Dharamshala —His Holiness the Dalai Lama addressed a crowd of 5,000 people gathered in the main Tibetan temple and said,"Cultivating a good heart brings benefit to yourself and others. It leads to your showing others love and affection. Modern education tends to focus on material development to the neglect of inner values. But if you can cultivate a good heart, it will bring you peace of mind. If you are warm-hearted you’ will find you naturally attract more friends."
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama gave a two-day teaching on Chandrakirti's book "Entering the Middle Way", in conjunction with the auto-commentary, at the request of a group of South-East Asians. Around 5,000 people from 56 countries, including Tibetans from Dharamshala, gathered to listen to his teaching at the main Tibetan temple in Dharamsala, India, on September 5 and 6, 2023.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama began his teaching by saying, "We are all the same in wishing for happiness and seeking to avoid suffering. What binds us in the cycle of existence is our misconception concerning independent existence. When I think about emptiness, I consider that everything is like an illusion. By familiarizing myself with this I can reduce my grasping at independent existence. These attitudes, grasping at inherent existence and self-cherishing, have been with us for beginningless time."
"The altruistic awakening mind of bodhichitta is the primary source of happiness for self and others. When you develop it, your mind relaxes and you’ll be at ease. Whatever unfavorable circumstances you may face, they will not disturb your peace of mind. Think how good it would be if all sentient beings were free of obstacles and defilements," His Holiness declared.
His Holiness addressed the gathering and said, "Cultivating a good heart brings benefit to yourself and others. It leads to your showing others love and affection. Modern education tends to focus on material development to the neglect of inner values. But if you can cultivate a good heart, it will bring you peace of mind. If you are warm-hearted you will find you naturally attract more friends."
"The crucial thing is to combine compassion for others with an understanding that persons and phenomena are empty of inherent existence. I have put these two principles into effect and they have brought me great benefit. Things appear to have some sort of essential existence, but it is only an appearance," His Holiness added.
"What is important in terms of preserving ethics and practising the teaching is for the teaching to flourish within us. I was born near the border of Tibet and I have pursued the Dharma since I was a child. I have studied works from the Three Collections and applied the threefold approach of study, reflection and meditation. Practising the teachings entails cultivating the mind within," the spiritual leader of Tibet said.
"Of course, there is nothing that does not become easier with familiarity. When I was young, I encountered all sorts of things that seemed difficult to achieve, but as I became familiar with them, they became easier to fulfil. Familiarity brings even what seems impossible within our reach," His Holiness the Dalai Lama concluded.