On arrival in Bodhgaya yesterday, His Holiness the Dalai Lama was given a brief formal welcome at the Main Tibetan Monastery, Gaden Phelgyeling. This morning he chose, as a priority, to make a pilgrimage to the Mahabodhi Temple. He also decided to walk, which he did at a brisk pace, greeting friends and well-wishers lining the street on the way.

His Holiness was welcomed at the gate to the temple by Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee Secretary (BTMC) Nangzey Dorje, Divisional Commissioner, Magadh, Tenzin Nima Bindhyeshwari, Senior Superintendent of Police, Rajiv Mishra and District Magistrate, Abhishek Singh. They accompanied him into the complex. Once inside, His Holiness paused to salute the Vajra-asana, the Seat of Enlightenment, beneath the Bodhi Tree, with the Mahabodhi Temple behind it. Monks, nuns and lay devotees attending a Kagyu Monlam turned to greet him as he descended the stairs.

His Holiness walked the inner circumambulatory path, smiling and waving to people gathered beyond the stone railings that are reputed to have originally been erected by Nagarjuna to protect the Bodhi Tree from elephants. Reaching the temple entrance he paused to pay his respects. Within the inner sanctum, he lit a lamp before the celebrated statue of Buddha Shakyamuni prior to sitting down in front of it.

Indian monks belonging to the BTMC first recited the Mangala Sutta in Pali. His Holiness then joined the Abbot and Löbpön of Namgyal Monastery, Thamtog Rinpoché and Ngawang Topgyal, in reciting the Praise to the Buddha known as the ‘Three Continuums’, the ‘Heart Sutra’, Tsongkhapa’s ‘Praise to the Buddha for Teaching Dependent Arising’, the ‘Drumbeat of Truth’, the ‘Praise to the 17 Masters of Nalanda’, a ‘Prayer for the Ecumenical Spread of the Buddha’s Teachings’ and dedication prayers.

Members of the BTMC presented His Holiness with their calendar illustrated by images of the Buddha. Expressing his gratitude he told them that in addition to acknowledging the Buddha as the founder of Buddhism, he regards him as a scientist and great thinker. He is especially struck by the Buddha’s advice to his followers: “As the wise test gold by burning, cutting and rubbing it, so, bhikshus, should you accept my words---after testing them, and not merely out of respect for me.”

As His Holiness left the Temple, members of the press were eager to question him. He gave them a succinct summary of what the Buddha taught—advising his followers to observe ‘ahimsa’ or non-violence in their conduct, ‘karuna’ or compassion as their motivation and dependent arising as their view of reality.

His Holiness completed his circumambulation of the Temple, walked up the steps to the gate, where he climbed into a car to drive back to Gaden Phelgyeling. This monastery began as a temple constructed by a Ladakhi Lama named Ngawang Samten in 1938. Returning to Tibet, he offered it to the Tibetan Government. In 1951, Dhardo Rinpoché was appointed Abbot and under his supervision monastic quarters were constructed in 1952, at which time His Holiness gave the monastery the name Gaden Phelgyeling. In 1965, when he was appointed Gaden Tripa, Ling Rinpoché also became Abbot of this monastery. In 2002, the monastery was given into the care of Namgyal Monastery and eight or nine monks from there look after it throughout the year.

original link & photos: https://www.dalailama.com/news/2018/pilgrimage-to-the-mahabodhi-temple

Dalai Lama Says, "Be a Good Human Being."

The Sutra of the Wheel of Dharma and the Rice Seedling Sutra

Bodhgaya, Bihar, India - Heavy fog and bitterly cold conditions in Bodhgaya this morning did nothing to subdue the enthusiasm of the more than 50,000 people gathered on the Kalachakra Maidan to listen to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After a short drive from the Tibetan Temple to the top end of a huge marquee, His Holiness too was in a buoyant mood. He smiled, shook outstretched hands and waved to the crowd as he walked up to the front of the stage.

