Dharamshala — His Holiness the Dalai Lama gives a teaching to Mongolians, Tibetans and people from all over the world in Dharamshala on Friday. His Holiness said: "The Chinese Communists have tried to destroy Buddhism, but many other people in China are showing an interest in Buddhism. Bodhichitta is very precious. It brings peace of mind. It is a powerful way of serving others."
His Holiness the Dalai Lama begins the first day of the two-day teachings on "100 Deities of Tushita Heaven" at the request of Lamiin Gegeen Teaching Mongol Sunchoi Organising Committee and estimated 6100 of Buddhists and well-wishers from 72 countries gathered to listen his teaching, at Tibetan Main Temple (Thekchen Choeling Tsuglakhang) in Dharamshala, HP, India on April 19, 2024.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama begins his speech by saying, “Today, we have an opportunity to hold a discourse on the Dharma. When I look back, I have tried to preserve the Dharma traditions that flourished in Tibet. I have spoken up to protect the environment, to secure peace in the world and to encourage inter-religious harmony."
"Those of us gathered here are all followers of the same Buddha. We uphold the Nalanda Tradition, the complete teaching of the Buddha, which we kept alive in Tibet, Mongolia and the Himalayan regions. I have had dreams that clearly indicate I am an incarnation of King Trisong Detsen and I have done my best to preserve the tradition established under his direction. I would like to thank all of you for the trust you have placed in me," the spiritual leader of Tibet told the gathering.
His Holiness addressed the congregation on the second day of the teaching and said, "Today, we have here Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhists, as well as people from elsewhere who are interested in learning about Buddhist teachings. They are attracted by their discovery that Buddhism is based on reason and has a bearing on peace of mind as well as peace in the world."
"We Tibetans here are living in exile because we lost our country. But where we are doesn’t matter that much because we rely on the Nalanda Tradition that the great Indian master Shantarakshita established in Tibet at the invitation of King Trisong Detsen. This tradition has spread all over Tibet and the Himalayan region. Conditions may change but we have a custom of responding to each other warm-heartedly. This is something worth preserving," the Tibetan spiritual leader said.
"Tibetans in Tibet continue to wish to follow the tradition introduced by Shantarakshita, and they place their trust in me. Not only in Tibet, but also in mainland China, growing numbers of people are taking an interest in Tibetan Buddhism and its essence—warmheartedness. Tibetan Buddhism includes a thorough understanding of the workings of the mind and emotions, which interests scientists. Other people are keen to know more about training the mind and tackling their emotions," His Holiness explained.
“My Dharma friends, it is good to remember that we are able to study and practice now due to the traditions passed down by past masters. The Chinese Communists have tried to destroy Buddhism, but many other people in China are showing an interest in Buddhism. We Tibetans need to think carefully about the significance of sharing what we know of the Buddha’s teachings with interested Chinese," the spiritual leader told the gathering.
He declared: "Bodhichitta is very precious. It brings peace of mind. It is a powerful way of serving others. There is the Seven-fold Cause and Effect method and the more powerful Equalizing and Exchanging Self and Others approach. Taking account of all sentient beings and cultivating the mind that cherishes others more than oneself is powerfully transformative. It brings confidence and peace."
"Like us, all human beings wish to be happy. We are the same. That’s why we need to be warm-hearted to everyone. Cherishing others is the source of all good qualities. Cherishing only ourselves is a source of misery. We survive due to the kindness of others, therefore, showing kindness and good heartedness are the simple key to happiness," His Holiness concluded.
