His Holiness the Dalai Lama reciting prayers and praises in front to the stupa in Sankisa, UP, India on January 30, 2015. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

Arrival in Sankisa

His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived in Sankisa this morning after a short flight from Delhi to Farrukhabad airport, where he was received by Mr Alok Kumar Shakya, UP State Minister for Technical Education. Under clear blue skies a cool breeze stirred the fresh air as the sun shone bright and warm. His Holiness came directly to the sacred site, marked by the remains of the elephant capital of the Ashokan pillar, which now stands under a canopy near a hillock that is regarded as the ruins of a stupa.

His Holiness was welcomed to Sankisa by Mr Suresh Chandra Bauddha, President of Young Buddhists Society (YBS) India, Mr Alok Kumar Shakya, the DC and SP of Farrukhabad District and members of the organizing committee. Greeting friends in the orderly crowd His Holiness walked to the foot of the stupa and made three prostrations before taking his seat in a large armchair.

Accompanied by monks from Namgyal Monastery he immediately began to recite prayers and praises to the Buddha that included the ‘Heart Sutra’, Salutations from ‘Ornament for Clear Realization’ and ‘Fundamental Wisdom’, the Cloud of Offerings dharani, the Samantabhadra Prayer, Je Tsongkhapa’s Praise to the Buddha for Teaching Dependent Arising, the Praise to the Seventeen Masters of Nalanda, and the Essence of Dependent Arising dharani, Verses of Auspiciousness Related to the Three Jewels and the ‘Sage’s Harmonious Song of Truth’, a Prayer for the Inclusive Flourishing of the Teachings of the Buddha. At the conclusion of the prayers the offered fruit and sweetmeats were distributed among the crowd. Read the rest of this entry »

His Holiness the Dalai Lama answering questions from the audience during his talk at University of Delhi's Kalindi College in New Delhi, India on January 28, 2015. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

Basic Human Nature is Compassion: His Holiness the Dalai Lama Talks to Students at Kalindi College

As his nearly month-long winter sojourn in Delhi draws to a close, His Holiness the Dalai Lama left the Tibetan Youth Hostel for his final big public talk in the capital city, headed for Kalindi College, one of the women’s colleges of the University of Delhi.

The Principal and Vice Principal of Kalindi College received His Holiness and first invited him for morning tea, where they discussed gender equality in education. They were joined by Dr Prof. Dinesh Singh, University of  Delhi Vice Chancellor, before His Holiness was led to the stage by a contingent of marching National Cadet Corps members in uniform. He paused briefly along the way to inaugurate the college’s newly renovated auditorium, before greeting an audience of over 2000 students and staff from various University of Delhi colleges.

Dr Anula Maurya, Principal of Kalindi College, first introduced His Holiness with an account of his life, and summed up by saying, “His Holiness is a spiritual, scientific and scholastic leader whom the students must look up to and emulate.” The Vice Chancellor spoke next, observing “Education is nothing if it’s devoid of compassion.” He urged the students: “Pay heed to His Holiness’s words and follow in his footsteps.”

“Respected elder and younger brothers and sisters,” His Holiness began, explaining that he addresses us in this way to strike home his belief in the sameness of all human beings no matter what our educational, social, professional or family background may be, which are merely secondary differences. He stated that the theme of today’s talk would be compassion, which is our basic feeling oriented towards our fellow humans for their human condition of suffering. Read the rest of this entry »

His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking at DAV School in Sahibabad, UP, India on January 27,2015. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

India’s Unique Secularism is the Basis of Non-violence and Religious Harmony

The winter sun was out when His Holiness left his residence at the Tibetan Youth Hostel in Rohini, Delhi, at around a quarter to eight. He paused to wish ‘good morning’ to some of the Tibetan students residing at the Hostel, before leaving for Dayanand Anglo Vedic School (DAV) in Sahibabad, Ghaziabad district in Uttar Pradesh.

The school’s Principal and other administrators warmly received His Holiness and slowly escorted him to the ground where an audience of over 3000 people awaited him, comprising excited students and staff of DAV school together with other Principals and guests. As the heads of the DAV school led him through a building with nursery classrooms, he peeked inside and walked into three of them to greet the young children. Throughout the length of the ground, every step of the way His Holiness greeted the children, who were excited to shake hands with him or just to touch him.

