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 Meets with Iranian Business People

Meeting Members of a Group from Iran

Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, HP, India - At his residence this morning, His Holiness the Dalai Lama met 58 members of Iranian  CEOs of small and medium sized enterprises who describe themselves as messengers of peace. As His Holiness entered the room they greeted him with friendly applause.

“I’m very happy to meet people from Iran,” he told them. “Some people are suspicious of Iranians, but I recall that there are reports of links between Tibet and Persia during the time of King Songtsen Gampo during the 7th century. And whereas Persians were described as rich, the Mongolians were referred to as war-like.

“I have certain commitments. As just one among 7 billion human beings, who all want to live a happy life, I’m committed to helping people understand that this can be achieved if they cultivate a calm, happy mind based on love and compassion. Simply put, if you can be compassionate and warm-hearted, you’ll be happy.

“Secondly, as a Buddhist monk I feel a moral responsibility to promote inter-religious harmony. On a philosophical level there are all sorts of differences between religious traditions, but the common message of them all is the importance of cultivating love. I’m convinced that religious harmony is possible—look at India where so many religious traditions have lived side by side for thousands of years. Because I value religious harmony I’m happy to meet members of other faiths, so it’s a real honour for me to meet you Shia brothers and sisters today.

“These days to see people fighting and killing each other in the name of religion, whether in Egypt, Burma or Afghanistan, is really unthinkable. Next week in Delhi I’ll be attending a meeting to celebrate diversity among Indian Muslims. I’ve heard no reports of friction between Sunnis and Shias in India, so I’ve encouraged my friends in Ladakh to take more active steps to reconcile differences between their brothers and sisters of different denominations.

“When I meet people of different spiritual traditions, I remember that at a fundamental level we’re all the same as human beings. In the part of Tibet where I was born, we had Muslim neighbours and as children we played together joyfully with no differences between us. Once I reached Lhasa, our capital city, with the name Dalai Lama, I found there was a small Muslim community there too. They’d been there since the time of the 5th Dalai Lama who gave them land on which to build a mosque. There were almost no reports of disputes between local Buddhists and these Muslims, who were peaceable, cooked delicious food and spoke with an impeccable Central Tibetan dialect.

“I’m looking forward to the coming meeting and hope that representatives of the embassies of various Muslim countries will also attend. I believe it will be an opportunity to promote religious harmony.”

Among the questions put to him, His Holiness was asked if Buddhists don’t believe in God, how do they account for creation? He replied that like Jains, Buddhists believe in life after life with no beginning. Whether you have a happy or difficult life depends on how you’ve conducted yourself before. Being kind and compassionate to others and avoiding doing them harm are good causes for a happy life in the future. The important thing is to make life meaningful—His Holiness mentioned that he appreciates how thinking of your fellow beings as children of a merciful God can help you do that.

Asked his response to the harassment of Muslims in Burma His Holiness explained that when he first heard about it he was in Washington DC. He expressed his sadness at what was happening and appealed to the Burmese Buddhists not only to remember the Buddha, but also to reflect that if he was there, he would have protected these Muslims. His Holiness explained that he had also expressed his dismay to Aung San Suu Kyi, who replied that the situation was very difficult and there wasn’t much she could do. As a mark of his sympathy and concern for the well-being of these displaced people, he directed the Gaden Phodrang Foundation of the Dalai Lama to make a donation towards their relief and rehabilitation through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The Iranians showed their appreciation with another burst of applause.

Before the occasion came to an end, the visitors gathered around His Holiness in smaller groups to have their photographs taken together—clearly very happy to have met him.

Original link & photos: https://www.dalailama.com/news/2019/meeting-members-of-the-iranian-impacters-club

Dalai Lama & Tibetan Youth

Annual Teachings for Tibetan Youth Begin at Thekchen Chöling
June 5, 2017

Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, HP, India - Even at 8 o’clock it was hot in Dharamsala this morning. When His Holiness the Dalai Lama emerged from his residence he was met by costumed singers from TCV who escorted him to the Tsuglagkhang. The temple and its surrounding verandas were filled with young students. The monks who would normally have been sat there were assembled on one side of the yard down below.

