Dalai Lama on The Middle Way

Teaching Nagarjuna’s ‘Precious Garland of the Middle Way’

Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, India - The sun shone in a clear sky this morning as His Holiness the Dalai Lama walked from his residence to the Tsuglagkhang, the Main Tibetan Temple. He greeted members of the public gathered in the yard and around the temple on his way, stroking a child’s cheek here, exchanging a few words there and waving to those beyond his reach. Once in the temple he respectfully saluted the former Ganden Throneholder, Rizong Rinpoché before taking his seat on the throne. A recitation of the ‘Mangala Sutta’ in Pali by Thai monks was followed by the chanting of the ‘Heart Sutra’ in Chinese.

The more than 7500 people gathered in and around the temple included individuals from 61 countries. Of these, the principal students were 1127 from Taiwan belonging to 21 organizations under the umbrella of the Taiwan International Tibetan Buddhist Association. Largest among these various groups was ‘Bliss and Wisdom’ and its 850 members.

After reciting the customary verses of homage, His Holiness addressed the congregation.

“Today, Chinese from Taiwan and elsewhere have come to listen to this teaching. We are here to learn how to transform our minds. The Buddhist tradition in general and the Nalanda Tradition in particular teach about the mind using logic and reason. They explain how to counter destructive emotions like anger and jealousy, which has the additional physical benefit of boosting our immune systems.

“We have to identify what disturbs our peace of mind and learn how to counter that, much as we take the appropriate medicine when we are sick. When we are angry, we should ask why. Note that anger may cause you to see someone as an enemy, but that can change. Someone who seems like an enemy today may be a friend tomorrow. When someone criticizes you, if you get angry it doesn’t relieve your irritation, whereas if you remain patient and calm, you don’t get upset. Anger, arrogance and jealousy disturb your peace of mind. They spoil your health and disturb your friends.

“Peace of mind is important because we all want to be happy. Cultivating and preserving it is not so much a religious practice as taking a practical step towards being happy. All religious traditions teach love and compassion because as human beings we are social animals. Our well-being depends on the members of our community. Generally, a child brought up by a loving mother grows into an affectionate adult. In the past, people lived with their families in relatively small groups, but today, we are all dependent on each other. All 7 billion human beings make up one human family. Therefore, it’s crucial that we take account of the oneness of humanity.

“Buddhists talk about helping all mother sentient beings, but those who we can really help are human because we can communicate with them. It’s much more difficult to help animals who have no language. If our brains are slaves to afflictive emotions, they’re not of much use, but if we cultivate love and compassion for others we can achieve happiness. As Shantideva writes:

And so, today, within the sight of all protectors,

I summon beings, calling them to Buddhahood.

And, till that state is reached, to every earthly joy;

May gods and demigods and all the rest rejoice.

“If you cultivate the awakening mind of bodhichitta, all beings will be your friends. You’ll see all as amiable and none as foes. On the other hand, if you only think of yourself, everyone will seem like a threat. The scriptures tell us that this human life is hard to find and precious because it enables us to fulfil the aims of others and ourselves.”

His Holiness talked about how all religious traditions commend us to be warm-hearted, although they take different philosophical approaches to this goal. Some theistic traditions, like Judaism, Christianity and Islam place their faith in a creator god, seeing other beings as children of that god and so as brothers and sisters. Non-theistic traditions in India, such as a strand of the Samkhya tradition, Jains and Buddhists see happiness and suffering as dependent on our actions. This point of view gave rise to the idea of non-violent conduct promoted first by Jains, but also adopted by the Buddha.

His Holiness clarified that the Buddha’s foundational teaching was given openly, in public and was later recorded in the Pali language. This tradition is followed in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Later teachings were recorded in Sanskrit, a more scholarly language. He mentioned that since the terms Hinayana and Mahayana, implying a lesser vehicle and a greater vehicle, can be viewed as discriminatory, he prefers to speak of the Pali and Sanskrit traditions. Monks of the Pali tradition maintain good monastic discipline. Scholars of the Nalanda Tradition that exemplifies the Sanskrit traditions emphasized the use of reason and logic. Its members investigated the Buddha’s teaching without taking it for granted.

The Buddha himself encouraged his followers to examine his teaching carefully in the way a goldsmith tests gold. When Nagarjuna and his followers did this, they classified what the Buddha had taught into definitive and interpretable instructions, after subjecting them to analysis akin to a scientific approach.

Reiterating the importance of cultivating and maintaining peace of mind, His Holiness stressed that it is not necessary to be religious to do so. What is important is learning how to tackle disturbing emotions. He mentioned that he has been encouraging the introduction of social, emotional and ethical learning to the education system.

Although he considers Buddhism to have some of the profoundest understanding of reality, what he is particularly interested in is for Buddhists to use that knowledge to help others. He observed that while philosophical and psychological ideas were introduced and explained in religious literature, they can be well employed in an objective, secular and academic context.

His Holiness reported classifying the content of the 300 volumes of the Kangyur and Tengyur, the collections of translations of the Buddha’s teachings and subsequent Indian treatises, under the following headings---science, philosophy and religion. These materials have been compiled into separate books in Tibetan and translated into Chinese, English and other languages. Work on the volumes dealing with science is complete, while work on the philosophical volumes is underway.

His Holiness discussed different ways in which the selflessness of persons and phenomena are explained within the Buddhist tradition.

“The Mind Only School assert that no phenomena exist externally, they are but reflections of the mind. They speak of non-dual emptiness. The Middle Way School allow no kind of essential or intrinsic existence. For them nothing exists independently. Things exist merely as designations.

“In the ‘Heart Sutra’ Shariputra asks "How should a child of the lineage train who wishes to engage in the practice of the profound perfection of wisdom?" Avalokiteshvara tells him, “'Whatever son or daughter of the noble lineage wants to train in the profound discipline of the perfection of wisdom should consider things in the following way. First, he or she should clearly and thoroughly comprehend that the five aggregates are empty of any inherent nature of their own.” Although things appear to have a solid, independent existence, they do not actually exist that way. Form is empty means that it does not exist the way it appears.

“Because things are conditioned by other factors, they exist as mere designations, labelled by language. When we critically examine form, it is empty of intrinsic existence. But when we accept what appears, form exists on a conventional level. “Emptiness is not other than forms and forms are not other than emptiness.”

“Mind exists as a series of moments, moments of consciousness.

“Nagarjuna’s ‘Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way’ explains in Chapter 26 how we are brought into unenlightened life in the cycle of existence. Chapter 18 deals with selflessness, and Chapter 24 clarifies the Four Noble Truths. There are commentaries on ‘Fundamental Wisdom’ by Buddhapalita and Chandrakirti. Je Tsongkhapa read these and other classic texts in preparing for his own commentary. At a certain point he had a vision of Manjushri who gave him an answer to a question that he found difficult to understand. Manjushri then advised him to engage in further study and practice. Eventually, it was when he was reading Buddhapalita’s commentary that he achieved a correct insight into emptiness.”

His Holiness remarked that when he gives someone a statue of the Buddha, he explains that the Buddha was a teacher. Consequently, what’s important is to study his teachings. He observed that the Buddha’s teachings reached China before they reached Tibet. However, since the pilgrim Xuanzang studied at Nalanda before returning to China, and Buddhism was introduced to Tibet by the foremost Nalanda scholar Shantarakshita, both Chinese and Tibetan Buddhism belong to the Nalanda Tradition. The difference is that while the key works on logic and epistemology by Dignaga and Dharmakirti were translated into Tibetan, they were not translated into Chinese.

Declaring that he had intended to read the first chapter of Nagarjuna’s ‘Precious Garland of the Middle Way’ today, His Holiness summarized its contents. The chapter distinguishes between being born with high status and achieving definite goodness. “High status is considered to be happiness, Definite goodness is liberation.” It is necessary to transform the mind, employing wisdom and analysis in order to achieve definite goodness, but that is only possible on the basis of life as a human being. His Holiness emphasized that transforming the mind does not come about in a short time, but if you keep up your effort, you’ll achieve your goal. Whatever you read or hear, you must reflect on it over and again, to gain conviction. Through meditation bring about experience of what you’ve understood to transform the mind.

As he brought the session to an end for the day, His Holiness encouraged his listeners to attend the opportunity to review what he had been talking about. He told them not to sit quietly, but to ask questions to settle whatever doubts they might have. He will resume his explanation tomorrow.

original link & photos: https://www.dalailama.com/news/2019/teaching-nagarjunas-precious-garland-of-the-middle-way

Dalai Lama Teaches the Middle Way

Teaching of Chandrakirti’s ‘Entering into the Middle Way’ Resumes

Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, HP, India - The majestic Dhauladhar Mountains stood resolute against the clear blue, post-monsoon sky as His Holiness the Dalai Lama walked from his residence to the Tsuglagkhang, the main Tibetan temple, this morning. The temple yard was thronged with people eager to see him, smiles on their faces and hands folded in welcome. Inside the temple His Holiness waved to the crowd, greeted the Lamas seated around the throne and took his seat.