Once on stage, His Holiness waved to the crowd and greeted the school band with folded hands. After a brief flower offering ceremony Mr AK Sharma, the Chairperson of the DAV school network, expressed that it was thoughtful of the school to seize the opportunity to listen to someone who has “contributed to peace and knowledge” worldwide. Their schools were founded by Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati on the ethos of the teachings of the Vedas, Mr Sharma explained, and they welcomed the chance for the students to hear His Holiness’s wisdom on life.
“Dear elder and younger brothers and sisters” His Holiness began, expressing his pleasure for the chance to interact with young Indians once again. “India is the most populated democratic nation in the world and has a long history. It has produced great many thinkers who could be called ‘ancient scientists’ for their thorough investigation into the nature of things. Some of these masters,” His Holiness remarked, “already discovered the concept of quantum physics over 2000 years ago!” Read the rest of this entry »

His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking to students and staff living at the Tibetan Youth Hostel in New Delhi, India on January 25, 2015. Photo/Tenzin Jamphel/OHHDL

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Speaks to Tibetan Students in Delhi

New Delhi, India, January 25, 2015 – Today, at 9 o’clock in the morning His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave a short talk to about 300 students and staff residing at the Tibetan Youth Hostel in Rohini, Delhi. He was introduced by Mrs Tsering Dolma, Director of the Tibetan Youth Hostel, who first offered His Holiness a traditional white scarf.
His Holiness began by saying, “Wherever I go, I always emphasise that myself and the audience are the same in being human. If I present myself as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, it distances me from you as there is only one Dalai Lama in the whole world. But all 7 billion people are the same: we have the same intelligence and potential for love and compassion. We were born from our mothers who breastfed us and we will die the same way.”

His Holiness further expressed that all 7 billion people are the same in not wanting suffering but instead wanting happiness, and that we have the same right to achieve this goal. “As Tibetans” he said, “if you regard me as Gyalwa Rinpoche, the Precious Triumphant One, someone special, then you cannot see me being the same as you. But as Tibetans we are the same.”

His Holiness then presented a sweeping account of Tibetan history, which, based on solid archaeological findings of human bodies and implements, identifies the origin of Tibetan race in the Stone Age—or at least 30 thousand years ago. He expressed how he felt proud of the Tibetan writing system that enables Tibetans to preserve our religion and cultural traditions on a firm historical platform for posterity. This is unlike some cultures indigenous to Latin America which have no script of their own, and His Holiness has advised these peoples to devise some romanised writing system as many others have done. Read the rest of this entry »

His Holiness the Dalai Lama answering questions from the audience during his talk at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India on January 20, 2015. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Speaks to the Medical Staff at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi

New Delhi, India, 20 January 2015 – In response to an invitation from the Director Dr Prof HK Kar and members of the faculty, His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital today. Formerly known as the Willingdon Hospital, it was originally founded in the early 20th century during the British Raj to treat government staff. His Holiness was received on arrival by the Director who escorted him to a packed auditorium where more than 400 doctors, nurses and other medical staff were waiting to listen to him.

Following Dr Kar’s introduction, His Holiness said it was a great honour for him to have the opportunity of speaking to doctors, nurses and other staff who devote their lives to looking after the sick and needy. In his remarks on the theme  “Compassion and Ethics” he stressed the importance of inner values, of having a good motivation in whatever you do and the necessity of creating an awareness of secular ethics. He referred to his own commitments to spreading awareness of human values and inter-religious harmony.

“We are all the same, physically mentally and emotionally,” he told his audience. “We all want happiness just like other animals. And we all have a right to live a happy life. However, what differentiates us from animals is our intelligence. Our intelligence and our more powerful brains give us the potential to make others happy besides ourselves. And yet, when we use our intelligence in negative or destructive ways, we create problems such as the organized or mechanized violence that is war. This is why we need to use our intelligence more positively and see ourselves as just as one among seven billion other human beings. Read the rest of this entry »

His Holiness the Dalai Lama answering questions from the audience during his talk at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, India on January 20, 2015. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Speaks to the Medical Staff at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi

New Delhi, India, 20 January 2015 – In response to an invitation from the Director Dr Prof HK Kar and members of the faculty, His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital today. Formerly known as the Willingdon Hospital, it was originally founded in the early 20th century during the British Raj to treat government staff. His Holiness was received on arrival by the Director who escorted him to a packed auditorium where more than 400 doctors, nurses and other medical staff were waiting to listen to him.