After His Holiness had taken his seat on the throne a group of TCV students from class 3 upwards stood before him and fervently recited verses from Akya Yongzin’s ‘Compendium of Ways of Knowing’ by heart. They ended with a single verse prayer for His Holiness‘s long life. His Holiness smiled and told them:

“I memorized this text myself when I was ten years old, so I was able to join in with you just now. It’s very important to know how the mind works. Peace of mind is not something that can be directed from outside. It needs to be approached from within. It’s because our minds tend to be unruly that we see problems in the world such as the shocking killing that is taking place and the growing gap between rich and poor. To tackle such problems we need a calm, disciplined mind.

“Religious people pray for peace, but prayer alone is not enough, what will bring peace in the world is people cultivating peace of mind. As it is said, ‘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)’. The Buddhas help us by revealing the truth.”

His Holiness remarked that the gist of the teachings does not need to be confined to a religious context, because its value can be experienced in day to day life. He said that he is keen that a sense of inner values should be taught in schools to influence the training of future generations. He mentioned that understanding of the workings of the mind and emotions are integral to most ancient Indian traditions that deal with concentration and insight (shamatha and vipashyana).

“Today’s discussion is mainly aimed at young students,” he explained. “There are almost 700 students from various colleges around Dharamsala, as well as from Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai, besides some from the USA and the Netherlands. In addition we have 1500 school students, members of the Dharamsala Introduction to Buddhism Association, and a group of monks from Thailand with their Abbot who will take out a peace march. I’d like to greet you all.”

His Holiness mentioned the Buddha’s advice not to take what he had taught on faith or at face value but to analyse it—advising his followers to scrutinise his teachings as a goldsmith examines gold. He praised this sceptical approach and explained how valuable it has been in his discussions with scientists over the last 30 years or so. He also stressed that the advice that things do not exist the way they appear is useful because it helps counter misconceptions about reality, as is the advice to tackle self-cherishing attitudes and cultivate altruism.

His Holiness spoke of the origins of Buddhism in Tibet. He recalled seeing an empty space in a temple in Xining in 1955 where the Lhasa Jowo was said to have once sat. Despite this and other links to China, the Emperor Trisong Detsen, chose to invite the great master Shantarakshita from India to the Land of Snow where he established the Nalanda tradition. Tibetans have worked hard, through rigorous study down the centuries, to keep this tradition alive, something His Holiness said all Tibetans should be proud of.

“You young people have to keep this tradition alive,” he urged. “because the understanding of the mind that is integral to our Buddhist traditions can be of crucial benefit to future generations.”

His Holiness remarked that compared to the ancient Indian knowledge of the workings of the mind and emotions, modern psychology is quite rough. However, he conceded that whereas scientists used to consider the mind to be no more than a function of the brain, they now have evidence that the brain undergoes measurable change as a result of prolonged meditation. He also referred to the interest some scientists are taking in cases of ‘thukdam’ in which clinical death occurs and yet the body remains fresh for some time afterwards.

Observing that religious traditions all seem to have three aspects, His Holiness spoke of the practice of love and compassion, patience and tolerance, as well as contentment and self-discipline that they all have in common. He discussed their philosophical differences, that while many religions believe in a creator God, early Samkhyas, Jains and Buddhists have no such belief, considering the law of causality to be more significant. Nevertheless, he was clear that philosophical differences are no ground for quarrelling, since there are a wide range of variant views even within Buddhism.

The third aspect shared by all religious traditions is cultural and as such is related to social customs, some of which are out of date and in need of change. He cited the role of the Dalai Lamas as political leaders as an example of something that needed changing, which he did when he retired in 2011. He also mentioned the Indian caste system and the application of Sharia law as examples of cultural traditions that are due for review.

Responding to questions from the audience His Holiness explained that refuge in the Three Jewels can be done on the basis of view or action. He said that someone who accepts the Four Seals:

All conditioned phenomena are transient.

