Under Angels' Wings: Dalai Lama teachings ... and more
General pass and media pass—McleodGanj, India; Friday, August 26, 2011, afternoon
Admission to the teachings by the Dalai Lama next week requires registration. Passport-size photos are required to receive an identification badge. So, I visit a quick photo shop, have a mug shot taken, and, within five minutes, depart with eight images of myself.
At the registration table for the teachings, I show my passport and surrender two photos. The people there keep one photo for their files and staple the other to a salmon-colored card and hand it to me a plastic sleeve. I’m in.
But my camera is not. That requires a media pass, obtainable at the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) office half way down the hill toward Dharamsala. That office closes at 5:00, the registration clerk says. The time is 4:30. I hustle to the Main Square, which is also the bus stand and taxi stand. There, I hire an auto rickshaw—a tuk-tuk—and we start back down that same terrible, rutty road that took Suresh, my driver from Rewalsar, an overzealous would-be guide, and me most of the way to my lodging at Hunted Hill House. (Read about my arrival in McleodGanj.)
The monsoon is delivering its afternoon deluge, and the three-wheeled auto is moving very slowly. “Slippery stones,” says the driver. He touches the brake, and the vehicle skids sideways. His tight grip on the steering handlebar has turned his fingers white.
The ride lasts ten minutes. We arrive at 4:40, and I commission him to wait.
In the Department of Information and International Relations, Lobsang Choedak, the TCA’s Press Officer, listens as I tell about my intention to write about the teachings here in McleodGanj as well as the Kalachakra earlier in Washington, D.C. He approves my media credentials and attaches a third passport-size photo to my media badge. Now, my camera is in, too.
When I ask about a possible audience with His Holiness, he gives me the email address of Tenzin Taklha, the Dalai Lama’s Joint Secretary.
That weekend, I send an email with my request for an audience to Mr. Taklha. He replies within 24 hours. An audience isn’t possible due to the Dalai Lama’s public appearances, demanding schedule, age, and concern for his good health. “There are just too many requests for His Holiness’ time and we unfortunately have to decline the majority of them,” he replies in part.
Getting in to meet, Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, is one step too far.
At the registration table for the teachings, I show my passport and surrender two photos. The people there keep one photo for their files and staple the other to a salmon-colored card and hand it to me a plastic sleeve. I’m in.
But my camera is not. That requires a media pass, obtainable at the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) office half way down the hill toward Dharamsala. That office closes at 5:00, the registration clerk says. The time is 4:30. I hustle to the Main Square, which is also the bus stand and taxi stand. There, I hire an auto rickshaw—a tuk-tuk—and we start back down that same terrible, rutty road that took Suresh, my driver from Rewalsar, an overzealous would-be guide, and me most of the way to my lodging at Hunted Hill House. (Read about my arrival in McleodGanj.)
The monsoon is delivering its afternoon deluge, and the three-wheeled auto is moving very slowly. “Slippery stones,” says the driver. He touches the brake, and the vehicle skids sideways. His tight grip on the steering handlebar has turned his fingers white.
The ride lasts ten minutes. We arrive at 4:40, and I commission him to wait.
In the Department of Information and International Relations, Lobsang Choedak, the TCA’s Press Officer, listens as I tell about my intention to write about the teachings here in McleodGanj as well as the Kalachakra earlier in Washington, D.C. He approves my media credentials and attaches a third passport-size photo to my media badge. Now, my camera is in, too.
When I ask about a possible audience with His Holiness, he gives me the email address of Tenzin Taklha, the Dalai Lama’s Joint Secretary.
That weekend, I send an email with my request for an audience to Mr. Taklha. He replies within 24 hours. An audience isn’t possible due to the Dalai Lama’s public appearances, demanding schedule, age, and concern for his good health. “There are just too many requests for His Holiness’ time and we unfortunately have to decline the majority of them,” he replies in part.
Getting in to meet, Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, is one step too far.
Logistical Note: The villages of Dharamsala and McleodGanj are nine kilometers apart, connected by a steep, winding road. Their names are often used interchangeably in regard to the Dalai Lama, who lives in McleodGanj, and the Central Tibetan Administration (aka the Tibetan Government-in-Exile), which is located between the two.
Content note: The stories within this chapter are much more than my account of a time, place, and event. Most of the words here were spoken by the Dalai Lama and by Mr. Thubten Samphel, secretary of the Department of Information and International Relations for the Central Tibetan Administration. Their messages are of compassion for all sentient beings, current conditions in Tibet, and Tibetan history.
Chronological note: These stories occurred from August 26 to September 9, 2011. The stories in the “McleodGanj” chapter (not yet published) also occurred over the same days. Yet, I’ve put them in separate chapters.
That chapter presents the community and people of McleodGanj where the Tibetan Main Temple is located and the teachings occurred. This “Dalai Lama Teachings … and more” chapter focuses on the setting and content of His Holiness’ teachings.
Chronological note: These stories occurred from August 26 to September 9, 2011. The stories in the “McleodGanj” chapter (not yet published) also occurred over the same days. Yet, I’ve put them in separate chapters.
That chapter presents the community and people of McleodGanj where the Tibetan Main Temple is located and the teachings occurred. This “Dalai Lama Teachings … and more” chapter focuses on the setting and content of His Holiness’ teachings.
Stories within this chapter:
General pass and media pass (posted October 19, 2011)
Dalai Lama teachings, the setting (posted October 24, 2011)
Compassion taught in diverse settings (posted October 24, 2011)
Dalai Lama teachings, Day One (posted October 24, 2011)
Mani stone carver (posted November 8, 2011)
Dalai Lama teachings, Day Two (posted November 8, 2011)
Dalai Lama teachings, Day Three (posted November 8, 2011)
Conversation with a Tibetan journalist (posted November 8, 2011)
Dalai Lama teachings, the setting—Buddhist Main Temple, McleodGanj, India; Monday and Tuesday, August 29 and 30, 2011
On Monday, the day before the teachings, my friend Nan, who lives in McleodGanj, goes to the Main Temple and stakes out our claim for a place to sit and listen to the Dalai Lama. It’s a good spot on the second (upper) level, near one of three double doors on the right side of the temple chamber where His Holiness will be sitting on his throne and teaching.