Following Dr Kar’s introduction, His Holiness said it was a great honour for him to have the opportunity of speaking to doctors, nurses and other staff who devote their lives to looking after the sick and needy. In his remarks on the theme  “Compassion and Ethics” he stressed the importance of inner values, of having a good motivation in whatever you do and the necessity of creating an awareness of secular ethics. He referred to his own commitments to spreading awareness of human values and inter-religious harmony. Read the rest of this entry »

The Lotus Temple, venue for His Holiness the Dalai Lama's talk in New Delhi, India on January 16, 2015.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Talk on Peace and Compassion at the Baha’i Lotus Temple

New Delhi, India, 16 January 2015 – This morning His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave a talk on Peace and Compassion and attended a prayer gathering at the Baha’i House of Worship in Baharpur, commonly known as the Lotus Temple. The Baha’i Faith was founded by Bahá’u’lláh more than a century ago in Iran teaching the oneness of God, the oneness of the human family, and the oneness of religion.

His Holiness was warmly received by Ms. Nazneen Rowhani, the General Secretary of Baha’i Faith in India and Ambassador Ashok Sajjanhar, Secretary of the National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH).

Ms. Rowhani introduced His Holiness to an audience that included students from 14 different schools in Delhi, diplomats, school principals, and other guests as the light that beckons unity of all spiritual traditions.

“I usually don’t like formality,” His Holiness began, “because we are all the same mentally, emotionally and physically. All of us have problems, physical and mental. No one is without problems. However, education enables us to view our problems from a wider perspective so we can deal with them.” Read the rest of this entry »

Sua Santità il Dalai Lama: «Penso che l’ira, l’aggressività, la rabbia, siano il prodotto di una mente nevrotica, infelice. Sentimenti negativi che a livello individuale ostacolano la crescita interiore dell’individuo e a livello sociale sono sempre forieri di sviluppi negativi e drammatici».

Dalai Lama: “Compassione unica via contro la rovina collettiva”

Rabbia, aggressività, ira sono il prodotto di menti nevrotiche e infelici. A livello sociale portano 
a effetti drammatici. Il Dalai Lama spiega la via buddista alla pace mondiale.

di Tenzin Gyatso, 15 gennaio 2015

In quella fredda mattina del 10 dicembre 1989, il Dalai Lama pronunciava il suo discorso di accettazione del Premio Nobel per la Pace nel silenzio raccolto e rispettoso del Re Olaf di Norvegia e delle altre autorità presenti. Tutti ascoltavano le parole di “Kundun”: la Presenza, come i tibetani chiamano il Dalai Lama. L’atmosfera era così intensa da far intuire che quell’uomo, allora quasi sconosciuto fuori dalla regione tibeto-himalayana, avesse imboccato una strada che lo avrebbe portato in breve tempo a divenire un’icona del pensiero contemporaneo e un testimone della nostra epoca. Ma di fronte a tante attenzioni, quel giorno e negli anni successivi, lui ha sempre risposto così: «Sono un semplice monaco buddhista proveniente dal Tibet che segue con profonda convinzione un modo di vita spirituale: il nobile sentiero del Buddha la cui essenza è l’unione della saggezza e della compassione universale». Ecco, la Compassione Universale. Questa è la chiave di volta per comprendere il cuore del messaggio del Dalai Lama. Non si tratta però di una compassione leziosa, di un facile e generico pietismo. Né è una dichiarazione di intenti idealistica e astratta. La compassione di cui parla questo “semplice monaco buddista” è invece una reale attitudine che può e deve essere in grado di orientare l’intera esistenza dell’essere umano. Una disposizione che si nutre di stati mentali, raggiunti principalmente attraverso la pratica della meditazione, in cui le tensioni interiori sono placate, la mente è calma e si è raggiunta una duratura serenità interiore. Qualità che ci aiuteranno sempre ma che si riveleranno indispensabili soprattutto nei momenti più difficili della nostra esistenza. Read the rest of this entry »