Among the 6500 people in attendance, 1000 were Taiwanese, most of them belonging to 18 cultural organizations participating in the International Association of Tibetan Buddhist Dharma, Taiwan. In addition, there were 500 Indians, 1800 people from 66 countries abroad and 3200 Tibetans.

Monks from Thailand made an auspicious beginning to the proceedings as they recited the Mangala Sutta in Pali. Taiwanese disciples then chanted the Heart Sutra in Chinese. His Holiness completed the preliminary formalities by reciting the verses of salutation to the Buddha from ‘Ornament for Clear Realization’ and Nagarjuna’s ‘Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way’. He welcomed everyone in the audience:

“Those of you from Taiwan have been coming for many years now and today there are people from many other places too—I greet you all. I’m going to begin with an introduction to the teachings of the Buddha. Many of you may be familiar with it, but there may also be some who haven’t heard it before.

“The following verse sums up the Buddha’s advice:

“Commit no unwholesome deed,

Perform only perfect virtue,

Completely tame your mind,

This is the teaching of the Buddha.

“All religions teach us not to do harm, but to have a kind heart. There are theistic traditions that believe in a creator god and non-theistic traditions that teach about karma. All of them encourage us to help others not harm them.

“How do you tame your mind? The Buddhas do not wash unwholesome deeds away with water, nor do they remove beings’ sufferings with their hands and they do not transplant their own realization into others. It is by teaching the truth of suchness that they liberate beings.

“A rich tradition of philosophy and psychology already existed in India at the time of the Buddha. A general belief in past and future lives was supported by the reports of individuals who had memories of their previous lives. Since the body doesn’t travel from one life to another, the question was what does? Many schools of thought posited a self separate from the mind/body combination that they called atman. Taming the mind relied on training in ethics and concentration on the basis of which wisdom could be cultivated.

“Many Indian spiritual practitioners aspired to transcend the desire realm and the attachment it involves, which they considered fraught with problems. Through meditative absorption they sought to reach the subtler and more peaceful form and formless realms.

“Born into a royal family, the Buddha renounced his comfortable way of life when he realized the suffering involved in birth, sickness, aging and death. He entered instead into the homeless life of an ascetic. As a result of his cultivating ethics and concentration he recognised that far from there being a single, autonomous, permanent self, the self is merely a designation. He further acknowledged that belief in a single, autonomous, permanent self reinforces clinging to it. There is a notion of a self that functions like a master over the other aspects of the mind/body combination, which operate like its servants. Therefore, the self is seen as separate from the mind/body combination.

“In his enlightenment the Buddha realized a sense of selflessness diametrically opposed to the idea of a single, autonomous, permanent self. Therefore, he is reported to have reflected, ‘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 what I said, so I shall remain silent here in the forest.’

His Holiness explained that when, in due course, the Buddha encountered his five former companions in the Deer Park outside Varanasi, they recognised a change in his demeanour and asked him to teach what he had realized. Consequently he taught them the Four Noble Truths—the truth of suffering, the truth of its origin, the truth of its cessation and the truth of the path to that. In terms of what they needed to do, he explained that suffering must be known; its origin must be overcome; its cessation must be achieved and the path to it must be cultivated.

However, in terms of a result, he clarified that although suffering must be known, there is nothing to be known. Though its origin must be overcome, there is nothing to overcome. While cessation must be achieved, there is nothing to be achieved and despite the need to cultivate the path, there is nothing to be cultivated.

His Holiness observed that the Buddha identified 16 characteristics of the Four Noble Truths, four pertaining to each truth. The four characteristics of the truth of suffering are that it is impermanent, in the nature of suffering, empty and selfless. His Holiness made clear that on one level we can understand impermanence to mean that life ends in death. At a subtler level this means that things arise, abide, decay and end in destruction. Subtler still is the understanding that the disintegration of a phenomenon is brought about by its very cause. Thus, change to our psycho-physical aggregates, our mind/body combination, derives from their cause which is karma and mental afflictions.

“What is important to recognise” His Holiness went on, “is that suffering is rooted in ignorance. We will not overcome it until we counter the ignorance that is a distorted view of reality. We remain subject to that ignorance so long as we think of the ‘I’ as an independent self. Yet when we search for such a self as an entity independent of the mind/body combination, we find nothing. We cannot find such a self among the five psycho-physical aggregates that make up the mind/body combination, nor can it be identified with consciousness.

“Just as cart is designated on the basis of its parts, so a person is designated on the basis of the psycho-physical aggregates. Nagarjuna explains that cessation comes about through the elimination of karma and mental afflictions. Karma and afflictions arise from conceptual thoughts, which come from mental exaggeration or fabrication.

Fabrication ceases through (understanding) emptiness. We can gain experience of emptiness if we make a steady effort. If we read Nagarjuna and his followers’ works we can see how they thoroughly explain that there is no independent self.

“The defilements of the mind associated with a distorted view of reality are not of the mind’s intrinsic nature because the nature of the mind is clarity and awareness. Cessation is that state of mind in which the defilements have been overcome. Therefore, liberation is attained by thoroughly purifying the mind.”

In responding to questions from the audience His Holiness discussed which is realized first, the selflessness of persons or the selflessness of phenomena. He quoted Nagarjuna’s ‘Precious Garland’ that says that as long as there is grasping for the psycho-physical aggregates, there is grasping for a self of persons. However, in his medium and great presentations of the ‘Stages of the Path’, Je Tsongkhapa presents the selflessness of persons first and the selflessness of phenomena later. His Holiness remarked that since the Buddha was thorough in his teachings, we need to be thorough in our studies.

“I first heard about emptiness 70 years ago, but I’ve been thinking about it for 60 years,” His Holiness recalled. “It’s good to be curious. As a child when I saw different insects I wanted to know where they came from. I also wanted to know why there are so many different kinds of flowers. For the last 50 years, I’ve also given deep thought to the awakening mind of bodhichitta. Today, I heard a report that elderly people are increasingly experiencing loneliness, which reminded me that if you cultivate compassion and bodhichitta you’ll never feel lonely.”

His Holiness concluded that in addition to the need to completely tame the mind it is also necessary to sustain the body and it had reached time for lunch. He will continue his teachings tomorrow morning.

Original link & photos: https://www.dalailama.com/news/2018/teaching-of-chandrakirtis-entering-into-the-middle-way-resumes

Dalai Lama on Eight Verses for Training the Mind

‘Eight Verses for Training the Mind’

When His Holiness the Dalai Lama met six Dutch Parliamentarians this morning he was swift to tell them how much he appreciates their concern for Tibet. As time goes on more and more people come to appreciate that Tibetan culture is sophisticated and useful, while it is being steadily destroyed in Tibet. He pointed out that Tibet has always been politically significant as a buffer between India and China.

“We’re not seeking independence because it would likely be difficult to achieve, but if we did, we would remain poor. Tibetans are no more averse to prosperity than anyone else. If we remain with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) we can benefit from China’s powerful economy.

“The Chinese constitution recognises various Tibetan areas and we should have the freedom to preserve our language and culture in those regions. We can work together, the Chinese can provide us with material benefit, and we can offer them spiritual support. I greatly admire the spirit of the European Union which gives more importance to the common good than narrow national sovereignty. We could enter into a similar union with China.

“Historically Tibet was an independent state. Chinese documents record the existence in the 7th, 8th and 9th centuries of three independent empires—China, Mongolia and Tibet. Subsequently, no Chinese records from the Tang dynasty until the Manchu dynasty refer to Tibet as part of China. However, the past is past and I note that members of the European Union remain sovereign states.

“In 1951 we raised the issue of Tibet at the UN—nothing happened. Again in 1959 and 1965 we appealed to the world body over India’s objections, but again nothing happened. Pandit Nehru told me that the USA would not go to war with China to liberate Tibet. He said we could only talk to the Chinese authorities. On one occasion he came to see me, bringing a copy of the 17 Point Agreement that refers to ‘the peaceful liberation of Tibet’ and pointed out which points we could usefully discuss.

“In 1956 Nehru insisted I return to Tibet after visiting India and I did. I tried to accommodate Chinese demands until the situation ran out of control. 6 million Tibetans are tough. The Chinese have used all kinds of means to crush the Tibetan spirit without success. Meanwhile, 340,000 have been killed, died of starvation or committed suicide.

“To begin with there was no racial animosity involved, but that changed after 1959 as tensions grew between Tibetans and Han. Throughout, Tibetan spirits remained strong. Now, it seems Chinese leaders can see that their policy of suppression has failed, so they are beginning to take a more realistic approach. Indeed, the Tibetan issue will not just go away until they address it realistically. It seems top leaders have started to realise it doesn’t help them to push the Dalai Lama away—we’ll see.”

