Dharamshala: The five day Spring Monlam Festival finished yesterday with His Holiness the Dalai Lama's teachings of Jataka Tales, the story of the life of Buddha, at the main Tibetan temple in Dharamshala.
The Exiled Tibetan Spiritual Leader addressed Tibetan new arrivals who had come to India to see their relatives, telling them, "this teaching is especially for you."
Teachings began with a review of the historical roots of Buddhism in Tibet and its subsequent flourishing in the 7th century AD. "The Buddhism Indian Master Shanti Deva introduced to Tibet includes the complete teachings of the three vehicles of Buddhism, the Foundational Vehicle, Mahayana and Vajrayana," His Holiness told the attendees. "In the 8th century, King Trisong Detsen invited the famous Indian Tantric mystic Padmasmbhava to Tibet, who helped the King to rapid expansion of Buddhism in Tibet."
In the teachings, the Tibetan Spiritual Leader stressed that Tibetan Buddhism is not Lamaism, "The Buddhism which flourished in our snow land is a full, complete version inherited from the ancient Nalanda University in India, it is not so-called lamaism, as is seen by some Buddhist fellows." He also advised against Tibetan lamas and monks taking secret mothers [wives], with the exception of White Robe Long Hair Monastic Order [Nyingma and Sakya sect].
His Holiness the Dalai Lama ended the teachings by emphasising the importance of the Tibetan language, only in which the full Buddhism texts are available and can be studied.
