The Dalai Lama Speaks About the Art of Compassion

Danbury, CT, US, 18 October 2012 - After a short journey from Providence, Rhode Island, this morning, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s first stop in Connecticut was at the Do Ngak Kunphen Ling Tibetan Buddhist Center for Universal Peace. Set quietly in a local house on 100 acres of ground near the town of Redding, the center is directed by Gyumed Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Jampa. He and members and friends of the center gave His Holiness a warm welcome and escorted him into the main shrine room, where he gave a short talk.

“I am very happy to be able to make this short visit here. I know Khen Rinpoche very well, he is a good monk and I am sure he won’t cheat you. Some time ago he was unwell and I was a little worried about him, but now he seems fine.”

He said he was pleased to hear about what was taught in the center. Buddhism in general and the Nalanda tradition in particular emphasise study and investigation. The Buddha himself told his followers not to accept his teaching on trust but to investigate and examine it. The Nalanda masters applied this admonition with the result that some of the teachings recorded in the scriptures are regarded as definitive, while others are regarded as provisional. It seems to be a unique Buddhist stance to allow for an intelligent approach based on study and examination in addition to faith.

His Holiness referred to the subtle explanation of the emergence and dissolution of consciousness in Buddhist science that has much in common with a modern scientific approach. He also mentioned that in learning more from modern science one of the casualties has been the Buddhist description of the cosmos with Mount Meru at the centre.

With regard to practice, the basic structure is the training in morality, concentration and wisdom. In the introductory verses to his Great Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, Je Tsongkhapa says, ‘These days those dedicated to the practice of meditation seem to be lacking in knowledge, whereas the learned seem not to be skilled in applying what they know to their practice.’ What he envisaged was a text that would bring together all the elements of the Dharma in a way that could be readily applied in practice. His greatest fulfilment of this aim in the Stages of the Path comes at the end with his explanation of concentration and special insight. His Holiness said he had advised Khen Rinpoche not to confine himself to the text alone, but to elaborate where necessary, as a result of which his students’ understanding will be enriched.

After lunch at the Center, His Holiness drove into Danbury where he was received by the President and Vice-President of Western Connecticut State University. He addressed about 700 Tibetans before going on to the O’Neill Center where he was to speak about the Art of Compassion. Warmly received by a mixed audience of 3500, he was introduced by Richard Gere, who rejoicing at the sight of so many smiling faces  and extolled the feeling of brother and sisterhood in gathering to listen to His Holiness. “This opportunity to be with a completely reliable spiritual teacher is extraordinary,” he said. And His Holiness responded in kind,

“Respected President of the University, dear Richard Gere, brothers and sisters, it’s a great honour for me to speak to you students and local people, as well as so many other old friends. It feels like a reunion.”

“My fundamental belief is that we are all the same as human beings. We don’t need an introduction when we meet because we are mentally, physically, emotionally the same. I find this is a very helpful way of thinking. Whether I’m speaking to 1000 people or 100,000, there are no barriers between us.”

His Holiness explained that when there are no barriers there’s room for trust. Trust is the basis of friendship. On a global level the time has come to develop a strong sense of the oneness of humanity. Then there will be no room for exploitation, cheating or bullying. If others are successful, be happy. Otherwise, if we a jealous, that leads to mistrust, which leads to fear and suspicion and ultimately loneliness.

Everyone wants to lead a peaceful life, but a peaceful society does not evolve only from economic development, it comes about as a result of inner peace in the hearts of individuals. How can we develop such inner peace? Through prayer? His Holiness said that of course prayer has its place, but he feels a need to take action instead. People today are familiar with the word meditation, but there is more to it than closing our eyes and relaxing. The mind needs to remain fully alert, we need to analyse the nature of self and scrupulously examine what suffering is. He said such analytical meditation is what brings him inner peace. Other people can do this too if they employ their intelligence fully.

Emotions create trouble in our minds, but we can regulate them by applying our intelligence. For example, we might be on the verge of getting angry, but another part of our mind intervenes and helps us to stop. Anger only ever brings trouble, as well as damaging our health. We can regulate emotions like anger not through prayer, but by using our intelligence. To do that better we need to know more about how the system of mind and emotion works. However, while modern education has much to tell us about the material world, it’s generally inadequate when it comes to the mind.