One of the Parliamentarians asked how educational systems could be made less materialistically oriented and His Holiness told him he thought it was more important to inculcate inner values and explain how to cultivate peace of mind. It should be possible for education to enhance the positive qualities students have from birth.

“Peace will only be established on the basis of individuals achieving peace of mind. Peace will not be achieved through anger or the use of weapons. We’ve already seen enough violence in the world; the 21st century should be an era of peace—a smile giving rise to a smiling response.”

Back in the Ahoy Arena for a second day, Paula de Wijs welcomed His Holiness, the members of the Sangha and everyone else in the hall. “Compassion is discussed in all religious traditions,” she said, “not just Buddhism. Everyone needs compassion, so these teachings will be useful for all of us. They will be an inspiration.”

His Holiness took up the theme. “Today, I’ll be teaching this small text, the ‘Eight Verses for Training the Mind’, which is mainly about altruism. As Paula has just said, everyone can find it useful, not just Buddhists. Whether you’re Jewish, Christian or Muslim, genuine practitioners all value the practice of loving kindness. Sometimes if the book we’re looking at is thick it can become boring, but this one is small enough to slip into your pocket. I received this teaching when I was about 15 or 16 years old. I memorized the text, recite it daily and have found it useful.

“First of all I’ll go over the basic structure of the dharma. Buddhism is one of the major spiritual traditions to originate in India. Like Jainism and one of the branches of the Samkhya School, there is no place for a creator god. The founders of these traditions, such as Mahavira and the Buddha, were human beings who attained enlightenment. They employed practices prevalent in India such as methods for cultivating a calmly abiding mind and special insight (shamatha and vipashyana). In the case of the Buddha, as he delved deeper into the nature of the mind and investigated the nature of self, he concluded that there was no self independent of the body/mind combination.

“The sutras say if you search for the self it turns out to be just a view. There is nothing more than the body/mind combination. Just as we see a combination of parts as a cart, so the conventional self is based on the body/mind combination—there is no independent self. In his ‘Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way’ Nagarjuna says:

“Through the elimination of karma and disturbing emotions there is cessation.

Karma and affliction come from conceptual thought.

These come from mental exaggeration or fabrication.

Fabrication ceases through emptiness.

“And in his ‘400 Verses’ Aryadeva states:

“As the tactile sense [pervades] the body

Confusion is present in all [disturbing emotions].

By overcoming confusion you will also

Overcome all disturbing emotions.

"To overcome this ignorance requires making an effort to understand dependent origination."

His Holiness remarked that after attaining enlightenment the Buddha expressed a reluctance to teach. He is quoted as saying:

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.

Here, ‘profound and peaceful’ can refer to the cause and effect of suffering and its origin within the cycle of existence, as well as the cause and effect of cessation and the path that are factors of liberation—in other words the Four Noble Truths of the first turning of the wheel of dharma. ‘Free from complexity’ refers to emptiness and the Perfection of Wisdom teachings of the second turning of the wheel. ‘Uncompounded luminosity’ refers to the subjective clear light explained in the third turning of the wheel. This subjective mind of clear light is essential to Highest Yoga Tantra.

“In this first statement after attaining enlightenment, the Buddha refers to what he would teach in the future. Subsequently, at the request of his disciple Kaundinya and non-human agents he did teach. The first teaching that took place in the Deer Park outside Varanasi entailed an explanation of the Four Noble Truths. The cause and effect of suffering and its origin is described as afflictive cause and effect, while the cause and effect of cessation and the path is non-afflictive cause and effect.

“Each of the Four Noble Truths can be understood in relation to four characteristics. The truth of suffering, for example, can be understood as being impermanent, in the nature of suffering, empty and selfless. The characteristics of the truth of the cause of suffering are causes, origin, strong production and recurrence. The truth of cessation can be understood in terms of cessation, pacification, being superb and definite release, while the truth of the path is characterized in terms of path, awareness, achievement and deliverance. Reflecting on these is a powerful practice.

“No matter how strong afflictive emotions may be,” His Holiness remarked, “so long as they are rooted in a distorted view of reality they have no solid support and can be removed.”

His Holiness observed that ignorance and wisdom are states of mind that are opposed to each other. Just as when there is light, darkness is gone, so the wisdom of no-self and emptiness utterly uproot ignorance. The Perfection of Wisdom teachings explain the Four Noble Truths thoroughly, especially the truth of cessation and the truth of the path. Nagarjuna says it’s by understanding dependent arising that we really come to grips with the Four Noble Truths.

When the Heart Sutra says, ‘Form is empty; emptiness is form. Emptiness is not other than form; form also is not other than emptiness,’ it is not asserting that nothing exists; rather that things don’t exist as they appear. Form exists, but only as a designation. Aspects of the mind too only exist by way of designation. Nagarjuna asserts that the Buddha taught:

That which is dependent origination

Is explained to be emptiness.

That, being a dependent designation,

Is itself the middle way.

There does not exist anything

That is not dependently arisen.

Therefore there does not exist anything

That is not empty.

If you understand this, you will understand the importance of the Two Truths, the conventional reality that things exist, and their ultimate reality in emptiness.

His Holiness went on to discuss the explicit and implicit content of the Perfection of Wisdom teachings as outlined in the ‘Ornament for Clear Realization’ of Maitreya/Asanga. The explicit content is the explanation of emptiness, but what is implicit is the stages of the path. According to the latter, the path begins with the Two Truths, goes on to explore the Four Noble Truths, leading to a proper understanding of the Three Jewels, who the Buddha is, what he taught and the role of the Sangha.

He explained that the style and order of the ‘Lamp for the Path’ that Atisha taught, and which was the pattern for the subsequent Stages of the Path genre, presupposes that readers already have some understanding of the dharma.

In the context of practice, His Holiness referred to the need for high status or a good rebirth in order to be able to keep it up. Nagarjuna’s ‘Precious Garland’ lists sixteen causes of high status. Thirteen are activities to be stopped. Of the ten unwholesome deeds to be avoided, three are physical - killing, stealing and adultery; four are verbal - false, divisive, harsh, and senseless speech; and three are mental - covetousness, harmful intent, and wrong views. Three additional activities to be restrained include drinking alcohol, wrong livelihood and doing harm. There are three further activities to be adopted - respectful giving, honouring the honourable, and love.
Aryadeva advises:

First prevent the demeritorious,

Next prevent [conceptions of] self;

Later prevent views of all kinds.

Whoever knows of this is wise.

Taking up the text of the ‘Eight Verses’, His Holiness began to read. He explained that the first verse highlights how we are all dependent on others and shows how to cultivate the awakening mind. There are two principal methods: the Seven Point Cause and Effect and Equalizing and Exchanging of Self with Others.

The second verse advises regarding others as superior to you. The third counsels being wary of disturbing emotions, while the fourth speaks of the value of holding troublesome beings dear. The fifth verse recommends offering the victory to others, and the sixth recommends seeing enemies as spiritual friends. The seventh verse explicitly expounds the practice of giving and taking in which imagining taking on others' suffering accords with great compassion, while giving happiness in return accords with loving kindness. Referring to this practice as secret indicates that it may not be appropriate for everyone.

Finally, the first two lines of the eighth verse warn against giving in to the eight worldly concerns for praise and blame and so forth. Noting that the last two lines refer to seeing all things as like an illusion, His Holiness mentioned that you don’t have to be a Buddhist to understand emptiness.

“Training the mind makes a difference,” he declared. “Until I was about 13 years old, I had little interest in what I was studying. Gradually I developed an appreciation that it could be useful. After I reached India I reviewed what I had studied before, but my target was now the attainment of enlightenment not just passing an exam. I’ve found that trying to understand emptiness and extending a sense of altruism has the effect of loosening the grip of self-centredness. I believe that if I have benefited from doing this, if you study and practise, you can benefit from it too.”

For the Dalai Lama Foundation, Reinier Tilanus announced that 21,000 people had participated in the public talk and teachings, 400,000 had viewed the live stream and 250 volunteers had been of great help. The account for the last three days’ events in the Netherlands had produced a surplus of 70,000 Euros. His Holiness requested that 20,000 be donated to supporting teaching Tibetan language to Tibetan children in the Netherlands. The balance will be donated to the work being developed at Emory University to promote social, emotional, and ethical development.

original link & photos: https://www.dalailama.com/news/2018/eight-verses-for-training-the-mind

Dalai Lama on the Buddhapalita Teachings

Second Set of Buddhapalita Teachings - First Day

Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, HP, India - This morning, under skies that are beginning to clear as the monsoon recedes, His Holiness the Dalai Lama walked from his residence to the Tsuglagkhang, smiling, waving and greeting people as he went. An estimated 6000 people awaited him in the Main Temple, its surroundings and in the yard below. Of these, 1200 were from East and South-east Asian countries---Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore, including ordained and lay-people. Of an estimated 1700 people from 71 countries in other parts of the world, the largest contingent was from Israel.