He greeted several of the distinguished Lamas seated around the throne, among whom were the Ganden Tri Rinpoche, the former Ganden Tripa, the Shartse and Jangtse Chöjeys, the Sakya Gongma Trizin Rinpoche, and Ling Rinpoche, as well as Abbots, former Abbots and Tulkus.

“Indians are the main disciples today,” His Holiness announced, “and we’ll begin with their recitations in Pali and Sanskrit.”

Adults chanted a series of prayers and praises, including the Mangala Sutta, first in Pali. They were followed by a group of schoolgirls and schoolboys who recited the ‘Heart Sutra’ in Sanskrit.

“After the Buddha had attained enlightenment, he declared, ‘Profound and peaceful, free from complexity, uncompounded luminosity—I have found a nectar-like Dharma. Yet if I were to teach it, no-one would understand, so I shall remain silent here in the forest.’ One reason for this is that existing Indian spiritual traditions asserted the existence of an independent self, a permanent agent going from one life to the next. The Buddha saw that clinging to the notion of an independent self is the root of all other mental afflictions. After realizing selflessness, he saw that it would be incomprehensible to most people if he were to teach about it.

“Nevertheless, in due course he did teach in Sarnath. Later, on Vulture’s Peak in Rajgriha, he taught that things lack intrinsic existence. During the first turning of the wheel of Dharma he explained the truth of suffering and its origins. Then during the second he elaborated in detail on emptiness. The Unravelling of Thought Sutra records that during the third turning of the wheel, he taught about dependent nature, imputed nature and perfect nature. The absence of imputed nature from dependent nature indicates the perfect nature of emptiness. Also, during the third turning of the wheel, the Buddha touched on Buddha nature and the subjective mind of clear light that is the basis for practice of highest yoga tantra.

“Mahakassapa and his followers preserved the teachings including Vinaya and Abhidhamma that became the Pali tradition. Later, when understanding had grown, Nagarjuna and other disciples examined the teachings in the light of reasoning giving rise to what became the Nalanda Tradition. The teaching of the Buddha has faced its ups and downs, and yet, relying on scriptural authority as well as reasoning and analysis, it still survives today.”

His Holiness discussed how the Buddha gave different teachings according to beings’ mental disposition, inclination and capacity. Sometimes he taught that the person carries the aggregates, much as a porter bears a load as if they were separate from each other. Elsewhere he explained that objects that appear to exist externally are not different from the subjective perception of them. At other times he taught that nothing has any inherent existence. The ‘Heart Sutra’ refers to form as emptiness and emptiness as form.

Having taught different things on different occasions, the Buddha admonished his followers, ‘O monks, just as the wise test gold by burning, cutting and rubbing, Examine my words thoroughly and accept them only after you have investigated them—not just out of respect for me’. His Holiness pointed out that modern scientists do not rely on anything like scriptural authority, they observe and conduct research themselves. Then they verify what they have discovered by comparing it to the findings of others and seek a consensus. Today, scientists are taking interest in what Buddhism has to say, much as Einstein predicted.

His Holiness emphasized that Buddhism originated in India, not in China or Tibet, and that masters of Nalanda like Nagarjuna were Indian too. Therefore, His Holiness said, it was propitious that the main disciples today were Indian. For more than 2000 years Buddhism has spread across Asia, so it would be appropriate if the Nalanda Tradition that has been kept alive in Tibet were to be re-established today in India.

His Holiness observed that India has the distinction of being the one place where all the world’s major religions flourish. Some of these traditions like Brahmanism are theistic and posit a creator; others like some Samkhyas and Jains are non-theistic and are based instead on the principle of causality. Among them, only Buddhism does not assert the existence of an independent self. From West Asia came Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which all believe in a creator god. All these traditions commend love and compassion, tolerance and forgiveness, contentment and self-discipline.

For Buddhism, the conduct of non-violence is important. It also teaches that suffering, pain and pleasure are in our own hands. Action which helps others and makes them happy is regarded as positive. Actions that harm others are negative.

