His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Buddhist Teachings Related to the Eight Verses for Training the Mind

Copenhagen, Denmark, 12 February 2015 – A group of Danish Parliamentarians representing all eight parties present in parliament were the focus of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s first meeting this morning. He greeted them saying: “In 1973, as I was about to set out on my first trip to Europe, the BBC correspondent Mark Tully asked me why I was going and I told him that although I was a refugee Read the rest of this entry »

Strength Through Compassion and Connection

Copenhagen, Denmark, 11 February 2015 – The first engagement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s day in Copenhagen was a meeting with the Press. Journalists respectfully welcomed him to the room and he began by outlining his three commitments. “I’m very happy to be here, meeting with my Danish friends once again. We are all human beings, physically, mentally and emotionally the same. We all want to lead a happy life and essential to our physical and mental well-being is peace of mind. Read the rest of this entry »

His Holiness the Dalai Lama meeting with members of the Tibetan community before departing for Copenhagen on the morning of his final day in Trondheim, Norway on February 10, 2015. Photo/Jeremy Russell/OHHDL

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Meeting Tibetans and Buddhists from Trondheim to Copenhagen

Copenhagen, Denmark, 10 February 2015 – As darkness lay on the sea around Trondheim this morning, His Holiness the Dalai Lama met with Tibetans who had come to see him.

“We have been in exile for nearly 56 years,” he said, “which in the life of a people is not such a long time, but for one individual may seem long. The spirit of Tibetans in Tibet is still very strong. A Chinese friend reported to me how tough they have become. This is because of the hard-line policies they encounter. It is this narrow-minded hard line that stokes their sense of being separate from the Chinese.

“Just as the Chinese love their culture, we Tibetans love our culture and language and seek to preserve them. Some Chinese have told me that although they also claim to follow the thought of Nagarjuna, they are unable to articulate it in the way it is clearly laid out in Tibetan. Read the rest of this entry »

His Holiness the Dalai Lama with members of a student singing group that performed on his arrival at the Clarion Conference Centre to attend the the International Student Festival in Trondheim (ISFiT) at the Congress Center in Trondheim, Norway on February 9, 2015. Photo/Jeremy Russell/OHHDL

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Guest at the International Student Festival in Trondheim

Trondheim, Norway, 9 February 2015 – From Basel at the heart of Europe, where the territories of France, Switzerland and Germany converge, His Holiness the Dalai Lama this morning flew due north to a city closer to the edge of the continent. Trondheim, Norway’s first capital more than a thousand years ago, is the site of another convergence. Standing on the south shore of the Trondheimsfjord at the mouth of the river Nidelva, since 1990 Trondheim has been the location of the world’s largest International Student Festival. ISFiT serves as a meeting place for discussion and debate, an arena where ideas are born, friendships are made and valuable lessons are learned.    It takes place every other year.

Representatives from the Indian Embassy and students from ISFiT met His Holiness when he landed at Trondheim airport and escorted him to his hotel next door to the Clarion Conference Centre. From the dining room where he enjoyed lunch with a group of students there was a wide view out over a forbidding sea. Before joining the discussions he was introduced to the winner of this year’s Students’ Peace Prize, Aayat Alqormozi, who was awarded it for her unwavering struggle for democracy and human rights in Bahrain. Read the rest of this entry »

A view of the audience wearing ritual blindfolds is Holiness the Dalai Lama's conferring of the Avalokiteshvara Empowerment at St Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland on February 8, 2015. Photo/Olivier Adam

His Holiness the Dalai Lama: Avalokiteshvara Empowerment and Talk on Secular Ethics in Basel

Basel, Switzerland, 8 February 2015 – It was cold, dark and the streets were empty when His Holiness the Dalai Lama drove from his hotel to the teaching venue this morning. Nevertheless, when he arrived a group of young Tibetan dancers and musicians were singing and playing to welcome him outside the St Jakobshalle. He posed for a brief photograph with them and went straight inside to begin preparatory rituals for the Avalokiteshvara empowerment he was to give later on.

The hall was virtually empty as he sat down before a small pavilion housing the mandala and a large thangka depicting the deities associated with the Great Compassionate Lord of the World (Mahakarunika Lokeshvara / Chenrezig Jigten Wangchuk).

When he took his seat on the teaching throne, His Holiness laughed as he greeted the audience: “Good morning I hope you all slept well so you won’t be dozy today.”