Inside the temple, His Holiness waved to the audience, greeted senior Thai and Korean monks, as well as the Ganden Throne-holder, before taking his seat on the throne. The Mangala Sutta was recited first in Pali by a group of Thai monks, after which the ‘Heart Sutra’ was chanted in Chinese, concluding with the following verse:

May we dispel the three poisons.

And light the lamp of wisdom.

May all obstacles be overcome and

May we engage in the deeds of bodhisattvas.

His Holiness recited verses of salutation to the Buddha from ‘Ornament for Clear Realization’ and Nagarjuna’s ‘Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way’.

“Many people have gathered here from East and South-east Asia for this teaching,” he began as he looked out over the audience, “amongst whom are monks from countries who traditionally follow the Pali tradition. I greet you all.

“Now, what I usually talk about, wherever I am in the world, is that I am a human being; just one among many. If the people of the world are happy, I’m happy. When the world is in turmoil, I’m sad. We human beings are all the same in wanting to be happy and not wanting to suffer and yet many of the problems we face are of our own making. We seek happiness in external things without realizing that they don’t help when we have problems within. We need to focus instead on the joy that comes with peace of mind that allows us to remain happy whatever happens.

“At the monastery of Montserrat, near Barcelona, I met a monk who had asked to see me. He had been living the life of a hermit in the mountains, surviving only on tea and bread. I asked him about his practice and he told me he’d been meditating on love. As he said this, I could see from the sparkle in his eyes that, despite renouncing physical comfort, he was full of joy.

“Among Tibetans too there were some imprisoned during the ‘cultural revolution’, who valued the opportunity to do their practice. One who I knew well told me that there were times he felt in danger and I asked him to explain, thinking he meant his life was at risk. Instead he told me there were times he was in danger of losing compassion for his tormentors.

“We have made great physical progress in many areas, but this hasn’t necessarily translated into greater peace of mind. However, scientists have lately found evidence to assert that basic human nature is compassionate, which I take as a sign of hope. Meanwhile they have also found that constant anger, fear and anxiety deplete our immune system.”

His Holiness noted that a mother gave birth to each and every one of us. During our early years we survived due to her kindness. Right from the beginning of our lives the love and affection we received from her empowered us to feel calm and secure. He suggested that the innate sense of love and compassion we have as a result can be strengthened and extended by training.

He reiterated that love and compassion are the root of all happiness as we can see when we compare a poor family, who are happy because they love and care for each other, with a wealthy family who are unhappy because they are full of suspicion.

“Whoever I meet, I think of them as another human being just like me. We are physically, mentally and emotionally the same. If we remember that other people are essentially like us, we won’t view them with hostility. As social animals we are dependent on the community in which we live. While love and compassion bring peace of mind and attract friends to us, anger drives people away. So, not only do I advise others to cultivate these qualities, because they are so important, I try to put them into practice myself.

“As a Buddhist practitioner I invite all sentient beings to be my guests at a feast of happiness. I cultivate the four immeasurable wishes—generating equanimity, love, compassion, and joy towards an immeasurable number of sentient beings—every day. We pray that sentient beings experience no suffering, yet the only beings we can really help directly are the human beings with whom we share this earth. We can only pray for beings in other galaxies and can do little to help the animals, insects and fish around us achieve liberation.”

His Holiness remarked that as a Buddhist practitioner he also seeks to promote inter-religious harmony. He explained that religious traditions are concerned with human behaviour. They convey a common message of love and yet today we hear repeatedly of fighting and killing in the name of religion. He pointed out that here in India over the last 3000 years and more, traditions have emerged that counsel love, compassion, self-discipline and tolerance. They adopt different philosophical positions because people have different dispositions.

“Whether or not you observe religious belief and practice is a personal matter, but if make such a choice it’s better to be sincere about it. If someone follows a religion based on love sincerely, how could they kill in the name of religion?”

During a short comfort break, His Holiness answered several questions from the audience, advising that Chapter Six of ‘Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life’ gives explicit instructions on how to deal with anger. He also touched on the understanding of the workings of the mind and emotions that has evolved in India in the pursuit of calm abiding (shamatha) and penetrative insight (vipashyana). He stated his belief that in India it should be possible to combine modern education with such ancient knowledge.

His Holiness recalled that Buddhism originated in India and that the Pali tradition spread to Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Laos and Cambodia, where the Vinaya continues to be strictly upheld. The Sanskrit tradition, meanwhile, which was fostered in the universities of Takshashila, Nalanda and Vikramashila spread to China and from there to Korea, Japan and Vietnam. His Holiness mentioned that when the Chinese monk and scholar Xuanzang came to India, Nagabodhi, a disciple of Nagarjuna, was still alive. The Chinese adopted Nagarjuna’s ideas, but not the system of logic and reason that supported them.

In the 8th century, the great scholar, logician and philosopher, Shantarakshita established the Nalanda Tradition in Tibet. From Tibet this approach to study and training spread to Mongolia and the Mongolian Russian Republics. Crucial to this tradition were the Perfection of Wisdom teachings of the second turning of the wheel of dharma that assert that things have no objective existence, contrary to the way they appear to us.

His Holiness cited a resolution the Buddha made shortly after his enlightenment that is recorded in the ‘Extensive Sport Sutra’ (Lalitavistara Sutra):

Profound and peaceful, free from elaboration, uncompounded clear light

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.

His Holiness explained that the first words ‘profound and peaceful’ could be interpreted as referring to the true cessation that was the focus of the first turning of the wheel of dharma. ‘Free from elaboration’ could be seen as referring to what he eventually taught in the second turning of the wheel and ‘uncompounded clear light’ could refer to the third turning of the wheel. The first turning lays the foundation, the second shows that things are free from elaboration and the third reveals Buddha nature.

Taking up Buddhapalita’s commentary, His Holiness mentioned that Buddhapalita was a disciple of Nagarjuna and Aryadeva. He remarked that he had received explanation of this text and Chandrakirti’s ‘Clear Words’ from the former Ganden Throne-holder, Rizong Rinpoche. This text, Buddhapalitavrtti, is an explanatory commentary on Nagarjuna’s ‘Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way’. He observed that although monks in Tibetan monastic universities study the commentary, they pay less attention to the root text, ‘Fundamental Wisdom’. Noting that Chapters 18 and 24 are the most important, he recommended that a student might begin by reading Chapter 26 which discusses the Twelve Links of Dependent Arising which in forward and reverse processes show how ignorance binds us in the cycle of existence. To put an end to that, Chapter 18 explains how to overcome karma and mental afflictions, while Chapter 24 reveals how to understand emptiness.

Nagarjuna explains that through the elimination of karma and mental afflictions there is liberation; karma and mental afflictions come from conceptual thoughts and these come from mental fabrications. Fabrication ceases through emptiness. The point is to eliminate distorted views that give rise to mental afflictions.

As Nagarjuna observes elsewhere in ‘Fundamental Wisdom':

There does not exist anything

That is not dependently arisen.

Therefore there does not exist anything

That is not empty.

Having completed Chapter 6 of ‘Buddhapalitavrtti’ last year, His Holiness began to read from Chapter 7, which touches on the characteristics of phenomena and the difficulty of pinpointing the present moment. His Holiness remarked that the different modes of reasoning for demonstrating emptiness such as the Diamond Slivers are all based on dependent arising. In the verse of salutation in ‘Fundamental Wisdom’ Nagarjuna praises the Buddha for teaching dependent arising. Je Tsongkhapa praises the Buddha likewise.

As he brought the morning’s session to an end, His Holiness recounted a dream Je Tsongkhapa had of Nagarjuna and his disciples and how Buddhapalita touched his head with this book. The next day Tsongkhapa realized emptiness on the basis of what he had understood from reading this treatise. His Holiness’s final remark was that it seems as if Buddhapalita, who declared that dependent arising is the main cause for gaining insight into emptiness, received both the explanation and transmission of this doctrine, whereas his co-disciple Bhavaviveka seems only to have been given the transmission.

His Holiness will continue to read and explain ‘Buddhapalitavrtti’ tomorrow.

original link & photos; https://www.dalailama.com/news/2018/second-set-of-buddhapalita-teachings-first-day

Dalai Lama Says Restrain Yourself from Extreme Self-Centredness

‘Thirty-seven Practices of Bodhisattvas’ and Avalokiteshvara Preparation

Bodhgaya, Bihar, India - Arriving at the Kalachakra Maidan early this morning, His Holiness the Dalai Lama first of all took a seat next to the teaching throne, facing in the opposite direction towards the pavilion containing the Avalokiteshvara mandala. For more than half an hour he undertook the preliminary procedures to prepare himself to begin to grant an Avalokiteshvara empowerment later in the morning. Once they were complete he sat on the throne.