There are no chairs. Rather, younger monks and workers at the temple have lain out two-inch cushions wall to wall. Nan’s placeholder is her scarf with two pieces of paper attached: one piece with her name and one piece with mine.
She picked a popular location. Nearly two hours before the Dalai Lama arrives, the floor surrounding this room and every bit of non-aisle space on the upper floor is filled with people. Everyone is sitting cross-legged on the cushions, some chatting and some reading.
Most of these are Tibetans, but other nationalities, judging from clothing, mannerisms, and conversation, are here too. The vast majority is also Buddhists, but religious attire and symbolism also show the presence of Hindus, Sikhs, Jews, and Christians. Many of the people are monks, young and old, attired in their distinctive maroon, accented with gold, robes.
With my media pass visible, I walk around, capturing images people waiting, praying, prostating.
Through an email, the Dalai Lama’s secretary later informs me that 5,000 to 6,000 people from approximately 36 countries attend the teachings.
Most people are on the second level, but many are also on the lower level. For anyone not in view of His Holiness, television monitors have been set on tables here and there, and the loud speaker system makes sure that everyone can here.
When the Dalai Lama enters, he’s preceded by a monk carrying a bowl of burning incense and surrounded by his private security staff. These tall, stocky men are attired in loose-fitting, casual shirts that, in their variety, express uniformity. They also wear the same flat-top haircut.
Returning to my space on the floor, I remove my shoes in the aisle—as has everyone else—and step over six or seven people. Nan and the woman positioned next to me have had to fend off many who coveted my spot.
Only two feet from Nan, I am unable to see His Holiness while she, closer to the door and seated next to a security guard, has a direct view.
My connection with the Dalai Lama is through the eyes of high-level monks, garbed in golden robes, sitting in the inner chamber within a few feet of the throne on which His Holiness sits.
The space where we sit is tight. But we are a gelatinous group, some sitting fetal and some semi-lotus, shifting our legs from time to time when another wants to straighten the knees.
His Holiness speaks in English for the morning session, which lasts nearly two hours. For the afternoon and the next day, he uses his native Tibetan tongue. Translators are scattered here and there among the crowd, and those who don’t understand Tibetan tune in with FM radios and earphones.
The Spanish translator is close behind Nan, sitting on the floor like the rest of us, her microphone on a short-legged table. Her voice is respectfully soft, considering her situation within the crowd, yet distinct. A contingent of Spanish-speaking people clusters around to hear her voice directly rather than through the FM broadcast.
In both the morning and afternoon sessions, young monks make their way through the crowd, stepping carefully into the interstices of tightly packed humanity and distributing chai tea and rolls. At noon, they prepare and serve rice and dal.
There are no chairs. Rather, younger monks and workers at the temple have lain out two-inch cushions wall to wall. Nan’s placeholder is her scarf with two pieces of paper attached: one piece with her name and one piece with mine.
She picked a popular location. Nearly two hours before the Dalai Lama arrives, the floor surrounding this room and every bit of non-aisle space on the upper floor is filled with people. Everyone is sitting cross-legged on the cushions, some chatting and some reading.
Most of these are Tibetans, but other nationalities, judging from clothing, mannerisms, and conversation, are here too. The vast majority is also Buddhists, but religious attire and symbolism also show the presence of Hindus, Sikhs, Jews, and Christians. Many of the people are monks, young and old, attired in their distinctive maroon, accented with gold, robes.
With my media pass visible, I walk around, capturing images people waiting, praying, prostating.
Through an email, the Dalai Lama’s secretary later informs me that 5,000 to 6,000 people from approximately 36 countries attend the teachings.
Most people are on the second level, but many are also on the lower level. For anyone not in view of His Holiness, television monitors have been set on tables here and there, and the loud speaker system makes sure that everyone can here.
When the Dalai Lama enters, he’s preceded by a monk carrying a bowl of burning incense and surrounded by his private security staff. These tall, stocky men are attired in loose-fitting, casual shirts that, in their variety, express uniformity. They also wear the same flat-top haircut.
Returning to my space on the floor, I remove my shoes in the aisle—as has everyone else—and step over six or seven people. Nan and the woman positioned next to me have had to fend off many who coveted my spot.
Only two feet from Nan, I am unable to see His Holiness while she, closer to the door and seated next to a security guard, has a direct view.
My connection with the Dalai Lama is through the eyes of high-level monks, garbed in golden robes, sitting in the inner chamber within a few feet of the throne on which His Holiness sits.
The space where we sit is tight. But we are a gelatinous group, some sitting fetal and some semi-lotus, shifting our legs from time to time when another wants to straighten the knees.
His Holiness speaks in English for the morning session, which lasts nearly two hours. For the afternoon and the next day, he uses his native Tibetan tongue. Translators are scattered here and there among the crowd, and those who don’t understand Tibetan tune in with FM radios and earphones.
The Spanish translator is close behind Nan, sitting on the floor like the rest of us, her microphone on a short-legged table. Her voice is respectfully soft, considering her situation within the crowd, yet distinct. A contingent of Spanish-speaking people clusters around to hear her voice directly rather than through the FM broadcast.
In both the morning and afternoon sessions, young monks make their way through the crowd, stepping carefully into the interstices of tightly packed humanity and distributing chai tea and rolls. At noon, they prepare and serve rice and dal.
Compassion taught in diverse settings—Kalachakra in Washington, D.C., July 2011, and teachings in McleodGanj, August/September 2011
Overall, the differences between the setting here at these teachings and the Kalachakra initiations in Washington, D.C., that I attended in July are distinctive.
Here, the teachings are in the open-air mountain temple of the Dalai Lama a few kilometers from the headquarters of the Tibetan Central Administration (Tibetan Government in Exile). There, the Kalachakra was in the Verizon Center, a concrete sports arena in the United States Capitol.
Here, the security is provided by the Dalai Lama’s guards and a few Indian army soldiers with a pistol on their hip or a rifle slung over a shoulder, if they’re armed at all. There, the U.S. State Department was in charge of security and utilized bomb-sniffing dogs to identify possible bombs among the media’s photographic and video equipment.