He quoted verses from Nagarjuna’s ‘Fundamental Wisdom’ that challenge the idea of a self of persons distinct from the elements and parts on which it depends. Read the rest of this entry »

View of the stage at St. Jakobshalle during His Holiness the Dalai Lama's teaching in Basel, Switzerland on February 7, 2015. Photo/Olivier Adam

Teaching Nagarjuna’s ‘A Commentary on the Awakening Mind’ in Basel

Basel, Switzerland, 7 February 2015 – This is only the second time His Holiness the Dalai Lama has visited Basel, the ancient European city on the Rhine that lies where the borders of France, Germany and Switzerland converge. The historic hotel in which he is staying, Les Trois Rois, has previously hosted such famous but diverse guests as Napoleon Bonaparte, Pablo Picasso, and Theodor Herzl. There, before leaving for the venue where he would teach, he met with members of the media. He told them: “I am one of the 7 billion human beings alive today. We are social creatures and today everything is interdependent. Therefore, we have to consider the welfare of the whole of humanity and the health of the planet. You media people have an important role to play in keeping people informed of the importance of ecology. Promoting awareness of the need to protect the environment is one of my own commitments.

“Secondly, I’m a Buddhist and I’m committed to fostering inter-religious harmony. This is not just wishful thinking, it is a realistic possibility. Look at India where all the world’s religious traditions, those that are indigenous and those from abroad, live together in peace. India is today a living example of diversity and pluralism.

“Thirdly, I’m a Tibetan and dedicated to the preservation of Tibetan culture.” Read the rest of this entry »

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, wearing a Balti hat, with fellow participants from the American Muslim Community after their panel discussion on Service in Action in Washington, DC on February 5, 2015. Photo/Jeremy Russell/OHHDL

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Participates as a Special Guest in the National Prayer Breakfast

Washington DC, USA, 5 February 2015 – His Holiness the Dalai Lama today participated as a special guest in the National Prayer Breakfast, an event that takes place annually on the first Thursday in February in Washington DC. His presence seemed to be the main focus of attention for representatives of the media in the room. As the presiding Senator was introducing His Holiness, President Obama looked over, folded his hands together and greeted him with a nod of his head and a smile. He then acknowledged him in his remarks, saying: “I offer a special welcome to a good friend, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who is a powerful example of what it means to practise compassion, he inspires us to speak up for the freedom and dignity of all human beings. I have welcomed him at the White House. There aren’t many occasions that would bring His Holiness and Darrell Waltrip together in the same room.”

This brought laughter and warm applause. Prominent White House adviser Valerie Jarrett sat at the His Holiness’s table while the President spoke. The President went on to condemn those who use religion as the grounds for engaging in violence. He called on people of all faiths to show humility about their beliefs, rejecting the notion that “God speaks only to us and doesn’t speak to others.” Read the rest of this entry »

Il primo incontro pubblico tra S.S. il Dalai Dalai Lama e Obama

Obama e il Dalai Lama pregano insieme, ira della Cina

Risoluto ma cauto: il presidente degli Stati Uniti, Barack Obama, accoglie nuovamente a Washington il Dalai Lama, per pregare insieme. ”Un buon amico”, dice del leader spirituale tibetano inviso a Pechino, che ha voluto oggi al National Prayer Breakfast, consueto evento annuale con numerosi esponenti politici e religiosi.

Consapevole tuttavia che la reazione della Cina non si sarebbe fatta attendere: ”No a interferenze”.

E’ pero’ un equilibrismo diplomatico l’incontro, ‘a distanza’, dei due premi Nobel per la Pace. La Casa Bianca si conferma attenta ai gesti, ai simboli: il Dalai Lama c’e’, ma e’ in platea, insieme con i 3.600 partecipanti all’evento all’insegna della ‘preghiera comune’.

Siede in prima fila accanto all’attore Richard Gere. Allo stesso tavolo Valerie Jarrett, tra le piu’ strette collaboratrici di Obama.

Ma non si va oltre. Non e’ in programma un incontro privato, certo non davanti alle telecamere. Come del resto era accaduto per ognuna delle tre volte in cui Obama durante il suo mandato ha ospitato il Dalai Lama nella capitale degli Stati Uniti. Accogliendolo si’ alla Casa Bianca, ma non nello Studio Ovale che e’ normalmente riservato agli incontri con i capi di Stato, bensi’ nella Map Room.