All polluted phenomena are unsatisfactory or in the nature of suffering.

All phenomena are empty and selfless.

Nirvana is true peace,

takes refuge on the basis of view. Otherwise, you take refuge regarding the Buddha as the Teacher, the Dharma as cessation as the actual refuge and the Sangha as supportive friends. The important thing, he reiterated was to be a 21st century Buddhist and to take refuge on the basis of understanding.

In relation to his conversations with scientists His Holiness declared that he never brings up topics like past and future lives or nirvana. He said that he admires scientists’ broad-mindedness and their willingness to change and improve their understanding.

Asked how he remains happy every day, His Holiness’s first reply was that he regards all 7 billion human beings alive today as his brothers and sisters, a reflection he finds helpful and powerful. In the context of disturbing emotions being based on a misconception, a clinging to a sense that things exist as they appear, he also finds cognitive therapist Aaron Beck’s observation that our sense of anger or attachment is 90% mental projection not only to be helpful, but also in tune with Nagarjuna’s advice.

Through the elimination of karma and affliction there is nirvana.

Karma and affliction come from conceptual thought. 

These come from mental fabrication.

Fabrication ceases through emptiness.

He concluded that taking a more holistic view and cultivating warm-heartedness are a sound source of happiness.

Teachings for Tibetan youth will continue tomorrow morning.

The Dalai Lama on One World, One Vision, One People

His Holiness the Dalai Lama was invited to speak at the Indian Habitat Centre by Rajeev Chandrasekhar MP and the Ashoka University. Mr Chandrasekhar is an independent member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament, representing Karnataka and Bangalore. The Ashoka University is a fully residential university whose founders believe that education should be holistic and liberal. In his introduction Mr Chandrasekhar praised His Holiness as someone who espouses peace and co-existence.

“Dear brothers and sisters,” His Holiness began, “that is what we all are, 7 billion human beings, brothers and sisters, each born from a mother and surviving in dependence on each other. In the past people were self-sufficient and able to live in isolated communities, but today we are much more interdependent. Climate change and the functioning of the global economy present challenges that affect us all, which we have to face together.

“Thinking in terms of ‘us’ and ‘them’ is therefore very unhelpful. I consider myself to be just one human being among 7 billion others. If I think of myself as different from others or as something special it creates a barrier between us. We all want to lead happy lives, to gather friends around us and friendship is based on trust, honesty and openness. This is another aspect of the oneness of human beings. If we defeat others, we too are harmed; if others are successful, we too benefit.”

He spoke of how religious traditions outline different approaches to the same goal. Theistic traditions believe in god the creator, while non-theistic traditions, like some of the Samkhyas, Jains and Buddhists believe in self-creation. Although Samkhyas and Jains believe in a self independent of the body and mind, Buddhists say there is no such self. He clarified that this is not to say that self does not exist at all, but that it exists in dependence on other factors.

His Holiness mentioned that while some say the best way to serve god is to serve others, it is also evident that to help others rather than harming them, treating them with love and compassion leads to lasting trust and friendship. Friends attracted to the rich and powerful, however, tend to be only short term friends of wealth and power.

In answering questions from the audience, His Holiness explained that Tibetan Buddhism preserves the traditions of Nalanda University, that the Tibetan language is the most accurate means of expressing that profound knowledge. He mentioned that in terms of the past, the writings of Nalanda masters such as Nagarjuna are what have impressed him most. Closer to the present he takes great inspiration from the example of Mahatma Gandhi, who, despite his sophisticated education, chose to live as simply as he could. Noting that something is lacking in a modern education system oriented towards materialism, His Holiness expressed the belief that this can be countered by introducing a greater sense of inner values, human values that he refers to as secular ethics.

Confirming that warm-heartedness is good for our mental and physical health, His Holiness cited an experiment in which people were physically assessed before undergoing meditation and compassion training. After meditating on compassion for 30 minutes a day over three weeks they were found to have less stress, lower blood pressure and improved interpersonal relations.