Here, people sit on cushions on the floor. There, people sat in chairs or arena seats.
Here, the Dalai Lama speaks primarily in Tibetan. There, he spoke primarily in English with Thupten Jinpa, his principal translator on stage.
Here, mountain breezes blow through the wall-less temple. There, air conditioning kept the Verizon Center ice cold.
Here, the entire community knows about the teachings. There, many Washingtonians were oblivious to the presence of this world-renowned spiritual leader within their city.
Here, translators sit among the audience. There, translators were removed to media booths in the Verizon Center’s upper reaches.
Here, the room in which His Holiness presides provides a feeling of intimacy with images of Buddha, Avalokiteshvara Budhistattva the Tibetan deity of compassion, and Guru Padma Sambhava who gave tantric teachings to Tibet, and a collection of 225 texts on Buddhist philosophy, grammar, logic, poetry, art, astrology, medicine, and other sciences. There, the primary visual element was a four-sided overhead monitor, typical of indoor sports venues, on which images of the Dalai Lama and various monks appeared while the actual personages were on a distant stage at the far end of the Verizon Center’s single, principal arena.
Here, admission is free and a family atmosphere prevails. There, the cost was expensive and very few adults brought children. The attendance here for the 2.5 days of teachings numbers 5,000 or 6,000, and the attendance in D.C. ranged from 6,000 on the opening days to 14,000 on the last days when attendees took initiation vows.
But the Dalai Lama’s message was similar in both settings: compassion and service to all sentient beings, delivered with his humorous manner and lyrical voice. I am glad to have been there in D.C. as well as here in the Main Temple.
Here, the teachings are in the open-air mountain temple of the Dalai Lama a few kilometers from the headquarters of the Tibetan Central Administration (Tibetan Government in Exile). There, the Kalachakra was in the Verizon Center, a concrete sports arena in the United States Capitol.
Here, the security is provided by the Dalai Lama’s guards and a few Indian army soldiers with a pistol on their hip or a rifle slung over a shoulder, if they’re armed at all. There, the U.S. State Department was in charge of security and utilized bomb-sniffing dogs to identify possible bombs among the media’s photographic and video equipment.
Here, people sit on cushions on the floor. There, people sat in chairs or arena seats.
Here, the Dalai Lama speaks primarily in Tibetan. There, he spoke primarily in English with Thupten Jinpa, his principal translator on stage.
Here, mountain breezes blow through the wall-less temple. There, air conditioning kept the Verizon Center ice cold.
Here, the entire community knows about the teachings. There, many Washingtonians were oblivious to the presence of this world-renowned spiritual leader within their city.
Here, translators sit among the audience. There, translators were removed to media booths in the Verizon Center’s upper reaches.
Here, the room in which His Holiness presides provides a feeling of intimacy with images of Buddha, Avalokiteshvara Budhistattva the Tibetan deity of compassion, and Guru Padma Sambhava who gave tantric teachings to Tibet, and a collection of 225 texts on Buddhist philosophy, grammar, logic, poetry, art, astrology, medicine, and other sciences. There, the primary visual element was a four-sided overhead monitor, typical of indoor sports venues, on which images of the Dalai Lama and various monks appeared while the actual personages were on a distant stage at the far end of the Verizon Center’s single, principal arena.
Here, admission is free and a family atmosphere prevails. There, the cost was expensive and very few adults brought children. The attendance here for the 2.5 days of teachings numbers 5,000 or 6,000, and the attendance in D.C. ranged from 6,000 on the opening days to 14,000 on the last days when attendees took initiation vows.
But the Dalai Lama’s message was similar in both settings: compassion and service to all sentient beings, delivered with his humorous manner and lyrical voice. I am glad to have been there in D.C. as well as here in the Main Temple.
Dalai Lama teachings, Day One—Buddhist Main Temple, McleodGanj, India; Tuesday, August 30, 2011, daytime
On the morning of Day One, I recorded and transcribed the teachings in which the Dalai Lama spoke in English. The following excerpts are in the style with which the Dalai Lama speaks. For Day Two and Day Three (stories below), I took notes as the translator repeated the Dalai Lama’s message. The teachings from those days represent the translator’s style and interpretation.
To listen to these teachings and other major public appearance by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, go to http://www.dalailama.com/webcasts
The Dalai Lama begins by acknowledging both Buddhists and non-Buddhists in attendance.
“The purpose of this gathering is to achieve happy life, bountiful life,” His Holiness says.
“…The proper way to achieve happy life, bountiful life, is not only money, power, material facility but much development on the heart to the enlightened state. The material facilities provide us some sort of comfort, satisfaction. … [through] music, we get satisfaction, peace , tranquility. …
“Then food, taste. Physical consciousness. … Some type of satisfaction. Happy feeling. From these sensorial ways, it’s very temporal. So long as beautiful music is there, feel happy. It stops, no longer such.
“… But mental person very unhappy. Too much worry, too much anxiety. They have painful experience at mental level that cannot be subdued by sensorial levels of pleasure. On other hand, … calm confidence encourage mental thinking. Then sensory level [of] physical pain, okay. Not serious.
“… Mental level and sensory level experience is common at human beings and other animals: cats, dogs, birds. They have the physical and mental level of experience. That’s clear. The differences. We human beings have this potential of knowing, thinking, imagination. Vision. Also have ability to remember past experiences and history. Therefore, we have more intelligence, more expectation, more ambitions.
“So these bring more distrust, jealousy, anger, suspicion. These bring unnecessary fear, frustration, anger.
“… Education. Very smart brain. Good education. Sometimes crates more ambition, desire. That brings more doubt, fear. Today’s modern education is materialistic-oriented education. Modern education is not about moral ethics.
“Warm heartedness. Sense of concern for other human beings. Respect for others’ rights. That kind of mental attitude … brings inner confidence out of compassion. … Then all your activities conducted honestly, truthfully, transparently. … Honest, transparent, compassionate attitude brings trust. Trust brings friendship. We are social animals. Friendship is very important in our lives.
“Material facilities have no ability to show us affection. Only living beings. To receive affection from sentient beings, we must assure them of our affection and compassionate feeling. … That’s the basis of genuine friendship.