“The various religious traditions have long flourished in India and lived alongside one another in harmony,” His Holiness added. “A secular view according equal regard to all faiths prevails here. We must preserve it. Meanwhile, I am doing my best to revive awareness of ancient Indian knowledge in this country. However, in the long run, the most important thing is to be a good human being.

“Among 7 billion human beings alive today, 1 billion have no interest in religious practice. But even among those who remain, some use religion as grounds for division. For religion to become a source of conflict is really very sad.

“We human beings are social animals, we rely on each other. We are not self-sufficient. We are at peace with one another here, but elsewhere conflict abounds. People are bullying and killing each other. Others are neglected to die of starvation. How can we put up with this when we regularly pray for all beings to be free from suffering? As followers of the Buddha we should ask ourselves every day how we can help others, since we all want happiness and don’t want suffering.

“Because modern education currently has little time for human values, we need to augment it with discussion of love and compassion. Common sense tells us, for example, that an affectionate, compassionate family is happy, whereas a family riven by jealousy and competitiveness is not.”

Turning to the two texts he was to read, the ‘Sutra of the Wheel of Dharma’ and the ‘Rice Seedling Sutra’, His Holiness observed that they both deal with ideas common to all Buddhist teachings. He remarked that the word Dharma has a connotation of holding back as in transforming or reshaping the mind, which is clearly illustrated by this verse:

Commit not a single unwholesome action,
Cultivate a wealth of virtue,
To tame this mind of ours
Is the teaching of all the buddhas.

Whether what we do is unwholesome or counts as virtue depends on the motivation.

His Holiness noted that the Buddha’s teachings can be categorized in terms of scripture and realization. Scriptural instructions are preserved by reading and study, whereas teachings related to realization depend on our engaging in the Three Trainings—ethics, concentration and wisdom.

His Holiness remarked that the Buddha left his family behind when he became a monk, which was not just a matter of changing how he dressed, but of his adopting and putting prevailing teachings into practice. He examined what he heard, contemplated and then meditated on it. This meant, for example, that he engaged in critical analysis of the nature of suffering until he understood it. He pursued the shamatha, a calmly abiding mind, and vipashyana, special insight, that are common to many traditions. Subsequently, the Buddha’s companions when he was engaging in such practice and observing strict austerities became his first disciples.

In the ‘Sutra of the Wheel of Dharma’, the Buddha speaks of having first comprehended suffering and then relinquished it. His Holiness quoted a verse by Nagarjuna,

Through the elimination of karma and mental afflictions there is liberation;
Karma and mental afflictions come from conceptual thoughts;
These come from mental exaggeration;
Exaggeration ceases through emptiness.

He clarified that it is due to our misconception of true existence that suffering arises, but we will not overcome this by offering lamps or performing rituals. It’s analysing and thinking about dependent arising that enables us to overturn these misconceptions. Nagarjuna praised the Buddha for teaching how to overcome wrong views. Je Tsongkhapa praised him for teaching about dependent arising.

In mentioning that the ‘Rice Seedling Sutra’ belongs to the Sanskrit tradition, His Holiness noted once more that he prefers to refer to the Pali and Sanskrit traditions because the terms Mahayana and Hinayana tend to lead to one set of people looking down on another. After all, he remarked, the Sanskrit tradition is built upon the foundations of the Pali tradition.

Beginning to read the ‘Rice Seedling Sutra’, His Holiness made two observations. The sutra concerns a conversation between Shariputra and Maitreya, who sat down together on a huge flat rock, which he appreciates for its down to earth quality. Secondly, a remark in a commentary to the Perfection of Wisdom teachings by the Korean Abbot Wen-tsig suggested that Maitreya’s mother was also called Maitreya, which establishes him as a human being, as well as a celestial bodhisattva, explaining dependent arising.

original link & photos: https://www.dalailama.com/news/2018/the-sutra-of-the-wheel-of-dharma-and-the-rice-seedling-sutra

Dalai Lama Visits the Bodhi Tree

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Makes a Pilgrimage to the Mahabodhi Temple
January 2, 2018

Bodhgaya, Bihar, India - Having arrived in Bodhgaya after dark yesterday, one of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s first wishes today was to visit the Mahabodhi Temple as a pilgrim to pay his respects. He rode in a car the short distance from the Tibetan Temple to the western gate of the Mahabodhi Temple complex. He was welcomed by members of the Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee, as well as the Sakya Gongma Trizin Rinpoche, who is here participating in the 26th Sakya Monlam.