Finally, asked about the role of desire, he said:

“Desire is a part of life, for example, right now we all have a desire for lunch. Without natural desire we would die. The problem is when we have too much desire, that’s when we need contentment. But while satisfaction and contentment are appropriate on an individual level, they are not on a national level because nations need to develop. What we also need is self-confidence, because defeatism and low morale are a sure source of failure.”

From the Indian Habitat Centre, His Holiness drove directly to the airport to board a flight that took him home to Dharamsala.

original link and photos: http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1170-one-world-one-vision-one-people

One World, One Vision, One People

New Delhi, India, 22 September 2014 - This morning, His Holiness the Dalai Lama was invited to speak at the Indian Habitat Centre by Rajeev Chandrasekhar MP and the Ashoka University. Mr Chandrasekhar is an independent member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament, representing Karnataka and Bangalore. The Ashoka University is a fully residential university whose founders believe that education should be holistic and liberal. In his introduction Mr Chandrasekhar praised His Holiness as someone who espouses peace and co-existence.

“Dear brothers and sisters,” His Holiness began, “that is what we all are, 7 billion human beings, brothers and sisters, each born from a mother and surviving in dependence on each other. In the past people were self-sufficient and able to live in isolated communities, but today we are much more interdependent. Climate change and the functioning of the global economy present challenges that affect us all, which we have to face together.

“Thinking in terms of ‘us’ and ‘them’ is therefore very unhelpful. I consider myself to be just one human being among 7 billion others. If I think of myself as different from others or as something special it creates a barrier between us. We all want to lead happy lives, to gather friends around us and friendship is based on trust, honesty and openness. This is another aspect of the oneness of human beings. If we defeat others, we too are harmed; if others are successful, we too benefit.”

He spoke of how religious traditions outline different approaches to the same goal. Theistic traditions believe in god the creator, while non-theistic traditions, like some of the Samkhyas, Jains and Buddhists believe in self-creation. Although Samkhyas and Jains believe in a self independent of the body and mind, Buddhists say there is no such self. He clarified that this is not to say that self does not exist at all, but that it exists in dependence on other factors.

His Holiness mentioned that while some say the best way to serve god is to serve others, it is also evident that to help others rather than harming them, treating them with love and compassion leads to lasting trust and friendship. Friends attracted to the rich and powerful, however, tend to be only short term friends of wealth and power.

In answering questions from the audience, His Holiness explained that Tibetan Buddhism preserves the traditions of Nalanda University, that the Tibetan language is the most accurate means of expressing that profound knowledge. He mentioned that in terms of the past, the writings of Nalanda masters such as Nagarjuna are what have impressed him most. Closer to the present he takes great inspiration from the example of Mahatma Gandhi, who, despite his sophisticated education, chose to live as simply as he could. Noting that something is lacking in a modern education system oriented towards materialism, His Holiness expressed the belief that this can be countered by introducing a greater sense of inner values, human values that he refers to as secular ethics.

Confirming that warm-heartedness is good for our mental and physical health, His Holiness cited an experiment in which people were physically assessed before undergoing meditation and compassion training. After meditating on compassion for 30 minutes a day over three weeks they were found to have less stress, lower blood pressure and improved interpersonal relations.

Finally, asked about the role of desire, he said:

“Desire is a part of life, for example, right now we all have a desire for lunch. Without natural desire we would die. The problem is when we have too much desire, that’s when we need contentment. But while satisfaction and contentment are appropriate on an individual level, they are not on a national level because nations need to develop. What we also need is self-confidence, because defeatism and low morale are a sure source of failure.”