His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking at Presidency University in Kolkata, W. Bengal, India on January 13, 2015. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

Explaining a Human Approach to World Peace at Presidency University

Kolkata, West Bengal, India, 14 January 2015 – This morning, Ms Anuradha Lohia, Vice Chancellor of the Presidency University, and Mr Debajyoti Konar, the Registrar, received His Holiness the Dalai Lama as he arrived at the University and escorted him to the University’s Derozio Hall. The West Bengal Minister of State for Education, Mr Partha Chatterjee joined His Holiness and the Vice Chancellor on the stage.

The Vice Chancellor offered both guests a bouquet of flowers, a shawl and a framed photograph of the University before introducing His Holiness to the faculty, students and other guests in the audience. She began by remarking: “We have an epitome of peace amongst us today.” She recounted the University’s proud contribution to education in India since its foundation nearly 200 years ago and mentioned the thinkers, freedom fighters and leaders numbered amongst its alumni. Before inviting him to address the gathering she described His Holiness as being extraordinarily human while at the same time an evident embodiment of wisdom and compassion.

“Elder brothers and sisters, and younger brothers and sisters,” he began, “it is indeed a great honour for me to speak here at the oldest of modern Indian educational institutions”

Read the rest of this entry »

His Holiness the Dalai Lama lighting a candle at the tomb of Mother Teresa during his visit to Missionaries of Charity's Mother House in Kolkata, West Bengal, India on January 12, 2015. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Calls on the Missionaries of Charity

Kolkata, W. Bengal, India, 13 January 2015 – It was a cold, overcast morning today as His Holiness the Dalai Lama drove to the airport in Delhi to fly to Kolkata. He was warmly received on arrival at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport and driven into the city.
His Holiness’s first meeting was with a group of 150 Tibetans doing business in Kolkata, including some 30 Muslims from Srinagar. He thanked them all for coming to see him and recalled an episode from his childhood in Lhasa when a pocket watch that had belonged to the 13th Dalai Lama needed to be fixed. A watchmaker from the Tibetan Muslim community came to repair it and as he handed it back to the young Dalai Lama solemnly warned: “The owner of a pocket watch should be as careful as someone with an egg in his pocket”. Everyone laughed.
His Holiness was full of praise for the way the Tibetan Muslims in Kashmir have kept the Tibetan language alive in their community even after nearly 56 years in exile. He expressed his admiration for the elder generation’s efforts to ensure that the young still speak Tibetan fluently. He told them that he cites them as an example when he talks to Tibetans who have settled in the West, some of whom only speak English with their children. His Holiness recalled that, perhaps as a result of famine in Ladakh, Muslims began to settle in Lhasa during the time of the 5th Dalai Lama. He allotted them land on which to construct a Mosque and they began to make their homes around it. Read the rest of this entry »

His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Interview with His Holiness the Dalai Lama by Raimondo Bultrini.

In the interview, His Holiness answers questions on his South African Nobel Peace Prize snub, contemporary India, religious and secular ethics, and the institution of the Dalai Lamas. He also speaks on the relationship with China, the preservation of Tibetan culture, and at length on the Shugden issue and the possibility of dialogue.

Below are answers to questions from Raimondo Bultrini to the Dalai Lama in an interview conducted in the run up to his Rome visit in December, 2014. The content provided all the information for a shorter interview published in La Repubblica, entitled: “Papa e Dalai agli occhi di Pechino”, [Dec. 14, 2014] (Engl. transl.)

Q: Your Holiness will be coming to Rome, where the Secretariat of World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates is based, for a meeting that was originally to take place in South Africa to honour the Nobel Laureate Nelson Mandela. When the Pretoria government refused to grant you a visa because of pressure from the Chinese other Nobel Laureates expressed solidarity with you and boycotted the meeting in South Africa. Do you feel any anger at the injustice of this, or perhaps pride in the support you’ve received?