A group of Mongolian monks gave a stirring recitation of the ‘Heart Sutra’ in their native language. When they were finished most of them offered His Holiness the sapphire blue silk scarves favoured by Mongolians. They were followed by a mixed group of Japanese who chanted the ‘Heart Sutra’ again in Japanese to the rhythmic accompaniment of a ‘mokugyo’ – a wooden fish bell. Elderly monks of Namgyal Monastery offered the mandala and the threefold representation of the Buddha’s body, speech and mind.

“First we’ll read the ‘Thirty-seven Practices of Bodhisattvas’, His Holiness announced. “Because the author Togme Sangpo lived at the Ngulchu Hermitage, Ngulchu was added to his name. He was also referred to as ‘Gyalsay’, which means ‘son of the conquerors’, to indicate that he was a bodhisattva. One of his contemporaries was Buton Rinchen Drub who had pains in his arms and asked Togme Sangpo, as a bodhisattva, to blow on them in blessing. He apparently experienced some relief as a result.

“Another story about Togme Sangpo tells how he was robbed on a mountain pass of offerings that had just been given to him in the village below. He was good-hearted enough to warn the robber which direction to take to avoid the patrons who had donated the offerings in order to keep out of trouble.”

The first verse of the text advises listening to teachings, reflecting on them and then meditating on what has been understood to thoroughly familiarize the mind with it. His Holiness remarked on Buddha Shakyamuni’s courage and determination to engage in spiritual practice for countless aeons. Once he had attained enlightenment he taught the path from his own experience. Where verse 10 advises ‘develop the altruistic attitude’, His Holiness asked, “If you remain selfish, who will trust you? The more altruistic you are, the more you will also fulfil your own goals.”

He told the story of a monk from Labrang Tashi Khyil who was due to be executed by Chinese soldiers in Tibet. He asked the executioner to wait and made a prayer to his spiritual master—“Bless me to take on the negativities of others and give whatever excellent qualities I may have to them.” He then told the soldier, “Now you can shoot me.”

Verses 15 and 16 correspond to the ‘Eight Verses for Training the Mind’ and verses 18 and 19 counter pride. From verse 25 the author explains the six perfections—generosity, ethics, patience, effort, concentration and wisdom. His Holiness drew attention to the first lines of verse 36, ‘whatever you are doing, ask yourself, “What’s the state of my mind?” He observed that Togme Sangpo’s text is very useful for people otherwise swayed by anger and attachment.

Telling the audience that monks of Dzongkar Chödey had asked him to give the transmission of a text he had written called the ‘Inseparability of the Spiritual Master and Avalokiteshvara’, His Holiness read it. He pointed out that some understanding of emptiness is essential before engaging in the practice of tantra. He mentioned that emptiness was explicitly taught during the second turning of the wheel of dharma, which deals with the object clear light. During the third turning of the wheel, in the Tathagata-garbha or Buddha Nature Sutra, he taught about the subjective clear light of the mind.

He noted that all states of mind have a basis of clarity and awareness and that both object clear light and subjective clear light are employed in Highest Yoga Tantra. He remarked that object clear light corresponds to emptiness of intrinsic existence, emptiness of self (rang-tong), while the subjective clear light of the mind is empty of other (shen-tong).

His Holiness then read from the same booklet a sadhana and a prayer to Avalokiteshvara to guide practitioners from life to life.

Following Nagarjuna’s definition of the fourfold sangha as consisting of fully ordained monks and nuns as well as lay men and women holding precepts, His Holiness offered to give lay person’s precepts to those who wished to take them. He followed this with the granting of bodhisattva vows following the style and ceremony described in Asanga’s text, ‘Bodhisattva Grounds’. His Holiness recalled receiving bodhisattva vows, which he now renews daily, from Ling Rinpoche here in Bodhgaya. Prior to that ceremony Ling Rinpoche had taken them afresh before the statue of the Buddha inside the Mahabodhi Stupa.

“The main practice in relation to these vows,” His Holiness clarified, “is to restrain yourself from extreme self-centredness, to avoid indulging in a self-cherishing attitude. If you can do that, you won’t breach the 18 root downfalls or the 42 secondary commitments.”

His Holiness then proceeded to go through the preparatory procedures for the Avalokiteshvara empowerment that he will give tomorrow. This included distribution of ‘protection cords’ and pieces of purifying kusha grass. Reminding his audience that the appearance of the Buddha and his teaching is as rare as an udumbara flower, His Holiness urged them to rejoice that they had been able to hear apt instructions, and to take the lay person’s vows, bodhisattva vows, as well as the preliminaries for the Avalokiteshvara empowerment.

As he climbed into the car to return to the Tibetan Temple, His Holiness turned to wave to the crowd that had apparently been transformed into a field of kusha grass.

original link & photos: https://www.dalailama.com/news/2018/thirty-seven-practices-of-bodhisattvas-and-avalokiteshvara-preparation

Dalai Lama Discusses How to Awaken Your Mind

Nagarjuna’s ‘Commentary on the Awakening Mind’
January 14, 2018

Bodhgaya, Bihar, India - The sky was cold and foggy this morning as His Holiness the Dalai Lama drove the short distance from the Tibetan Temple to the Kalachakra Maidan, but the sun came out shortly afterwards. An estimated 30,000 people, including 10,000 monks and nuns awaited His Holiness. He greeted people as he walked to the stage from where he saluted the crowd to the front, left and right. He was soon seated on the throne.

Students from the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarnath, young men and women, lay-people and monastics, recited the Mangala Sutta in Pali. They were followed by a group from the Tibetan Institute for Performing Arts who sang the verse of refuge and the salutation from Nagarjuna’s ‘Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way’ to a musical accompaniment.

Finally, a group of Taiwanese chanted the ‘Heart Sutra’ in Chinese. They were among 3300 foreigners from 70 different countries attending this teaching. To meet their needs His Holiness’s words are being simultaneously translated and broadcast locally over FM bands into English, Chinese, Hindi, Russian, Mongolian, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, French, Spanish, Romanian and the Amdo and Tawo Tibetan dialects.

“The last teaching was mostly for an Indian audience and was publicly translated into Hindi,” His Holiness explained by way of introduction. “This time there are many Mongolians among the faithful monastics and lay-people who’ve come to hear the teaching of the Buddha. What’s important to start with is to have a perfect motivation. On the part of the Lama that means not teaching out of any expectation of wealth or fame. Turning the Dharma into a business is very negative. When I learned about Tulku Tsullo’s three commitments—not to eat non-vegetarian food, not to ride animals and not to take any payment for teaching—I was very impressed.


“If there are people who wonder what the Dharma is about, there is no restriction, we have nothing to hide, and everyone is welcome. It’s something we’ve been familiar with for more than a thousand years. At the end of their recitation of the ‘Heart Sutra’ the Chinese add a verse that goes as follows:

May the three poisons be eliminated,

May the light of wisdom shine forth,

May we face no inner or outer obstacles

And may we train in the bodhisattva path.

“This tells us that the Chinese are traditionally Buddhist. The wisdom celebrated here isn’t just any knowledge, but the wisdom realizing selflessness. After the ravages of the cultural revolution the Buddhist population in China is growing again.

“In Mongolia too there have been three phases of Buddhism. At the beginning it travelled up the Silk Road and through Mongolia. Then there was the era when Mongolians had relations with the Sakyas and finally the Third Dalai Lama engaged with them. In return they gave him the name Dalai Bakshi. Buddhism mostly spread into Mongolia from Tibet. When I first went there in 1979 there were old monks who couldn’t actually speak to me, but were able to communicate through written Tibetan. They were permitted to practise inside the Ganden Thekchenling Monastery but not outside it.

“Their intense chanting at the top of their voices was very moving. It made me think back to the time of Sonam Gyatso, the Third Dalai Lama, to Yönten Gyatso, the Fourth Dalai Lama, who was born there, and to the Fifth Dalai Lama with whom they had close relations.

“Today, Buddhism is being revived and we still have access to the writings of many great Mongolian masters. It was one of my debate assistants, Ngödrup Tsognyi, a Mongolian, who stimulated my interest in the Middle Way (Madhyamaka) School of Thought. Several hundred Mongolian monks are now studying in the monasteries is South India and I’ve advised them how important it is that they keep up their studies.

“We also have here many people from the Himalayan region and there are many monks and nuns from their communities in our monasteries and nunneries. They have made up the numbers since the flow of monks and nuns out of Tibet has declined, something we can be mutually grateful for.

“There are people here too who are not traditionally Buddhist, who come from Judeo-Christian backgrounds. With improved communications and travel facilities many more people have taken an interest in Tibetan religion and culture, have offered us support and have been inspired by the teachings of the Buddha. You are new Buddhists and we old Buddhists of Tibet and the Himalayan Region bid you welcome.”

His Holiness explained that he was going to teach the ‘Commentary on the Awakening Mind’ and that the introductory verse derives from the Guhyasamaja Tantra. He mentioned that he had received Nagarjuna’s six texts on reasoning from Serkhong Tsenshab Rinpoche and his ‘Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way’ from Khunu Lama Rinpoche, who was able to compare the Sanskrit and Tibetan editions. He also vouchsafed that he received the ‘Hymn to the Absolute Reality’ from former Ganden Throne-holder, Rizong Rinpoche in the place where he observed his three year retreat.