“…Whenever you exploit, you lose genuine friends. You lose support from the rest of the community. You become truly lonely person. Mentally, a lonely person.
“With more compassion, you feel more of these [people] are my friends. Right side, left side. These are my friends. [With] self-centered, suspicion. Look right and left, [see] suspicion. Distant. Lonely feeling.
“… Healthy mind, healthy body very closely linked. … To experience happy life, pay more attention to inner values. … To make deeper awareness to the inner values, look inward more.
“… This biological factor. Even very cruel person, that person at a young age, very much appreciate mother’s affection and have ability to show affection to mother. … Biologically, our life starts and grows in the atmosphere of affection. That’s the reality. We all have the potential to develop this.
“I always talk about these human levels. … Then I talk on the level of I’m Buddhist. Not only in past history, even today, sometimes religious faith becomes a barrier of people to people, sometimes causing problems. Very unfortunate.
“All traditions—Christianity, Islam, Judaism, all these and Buddhism all [teach] love, compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, self discipline. These are the basis of moral ethics.
“… The real troublemaker is too much self-centered attitude. A single sense of attitude toward God helps to reduce that. You totally give yourself to God to reduce self-centered attitude. … A person who truly believes that his creator is God will automatically pay more attention to love and compassion. Their power will come from their own faith.
“Once we know these facts, then we develop respect, admiration, and freedom of gratitude. It comes automatically.”
To listen to these teachings and other major public appearance by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, go to http://www.dalailama.com/webcasts
The Dalai Lama begins by acknowledging both Buddhists and non-Buddhists in attendance.
“The purpose of this gathering is to achieve happy life, bountiful life,” His Holiness says.
“…The proper way to achieve happy life, bountiful life, is not only money, power, material facility but much development on the heart to the enlightened state. The material facilities provide us some sort of comfort, satisfaction. … [through] music, we get satisfaction, peace , tranquility. …
“Then food, taste. Physical consciousness. … Some type of satisfaction. Happy feeling. From these sensorial ways, it’s very temporal. So long as beautiful music is there, feel happy. It stops, no longer such.
“… But mental person very unhappy. Too much worry, too much anxiety. They have painful experience at mental level that cannot be subdued by sensorial levels of pleasure. On other hand, … calm confidence encourage mental thinking. Then sensory level [of] physical pain, okay. Not serious.
“… Mental level and sensory level experience is common at human beings and other animals: cats, dogs, birds. They have the physical and mental level of experience. That’s clear. The differences. We human beings have this potential of knowing, thinking, imagination. Vision. Also have ability to remember past experiences and history. Therefore, we have more intelligence, more expectation, more ambitions.
“So these bring more distrust, jealousy, anger, suspicion. These bring unnecessary fear, frustration, anger.
“… Education. Very smart brain. Good education. Sometimes crates more ambition, desire. That brings more doubt, fear. Today’s modern education is materialistic-oriented education. Modern education is not about moral ethics.
“Warm heartedness. Sense of concern for other human beings. Respect for others’ rights. That kind of mental attitude … brings inner confidence out of compassion. … Then all your activities conducted honestly, truthfully, transparently. … Honest, transparent, compassionate attitude brings trust. Trust brings friendship. We are social animals. Friendship is very important in our lives.
“Material facilities have no ability to show us affection. Only living beings. To receive affection from sentient beings, we must assure them of our affection and compassionate feeling. … That’s the basis of genuine friendship.
“…Whenever you exploit, you lose genuine friends. You lose support from the rest of the community. You become truly lonely person. Mentally, a lonely person.
“With more compassion, you feel more of these [people] are my friends. Right side, left side. These are my friends. [With] self-centered, suspicion. Look right and left, [see] suspicion. Distant. Lonely feeling.
“… Healthy mind, healthy body very closely linked. … To experience happy life, pay more attention to inner values. … To make deeper awareness to the inner values, look inward more.
“… This biological factor. Even very cruel person, that person at a young age, very much appreciate mother’s affection and have ability to show affection to mother. … Biologically, our life starts and grows in the atmosphere of affection. That’s the reality. We all have the potential to develop this.
“I always talk about these human levels. … Then I talk on the level of I’m Buddhist. Not only in past history, even today, sometimes religious faith becomes a barrier of people to people, sometimes causing problems. Very unfortunate.
“All traditions—Christianity, Islam, Judaism, all these and Buddhism all [teach] love, compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, self discipline. These are the basis of moral ethics.
“… The real troublemaker is too much self-centered attitude. A single sense of attitude toward God helps to reduce that. You totally give yourself to God to reduce self-centered attitude. … A person who truly believes that his creator is God will automatically pay more attention to love and compassion. Their power will come from their own faith.
“Once we know these facts, then we develop respect, admiration, and freedom of gratitude. It comes automatically.”
The following photos are by Ivy Lim Meei Jiuan of Kuala Lumpur, Malayasia, who was sitting in the same room as the Dalai Lama.
Mani stone carver—McleodGanj, India; Tuesday, August 30, 2011, late afternoon
On the first day of the Dalai Lama’s teachings, later that afternoon, I make a kora by walking the roadway and footpath that circles Thekchen Choling Complex where the Dalai Lama resides and the Main Temple is located.
In the drizzling rain and under a combination of tarp and large umbrella, a Tibetan is crafting mani stones. Some are tablets the size of a platter. Some fit within the palm of a hand. All are works of art, bearing the mantra om mani padme hum that he chisels with quick precision.
In the drizzling rain and under a combination of tarp and large umbrella, a Tibetan is crafting mani stones. Some are tablets the size of a platter. Some fit within the palm of a hand. All are works of art, bearing the mantra om mani padme hum that he chisels with quick precision.
Dalai Lama teachings, Day Two—Buddhist Main Temple, McleodGanj, India; Wednesday, August 31, 2011, daytime
On the morning of Day One (story above), I recorded and transcribed the teachings in which the Dalai Lama spoke in English. Those excerpts are in the style with which the Dalai Lama speaks. For Day Two (this story) and Day Three (story below), I took notes as the translator repeated the Dalai Lama’s message. The teachings from those days represent the translator’s style and interpretation.