His Holiness declared that we are all born from a mother and we are biologically equipped to give and respond to affection by the care that most of us receive from her. This sense of affection is the basis for warm-heartedness and warm-heartedness is the basis for the compassion that underlies what he calls secular ethics. Although ethics are widely regarded as the province of religion, His Holiness uses secular here not to dismiss religion but to express an impartial respect for all religions.

Happiness and suffering are dependent on causes; actions we do that benefit others, benefit us too. Many of our problems arise because we take an unrealistic approach to whatever’s involved. His Holiness remarked that the idea of interdependence can be helpful in all kinds of situations. If we are unrealistic, whatever we do will not yield a positive result. Conversely if we want to better appreciate the reality of a situation, we have to take a realistic view. His Holiness concluded his talk, saying,

“Happiness depends on inner peace; inner peace depends on warm-heartedness. Inner peace can be found by employing our intelligence.”

A student asked what one thing most harms humanity and His Holiness’s answer was ignorance. The reason we place such stress on education is that by definition it helps us reduce ignorance. To a question about the role of religion in society, he said religion had brought great solace to many in the past and will continue to do so in the future. The different philosophical views they expound indicate different approaches to the same target. Another student mentioned that we train children to be kind and compassionate, and asked what can be done to stop adults fighting. His Holiness recalled that the twentieth century, despite many great developments, was an era of violence and bloodshed. He hopes that this new century will prove to be an era of dialogue. Problems will continue to occur, but the solution should change, dialogue being more effective than force. What’s more, we should apply this too in our day to day lives.

When pressed about the advice he gives the foreign leaders he meets, His Holiness agreed that he has the opportunity to meet both political and spiritual leaders, but made clear that he doesn’t lecture them. He said they tend to sit together and talk easily like friends. Finally, with regard to where young people can find the inspiration to act for the good of humanity, he said they need vision and determination. He also suggested American students should learn more about other parts of the world. Once they learn more about difficulties elsewhere, they may better appreciate their own country’s qualities and be inspired to give those less fortunate their help.

His Holiness often finishes his public talks with the following proviso,

“Please think about what I have said and if it makes sense to you, fine, put it into effect; but if it isn’t any use then forget it.”

Original link and photos http://dalailama.com/news/post/863-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-speaks-about-the-art-of-compassion-at-western-connecticut-state-university

Awakening Compassion, Celebrations of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 80th Birthday

Anaheim, CA, USA, 5 July 2015 - His Holiness the Dalai Lama began the day early giving an interview to Ann Curry for KIP News. He told her at the start that today he got up at 1am to begin his prayers. Wishing him a happy birthday, she asked him for his wish. He replied:

“The same as all beings, I wish to live a happy life. We all face a lot of problems that are essentially our own creation. The real point here is with our emotions. Unless we have some knowledge of how to tackle them we’ll run into trouble.

“My life is dedicated to the well-being of others. If humanity is happy, then I’ll be happy, because each of us is dependent on others.”

Ann Curry asked what makes him want to share compassion so much that at a time when other people would be taking it easy His Holiness is still working. He answered:

“It’s because this is my only profession. As a Buddhist practitioner and a student of Nalanda masters such as Nagarjuna I have learned about how the mind and emotions work. It seems that due to experience of that I can be of service to other human beings. Every day I pray for the welfare of all mother sentient beings. If I were to pray, but do nothing it would just be hypocrisy.”

Later, talking about whether or not there will be a 15th Dalai Lama, His Holiness told her that, recognised or not, he would still be there.

“I’m determined about that. The biography of the 1st Dalai Lama tells that when he was about my age he remarked about growing old and his students and disciples commented that he needn’t worry because he’d be sure to go to a Pure Land. He retorted that he had no wish to go to some such heaven, he wanted to be reborn where there was suffering in order that he could be of some help to others. I share that prayer.”