His Holiness noted that he would, in addition, teach the ‘Thirty-seven Practices of Bodhisattvas’ by Ngulchu Thogme Sangpo, someone celebrated in his life as a bodhisattva. A book containing the ‘Commentary on the Awakening Mind’ and the ‘Thirty-seven Practices of Bodhisattvas’ in Tibetan, Hindi, Chinese, English and Spanish had been prepared for free distribution by the Organizing Committee of the Mongolian Sungchoe Organization. The Tibetan section included His Holiness’s own composition, ‘Praise to the 17 Masters of Nalanda’, and he elected to read that first.

He read the verses in praise of Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Buddhapalita, Bhavaviveka, Chandrakirti, Shantideva, Shantarakshita and Kamalashila. He noted that Shantideva composed the ‘Compendium of Trainings’ and ‘Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life’, both of which were among the six texts favoured by the Kadampa masters. He also remarked that it was due to the efforts of the Abbot - Shantarakshita, the Adept - Padmasambhava and the King - Trisong Detsen that Tibetans today are proud to be custodians of the Nalanda Tradition.

His Holiness recalled that under their auspices Samye Monastery was established with sections concerned with translation, discipline, meditation and so forth. Some Chinese teachers in the meditation section contended that meditation pre-empted study. Shantarakshita’s principal disciple Kamalashila was invited from India to challenge them in debate. He won the contest and composed the three volume ‘Stages of Meditation’ as a result.

His Holiness continued to read the verses applauding the masters of the vast lineage—Asanga, Vasubandhu, Dignaga, Dharmakirti, Vimuktisena, Haribhadra, Gunaprabha, Shakyaprabha and Atisha. He again extolled the kindness of Atisha, Yeshe Ö and Jangchub Ö for their exertions to restore Buddhism in Tibet in the eleventh century. As he completed his reading of the ‘Praise to the 17 Masters of Nalanda’ he observed that there used to be those who dismissed Tibetan Buddhism as Lamaism. Now he has no hesitation in asserting that Tibetans are followers of the pure Nalanda Tradition. He lamented that Nalanda itself lies in ruins and acknowledged in passing the British role in identifying and unearthing most of the Buddhist sacred sites in India.

Taking up Nagarjuna’s text, His Holiness read every verse of the ‘Commentary on the Awakening Mind’. He read briskly with occasional pause to comment and explain. When he was done he read another concise text with a similar title that was a commentary to the introductory verse from Guhyasamaja.

His Holiness announced that tomorrow he will give the lay-person’s vows, lead a ceremony for generating the awakening mind and perform the preparatory ritual for an Avalokiteshvara empowerment that he will bestow the following day. He also undertook to read ‘Thirty-seven Practices of Bodhisattvas’.

He returned to Ganden Phelgyeling in warm sunshine.

original link & photos: https://www.dalailama.com/news/2018/nagarjunas-commentary-on-the-awakening-mind

Dalai Lama Meets Tibetans & People from the Himalayan Region

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India - Before His Holiness the Dalai Lama went out this morning, filmmaker Bharath Subbarao and his wife Soumya introduced him to ‘Mandala’, a newly launched app dedicated to bringing Buddhist wisdom and the best insights of psychology together in a clear and accessible way so that people may apply them in their everyday lives. The app is introduced and guided by Thupten Jinpa, a former Buddhist monk who completed his training as a Geshe Lharampa at Ganden Monastery and went on to earn a BA in philosophy and a PhD in religious studies at Cambridge University. He has served His Holiness extensively as a translator since 1985 and has translated and edited numerous books by him.

The app, which is presently available in English, French, Spanish, Russian and Chinese, offers talks and conversations that bring together Buddhist wisdom and scientific insights under the heading Learn. Well-known scientists and writers like Daniel Goleman contribute. Under the heading Live, are a series of guided meditation practices, while there is also an option to discover and delve further into key Buddhist concepts under the heading Explore.

His Holiness was pleased to see that guidelines to help people find peace of mind and develop a warm heart could be made so easily and clearly available to them.

A short drive brought His Holiness to the King’s Court section of the Palace Ground. A spellbound crowd of more than 2500, mostly young Tibetan students, but also including about 300 Bhutanese and others from the Himalayan Region waited to listen to him. All expenses for the event were met by Ganden Jangtse Monastery.

Received by Chief Representative Chophel Thupten, His Holiness was given a traditional welcome at the door. Inside the hall, a group of singers and musicians performed for him. He beamed with pleasure as they played. Chophel Thupten presented a brief report of achievements and aspirations for the future, before requesting His Holiness to address the gathering.

“I’ve been busy visiting the settlements here in Karnataka,” he told them. “I caught a cold which left me feeling tired, but now I’m here in Bengaluru and very happy to meet you all.

“Tibetans faced great hardship in their own land. However much we tried to accommodate ourselves to the problems that arose, we were ultimately unable to reconcile the conflicts we encountered and fled instead into exile. Indian Prime Minister Nehru took great personal responsibility for helping Tibetans. I met him first in Peking in 1954, then again in India in 1956, before coming into exile in 1959. At his instigation the Government of India did whatever it could to help us. Here in Karnataka, Chief Minister Nijalingappa went out of his way to offer us support.

“Tibetans in Tibet have an undaunted spirit and an unswerving devotion to our religion and culture. Wherever we’ve ended up in the world, whether it’s in India, Europe, the USA, Canada, or Australia, we haven’t forgotten that we are Tibetans. It’s in our blood. The 150,000 Tibetans who live freely in exile are a source of hope to their brothers and sisters in Tibet. We have been successful in keeping our heritage alive. Since we came into exile, many people who weren’t acquainted with them before have taken interest in our religion and culture. Scientists in particular are taking a growing interest in what we know about the mind.

“In the past, study of philosophy and logic, as well as learning about the mind, were largely the preserve of monks in the centres of learning. It wasn’t something people in the ritual monasteries or nunneries paid attention to. However, in exile monks in those monasteries and nuns in their nunneries have taken up the study of logic and philosophy. Throughout the Himalayan Region from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh lay people too are becoming 21st century Buddhists by studying what Buddhism is about.

“How many of you can recite the ‘Heart Sutra’ from memory? The main thrust of the teaching is emptiness. It shows that things exist in dependence on other factors, therefore they don’t have any independent existence of their own. Experts in quantum physics have told me that what are new insights for them today find resonance in what Nagarjuna wrote about dependent arising long ago.

“Modern science is new to us. We had no acquaintance with it in Tibet. More than 30 years ago, to satisfy my own curiosity I entered into discussions with scientists. What I learned led me to believe that science could complement what we already know. Some old Abbots were not easily convinced, but eventually they came round. I explained that I could find no contradiction in combining our two approaches to knowledge.”

His Holiness explained that as far as political affairs are concerned, he has retired. He semi-retired after the leadership election in 2001 and fully retired after the election of 2011.

He recalled Nehru advising him that the USA was never going to go to war with China over Tibet. Subsequently, in 1974 it was decided not to seek independence for Tibet, nor to make further appeals to the UN. Nehru stressed that sooner of later we would have to negotiate with the Chinese authorities. The Chinese constitution includes provisions for the autonomy of Tibet, which should be implemented. Tibetans in Central Tibet, Kham and Amdo need to be able to protect their identity and culture. His Holiness pointed out that the Middle Way Approach developed once Deng Xiaoping began to relax restrictions and expressed a willingness to talk. After the craziness of the ‘cultural revolution’, he hoped that common sense would prevail.

His Holiness remarked that the undaunted and unwavering spirit of Tibetans in Tibet and the efforts of those in exile have ensured that the Tibet issue is not forgotten. He reiterated the necessity of keeping Tibetan culture and language alive.

His Holiness lamented the huge loss of life in war over the last century and that violence is still going on. He observed that when Mahatma Gandhi put engaged in ahimsa, non-violent resistance his opponents regarded it as a sign of weakness. And yet in the end he was successful.

His Holiness told the students that he is convinced that if ancient Indian knowledge of the workings of the mind and emotions can be combined with modern education, it will make a significant contribution towards peace in the world.   

In answering questions from the audience he advised that death is a natural process and that everyone who’s born will die. What can help at that moment is to have a peaceful state of mind and a warm heart. He stated that women can become religious leaders and mentioned the examples of Shugseb Jetsun and Samdhing Dorje Phagmo. He added that after pursuing a rigorous program of study, 20 nuns were last year awarded the first Geshe-ma degrees.

A girl from Ladakh acknowledged that His Holiness regularly refers to himself as a simple Buddhist monk, but Tibetans and Himalayan people also know him as Chenrezig. She asked if he had anything to say about that.