To listen to these teachings and other major public appearance by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, go to http://www.dalailama.com/webcasts
To listen to these teachings and other major public appearance by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, go to http://www.dalailama.com/webcasts
On the second day, I sit in the garden courtyard on the lower level, my back against a tree, my legs extended with freedom to stand and walk when I choose. Away from speakers, I can better hear and comprehend the English translation on my solar-powered FM radio. From that vantage point, too, I have a better view of the monks preparing and distributing the noontime rice and dal and children quietly scampering about.
His Holiness teaches: “Through meditation, we overcome delusions of afflictions and reach bhodi or Buddhahood.
“We need to know the goal of what we want to achieve. The goal is enlightenment. We need to know the process. It’s important to know these early, otherwise our actions will be meaningless. It’s important to know the basis or the factors along the path.
“Through understanding of form, we can talk about emptiness. Story: A man who knew the teachings used an example of the ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and features of the head (each one by one) to present the idea of form. A man who didn’t know the teachings said, ‘Why repeat yourself with each facial feature and just talk about the head?’
“Answer: Emptiness is dependent on origin. This is the Law of Causality. Cause is dependent on its effect. Because there is effect—or fruits—we can talk about the cause. Everything is dependent on something else. (Each aspect of the head is dependent on the others.) This is interdependence. Emptiness and form have the same identity.
“Nirvana is overcoming illusions. To reach nirvana, we must follow a systematic path. Our path within Buddhahood is for the benefit of all other sentient beings.
“To follow our path, we must have knowledge and conviction. We must meditate on emptiness. We gain knowledge from study, reflection, and meditation. We use knowledge to reflect and we practice meditation to gain enlightenment.”
To impart this knowledge, the Dalai Lama begins to draw information from Shantideva’s A Guide to the Boddhisattva’s Way of Life. That message includes these excerpts:
“The benefit of Bodhichita is to acquaint the mind with enlightenment through ceremony and by following a lama’s instructions and by showing gratitude to that lama, which leads to more inspiration. Bodhichita can only develop through years and years of study and meditation; it’s not instantaneous.
“First, you must wish to achieve Buddahood. This leads to wanting Bodhichita and generating more effort. Later, with more practice, Bodhichita rises with little effort. Using ceremony is very helpful.
“Be in nature.
“Your body is the only thing you possess. Offer your body to service to all other sentient beings. Think of nothing other than to be of service.
“To harm others is to experience suffering within oneself. We have all harmed others. Therefore, forgive yourself and resolve to harm no more.
“A contaminated body and mind is the effect of karma and delusions. Some experiences in life come from our biology (genetics) and some from our karma (past lives).
“Confession is needed to avoid dying with attachment to ourselves and to negativities. Practice virtuous thoughts throughout your life in order to have virtuous thoughts at the time of death.
“We have a mind and a subtle mind. The subtle mind holds the body after clinical death. There have been instances of Buddhists who died a clinical death but the body did not begin to decay for many days because the subtle mind was still present. In one case, it’s believed that the hands of a holy person moved days after clinical death. Scientists are beginning to pay attention to this phenomenon.
“Buddhists say that the subtle mind doesn’t end, doesn’t die but returns to live within the body of another sentient being. This is the basis of karma.
“To correct deceptions and illusions is to cultivate a positive attitude. Deceptions and illusions are the root of suffering.
“It is impossible to be a believer and also be corrupt. To attempt to do so is to ridicule God.
“It is necessary to be a nurse to the world until everyone is healed.”
His Holiness teaches: “Through meditation, we overcome delusions of afflictions and reach bhodi or Buddhahood.
“We need to know the goal of what we want to achieve. The goal is enlightenment. We need to know the process. It’s important to know these early, otherwise our actions will be meaningless. It’s important to know the basis or the factors along the path.
“Through understanding of form, we can talk about emptiness. Story: A man who knew the teachings used an example of the ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and features of the head (each one by one) to present the idea of form. A man who didn’t know the teachings said, ‘Why repeat yourself with each facial feature and just talk about the head?’
“Answer: Emptiness is dependent on origin. This is the Law of Causality. Cause is dependent on its effect. Because there is effect—or fruits—we can talk about the cause. Everything is dependent on something else. (Each aspect of the head is dependent on the others.) This is interdependence. Emptiness and form have the same identity.
“Nirvana is overcoming illusions. To reach nirvana, we must follow a systematic path. Our path within Buddhahood is for the benefit of all other sentient beings.
“To follow our path, we must have knowledge and conviction. We must meditate on emptiness. We gain knowledge from study, reflection, and meditation. We use knowledge to reflect and we practice meditation to gain enlightenment.”
To impart this knowledge, the Dalai Lama begins to draw information from Shantideva’s A Guide to the Boddhisattva’s Way of Life. That message includes these excerpts:
“The benefit of Bodhichita is to acquaint the mind with enlightenment through ceremony and by following a lama’s instructions and by showing gratitude to that lama, which leads to more inspiration. Bodhichita can only develop through years and years of study and meditation; it’s not instantaneous.
“First, you must wish to achieve Buddahood. This leads to wanting Bodhichita and generating more effort. Later, with more practice, Bodhichita rises with little effort. Using ceremony is very helpful.
“Be in nature.
“Your body is the only thing you possess. Offer your body to service to all other sentient beings. Think of nothing other than to be of service.
“To harm others is to experience suffering within oneself. We have all harmed others. Therefore, forgive yourself and resolve to harm no more.
“A contaminated body and mind is the effect of karma and delusions. Some experiences in life come from our biology (genetics) and some from our karma (past lives).
“Confession is needed to avoid dying with attachment to ourselves and to negativities. Practice virtuous thoughts throughout your life in order to have virtuous thoughts at the time of death.
“We have a mind and a subtle mind. The subtle mind holds the body after clinical death. There have been instances of Buddhists who died a clinical death but the body did not begin to decay for many days because the subtle mind was still present. In one case, it’s believed that the hands of a holy person moved days after clinical death. Scientists are beginning to pay attention to this phenomenon.