When Ann Curry asked for a message for the world to be posted on Facebook on his birthday, His Holiness said:

“I’d like to express my thanks to the many, many people who have expressed warm feelings towards me. So many have wished me a happy birthday, I’d like to ask them in turn to pay more attention to their own minds, to tackling their own emotions. Now I’m 80 and have faced a difficult life. At 16 I lost my freedom, at 24 I lost my country and news from Tibet has been heartbreaking, but throughout it all my best friend has been my intelligence and a sense of warm-heartedness. This is something I’d like to share with others.”

Interviewing His Holiness for CBS News, Carter Evans remarked that a lot of people seemed to be making a lot of fuss about His Holiness’s birthday and asked what he felt about it.

“Nothing special,” was the reply. “The sun will rise and the sun will set. It’ll be the same kind of 24 hours, but when other people know someone has a birthday they like to celebrate.”

Evans went on to ask why concern for the global environment is so important to him.

“I didn’t realise that there was any issue about the environment until I left Tibet. Then I was surprised to be told that I couldn’t drink water from any source the way I could in Tibet, because often the water was polluted. I began to realise that we need to take care of the planet as if it were our only home.

“When we see violence or scenes of violence take place, it has an immediate impact on the mind, but the damage being done to the environment doesn’t have that immediacy. We don’t notice it until it is often too late. That’s why it will be more effective if taking care of the planet becomes part of our day to day life.”

At the Honda Center His Holiness was welcomed to a special breakfast to celebrate his 80th birthday. Addressing the gathering, he told them we need to use our intelligence to promote loving kindness. He said the nature of compassion is not something new. It’s something we are all familiar with. We all have the seed of compassion in us that we can cultivate. In the past we learned about this from our religious traditions, but today many people claim no longer to believe and of those who say they believe, many go through the motions in the place of worship, but bring nothing with them when they leave.

“Cultivating the kind of compassion we can extend to our enemies requires that we use our intelligence. We have to use reason just as we do to understand that anger destroys our peace of mind.”

As he was about to leave the breakfast, His Holiness called two fellow Nobel Peace Laureates, Jody Williams and Shirin Ebadi, up to join him. He explained that they had last met at a gathering of Nobel Peace Laureates in Rome, at the end of which they had announced a determination to work for the elimination of nuclear weapons. They had also declared that the announcement by itself was not enough, there needed to be a timetable for reducing and eliminating these weapons of mass destruction had to be set and nuclear states needed to be held to it. His Holiness said they would need to mobilize popular support.

He followed this with a meeting with Representative Ed Royce who is Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

In an interview with Maria Hall Brown for PBS Southern California, His Holiness noted that 20 years ago little attention was paid to ethics or inner values, but over the last 10 years more and more people have begun to take an interest. He said that increasing numbers of people realize the shortcomings of the current education system. That scientists too are showing interest in the workings of the mind is a source of hope. He told a correspondent for the local Orange County Reporter that as human beings we all have responsibility to promote the idea of the oneness of humanity especially in multiracial, multi-religious societies.

After lunch, Ann Curry escorted His Holiness onto the Honda Center stage before an 18,000 strong audience. Singing children had already set the scene and a video depicting scenes from His Holiness’s life had been shown. Mayor Tom Tait introduced His Holiness to the crowd, explaining how he’d been to see him at home in Dharamsala and been made very welcome earlier this year. At the time His Holiness had been working on a ‘Book of Joy’ with Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Founder of the Friends of the Dalai Lama, a prime organizer of the event, Ven. Tenzin Dhonden spoke next, expressing greetings to His Holiness and welcoming everyone in attendance. Among the many people he thanked for their support were Pierre Omidyar, Mayor Tait, the Honda Center staff and his own spiritual masters. He acknowledged His Holiness as someone who embodies compassion in person.

Facebook video greetings from #WithCompassion were shown featuring messages from Larry King, Arianna Huffington and many others. The video ended with a song ‘We are One’ by Runaground, who then appeared on stage to perform it again live, joined by a joyfully singing children.

