Dharamshala — His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama said, 'Whether they are religious or not, there are growing numbers of people who appreciate that we can bring peace to the world by first achieving peace within.' The remark was made when attended a Long-Life Prayer offered to him by the Toepa Association and Purang people at the Main Tibetan Temple in Dharamshala, HP, India, on April 3, 2024.
Toepa Association and Purang people jointly offered a long-life prayer to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, on April 3, 2024, at the Main Tibetan Temple (Tsuglagkhang) in Dharamshala, HP, India.
The spiritual event was attended by hundreds of Tibetans, including monks, nuns, students, laypeople, as well as foreign Buddhist followers and tourists. Presided over by Ling Rinpoché, the long-life prayer ceremony began with the recitation of a praise to the Buddha.
Ling Rinpoché was joined by reincarnations and abbots of monasteries, including Sera-mé Monastery, Namgyal Monastery, Bodong Monastery, Drepung Loseling, and Tawang Monastery. The ceremony concluded with a thanksgiving mandala offering and recitations of the Prayer for the Flourishing of the Dharma, the Prayer of the Words of Truth, as well as verses of dedication from the Samantabhadra Prayer.
Then His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama addressed the gathering, he says, “This long-life ceremony offered with sincere hearts has been successful from beginning to end. I pray and am determined to live for more than 100 years.”
His Holiness added by saying, “This is a time when the Buddhadharma is in decline and yet there have been many causes and conditions for me to be able to serve the teaching of the Buddha. Today, in places where the Dharma had not previously spread people are taking interest in what the Buddha had to say about the workings of the mind and emotions, scientists particularly among them.”
“Whether they are religious or not there are growing numbers of people who appreciate that we can bring peace to the world by first achieving peace within,” His Holiness declared.
“At the same time, I would like to encourage people to have a keener sense of ethics, to serve humanity and, through understanding the functioning of their minds and emotions, to cultivate peace of mind. The inner and outer conditions exist for me to do this and the Dharma Protectors, who take responsibility for defending and preserving the Dharma, are helping me in what I am trying to do,” the spiritual leader of Tibet says in the concluding his speech.
Finally, His Holiness the Dalai Lama stood up from the throne, walked out of the temple to the lift, and on the level of the yard below boarded the golf cart that then drove him home. He smiled joyfully and waved to well-wishers who squeezed together along the way to see him.