“Buddhists say that the subtle mind doesn’t end, doesn’t die but returns to live within the body of another sentient being. This is the basis of karma.
“To correct deceptions and illusions is to cultivate a positive attitude. Deceptions and illusions are the root of suffering.
“It is impossible to be a believer and also be corrupt. To attempt to do so is to ridicule God.
“It is necessary to be a nurse to the world until everyone is healed.”
Dalai Lama teachings, Day Three—Buddhist Main Temple, McleodGanj, India; Thursday, September 1, 2011, morning
On the morning of Day One (story above), I recorded and transcribed the teachings in which the Dalai Lama spoke in English. Those excerpts are in the style with which the Dalai Lama speaks. For Day Two (story above) and Day Three (this story), I took notes as the translator repeated the Dalai Lama’s message. The teachings from those days represent the translator’s style and interpretation.
To listen to these teachings and other major public appearance by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, go to http://www.dalailama.com/webcasts
The basis of today’s teaching is the ceremony for persons taking Bhodichita and Bhodisattva vows.
The Dalai Lama states: “The mind of the Buddha is of emptiness. It is identified by two points: the natural mind and the mind that has overcome disillusion.
“Reawakening is possible. This is the basis of the blessings to be invoked this morning. The initiations are for us to attain enlightenment.
“To take these vows, we must be able to see the needs of all sentient beings. The initiations, therefore, are for the benefit of all.
“Five precepts comprise the vows: Avoid killing. Avoid stealing. Avoid sexual misconduct or rape. Avoid telling lies. Avoid alcohol.
“The first three are also against the (public or common) law and you can go to jail for those crimes. The fourth is particularly important for lamas and teachers who may be tempted, through arrogance or pride, to stretch the truth of their teachings. For the fifth, some people avoiding alcohol to excess might be the first step to avoiding alcohol altogether.
“Whether taking the vows or not, you must abstain from these actions. The vows are a basis of support for the five precepts.
“Those who want to take the vows, raise your hand, stand, and make three prostrations to the Buddha. Think of doing this to the person of the Buddha, not to a statue of him. This creates a relationship between the master and the disciple.
“Trust yourself to take refuge in the Buddha, karma, and sangha. Once you remove negativity, you attain true enlightenment.
“Do this so that all sentient beings have happiness. Have an altruistic mind. Take refuge in the Buddha. Pray to avoid obstacles on your path to enlightenment. Obstacles are negative emotions, attachment to anger, and so on.
“Meditate on emptiness and avoid the sense of 'I.' Then the sense of 'I' will change and become less important.
“The thought ‘I am’ is consciousness. But what is the ‘I’? It does not exist except as what we designate it to be. There’s nothing about the ‘I’ to point to, to identify what the self is. Is the self with the body, mind, or aggregate features? No. We can’t find a self except as what we designate. The self does not exist as it appears. Meditate that the ‘I’ isn’t there, that there’s emptiness. Dissolve yourself into emptiness. There is no distinction.
“The most important is to practice the dharma. Reciting mantras is not as important as reflecting on the meaning of the words. Repeat om mani padme hum at least once each day.”
To listen to these teachings and other major public appearance by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, go to http://www.dalailama.com/webcasts
The basis of today’s teaching is the ceremony for persons taking Bhodichita and Bhodisattva vows.
The Dalai Lama states: “The mind of the Buddha is of emptiness. It is identified by two points: the natural mind and the mind that has overcome disillusion.
“Reawakening is possible. This is the basis of the blessings to be invoked this morning. The initiations are for us to attain enlightenment.
“To take these vows, we must be able to see the needs of all sentient beings. The initiations, therefore, are for the benefit of all.
“Five precepts comprise the vows: Avoid killing. Avoid stealing. Avoid sexual misconduct or rape. Avoid telling lies. Avoid alcohol.
“The first three are also against the (public or common) law and you can go to jail for those crimes. The fourth is particularly important for lamas and teachers who may be tempted, through arrogance or pride, to stretch the truth of their teachings. For the fifth, some people avoiding alcohol to excess might be the first step to avoiding alcohol altogether.
“Whether taking the vows or not, you must abstain from these actions. The vows are a basis of support for the five precepts.
“Those who want to take the vows, raise your hand, stand, and make three prostrations to the Buddha. Think of doing this to the person of the Buddha, not to a statue of him. This creates a relationship between the master and the disciple.
“Trust yourself to take refuge in the Buddha, karma, and sangha. Once you remove negativity, you attain true enlightenment.
“Do this so that all sentient beings have happiness. Have an altruistic mind. Take refuge in the Buddha. Pray to avoid obstacles on your path to enlightenment. Obstacles are negative emotions, attachment to anger, and so on.
“Meditate on emptiness and avoid the sense of 'I.' Then the sense of 'I' will change and become less important.
“The thought ‘I am’ is consciousness. But what is the ‘I’? It does not exist except as what we designate it to be. There’s nothing about the ‘I’ to point to, to identify what the self is. Is the self with the body, mind, or aggregate features? No. We can’t find a self except as what we designate. The self does not exist as it appears. Meditate that the ‘I’ isn’t there, that there’s emptiness. Dissolve yourself into emptiness. There is no distinction.
“The most important is to practice the dharma. Reciting mantras is not as important as reflecting on the meaning of the words. Repeat om mani padme hum at least once each day.”
Conversation with a Tibetan journalist—Central Tibetan Association, Dharamsala, India; Friday, September 9, 2011, afternoon
Having attended the Dalai Lama’s teachings and feeling the benefits of compassion, having observed Tibetans and finding them to be beautiful, friendly people, I want to establish further, deeper connection with officials of Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) of H.H. the Dalai Lama. On the afternoon of his first day back from a trip to Delhi and with very little advance notice, Mr. Thubten Samphel, secretary (principal officer) of the CTA Department of Information and International Relations, grants an interview.
I pose one question to him: “What do you want people of the U.S. to know about Tibet, the Tibetan people, and the Tibetan Government-in-Exile?”
He replies: “The most important fact or issue we are looking at is that the Tibetan people struggle. We’re not anti-China. We’re not anti-Chinese people. The Tibetan people have a great deal of respect for the Chinese civilization, which is so much older than Tibetan civilization.