Ann Curry then introduced an array of well-wishers who came forward to offer His Holiness words of appreciation. They included: actor Josh Radnor, Professor Robert Thurman, Bishop Desmond Tutu’s grandson, Australian Cody Simpson, Dr Elahe Mir-Djalali Omidyar, UCI VC Thomas Parham, actor Wilmer Valderrama, actor Julia Ormond, oceanographers Justin Nappi and Veerbhadran Ramanathan, comedian George Lopez, who had everyone laughing, musician Randy Jackson, rights activist and Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi, businessman Anthony Melikhove, peace activist and Nobel Peace Laureate Jodie Williams, musician MC Hammer, and on behalf of the Apache Nation Jonelle Romero.

Thirty Tibetan children from San Francisco sang a traditional Tibetan song. They were followed onto the stage by activist, rapper and musician Michael Franti who played, sang and led the audience in a rousing song for His Holiness.

After cutting a huge cake, His Holiness took his slice to the lectern and addressed the audience.

“Brothers and sisters,” he told them, “I’m overwhelmed that so many speakers have expressed the importance of loving kindness. They have given me encouragement and hope. I have generally thought that I would not see a compassionate world emerge in my lifetime. However, there seems to be real enthusiasm for the idea that the source of peace is within ourselves and that to change the world we all have to develop inner peace. Since scientists and educators are also showing interest in this, maybe we can achieve a peaceful world sooner than I thought. As my friend Jodie Williams says, ‘We have to take action’ and there is a Tibetan saying that if you fail nine times, nine times you should try again.

“I’ve faced many difficulties, but I’ve remained truthful, honest and determined. As time goes on the truth becomes stronger, while the power of the gun diminishes. A more compassionate world is in the interest of all sentient beings, and even the environment will benefit too. The kind of universal compassion, unbiased compassion, that can be extended even to your enemy is within the reach of all of us.

“We all come from our mothers. We all have a deep experience of affection, even those who are now referred to as ‘terrorists’. In this large gathering I’d like to repeat that I am just one human being. We are all part of humanity. We are all the same and our future depends on others. Each day I dedicate my body, speech and mind to the welfare of all mother sentient beings. I say my favourite prayer:

For as long as space endures

And for as long as living beings remain,

Until then may I too abide

To dispel the misery of the world.

The ensuing discussion among the people on the stage with His Holiness touched on the fact that anger may bring energy to situations, but it is blind energy. Compassion is directed energy. That to lead a meaningful life, we need a calm mind and a sense of concern for the welfare of others. Compassion is a choice. Authenticity is significant. His Holiness pointed out that the crucial notions of freedom, liberty and democracy take for granted that basic human nature is good.

As His Holiness got ready to leave, Ann Curry summed up the sense of the gathering in her comment:

“It’s your birthday, but the rest of us seem to be the ones who have been made a gift. Thank you and happy birthday.”

At the Anaheim Theater Mayor Tom Tait welcomed His Holiness to a special reception. In this newly announced City of Kindness, His Holiness repeated his belief that progress towards greater kindness can be made through education. The Mayor described a project already run in local schools for children to create a million acts of kindness. He noted that reports of bullying are down and children are happier and more fulfilled. Mayor of nearby Santa Ana, Miguel Pulido, announced his plans to emulate the ‘million acts of kindness’ in the schools in his area.

At a further reception attended by 1000 people and organized by the City of Garden Grove, Mayor Bao Nguyen welcomed His Holiness, who spoke briefly.

“Respected brothers and sisters, inner values such as compassion and forgiveness bring us peace, comfort and inner strength, which are helpful to us. Anger and fear do us no good; they disturb our peace of mind. I see there are a lot of Vietnamese here. I’ve come across quite a number of communities like you in America, France and Australia, who have made an effort to preserve your cultural heritage and your Buddhist faith. I admire your determination.”

His Holiness was offered a certificate by the Vietnamese Americans of the USA. The Mayor of the City of Westminster praised His Holiness as a role model and when the Mayor of Garden Grove presented him with a key to the city, His Holiness responded:

“Ah, and compassion is the key to open inner peace.”

At the end of an unusually long and full day, His Holiness finally retired for the night.