His Holiness made his way down the steps and exchanged his shoes for a pair of white slippers. He then approached the western side of the Temple where the Bodhi Tree stands over the Vajra-asana. This is where Buddha Shakyamuni sat as he attained enlightenment more than 2500 years ago. His Holiness lit a lamp amongst an array of offerings set up as part of the Sakya Monlam. He then walked around the temple on the inner circuit, smiling and waving to people peeking through the stone railings.

At the door to the Mahabodhi Temple His Holiness stopped and made three prostrations to the Buddha before entering. He inspected the renowned statue of the Awakened One inside, made further salutations before it and sat down in the company of a number of monks. Together they recited prayers and praises including the ‘Sutra Remembering the Three Jewels ’, ‘In Praise of Dependent Arising’, the ‘Praise of the 17 Nalanda Masters’, the 'Supplication to the Buddha known as Drumbeat of Truth', the ‘Prayer for the Ecumenical Spread of the Buddha's Teachings’, the dharani of Dependent Arising, the ‘Words of Truth’ and verses of dedication.

As he emerged from the Temple, His Holiness smiled and waved to the crowds who filled the surrounding garden. He turned and paid tribute to the Buddha once more before continuing his circumambulation. Greeting fellow pilgrims on the way, he reached the western side, saluted the Seat of Enlightenment again, ascended the steps to the gate, waved to the crowd, and climbed into his car to return to the Ganden Phelgyey Ling—the Tibetan Temple.

original link & photos: https://www.dalailama.com/news/2018/his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-makes-a-pilgrimage-to-the-mahabodhi-temple

Dalai Lama: Inter-faith Prayers for Peace

Zurich, Switzerland, 15 October 2016 - His Holiness the Dalai Lama was met on arrival at the Grossmünster Church this morning by Pastor Christoph Sigrist, who introduced him to representatives of the Evangelical Church, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and the Roman Catholic Church. The Church was packed with about 1000 people as the religious representatives entered together. Once they were seated the building resounded to a Bach toccata played on the organ.

Addressing the gathering Pastor Sigrist said it was an honour and a great joy to welcome ‘Our Brother’, His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Grossmünster Church. “It means a great deal to have you here to pray and reflect with us,” he said. Each of the religious representatives was invited to make a prayer beginning with Tibetan Buddhist monks from Rikon Monastery. His Holiness joined them in their melodic chanting as their prayers for taking refuge and cultivating bodhichitta filled the church. They were followed by the Imam, the Rabbi and women representing Hinduism, the Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches, each praying in their own way for peace and justice among humanity. Finally, the Church rang with the pure voices of the choir singing Heinrich Schütz’s ‘Grant us peace graciously’.

Mario Fehr, an old friend of Tibetans, who is now President of the Canton of Zurich said, “On behalf of the Canton Government and the people of Zurich, I am very thankful that you are all here and that you have joined us to pray for peace today.”

Invited to address the congregation that included another 700 or so watching a monitor outside, His Holiness began:

“Spiritual brothers and sisters, I’m very touched by the atmosphere here with leaders and followers of different faiths gathered to pray together. It’s a great opportunity for us to get to know each other.

“At this very moment we are praying peacefully together here, but in other parts of the world, people are being killed and are being killed in the name of religion. These days if a person is killed by an elephant or a tiger it makes the news, but when people kill other people it seems routine and hardly seems to register.