“What we are discovering again is the wrong policy pursued by the Chinese government—policies that undermine the Tibetan people’s identity, policies that do not accord with deep aspirations of the Tibetan people. This is our basic message to America and to people in China.
“At the same time, we want to say that it is an obligation on the part of the international community to support the Tibetan peoples’ struggles. This obligation arises from the fact the Tibetan people, ever our since our contact with Buddhism, have kept the wisdom of Buddhism in our culture. This wisdom, fundamentally, is based on the ability of every human being to develop or use the tools created by the Buddha to make every human being a happier, more productive individual.
“This message goes beyond the Tibetan people. It goes beyond politics. It goes beyond nationalisms defined by Chinese or Tibetan people. This wisdom includes all. It encompasses how we, as an individual, live our lives. This we have preserved, and that’s why it is very important for the international community help the Tibetan people.”
Weir: “When talking about the relationship that goes beyond government but is people to people, you’re talking about compassion, the heart-to-heart connection we all have, which was the principal message in the Dalai Lama's teachings.”
Samphel: “Buddhism is based on compassion, the ability of every human being to see the other person as a friend, as an ally, as a member of the family and not as a person who competes for scarce resources. … Your American writer Thoreau derived a lot of his inspiration from the Bhavagata and the scripture of Hinduism. I believe Hinduism and Buddhism teach us to live our lives in the cause of nature and to not abuse nature as a means of exploitation.”
Mr. Samphel and I discuss Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. He asks the aspect of Christianity in which I was raised and educated. When I tell him Catholicism, he replies that he was educated at a Scottish-run Presbyterian school in a West Bengali village.
Samphel: “I learned more about God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, Exodus, and Genesis than about Buddha because of my Christian education.”
Our conversation shifts to the people in Tibet.
Samphel: “People in Tibet are suffering. We are all God’s creatures, having this same capacity for happiness, having the same capacity for pain. So we, right now—the people in Tibet—suffer. And that should be put a stop to.”
Weir: “How are the people in Tibet suffering?”
Samphel: You and I are, right now, here talking. Whatever comes to our mind, we talk about. They don’t have this freedom. There's no media freedom. There’s no freedom of expression. If they express their individual opinion, they are put in prison. There’s no freedom to express Tibetan identity. They are ardent believers in God. If they say that in China, they are put in prison.”
Weir: “Are the people suffering physically?”
Samphel: “Physically, yes. In prison, they are being tortured. They express their mental anguish. Just a month ago, two monks, in order to express their unhappiness, both of them drank petrol and tossed petrol on their bodies and set themselves on fire. How desperate can anyone be to express themselves in that kind of act?”
Weir: “Does any good come from that kind of act, that form of martyrdom?”
Samphel, after a long pause: “According to Buddhism, of all the forms of life, having the gift of human life is the most precious. Because of being a human, you have the capacity and ability to be enlightened, to become a Buddha. So to destroy a human life is the worst form of—not sin—but the worst act you can ever do. So by committing suicide, you are, in a way, eliminating some of what you have the potential of being. Suicide is the last issue to never, never resort to, but people do it as a protest.”
Mr. Samphel mentions books he has written, including a fiction novel, Falling Through the Roof, about a group of Delhi University students who decide to form the Tibetan Communist Party and liberate Tibet. This storyline serves as a backdrop for presentation of the "Tibetan Word" (Tibetan alphabet) that, according to a review, “enabled the Tibetan people to take in the whole of the wisdom of ancient India.”
Mr. Samphel also speaks of many NGOs, based in Dharamsala, that, in various ways, support the Tibetan people as well as their educational, medical, and cultural centers.
He gives to me five small books on international development projects and sustainable development in Tibet, teachings of the Buddhist Middle Way Policy, and the history of Tibetans, Manchurians, and Mongols on the Eurasian continent.
When I ask him to summarize the message in these historical volumes, he provides an explanation of the relationship between Buddhists and Manchus, including Genghis Khan, that extends to the 1600s with highlights about the First, Third, and Fifth Dalai Lamas. His knowledge is thorough, insightful, and significant for today …
… because on August 8, 2011, Tenzin Gyatso, the current Fourteenth Dalai Lama officially handed the temporal leadership of the Tibetan people over to Lobsang Sangay, a Tibetan refugee, legal scholar, and political activist who, earlier this year, was elected by Tibetans around the world as the next Kalon Tripa (equivalent to Prime Minister) of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile.
This move was big news in American media in July when His Holiness was in Washington, D.C., for the Kalachakra initiations. And for good reason. In 1653, the Mongol chief Gushi Khan reconquered and reunited Tibet and then offered this nation to the Fifth Great Dalai Lama in gratitude for his teachings and those of his four predecessors. Since then, the reigning Dalai Lama has been both the spiritual leader of Buddhists and the temporal leader of the Tibetan people.
The Dalai Lama’s decision, just one month and a day prior to this conversation with Mr. Samphel, marks the end of that 358-year distinction. But it’s a decision that has been in process for years, says Mr. Samphel. His Holiness has repeatedly affirmed that restoring a purely spiritual role to the office of the Dalai Lama will “benefit Tibetans in the long run.”
I pose one question to him: “What do you want people of the U.S. to know about Tibet, the Tibetan people, and the Tibetan Government-in-Exile?”
He replies: “The most important fact or issue we are looking at is that the Tibetan people struggle. We’re not anti-China. We’re not anti-Chinese people. The Tibetan people have a great deal of respect for the Chinese civilization, which is so much older than Tibetan civilization.
“What we are discovering again is the wrong policy pursued by the Chinese government—policies that undermine the Tibetan people’s identity, policies that do not accord with deep aspirations of the Tibetan people. This is our basic message to America and to people in China.
“At the same time, we want to say that it is an obligation on the part of the international community to support the Tibetan peoples’ struggles. This obligation arises from the fact the Tibetan people, ever our since our contact with Buddhism, have kept the wisdom of Buddhism in our culture. This wisdom, fundamentally, is based on the ability of every human being to develop or use the tools created by the Buddha to make every human being a happier, more productive individual.