Original link with photos http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1294-awakening-compassion-celebrations-of-his-holiness-the-dalai-lamas-80th-birthday

Dalai Lama's Teaching on Nagarjuna’s ‘A Commentary on the Awakening Mind’ in Basel, Switzerland

Basel, Switzerland, 7 February 2015 - This is only the second time His Holiness the Dalai Lama has visited Basel, the ancient European city on the Rhine that lies where the borders of France, Germany and Switzerland converge. The historic hotel in which he is staying, Les Trois Rois, has previously hosted such famous but diverse guests as Napoleon Bonaparte, Pablo Picasso, and Theodor Herzl. There, before leaving for the venue where he would teach, he met with members of the media. He told them:

“I am one of the 7 billion human beings alive today. We are social creatures and today everything is interdependent. Therefore, we have to consider the welfare of the whole of humanity and the health of the planet. You media people have an important role to play in keeping people informed of the importance of ecology. Promoting awareness of the need to protect the environment is one of my own commitments.

“Secondly, I’m a Buddhist and I’m committed to fostering inter-religious harmony. This is not just wishful thinking, it is a realistic possibility. Look at India where all the world’s religious traditions, those that are indigenous and those from abroad, live together in peace. India is today a living example of diversity and pluralism.

“Thirdly, I’m a Tibetan and dedicated to the preservation of Tibetan culture.”

The first question from the floor was a simple “How are you?” and His Holiness replied that yesterday, when he arrived, he was tired. However, after going to bed at 5.30pm and getting up again at 2.30am he felt refreshed. Asked what needs to change in education today he remarked that the existing education system is focused on materialistic goals with insufficient attention to inner values. What is needed, he said, is a curriculum that incorporates such human values in a way that is universally acceptable. He mentioned meeting with members of the Mind & Life Institute a few days ago to hear about progress on just such a program called ‘Call to Care’.

In the context of religious freedom he was asked what he had to say to the pro-Shugden protestors on the street outside. He replied that the issue has nothing to do with religious freedom because it’s about spirit worship. The Buddha counselled his followers only to take refuge in and seek guidance from the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. He said we should not seek refuge in spirits. The history of the controversy goes back to the time of the 5th Dalai Lama in 17th century. And the 5th Dalai Lama pronounced Dolgyal or Shugden an evil spirit. Many prominent Gelugpa masters concurred. His Holiness continued:

“In 1951, at Yatung, due to a variety of circumstances I took up the practice. However, my Senior Tutor remained sceptical about it. In 1970, because I already harboured doubts about it I investigated further and discovered what the 5th Dalai Lama had written about this practice. Realizing it was a mistake, I stopped and eventually word got out.”

He explained that these protestors have tried to create  mistaken impression, particularly in Tibet, that the Dalai Lama opposes this practice because he’s pandering to the Nyingmapas. He said this is nonsense. They accuse him of lying, but he asserts that he is not, while they just don’t know the reality of the situation. His advice, he said, is to investigate the matter more thoroughly. His Holiness concluded that the protestors are clearly able to exercise their freedom of expression, which is good. Nevertheless, it remains his duty also to share what he knows. That’s all he’s done.

Under bright winter sunshine, His Holiness drove to St. Jakobshalle where he was to teach. Tibetans singing and dancing in colourful costumes at the door gave him a traditional welcome. Inside the hall, as he came onto the stage, with its backdrop of large thangkas depicting the Buddha, Nagarjuna and Manjushri, a capacity crowd of 7500 also welcomed him with warm applause.

He began by stressing the importance of knowledge,

“Today, we should be 21st century Buddhists, who know what the Nalanda tradition is. When we recited the verse taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, we need to understand what and who the Buddha is. If we understand the causes and conditions that result in a Buddha, we’ll understand what the word ‘Buddha’ signifies. Likewise, the Dharma indicates the path to liberation and the Sangha those who embody it.”