“This year in Ladakh, a young girl asked me straight out, ‘Are you a God?’ and I told her ‘No’,” His Holiness reported, laughing. “The First Dalai Lama, Gendun Drup had visions of Avalokiteshvara and Tara and the Dalai Lamas from the 2nd until the 13th all had visions. I was born in a very remote village near Kumbum Monastery in Amdo. The search party was sent there as a result of visions the Regent saw in the surface of Lhamo Latso Lake, a lake activated by Gendun Gyatso, so you might say this Dalai Lama was recognised by Palden Lhamo. I have a strong karmic connection to the previous Dalai Lamas, so she helps me.

“I’ve had several dreams indicative of the past. In one I had been held as a prisoner in ancient Egypt and was released by order of the Pharoh. I’ve also had dreams indicative of my close connection to the Indian adept Krishnacharya and to the founder of Drepung Monastery Jamyang Chöjey.

“Be that as it may, every one of us has had a previous rebirth. The important thing is to lead a meaningful life here and now.”

His Holiness gave transmission of the mantras of Buddha Shakyamuni, Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri and Arya Tara, as well as the four line verse for taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and generating the awakening mind. In a final piece of advice he asked the young people to help others if they can, but if they can’t, that to avoid doing them any harm.

original link & photos https://www.dalailama.com/news/2017/meeting-tibetans-and-people-from-the-himalayan-region

Dalai Lama: Teachings for Russian Buddhists Begin in Delhi

Delhi, India, 25 December 2016 - Yesterday, Tibetans, people from the Himalayan regions and elsewhere lined the streets around Ganden Monastery in Mundgod to see His Holiness the Dalai Lama off. Abbots and former Abbots accompanied him to the airport. He flew from Huballi to Delhi, arriving in time for lunch.

Today, before embarking on three days of teachings requested by interested Russians, His Holiness gave interviews, first to Lenta.Ru a major Russian news agency.

Questions began with what we should expect as a result of changes taking place in the Western world. His Holiness replied that the Western world is part of the world as a whole, just as Russia is. The people remain human beings and it is a common human experience to feel something when others are dying, starving or being killed.

“Last century saw a lot of fighting. In the later part of the 20th century there was the Cold War, but that was better than a hot war. I admire the spirit of the European Union where former enemies, France and Germany have overcome discord and, working together as friends, have developed the EU. Union is based on mutual respect. The Soviet Union collapsed because it was totalitarian, the EU succeeds because of democracy.”

Asked if he thought we could look forward to a greater era of peace, His Holiness answered that there is no other option. He said that if war escalated into nuclear war everyone would suffer. What sensible person would want that? Pressed to say how to be non-violent in a violent world, he replied:

“Use common sense and look at things from a wider perspective. Violence is linked to anger and hatred. Anger obscures our ability to see things clearly, leading us to follow unrealistic courses of action. Problems can always be better solved through understanding and dialogue. We should avoid glorifying anger—it’s foolish to indulge those who are angry.”

The woman correspondent from the Tuva branch of the Russian STS TV channel asked how Tuva should preserve its culture. His Holiness told her protecting the language was important. Regarding its Buddhist culture, like Tibetan Buddhism it derives from the Nalanda Tradition. Keeping it alive requires more than faith alone, it requires understanding. His Holiness reiterated advice he regularly gives followers—be 21st century Buddhists.

“Study—develop a fuller knowledge of Buddhist ideas, the sense that there is a gap between appearance and reality and the detailed account of the workings of the mind and emotions.”

A frisson of anticipation ran through the crowd of more than 1250 people in the teaching hall as His Holiness approached. In the corridor outside representatives welcomed him with white scarves in their hands, chanting the ‘Mig-tse-ma’ prayer. Mostly they came from Kalmykia, Buryatia, Tuva and Mongolia, as well as from countries of the Russian CIS, Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan among them.

“Today, we’ve gathered here for teachings requested by people from Russia,” His Holiness announced. “When I was a child there were several eminent scholars from Kalmykia, Buryatia and Tuva in our monasteries. Now, there are about 500 students from these places and Mongolia studying in the monasteries in South India.

“The Nalanda Tradition we follow explains how we can transform our minds that are clear and aware by purifying them of negative emotions and imprints and acquiring insight—the basis, path and result.

Buddhas do not wash unwholesome deeds away with water,

Nor do they remove the sufferings of beings with their hands,

Neither do they transplant their own realization into others.

Teaching the truth of suchness they liberate (beings).

“In other words, they present the basis, path and result. Use your intelligence to analyse the teachings. With compassion and intelligence develop conviction and apply what you’ve understood in your lives.”

His Holiness reported that he has been holding discussions with scientists for more than 30 years. However, there are now monks able to hold their own and explain a Buddhist position in such discussions too, as they revealed in the Emory Tibet Symposium in Drepung a few days ago. He declared he was impressed.

His Holiness remarked that Buddhists commonly pray for the welfare of all mother sentient beings, but stressed that if such prayers are to have meaning, they should be translated into action. He also clarified that it is the people we live with on this earth who we can do something for.

He described an experiment he has watched revealing the positive response of infants to animated images of children helping each other. They show misgivings about similar animated images of children hindering and obstructing each other. From these responses among children too young to speak, scientists conclude that human nature is essentially positive and compassionate. He said it is a sign of the inadequacy of contemporary education that it fails to preserve and develop this essential good-naturedness. He mentioned a draft curriculum for schools that is under development that is intended to redress this imbalance.

Mentioning the importance of harmony and respect among the world’s religions, His Holiness drew comparisons between their variety and the various Buddhist traditions and even the different schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Variety springs from differences of need, time and circumstances. He affirmed that although he has retired from responsibility for Tibetan political affairs, he remains dedicated to protecting the natural environment and keeping Tibetan language, culture and religion alive.

Taking up his copy of ‘Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life’, His Holiness said he had heard it explained by a remarkable scholar and practitioner, Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen. He asked him to teach it as much as he could, a request His Holiness has been dedicated in fulfilling. Khunu Lama Rinpoche told him that there has been no greater work on the cultivation of the awakening mind since this book was composed by Shantideva in the 8th century CE.

His Holiness pointed out that Chapter Six and Chapter Eight are the two most important chapters on the awakening mind, while Chapter Nine deals with wisdom.

In the absence of anyone who could chant in Pali, His Holiness invited Ven Tenzin Priyadarshi to recite the ‘Heart Sutra’ in Sanskrit. He himself led recitation of the accompanying verse and mantra from the same sutra in Tibetan, which was followed by the ‘Heart Sutra’ again in Russian.

After fielding an array of questions from the audience His Holiness told them he wanted to read the opening verses of Chapter Nine of the ‘Guide’.

All these branches of the Doctrine

The Enlightened Sage expounded for the sake of wisdom.

Therefore, they must cultivate this wisdom

Who wish to have an end of suffering.

Relative and ultimate,

These the two truths are declared to be.

The ultimate is not within the reach of intellect,

For intellect is said to be the relative.

In light of this, within the world, two kinds of people are observed: 

Those with yogic insight and the common run of people.

In this regard, the views of ordinary folk

Are undermined by yogis who themselves are in the world.

In contrast to common people, enthralled by appearances, His Holiness explained that yogis are those who see the nature of things as they really are. He quoted Nagarjuna:

There does not exist anything 

That is not dependently arisen. 

Therefore there does not exist anything 

That is not empty.

He then joked that both yogis and common people feel hungry and need to take lunch and, with his advice that the audience attend a review of what had been covered in the afternoon, the first session came to an end.

Original link with photos: http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1514-teachings-for-russian-buddhists-begin-in-delhi

Dalai Lama Teaches in Riga, Latvia

Riga, Latvia, 10 October 2016 - Yesterday, His Holiness the Dalai Lama flew from India to Latvia via Helsinki. This morning, with a chill wind blowing through the streets and parks of the capital Riga, he drove to the Skonto Hall where an audience of 4500 awaited him. Of 3000 or so who had come from Russia, roughly 500 were from Kalmykia, 3-400 from Buryatia and 100 from Tuva. As His Holiness stepped onto the stage, many surged forward to catch a closer glimpse as he greeted them. He took his seat before a huge reproduction of a painting of the 17 Masters of Nalanda and suggested that the ‘Heart Sutra’ be chanted first in Sanskrit and then in Latvian. His Holiness’s teachings, organized by Save Tibet Foundation (Moscow) and Saglabasim Tibetu (Riga), are being translated and webcast in English, Latvian, Estonian, Russian and Mongolian, as well as Tibetan.

“Here we are once again in Latvia,” His Holiness began, “and I’d like to thank the organizers for creating this opportunity for me to give some explanation of Buddhist teachings. Not so long ago when I was here to give an introduction to Buddhism, a Russian told me how difficult it is for many of his compatriots to travel to India because of economic constraints. He told me it would be much easier for them to come to Latvia. I said I would look into it and was pleased to find my friends here supported the idea—so here we are and a huge number of people have come.