From the Indian Habitat Centre, His Holiness drove directly to the airport to board a flight that took him home to Dharamsala.

original link and photos: http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1170-one-world-one-vision-one-people

Dalai Lama Discusses Love & Compassion

New Delhi, India, 21 March 2014 - On behalf of the Foundation for Universal Responsibility, Rajiv Mehrotra welcomed His Holiness the Dalai Lama to a gathering of about 320 people in New Delhi today. He said they were blessed and honoured that he was with them again and dedicated any merit or insight that might arise as a result to the benefit of all sentient beings. In his response, His Holiness greeted everybody, saying it was good to see so many old friends. Asking how many were there for the first time, the raised hands indicated about two-thirds. He began:

“I usually describe myself as just a Buddhist monk and as a human being, one of the 7 billion alive today. There are no differences between us; emotionally, physically and mentally we are all the same. We all want to lead a happy life. In order to do that we need to develop peace of mind, this in turn requires knowledge of the mind and emotions. This is what we are here today to discuss.”

He spoke of his commitment to promoting inner peace by integrating secular ethics into our lives without necessarily depending on faith. He added, however, that faith, be it in God or like Jains and Buddhists in the law of causality, can be useful in developing peace of mind. He clarified that within Buddhism, the Pali tradition represents the foundation, on which the Sanskrit tradition with its emphasis on infinite altruism and deeper understanding of reality is based.

Before inviting everyone to join in reciting the ‘Praise to the 17 Masters of Nalanda’, he explained that he had composed it to honour not only the original eight Indian masters included among the Six Ornaments and the Two Supreme Ones - Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Asanga, Vasubandhu, Dignaga, Dharmakirti, Gunaprabha, and Shakyaprabha, but also Buddhapalita, Bhavaviveka, Chandrakirti, Shantideva, Shantarakshita, Kamalashila, Vimuktisena, Haribadra and Atisha. He said he regards these masters as professors of Nalanda University, whose works have had great influence on the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Their rigorous approach is exemplified by Nagarjuna and Chandrakirti who examined the Buddha’s words and noted that where they contradicted reason they should not be taken literally. He feels this is a scientific approach.

Dialogue with modern scientists over the last thirty years has taught Tibetan Buddhists a great deal about the material world, which has been of immense benefit. However, it has also revealed that modern psychology still has only a very basic understanding of the mind. He noted:

“As human beings we need to make an effort to promote awareness that the ultimate source of a happy life is within ourselves. Meanwhile, scientists have observed that a happy mind is essential if we are to enjoy physical health. The affection we receive as infants from our mothers equips us to develop the warm-heartedness that is the basis of this.”

Pointing out that the climate change, environmental problems and the global economy all indicate our need to work together, His Holiness stressed the importance of focussing on the whole of humanity. This is why our education systems must include a sense of ethics. In order to retain a universal appeal, such ethics need to have a secular basis. He cited the example of India’s secular constitution, which far from dismissing religion expresses respect for all religions and the right of those who choose to have none. This secular approach reflects the religious harmony that has flourished in India for thousands of years.

“All religious traditions foster a sense of love and compassion and because greed and desire can obstruct it, they also advise contentment. The idea of being created by God means that individuals possess a spark of God within them. This is a powerful concept that resembles the Buddhist explanation of Buddha nature. If you ask the purpose of such different philosophical ideas, it is to foster a sense of love and compassion.”

His Holiness repeated that if we choose to engage in religious practice, it is important to do so sincerely.

Following a short break for tea, he announced his intention to explain a verse that is sometimes referred to as the ‘essence of dependent origination.’ It comes from the Vinaya, is found in both the Pali and Sanskrit traditions and is often written on the walls of temples:

Ye dharma hetuprabhava hetum tesham tathagata hyavadat tesham cha yo nirodha evam vadi mahashramana

Of those things that arise from causes,
The Tathagata has taught those causes,
And also what their cessation is:
This is the doctrine of the Great Recluse.

The cessation of causes here refers to the cessation of the causes of suffering.

“What we seek is happiness and yet what we encounter is suffering because we are under the sway of ignorance. Consequently, what we need is insight into the true nature of things. The Buddha revealed the possibility of attaining a state free from suffering. This is consistent with the teaching of the Four Noble Truths and the basic Buddhist concept of the law of causality or cause and effect. Whether our actions are positive or negative depends entirely on our motivation. Suffering results from our being motivated by disturbing emotions such as anger, hatred and attachment that are very much related to ignorance.”