His Holiness remarked that the dull-witted simply have faith. The sharp witted, however, research and investigate the teachings. He cited what he had written in the colophon to the praise ‘Illuminating the Threefold Faith’ that invokes the qualities of the 17 Nalanda Masters:

“At the present time, when in the ordinary world there is great advancement in the fields of science and technology, we are distracted by the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, it is extremely important that those of us who follow the Buddha should have faith based on knowledge of his teaching. Therefore, we should examine the reasons for it with an unbiased and inquisitive mind, analyzing it closely.

... the foremost sages of the Holy Land of India have composed numerous excellent, meaningful texts that can open the eyes of those possessing fine discriminative awareness. During this time more than two thousand five hundred years have passed, but still those teachings (dealing with) hearing, contemplation and meditation survive undiminished.”

He further quoted the first two verses of that praise:

By understanding the meaning of the two truths, the way things exist,
We ascertain through the four truths how we arrive in and how we leave the cycle of existence.
Engendered by valid cognition our faith in the three refuges will be firm.
May I be blessed to establish the root of the path to liberation.

May I be blessed to perfect an uncontrived awakening mind of bodhichitta
Which is rooted in renunciation - the aspiration for liberation and
The total purification of suffering and its source -
And that boundless compassion that wishes to protect wandering beings.

His Holiness was invited to lunch with the members of the local City-Canton Government by its President, Dr Guy Morin. The President welcomed him to Basel and, during the course of the meal, told him there are currently about 600 Tibetan residents in the city. He said Basel’s connection with Tibetans is so long that he can remember having a Tibetan classmate at school 40 years ago.

Opening Nagarjuna’s ‘Commentary to the Awakening Mind’ after lunch His Holiness told his listeners that the text explains developing the awakening mind of bodhichitta in both its conventional and ultimate aspects. The explanation accords with that found in the sutras although the text itself is derived from the Guhyasamaja Tantra, which speaks of two kinds of bodhichitta: bliss and emptiness and the indivisibility of the two truths. He read the first verse, which expresses homage:      

1 Bowing to the glorious Vajra Holder
Who embodies the awakening mind.
I shall explain here the meditative practice
Of awakening mind that destroys cyclic existence.

The next two verses describe what the text sets out to teach:

2 The Buddhas maintain the awakening mind
To be unobscured by such conceptions
As consciousness of “self,” “aggregates” and so on;
It is always characterized by emptiness.

3 It is with a mind moistened by compassion
That you must cultivate [awakening mind] with effort.
The Buddhas who embody great compassion
Constantly develop this awakening mind.

Verses 4-9 present and challenge the views of the non-Buddhist schools of thought that flourished in ancient India. The text then moves on to deal with the views of the lower schools of Buddhist thought, culminating in an assessment of the Mind Only school, which the reader is advised is not to be taken literally:

27 ‘All of this is but one’s mind,’
That which was stated by the Able One
Is to alleviate the fear of the childish;
It is not [a statement] of [final] truth.

His Holiness concluded the session with verses that summarize the two kinds of bodhichitta:

72 Those who do not understand emptiness
Are not receptive vehicles for liberation;
Such ignorant beings will revolve
In the prison of existence of the six classes of beings.

73 When this emptiness [as explained]
Is thus meditated upon by yogis,
No doubt there will arise in them
A feeling attached to the welfare of others.

74 ‘Towards those beings that have
Bestowed benefits upon me in the past,
Such as through being my parents or friends,
I shall strive to repay their kindness.’

His Holiness announced that he would conduct the ceremony for generating the awakening mind tomorrow in conjunction with an Avalokiteshvara empowerment. The empowerment comes from the collection of secret visions of the 5th Dalai Lama.

As he was leaving the building, His Holiness held a short meeting with about 200 elderly and frail Tibetans. He told them that since they had spent their lives trying not to harm others and trying to develop the awakening mind of bodhichitta, as he himself does every day, they should relax and feel at ease. In the light of the empowerment he will give tomorrow, he commented that Tibetans have a special connection with Avalokiteshvara. He added that although Tibetans tended to squabble among themselves when Tibet was free, now the difficulties they have faced has brought about a firm unity.

original article link with photos http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1235-teaching-nagarjunas-a-commentary-on-the-awakening-mind-in-basel