“We human beings are all the same; there are essentially no differences between us. We are all born the same way and we all die the same way. We need to recognise this oneness of humanity—we all want to avoid suffering and find happiness. If we focus instead on differences between us, we soon see each other in terms of ‘us’ and ‘them’ and deeper divisions occur. If, on the other hand, the whole of humanity were at peace, we’d all be happy.”

His Holiness recalled that when he first came to Europe in 1973 he was struck by the realization that even where there was great material development, people were still unhappy. At the same time he recognised and admired the spirit of the EU in placing the good of the wider community above the interests of single nations. The result was that even if they couldn’t help each other, they would do each other no harm.

He observed that in general all religious traditions teach love and compassion. While in Syria and Iraq today there is conflict between Sunni and Shia, in India, the world’s most populous democracy, with its multitude of religions, inter-religious harmony prevails. All religions, he said, have a religious aspect, which involves the practice of love, compassion, tolerance and self-discipline. In their philosophical aspects there are a range of differences, but their purpose is to support and encourage the practice of love and compassion. Theistic traditions believe everything is created by God, often portrayed as infinite love or mercy, a spark of which is within us all.

Other traditions like Jainism and Buddhism don’t believe in a creator God, but teach that responsibility for pain and pleasure rests on our own shoulders. If we don’t want suffering we should avoid negative actions and if we want happiness we should do good.

All religions also have a cultural aspect. At the time Mahavira founded Jainism in India there were widespread animal sacrifices with negative economic consequences. Mahavira taught strict non-violence and vegetarianism. Not long after the Buddha also emphasised non-harm and non-violence. Cultural aspects reflect the values of the day, therefore today the caste system in India is at odds with democracy and equal rights. His Holiness said he appeals to Indian spiritual leaders to point out these drawbacks and usher in change.

“The Buddha,” His Holiness explained, “was born into a royal family, renounced that comfortable life and engaged in austerities for six years. Eventually he sat under the Bodhi tree near the Niranjana River and attained enlightenment. Although he pondered whether anyone else would understand what he had realised, he found his former companions in austerities and explained to them the Four Noble Truths. These constitute the first Turning of the Wheel of Dharma and form the basis of both the Pali and Sanskrit traditions of Buddhism.

“The ‘Heart Sutra’ consists of a dialogue between Avalokiteshvara and Shariputra, a teaching attended by those with pure karma. Some say because they were not historically recorded that the Perfection of Wisdom teachings to which it belongs were not taught by the Buddha. Masters like Nagarjuna and Bhavaviveka have argued that they are the Buddha’s teachings. They explain selflessness or emptiness, that nothing has defining characteristics, that things have no intrinsic existence. Again Nagarjuna defended this.

“Also belonging to the Nalanda tradition, Dignaga and Dharmakirti wrote about logic and epistemology. The teaching we are going to go through today comes from Dharmakirti’s ‘Commentary on Dignaga's 'Compendium of Valid Cognition'’. Since I had heard that in the early 20th century a Russian scholar Fyodor Shcherbatskoy translated some of Dharmakirti’s works into Russian and English, when we were discussing what I should teach, we decided that the second chapter of Dharmakirti’s classic work on Valid Cognition'’ would be appropriate.”

His Holiness remarked that although Buddhism spread across the length and breadth of Tibet, those who actually studied it were few. Consequently, in the early days in exile he encouraged monasteries that had previously been occupied performing rituals to take up the study of the classic texts. He encouraged nunneries likewise to take up such studies with the result that later this year qualified nuns will be awarded a Geshe Degree.

His Holiness observed that an understanding of selflessness, which is unique to Buddhist teachings, enables us to reduce our exaggerated way of looking at things. He reported that American psychiatrist Aaron Beck had told him something similar, that when we are angry or attached to something or someone, they appear wholly negative or wholly attractive. In fact, Beck declared, this is 90% mental projection.

So, reflecting on emptiness along with the awakening mind of bodhichitta is a source of peace of mind. His Holiness said that such inner peace fosters health, well-being and longevity. Moreover, he added, if we follow the approach of the sharp-witted and apply reason in our studies, the Buddhist tradition will survive a long time.

His Holiness was joined for lunch by 15 parliamentarians from the Baltic States: two from Estonia, three from Lithuania and ten from Latvia, along with key supporters from each country.

Resuming his teachings after lunch, His Holiness first invited questions from the audience. In answering them he explained how much he appreciates vegetarianism and how it is now widely observed in the common kitchens of Tibetan Monasteries in India, despite his own inability, for medical reasons, to be fully vegetarian.

He advised Buddhists in St Petersburg to overcome sectarian differences by acknowledging that all Tibetan Buddhist traditions have roots in the Nalanda tradition. He suggested that since Buddhists in Moscow feel a need for a common building in which to meet, they could establish a learning centre that could also be a location for academic studies and inter-faith meetings.

Continuing his reading of the second chapter of ‘Commentary on Dignaga's 'Compendium of Valid Cognition'’ His Holiness touched on how the Buddha became a reliable guide, and how valid cognition, being an awareness that corresponds with reality, is undeceptive. His remarks also clarified that the substantial cause of consciousness must be consciousness.

He reiterated that in explaining dependent arising the Buddha taught us how to overcome distorted views. Such a wisdom is a powerful antidote to ignorance. Applying it we can remove ignorance from our mental continuums. Finally, he remarked that the Buddha did not teach about suffering to scare us, but to indicate reality, the possibility of its cessation by cultivating the path. He made clear that understanding the Four Noble Truths in the context of the Two Truths—conventional and ultimate truth—is the way to take refuge in the Three Jewels on the basis of reason.

His Holiness announced that in addition to continuing to read the text tomorrow he would offer the opportunity for members of the audience to generate the awakening mind of bodhichitta.

original link & photos http://dalailama.com/news/post/1467-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-begins-to-teach-the-commentary-on-dignagas-compendium-of-valid-cognition

Dalai Lama Speaks on Physical & Mental Comfort

By Yeshe Choesang, The Tibet Post International

Riga, Latvia: - 'The material development provides relatively short-lived physical comfort, but not mental peace,' the spiritual leader of Tibet His Holiness the Dalai Lama said during first day of his two days of teachings in Latvia.

Many thousands of audiences gathered at the Kipsala International Exhibition Centre in Riga, the capital of Latvia, on 5 May to hear the teachings of Heart Sutra by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate emphasized why religion or spirituality is relevant in today's world and answered it by explaining that spirituality is related to inner values and so to inner peace. "If material and technological development brought complete peace and happiness, people in advanced, developed countries should be really happy, and yet many are not. Material development provides physical comfort, but not mental peace," His Holiness said.

"We may feel pain and pleasure on a sensory, physical level, or on a mental level. Pleasure on a sensory level, like that derived from watching sport or listening to beautiful music is relatively short-lived, whereas satisfaction on a mental level, for example, love and faith, which do not depend on our senses, is more durable," His Holiness responded and said.

The Buddhist spiritual leader. said that 'while physical pain can be subdued by mental satisfaction, mental unease is not allayed by physical comfort. If we are worried, stressed or frightened, having a beautiful house or listening to delightful music brings little relief. A disturbed mind is not calmed by mere physical satisfaction.'

Questioning about his practice, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate said he had been meditating on love. He noted a sparkle in his eyes that indicated his tremendous satisfaction. "On the other hand I've met billionaires who have all they need and more who are very unhappy. Scientists have findings that show that a calm mind is good for our physical well-being. They also have evidence that mental training can change our attitudes, enabling us to be happier. Our human intelligence can be a source of happiness, but if misused it can also be a source of stress and worry."

The Buddhist leader said that 'only human beings develop religious faith. Such faith may have begun with worship of the sun, but in time the idea of God the creator emerged and with it the idea that since he created everything, there is a spark of God in everyone. All religions convey a message of love and compassion and because hatred is an obstacle to that, they teach tolerance and patience. And because greed is also an obstacle they teach simplicity and contentment. Non-theistic traditions like the Samkhyas, Jains and Buddhists instead of turning to a creator, teach the law of causality, the principle of cause and effect, which resembles a scientific view.'

Going through the 'Heart Sutra', His Holiness explained that things exist in dependence on other factors, so they do not exist independently. Emptiness does not make things empty; phenomena themselves are empty, because they do not have independent existence. He alluded to the interdependence between cause and effect, that something is a cause only because there is an effect.

The 'Heart Sutra' shows that independent existence is an illusion by saying "Form is empty, emptiness is form." Emptiness is a property of the form, and form is the basis of the property of emptiness. When you look for form, you find emptiness. This is what undermines clinging to intrinsic existence. He remarked that consciousness too is empty and mentioned that meditation on emptiness is effective in undermining our negative emotions; it is not just an intellectual exercise. Negative emotions are not of the nature of the mind; they do not taint its luminosity.

original link: http://www.thetibetpost.com/news/international/4014-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-speaks-on-physical-and-mental-comfort