His Holiness talked of his meeting with the experienced American psychologist Aaron Beck who told him that when we are angry, the object of our anger seems entirely negative and yet that negativity is 90% mental projection. This accords with what Nagarjuna taught long ago.

His Holiness remarked that disturbing emotions are so called because they disturb our peace of mind and lead to harmful action. The Tibetan term has the sense of something that makes us unhappy, that brings trouble to ourselves and others. The ultimate cause of suffering is ignorance that is a misconception of reality. However, any misconception can be countered by knowledge no matter how strong it may seem, because knowledge is based on reality, while ignorance has no basis at all. As we become more familiar with reality, ignorance becomes thinner until it is eliminated altogether. The mind is clear and neutral so when combined with compassion it becomes positive, but when combined with anger or attachment it becomes negative.

When it comes to training the mind, His Holiness explained, once you reach a certain level there is no need for renewed effort, because of its continuity. The possibility of the cessation of suffering accords with the Third Noble Truth, the path to which involves wisdom derived from a threefold awareness involving hearing, reflection and meditation. To deepen understanding we need single-pointed concentration, for which mindfulness is important, and that in turn depends on morality. So, morality, concentration and wisdom are the three important factors here.

According to the Sanskrit tradition, the Second Turning of the Wheel of Dharma concerns the teaching of the Perfection of Wisdom. This consists of 20 volumes including the Perfection of Wisdom in 100,000 lines, 25,000 lines, 18,000 lines, 8,000 lines, 2,500 lines, 700 lines, 500 lines, 300 lines and 25 lines. The last two, the texts in 300 and 25 lines, the ‘Diamond Cutter Sutra’ and the ‘Heart Sutra’ are the most widely known. The ‘Heart Sutra’ contains a dharani, ‘Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi svaha’ or ‘Go, Go, Go beyond, Go completely beyond, lay the foundation of enlightenment.’

His Holiness explained how this represents the path of spiritual development. The first two words ‘Go, Go - Gate, Gate’ refer to the paths of accumulation and preparation respectively. ‘Go beyond - paragate’ refers to the path of seeing on which emptiness is seen directly without duality. ‘Go completely beyond - parasamgate’ refers to the path of meditation, while ‘lay the foundation of enlightenment - bodhi svaha’ refers to the path of no more learning. Enlightenment here could refer to the attainment of the paths of Hearers or Solitary Realizers or, motivated by altruism, to the enlightenment of a Buddha.

Common to the basic and greater vehicles are the 37 factors of enlightenment which include the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, the Four Right Efforts and the Four Bases of Power that relate to the path of accumulation; the Five Faculties and Five Strengths that relate to the path of preparation; the Seven Factors of Enlightenment that relate to the path of seeing; and the Eightfold Noble Path that relates to the path of meditation. Again, His Holiness explained that within the Eightfold Noble Path, right livelihood, right action and right speech concern morality; right mindfulness and right concentration concern concentration, while right view and right thought concern wisdom. He said that to attain the path of a noble being, you prepare from the beginning to integrate these practices in order to reach the path of seeing. This involves practising with honesty and contentment.

He reiterated that enlightenment can mean mere liberation from disturbing emotions or the great enlightenment of Buddhahood in which disturbing emotions are eliminated along with their imprints.

The basis of the Four Noble Truths is dependent origination. This can be interpreted as causality in common with all Buddhist paths or as referring to existence as mere designation, which is found only in the Madhyamaka explanation. Existence in dependence on other factors and the implied lack of independent existence resembles the account of Quantum Physics today, but was first described 2000 years ago by Nagarjuna.

His Holiness concluded the day’s talk, saying:

“Now it’s time for tea, a shower and sleep, then up again at 3am for analytical meditation, reflecting on the nature of the mind. Although everything appears to have independent existence, remembering that nothing exists that way produces an experience of things being like an illusion, which shakes up the basis of the disturbing emotions.”

Original link: http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1096-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-gives-teachings-in-the-indian-capital