{"id":11514,"date":"2017-09-02T10:43:20","date_gmt":"2017-09-02T08:43:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sangye.it\/dalailamanews\/?p=11514"},"modified":"2017-09-09T10:54:16","modified_gmt":"2017-09-09T08:54:16","slug":"final-day-of-buddhapalita-teachings-for-se-asians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/dalailamanews\/?p=11514","title":{"rendered":"Final Day of \u2018Buddhapalita\u2019 Teachings for SE Asians"},"content":{"rendered":"
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking on the final day of his teaching for SE Asians at the Tsuglagkhang in Dharamsala, HP, India on September 1, 2017. Photo by Tenzin Choejor\/OHHDL<\/p><\/div>\n

Thekchen Ch\u00f6ling, Dharamsala, HP, India – His Holiness the Dalai Lama\u2019s throne and the pillars of the Tsuglagkhang were decorated with garlands of marigolds today in celebration of his conducting a ceremony to generate the awakening mind of bodhichitta. Once His Holiness had arrived and taken his seat, a small group of laypeople sitting before him recited the \u2018Heart of Wisdom Sutra\u2019, for the first time in this temple, in Indonesian. The Sutra was then recited again in graceful English by a single Singaporean nun.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As is his custom, His Holiness, chanting in Tibetan, repeated the \u2018Praise for the Perfection Wisdom\u2019, the verse of homage from \u2018Ornament for Clear Realizations\u2019, and the verse of salutation from Nagarjuna\u2019s \u2018Fundamental Wisdom\u2019:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I prostrate to the perfect Buddha,
\nThe best of all teachers, who taught that
\nThat which is a dependent origination is
\nWithout cessation, without arising;
\nWithout annihilation, without permanence;
\nWithout coming; without going;
\nWithout distinction, without identity
\nAnd peaceful\u2014free from fabrications.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cToday is the last day of our teachings on this occasion,\u201d His Holiness declared, \u201cand we\u2019ll be mainly concerned with the bodhichitta ceremony.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe purpose of the Dharma\u2014and of all religious teaching\u2014is to find happiness. Both happiness and unhappiness have their roots in our minds. And just as we need to observe physical hygiene to stay well, we need to understand the workings of the mind and maintain emotional hygiene if we want to be happy.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaitreya said the practice that closes off the lower realms of existence is bodhichitta. Harming others is the cause of birth in such realms and when we have bodhichitta we restrain ourselves. Whereas Hearers avoid disturbing emotions and their results in order to reach the peace of nirvana, Bodhisattvas aim for enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. They cultivate wisdom understanding reality and the nature of things and take responsibility for accomplishing the welfare of others.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

His Holiness quoted a verse from Shantideva\u2019s \u2018Guide to the Bodhisattva\u2019s Way of Life\u2019:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If I do not actually exchange my happiness
\nFor the, sufferings of others,
\nI shall not attain the state of Buddhahood
\nAnd even in cyclic existence shall have no joy.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cDriven by extreme self-centred attitudes we\u2019re dogged by misfortune, including birth in the lower realms of existence. On the other hand cultivating the awakening mind of bodhichitta brings about temporary and ultimate happiness. Nevertheless, warm-heartedness brings benefit whether we are religious or not. In his \u2018Song of Experience\u2019 Je Tsongkhapa described bodhichitta like this:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGenerating the mind (of bodhichitta) is the central axis of the path of the supreme vehicle;
\nIt\u2019s the foundation and the support of all expansive deeds;
\nIn all instances of the two accumulations it is like a golden elixir;
\nIt is a treasury of merit containing myriad collections of virtues;
\nRecognizing these truths the heroic bodhisattvas
\nUphold this precious supreme mind as the heart of their practice.
\nI, a yogi, have practised in this way;
\nYou, who aspire for liberation, should do likewise.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

His Holiness remarked that while those who exploit, cheat and bully others are uneasy, the warm-hearted have good health and live in peace. He noted that bodhichitta must be complemented by an understanding of emptiness and that it is important to actually develop them within ourselves.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In his \u2018Precious Garland\u2019, Nagarjuna outlines practices that give rise to high status, or good rebirth, and definite goodness, or enlightenment. Buddhahood is not easily attained in one life; it requires practice, step by step over an extensive period of time. Nagarjuna lays out what to do:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Not killing, not stealing,
\nForsaking the mates of others,
\nRefraining completely from false,
\nDivisive, harsh, and senseless speech,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Thoroughly forsaking covetousness, harmful intent,
\nAnd the views of Nihilists\u2014
\nThese are the ten gleaming paths of action;
\nTheir opposites are dark.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Not drinking intoxicants, a good livelihood,
\nNon-harming, respectful giving,
\nHonouring the honourable, and love\u2014
\nPractice in brief is that.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

His Holiness repeated that the way to make life meaningful is to develop a warm heart. He observed that when a doctor recommends we relax and take things easy, they don\u2019t mean we should just be physically relaxed\u2014they mean that our minds should be at ease as well.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll religious traditions value and commend warm-heartedness,\u201d he remarked. \u201cEven animals respond to displays of genuine affection. Whatever work you do you can use it to help others\u2014and both they and you will benefit. The point is to cultivate warm-heartedness on a daily basis\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

His Holiness then conducted a formal rite for generating the awakening mind of bodhichitta. It was briefly interrupted when a member of the audience had an epileptic seizure. Two physicians attended him and he was soon fully recovered.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As the session came to a close, arrangements were made for all 1500 members of the Asian Buddhists to gather in smaller groups around His Holiness, who remained seated on the throne, to have their photographs taken with him. He remarked that he had wondered whether he might be able to read the seventh chapter of Buddhapalita\u2019s treatise, but time had run out. \u201cWe\u2019ll continue to read it in the coming years,\u201d he said. https:\/\/www.dalailama.com\/news\/2017\/final-day-of-buddhapalita-teachings-for-se-asians<\/a> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thekchen Ch\u00f6ling, Dharamsala, HP, India – His Holiness the Dalai Lama\u2019s throne and the pillars of the Tsuglagkhang were decorated with garlands of marigolds today in celebration of his conducting a ceremony to generate the awakening mind of bodhichitta. Once His Holiness had arrived and taken his seat, a small group of laypeople sitting before […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/dalailamanews\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11514"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/dalailamanews\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/dalailamanews\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/dalailamanews\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/dalailamanews\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11514"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/dalailamanews\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11516,"href":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/dalailamanews\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11514\/revisions\/11516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/dalailamanews\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/dalailamanews\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/dalailamanews\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}