Dalai Lama Makes Pilgrimage to Ladakh

Pilgrimage to Leh Jokhang
July 4, 2018

Leh, Ladakh, J&K, India - Following his arrival in Ladakh yesterday, His Holiness the Dalai Lama began the day today with a pilgrimage to the Leh Jokhang. Smiling people lined the streets to greet him as he approached the city of Leh. He was welcomed on arrival at the Jokhang by Tsewang Thinles, President of the Ladakh Buddhist Association and his staff. Led by monks playing horns, they escorted His Holiness to the temple while traditional Ladakhi musicians played in the temple yard.

Once inside the temple, which was packed with local people, monks and nuns, as well as laymen and women, His Holiness paid his respects before the statues of Manjushri, Thousand Armed Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha and Guru Padmasambhava. He warmly greeted Ganden Trisur, Rizong Rinpoche, Thiksey Rinpoche and other Lamas before taking his seat facing the statue of the Buddha that emulates the Lhasa Jowo.

In his introductory speech Tsewang Thinles saluted His Holiness and other eminent Lamas. He reported that, taking His Holiness’s guidance to heart, the Ladakh Buddhist Association has decided to transform the Jokhang into a centre of learning. They are providing opportunities for people to improve their command of literary Tibetan and study Buddhist teachings with the aim of becoming 21st century Buddhists—people whose faith is based on a sound understanding.

His Holiness began his remarks with the closing and opening verses of homage from Nagarjuna’s ‘Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way’:

I prostrate to Gautama

Who, through compassion,

Taught the exalted Dharma,

Which leads to the relinquishing of all views.

I prostrate to the perfect Buddha,

The best of all teachers, who taught that

That which is dependent origination is

Without cessation, without arising;

Without annihilation, without permanence;

Without coming; without going;

Without distinction, without identity

And peaceful - free from fabrications.

“There have been many founding teachers of religious traditions, Mahavira, Jesus Christ and Muhammad for example, who have conveyed a common message of love, compassion and tolerance. It’s on this basis that in India there is respect for all religious traditions. Inter-religious harmony has been strong here for more than 3000 years. And yet sadly elsewhere today, we see people fighting and killing each other in the name of religion.

“In terms of philosophical views, the Buddha taught how to overcome ignorance; how to eliminate the misconceptions we have about reality. In explaining dependent origination he showed that things exist in dependence on other factors. This unique point of view is today admired even by scientists.”

His Holiness reminded his listeners that Buddhism consists of the Pali and Sanskrit traditions and that the Pali tradition focuses on the explanation of the Four Noble Truths, the Vinaya and so forth. Meanwhile, the core of the Sanskrit tradition is the Perfection of Wisdom teachings that were given on Vulture’s Peak and which emphasize emptiness of intrinsic existence. In elaborating on these teachings Nagarjuna clarified dependent origination, declaring that since there is nothing that is not dependent, there is nothing that is not empty.

“I received the ‘Six Treatises on Reason’ by Nagarjuna, as well as several from his Collection of Praises, such as the ‘Praise for the Awakening Mind of Bodhichitta’, from Geshe Rigzin Tempa,” His Holiness acknowledged. “Besides these I have received several transmissions and explanations of rare texts from Khunu Lama Rinpoche and Ganden Trisur, Rizong Rinpoche.

“I remember when I was young in Lhasa seeing people in white chubas wearing boots that turned up at the toe who were clearly not well off. They came from the Himalayan Regions and Tibetans were inclined to look down on them. However, these three great masters, who have been kind teachers to me, came from among such people.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have a rich collection of literature, the Kangyur and Tengyur, more than 100 volumes of the translated words of the Buddha and more than 200 volumes of works of subsequent, mostly Indian, masters. As a follower of the Buddha, a monk, rather than just reciting the verses of refuge, it is thinking critically about works such as the ‘Five Treatises of Maitreya’ and Nagarjuna’s ‘Six Treatises on Reason’ that has had a transformative impact on my mind. When we critically appraise such texts, we use a logical approach that derives from Dignaga and Dharmakirti, which is a profound means of gaining insight.