HHDL: I don’t feel angry about it. I’ve become used to this kind of thing. The two Nobel laureates from South Africa sent me an invitation and, naturally, I accepted. Read the rest of this entry »

Members of the Indo-Tibetan Mangal Maitri Sangh welcoming His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his arrival at the airport in Nashik, Maharashtra, India on January 3, 2015. Photo/Jeremy Russell/OHHDL

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Leaves Surat and Travels to Nashik

Nashik, Maharashtra, India, 4 January 2015 – Prior to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s departure, his host Mr Govind Dholakia came with his family to thank him once more for coming to Surat. His Holiness thanked him in turn and encouraged him to keep up his good work, his philanthropy as well as his business.

There was some turbulence on the flight from Surat and on arrival at Nashik the weather was unexpectedly misty and overcast. Having been received at the airport by representatives of the Indo-Tibetan Mangal Maitri Sangh, His Holiness drove into the city where a gathering, estimated to number more than 4500, Tibetans and Indians, waited patiently to hear him. He joined Burmese, Indian and Sri Lankan Buddhist monks and Christian priests on the stage and began by asking for a show of hands to see how many listeners needed a Hindi translation, which was about half the audience. Dispensing with further formality he began: “Brothers and sisters I am here again because some of you have invited me. I am very happy to be with you once more. I can see the organizers have put a lot of work into making the arrangements and I’m grateful. Wherever I speak I think about how we are all the same as human being, all 7 billion of us. We all have the potential to good and to do harm, so our important task, if we want to live a happy life, is to reduce the negative and increase the positive in what we do. Read the rest of this entry »

His Holiness the Dalai Lama with young journalists during their meeting in Surat, Gujarat, India on January 2, 2015. Photo/Jeremy Russell/OHHDL

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Recipient of the Santokbaa Award

Surat, Gujarat, India, 2 January 2015 – Before leaving his hotel to receive the Santokbaa Award today, His Holiness the Dalai Lama briefly met with the media. He outlined his commitments to promoting human values and inter-religious harmony, to encouraging a sense of the oneness of humanity and our need to think in terms of global responsibility. He suggested that generating awareness of India’s thousands of years old values is something the media can participate in too. He also acknowledged that as a Tibetan he feels driven to preserve the culture of peace, compassion and non-violence that Tibet derived from India.

The initial question sought His Holiness’s views on religious conversion and he clarified that if it is voluntary he accepts it and cited the cases of people in Tibet who converted to Islam as a result of marriage and so forth. He stressed that the idea that there is only one faith and one truth may hold good for the individual, but in terms of the community, it is out of date. The reality is that there are several faiths and several truths. What is required is mutual respect. Read the rest of this entry »

His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking at Veer Narmad South Gujarat University in Surat, Gujarat, India on January 1, 2015. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

His Holiness the Dalai Lama New Year’s Day in Gujarat

Surat, Gujarat, India, 1 January 2015 – Early this morning, His Holiness the Dalai Lama took a one hour flight from Pune to Surat on the Gujarat coast. He was the guest of Govind Dholakia a successful entrepreneur in the diamond business. His Holiness was welcomed by members of the reception committee at Surat airport and then drove directly to the new quarters of Shree Ramkrishna Exports. Mr Dholakia showed him around his company’s new premises, an environmentally friendly building where they process diamonds with state of the art technology.

He told the story of leaving his farming family at the age of thirteen to work as a diamond cutter. He eventually fulfilled the dream of founding his own company and attributes his success to his having learned from his guru Shree Dhongreji Maharaj the value of treating others with respect. He discovered that as a result, others are cooperative and respectful to you in return. He said he makes a point of regarding those who work for his company as members of his family. His Holiness replied that his approach reminded him of companies in Japan where a key to success is the respect and equality that exists between workers and management. He observed: “Without technology humanity has no future, but we have to be careful that we don’t become so mechanised that we lose our human feelings.” Read the rest of this entry »

His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Pune

Pune, Maharashtra, India, 31 December 2014 – His Holiness the Dalai Lama was invited to Maharashtra’s second city, Pune, by Avinash Dharmadhikari, the Founder Director of the Chanakya Mandal Pariwar (CMP). The CMP is a Network Organization and Public Charitable Trust Read the rest of this entry »