By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, September 10: The Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama concluded the four-day teaching for the group of Southeast Asians at Tsuglakhang on Thursday.
His Holiness ended the day’s teaching with Gyalsey Thokme Sangpo’s The Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas (laklen sodunma) and the ceremony of generation of Bodhichitta (Jangchup Sempa).
“Even if it is hard, you need to put in lots of effort in cultivating Bodhichitta and train your mind. If you could generate Bodhichitta in front of a spiritual teacher, it will help in keeping the essence afresh in your mind. If you cultivate Bodhichitta on daily basis, you can yield more benefit,” said the Dalai Lama.
He asked his disciples to dedicate all their accumulated merits as an offering to the Buddha for the benefit of all sentient beings. “Regret and confess to him of all the negative actions and deeds towards others. Subsequently, visualize him forgiving you and generating Bodhichitta in you for the benefit of all sentient beings,” the Tibetan leader added.
During the teaching, the Tibetan spiritual leader clarified that Tibetan Buddhism is not Lamaism and underlined that all the Buddhist scholars who came to Tibet were from the great Nalanda University in India.
“All the four major sects of Tibetan Buddhism, Kadampa and Jhonang have their roots in the great scholars of Nalanda University and the Kangyur and Tengyur (teachings of Buddha and its commentaries). Therefore, Lamaism is a wrong designation for Tibetan Buddhism,” he clarified.
Taking cue from Aryadeva’s Four Hundred Verse, he said, “‘No martyr died happily after killing all of his enemies.’ It is true. How much ever you may kill, there is no peace in the ‘I win, you lose’ mentality.” On the eve of the 9/11 Anniversary today, the Dalai Lama recalled the tragedy and his suggestion to the then US President George W Bush to find a solution through peace.
He said, “His good intentions of bring democracy in Iraq were done in by the usage of violence to get the desired result, which had led to the continuous problems until today.”
He also mentioned the saddening situation in the Middle East, conflicts between Israel and Palestine and the refugee exodus in Europe from Syria, where thousands of innocent lives are lost.
However, the day ended on happy note with the devotees from Vietnam offering the Tibetan leader who turned 80 in July a big cake while singing birthday wishes in unison.