“The Buddha himself advised his followers not to accept what he taught at face value, but to examine it, much as a goldsmith tests gold, and accept it only after rigorous investigation has shown it to be logical and of benefit. Therefore, it’s very good that you have announced your intention to make this Jokhang and other temples and monasteries centres of learning.”

The temple was filled with applause.

“The reasoned Nalanda Tradition is now only preserved among Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhists. Today, I’m talking about reviving ancient Indian wisdom in India. The Principal of the Government College in Dharamsala has spoken to me about taking the initiative to do this in an academic way. The other day at the launch of a ‘Happiness Curriculum’ by the Government of Delhi I talked about the need to combine modern education with insight and understanding derived from ancient India. I also had the chance to discuss with Abbots from Drepung and Sera how scholars from our great monastic universities can share this knowledge with Indian educators. In March, I was able to discuss this option with 150 Vice-Chancellors of Indian universities. You Ladakhis can take part too.

“We all follow the Mahayana, the Sanskrit Tradition. The explicit content of the Perfection of Wisdom teachings at its heart were explained by Nagarjuna in his ‘Six Treatises on Reason’. The implicit content was explained in Maitreya’s ‘Ornament for Clear Realization’. What this entails is cultivating an understanding of emptiness and the altruistic awakening mind of bodhichitta.”

His Holiness explained that just as we train children to be physically fit, teaching them about exercise, diet and hygiene, we also need to teach them how to be mentally fit by training the mind and learning to tackle destructive emotions. He recommended that we all try to understand what disturbs our peace of mind and what brings calm, but stressed that it can be learned not in a religious but an academic context. He further suggested that once India responds to this initiative, China will take interest too. Once that happens 2.5 billion people could be involved, which would be of significance for the world. This, he declared, would be using knowledge preserved in the Nalanda Tradition in a secular way for universal benefit.

“The world today is facing a serious crisis of emotions. People think destructive emotions are a natural part of the mind. Advice from ancient Indian psychology can show us they are not and that we can tackle and eliminate them. We need to ask ourselves how to find happiness—it’s not in money and power. As I mentioned before, we need to discover not only what disturbs our minds, but also what the antidotes to those factors are.

“As Buddhists we regularly pray to attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. However, the fact is that it is the human beings on this earth with whom we can communicate and share this understanding. It involves logic and reason. Suicide rates are increasing in a highly developed country like Japan. Even here in Ladakh I hear incidents of suicide are growing, perhaps as a result of jealousy and competitiveness. Something has to be done. We need to call on ancient Indian psychology in a secular way, relying on our common sense, common experience and scientific findings. And that’s all for today.”

Stopping to interact playfully with members of the crowd, old people and young children, His Holiness made his way out of the temple to his car. He then drove from Leh back to the Shewatsel Phodrang for lunch.

original link & photos: https://www.dalailama.com/news/2018/pilgrimage-to-leh-jokhang

Dalai Lama Teaches the Eight Great Tantric Commentaries

Hunsur, Karnataka, India, 12 December 2015 - His Holiness the Dalai Lama took his seat this morning and looking out into the temple and beyond saw monks distributing copies of the text he was to teach. They were in small traditional woodblock format and wrapped in yellow cloth. He intervened to announce that the ‘Eight Great Tantric Commentaries of Gyumey’ were not for everyone.

“It’s a sealed and restricted text that can only be seen by someone who does the practice of Vajrabhairava or Guhyasamaja. Only someone who can keep the commitments should take a copy. If those of you who have taken it are determined to do the practice, you’re welcome, but only a few hundred have been printed. In Gyutö too I taught the 'Seven Chapters of Vajrabhairava' which was similarly restricted and I said then please only take it if you’ll do the practice.

“Sakya Dagtri is here with us today to listen to this teaching, so he will become not only a holder of the ‘Path and Fruit’ tradition but also of Se-gyu. At the end his work on Guhyasamaja, at the end to the Guhyasamaja Prayer Je Tsongkhapa says: ‘This is a means to lead you to enlightenment in one lifetime.’”