“This message goes beyond the Tibetan people. It goes beyond politics. It goes beyond nationalisms defined by Chinese or Tibetan people. This wisdom includes all. It encompasses how we, as an individual, live our lives. This we have preserved, and that’s why it is very important for the international community help the Tibetan people.”
Weir: “When talking about the relationship that goes beyond government but is people to people, you’re talking about compassion, the heart-to-heart connection we all have, which was the principal message in the Dalai Lama's teachings.”
Samphel: “Buddhism is based on compassion, the ability of every human being to see the other person as a friend, as an ally, as a member of the family and not as a person who competes for scarce resources. … Your American writer Thoreau derived a lot of his inspiration from the Bhavagata and the scripture of Hinduism. I believe Hinduism and Buddhism teach us to live our lives in the cause of nature and to not abuse nature as a means of exploitation.”
Mr. Samphel and I discuss Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. He asks the aspect of Christianity in which I was raised and educated. When I tell him Catholicism, he replies that he was educated at a Scottish-run Presbyterian school in a West Bengali village.
Samphel: “I learned more about God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, Exodus, and Genesis than about Buddha because of my Christian education.”
Our conversation shifts to the people in Tibet.
Samphel: “People in Tibet are suffering. We are all God’s creatures, having this same capacity for happiness, having the same capacity for pain. So we, right now—the people in Tibet—suffer. And that should be put a stop to.”
Weir: “How are the people in Tibet suffering?”
Samphel: You and I are, right now, here talking. Whatever comes to our mind, we talk about. They don’t have this freedom. There's no media freedom. There’s no freedom of expression. If they express their individual opinion, they are put in prison. There’s no freedom to express Tibetan identity. They are ardent believers in God. If they say that in China, they are put in prison.”
Weir: “Are the people suffering physically?”
Samphel: “Physically, yes. In prison, they are being tortured. They express their mental anguish. Just a month ago, two monks, in order to express their unhappiness, both of them drank petrol and tossed petrol on their bodies and set themselves on fire. How desperate can anyone be to express themselves in that kind of act?”
Weir: “Does any good come from that kind of act, that form of martyrdom?”
Samphel, after a long pause: “According to Buddhism, of all the forms of life, having the gift of human life is the most precious. Because of being a human, you have the capacity and ability to be enlightened, to become a Buddha. So to destroy a human life is the worst form of—not sin—but the worst act you can ever do. So by committing suicide, you are, in a way, eliminating some of what you have the potential of being. Suicide is the last issue to never, never resort to, but people do it as a protest.”
Mr. Samphel mentions books he has written, including a fiction novel, Falling Through the Roof, about a group of Delhi University students who decide to form the Tibetan Communist Party and liberate Tibet. This storyline serves as a backdrop for presentation of the "Tibetan Word" (Tibetan alphabet) that, according to a review, “enabled the Tibetan people to take in the whole of the wisdom of ancient India.”
Mr. Samphel also speaks of many NGOs, based in Dharamsala, that, in various ways, support the Tibetan people as well as their educational, medical, and cultural centers.
He gives to me five small books on international development projects and sustainable development in Tibet, teachings of the Buddhist Middle Way Policy, and the history of Tibetans, Manchurians, and Mongols on the Eurasian continent.
When I ask him to summarize the message in these historical volumes, he provides an explanation of the relationship between Buddhists and Manchus, including Genghis Khan, that extends to the 1600s with highlights about the First, Third, and Fifth Dalai Lamas. His knowledge is thorough, insightful, and significant for today …
… because on August 8, 2011, Tenzin Gyatso, the current Fourteenth Dalai Lama officially handed the temporal leadership of the Tibetan people over to Lobsang Sangay, a Tibetan refugee, legal scholar, and political activist who, earlier this year, was elected by Tibetans around the world as the next Kalon Tripa (equivalent to Prime Minister) of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile.
This move was big news in American media in July when His Holiness was in Washington, D.C., for the Kalachakra initiations. And for good reason. In 1653, the Mongol chief Gushi Khan reconquered and reunited Tibet and then offered this nation to the Fifth Great Dalai Lama in gratitude for his teachings and those of his four predecessors. Since then, the reigning Dalai Lama has been both the spiritual leader of Buddhists and the temporal leader of the Tibetan people.
The Dalai Lama’s decision, just one month and a day prior to this conversation with Mr. Samphel, marks the end of that 358-year distinction. But it’s a decision that has been in process for years, says Mr. Samphel. His Holiness has repeatedly affirmed that restoring a purely spiritual role to the office of the Dalai Lama will “benefit Tibetans in the long run.”
Lobsang Choedak, press officer for the Central Tibetan Administration, writer and traveler Robert Weir, and Thubten Samphel, secretary for the Central Tibetan Administration in Mr. Samphel's office.
As secretary of the Department of Information and International Relations for the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) of H.H. the Dalai Lama, Thubten Samphel supervises production of news regarding the people of Tibet. His department maintains a web site in both Tibetan and Chinese languages: www.tibet.net.
The department also broadcasts Tibet Television 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in Dharamsala. They publish magazines and books. And they operate Tibet Online, another web site that presents the teachings of the Buddha and important policy announcements in Tibetan and English languages: www.tibet.org.
The Central Tibetan Administration is also known as the Tibetan Government-in-Exile.
The Dalai Lama's web site is www.dalailama.com.
Press officer Lobsang Choedak provided my media pass, which allowed my photographic privileges during the Dalai Lama's teachings.
As secretary of the Department of Information and International Relations for the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) of H.H. the Dalai Lama, Thubten Samphel supervises production of news regarding the people of Tibet. His department maintains a web site in both Tibetan and Chinese languages: www.tibet.net.
The department also broadcasts Tibet Television 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in Dharamsala. They publish magazines and books. And they operate Tibet Online, another web site that presents the teachings of the Buddha and important policy announcements in Tibetan and English languages: www.tibet.org.
The Central Tibetan Administration is also known as the Tibetan Government-in-Exile.
The Dalai Lama's web site is www.dalailama.com.
Press officer Lobsang Choedak provided my media pass, which allowed my photographic privileges during the Dalai Lama's teachings.