DHARAMSALA, September 5: Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama today concluded the two and half day teachings on A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life by Shanti Deva.
The teachings were given on the request of a group of Southeast Asians associated with the Tibetan Buddhist Centre based in Singapore.
The Tibetan leader, after the teachings and initiation, accepted a shortened version of the Tenshug or the Long Life Offering Ceremony.
Reiterating his stance on Tibet, the Tibetan leader who devolved all his political powers in the Tibetan charter to an elected leadership said while answering a question in a post teaching interactive session, “I am not seeking independence. The world knows that.” The post teaching question and answer session was barred for the media but was broadcast live on the local TV channel Tibetonline TV run by the Tibetan government in exile.
“Chinese communist leaders call me demon but I don’t react because I don’t care about what they call me. Reacting to that will create more conflicts. So I ignore,” said the Tibetan leader to a giggling audience.
His Holiness said that his devotees should not expect any healing power from him. “I don’t have any healing power, instead I need some healing for my itching problem here,” the Nobel Laureate said pointing to a spot behind his neck.
His Holiness will leave for a ten day tour of Europe beginning September 9 in Latvia. His Holiness will also visit Czech Republic, Lithuania and Germany during which he will give public talks and teachings. The Tibetan leader will also participate in a Human Rights Forum in Prague alongside Burmese democracy icon and fellow Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. The Human Rights Forum was started by the late Czech President and Velvet Revolution icon Vaclav Havel and American Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel in 1997.