His Holiness explained that the eight texts deal mostly with completion stage practices related to the various tantric traditions upheld at Gyumey Monastery, which are based upon the Guhyasamaja system. He said that Kalachakra has its own system and the Ka-gye of the Nyingmas has its own system. Dzogchen too distinguishes between the unenlightened mind and pristine awareness.

“In Tibet, Gyumey Monastery had a custom of 32 monks doing a strict sealed Guhyasamaja retreat at Chumiglung. I don’t know if they would really meditate on Guhyasamaja, but the abbot would teach these texts. Even if someone died they wouldn’t open it up; the doors were sealed. When Jamyang Shyepa Ngawang Tsöndrü was in such a retreat at Chumiglung he also managed to meditate on the 173 aspects of the three types of knowledge.

“I’ve suggested to Sera, Drepung and Ganden Monasteries that they should have retreat places too. As the Arhat Sagara said: “Through meditation extract the essence of this life. Don’t be content merely with wearing a monk’s robes. Meditate on the Dharma. Extract the essence by study, concentration and practice.”

“Je Rinpoche made his life meaningful without engaging in the eight worldly concerns. He turned down the Chinese Emperor’s invitation, which others might have happily gone along with.

“If we can set up retreat centres with appropriate facilities, we should. As Jamyang Shyepa did, we should also try to meditate on the 173 aspects of the three types of knowledge. It’s not enough just to spend the time saying mantras. Gyumey Tantric College has a plan to introduce a study curriculum based on texts by the previous Dalai Lamas. They brought the books to me and the one I picked out to look at was a commentary to the ‘Ornament for Clear Realization’ by the 5th Dalai Lama. Preserving and studying the works of the Dalai Lamas is a tradition that used to be kept by Deyang Monastery.”

Before beginning to read the texts, His Holiness said that he had received these Eight Commentaries from Ling Rinpoche and that most of them are to do with completion stage practices. In calm and steady tones His Holiness read until lunch and resumed when everyone reassembled afterwards, completing his reading of the final text on Kalachakra by mid-afternoon. Noting that there is also a thorough explanation of Kalachakra in Khedrup-je’s Collected Works he was reminded that during the preparatory rites yesterday he had looked up at the altar and reflected that where there are statues of Je Rinpoche above the Buddha, there should be copies of the Kangyur and Tengyur.

“Not so long ago I was invited to consecrate a colossal statue of Guru Padmasambhava at Tsopema. If you look back at history, Guru Padmasambhava was immensely important in bringing Buddhism to Tibet. He made great prayers for the Tibetan people. I recognise his kindness, but I said this statue of him would last long into the future, but it will never speak. Similarly, we pay great respect to the statue of Buddha in Bodhgaya, but it too will never speak.

“I firmly believe that if Je Tsongkhapa were to appear and we were to ask him questions he would say, 'The answers are already recorded in the 18 volumes of my collected works.' Please make an effort to study. We have to be Buddhists of the 21st century; we need to understand as well as being able to repeat the words. What’s more, as well as reading Je Tsongkhapa’s works, it would be good to read his critics too. See what Daktsang Lotsawa, Shakya Chokden, Gorampa and Rongton Sheja Kunrig had to say. These days many of our monks restrict their reading only to their own monastery’s standard texts.

“In conclusion, let’s pray for the flourishing of the Buddha’s teachings.”

Finally His Holiness gave advice about approaching and viewing the sand mandala.

“Viewing the mandala with devotion you can purify the misdeeds of countless lives. So approach it with a good motivation, recalling the awakening mind and your understanding of emptiness. There’s no rush, the monks will continue to perform prayers in front of it for several days before it is dismantled. I expect many of us will meet again at Tashi Lhunpo, but anyone who is interested to attend the Mind & Life conference at Sera is welcome.”

Original link & photos http://dalailama.com/news/post/1342-teaching-the-eight-great-tantric-commentaries-of-gyumey-tantric-college