“Nevertheless, scientists are finding evidence to conclude that basic human nature is compassionate. We depend on each other for our survival. In terms of the threats we all face from climate change, national boundaries have no meaning. Looking at our small blue planet from space no such boundaries can be seen. This is the reality today. We have to think of the welfare of all humanity.

“I have a commitment to promoting happiness through understanding. We human beings are physically, mentally and emotionally the same. We all want to live a happy life, but too often our strong sense of ‘us’ and ‘them’ causes divisions among us. We need instead a sense of the oneness of humanity. All the major religious traditions convey a message of love, tolerance, forgiveness and self-discipline. They all have the potential to bring peace through the cultivation of warm-heartedness. They adopt different philosophical positions, but their purpose is to foster greater love and affection for others. Their common aim is to create more compassionate people.”

His Holiness explained that his second commitment, as a Buddhist monk, is to encouraging religious harmony. He mentioned Thomas Merton, Mother Teresa and other Muslim and Hindu friends who have deeply impressed him, people driven by the dedication of their faith. He emphasised the need to create harmony and respect among religious people. Recalling the first World Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi, Italy, in1986 that he attended at the invitation of Pope John Paul II, His Holiness reported expressing his appreciation to the Pope and telling him how important it was for it not to be a one-off event, but for it to happen again and again.

He mentioned too how important it is for followers of different religions simply to get to know each other. Similarly, he said, scholars and religious leaders should meet to discuss and exchange their experiences. For example, in discussions with Muslim scholars in India and elsewhere, His Holiness has learned that if Muslims commit bloodshed they are no longer proper Muslims. Their commitment is to extend love to all the creatures of Allah. The same scholars have also explained that ‘jihad’ actually refers to a struggle within to tackle our disturbing emotions.

His Holiness suggested a third practice he follows to promote religious harmony—making pilgrimage to other people’s places of worship. He said he started doing this in Varanasi, India, in 1975 and has since visited Jerusalem to pray in the company of Christians, Jews and Muslims. Similarly, he recalled joining visiting Christian sisters and brothers, local Hindus and Muslims under the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment, for half an hour’s silent meditation.

Observing that all the world’s major religious traditions, those that are indigenous like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, and those from abroad like Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, have lived together in India, side by side, in respect and harmony, for centuries. This, he said, is an example for others to follow.

“Finally, if may say so,” His Holiness remarked, “I wonder how appropriate it is for us to pray to God or to Buddha for peace when the problems and conflict were created by us. I wonder if we were to meet Jesus Christ, the Buddha or Muhammad, if they might not ask, ‘Who created these problems you are seeking help to resolve? Isn’t it your responsibility to sort things out?’

“I feel we should make a personal commitment to promoting inter-religious harmony and to cultivating compassion within ourselves. If we also discuss this with friends and family, we can spread these ideas. In our materialistic world money seems all important, but much more valuable if we want to lead a happy life is to cultivate warm-heartedness. This is what strengthens the inner peace that anger and jealousy so easily destroy. Paying more attention to our inner values will ensure we’re healthy in body and mind and can make a real contribution to peace in the world.”

Pastor Sigrist thanked His Holiness for his words and called on all present to join in saying St Francis of Assisi’s Prayer for Peace:

God, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console,

To be understood as to understand,

To be loved as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life, 

Amen

He announced that Syrian refugees had been offered shelter in apartments attached to the church and that they had prepared a lunch for the religious leaders, representatives and guests.

Towards the end of the meal, President Mario Fehr presented Zurich’s Gold Medal to His Holiness as a mark of appreciation.

Tibetans thronged the cobbled streets outside the church to see His Holiness off as he drove to Zurich airport. From there he flew to Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, where he was met on arrival by old friends Suzanne and Csaba Kiss of the At Home Gallery and Martin Butora, advisor to the President of Slovakia, and his wife. Tomorrow, His Holiness will interact with students and faculty at Komensky University in the morning and give a public talk in the afternoon.

original link & photos: http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1473-inter-faith-prayers-for-peace