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

Tibet's Spiritual Leader Commences Teachings for Taiwanese Devotees

Dharamsala, HP, India, 6 October 2014 (www.thetibetpost.com) - At the request of a group of Taiwanese Buddhist devotees, His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet Monday commenced the first of four days of teachings on 'Nagarjuna's Fundamental Wisdom Treatise of the Middle Way' to an audience from 62 counties at the main temple in Dharamshala, India.

Amid a buoyant atmosphere on the morning of October 6th, the spiritual leader of Tibet" and the Nobel Peace Laureate led the teachings with a brief, yet insightful introduction into Buddhism itself. The main Tibetan temple, which numbered crowds surpassing 5000, was packed with a colourful array of Tibetans wearing traditional attire with all age groups, as well as foreign visitors, Indians and a group devotees of 800 Taiwanese Buddhists.

Welcoming the guests eagerly, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama drew smiles and adoration from the spiritual gathering. Drawing upon His profound knowledge of Buddhist teachings, specially the great Nalanda tradition of India which spread to China in the 7th Century.

"Tibetan Buddhism is the pure Nalanda tradition, generally sub-divided into four principal sects or schools: Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, and Gelug. There may be minor differences in rituals and the transmission of teachings. However, the root essence of all these sects are one and the same," said His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

"Due to over indulgence in one's own sect and rituals, we tend to forget the common essence of our practice sometimes. As a result, we see huge differences in our practice. Therefore, if we all focus on the Nalanda tradition, which is the root of Tibetan Buddhism, our common goals would be more unified," His Holiness said.


His Holiness the Dalai Lama urged Taiwanese devotees to deepen their understanding of the roots of Buddhism rather than cling on to the branches of Buddhist practices.

"We all are followers of Nagarjuna. We are all one in that sense. Even in the various sects of Tibetan Buddhism, though there may be several minor differences in the branches, the foundation is the same. So, we should emphasise more on the principals to attain a deeper and purer level of understanding."

"We are going to start teaching on the Middle Way treatises. The Middle Way treatises was available in Chinese language even before Buddhism flourished in Tibet. It is a scripture that has been passed on from generations in China. The Chinese are actually senior students and Tibetans are junior students of Nagarjuna. But due to circumstances, today, the junior students are more reliable and better equipped," His Holiness said.

Speaking on the common essence of all the major religions of the world, His Holiness said that consequently, all major religions talk about compassion, tolerance, contentment, and self-discipline.. "However, most of these religions command a strict adherence to their beliefs. In the case of Buddha's teaching, it allow us to form our own opinions based on reason and logic."

The second in the series of four day teachings will continue on October 7th 2014 in the Main Temple; Dharamshala. A live webcast, followed by translations into English, Chinese, Vietnamese and Russian languages available on: http://www.dalailama.com/liveweb

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