I simboli quindi, e la cautela cui l’amministrazione Obama non rinuncia nemmeno in scadenza di mandato. Cosi’ come il presidente non rinuncia al suo messaggio forte: dal palco rivolge subito uno “speciale benvenuto” al Dalai Lama.

E’ “un buon amico”, dice, e “un potente esempio di cosa vuol dire praticare la compassione, che ci spinge a parlare per la libertà e la dignità di tutti gli esseri umani”. Read the rest of this entry »

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Addresses the International Luncheon Held in Conjunction with the National Prayer Breakfast

Washington, DC, USA, 4 February 2015 – Brilliant low winter sunlight poured through the windows of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s hotel rooms this morning as he held several meetings. Among them one he had particularly looked forward to was with a group from the Mind & Life Institute (MLI). They had come to report progress on the development of a curriculum to inculcate a sense of core human values in students throughout their educational career from kindergarten through to university. In his words of welcome he told them:

“We may not see the changes we envisage in our lifetimes, but the present shocking violence in the Middle East, in which so much anger is involved that there is little room for common sense, impels us to try. If we can actually implement a plan for improving education, we may be able to create a happier world.”

He remarked that as social creatures we all need friends. We need circumstances to bring us together, and concerning ourselves only with our own interests runs counter to this. He cited research that Richie Davidson and others have done to show that basic human nature, as revealed in the responses of young infants, tends to favour helping rather than hindering others. Concern for others therefore accords with our basic nature. Read the rest of this entry »

Members of the Tibetan community welcoming His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his arrival at his hotel in Washington DC, USA on February 3, 2015. Photo/Jeremy Russell/OHHD

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Arrives in Washington, DC

Washington, DC, USA, 4 February 2015 – His Holiness the Dalai Lama landed at Washington Dulles International Airport at the end of a flight from Frankfurt, where he made an overnight stop on the journey from India. He was received by State Department Chief of Protocol Ambassador Peter A. Selfridge and his Vice Chief, Penny Price; the First Secretary at the Indian Embassy, Satish Kumar Sivan and Tibetan Representative Kaydor Aukatsang.

Entry formalities complete, he drove into Washington. Roughly 200 Tibetans were gathered outside the hotel to welcome him, among them costumed dancers performing the auspicious Tashi Sholpa dance. His Holiness was received by the President of the Capital Area Tibetan Association, Rigdhen Dolma, while Tibetan youngsters offered the traditional Chema Changpu.

His Holiness is in Washington to attend the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday and has been invited to address an associated luncheon tomorrow. http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1232-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-arrives-in-washington-dc

His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking during his teaching at the YBS grounds in Sankisa, UP, India on January 31, 2015. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

Reading the Dhammapada in Sankisa When representatives of the organizers, the Youth Buddhist Society of India, came to see him this morning, His Holiness the Dalai Lama first of all thanked them for inviting him to this important Buddhist place. He said: “Although the historical Buddhist site is in ruins, the Buddha’s teaching is not ruined. In fact many intelligent people today are taking an interest in it.” He mentioned that since he first came to Sankisa in 1960 several temples have been built. However, he stressed, as he said he always does, that the teachings are more important than temples and statues. Publishing books and establishing a library, as the YBS is doing, is more effective. He advised that work has begun on extracting Buddhist scientific and philosophical explanations from the 220 volumes of the Tengyur that include the works of the masters of Nalanda University. He hopes these can become the basis not so much of religious as academic study. A short drive up the road from his hotel brought His Holiness to where Shechen Monastery has built a chörten that they had requested him to consecrate. This is part of a project to fulfil the wish of the late Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche to build chörtens in the Buddhist pilgrimage places. His Holiness performed a brief ceremony and posed for a photograph with Khyentse Rinpoche’s present incarnation. At the YBS grounds he was asked to bless an impressive new replica of the Sankisa Ashokan pillar that stands some 40 metres tall and is topped by a whole elephant capital complete with trunk and tail. Taking his seat on the stage at the teaching ground before an audience of several hundred monks, several thousand local laypeople, many hundred Tibetans and a handful of foreigners, he began: “This is the place where the Buddha descended to earth after teaching his mother. I came here once before and I’m here again at your invitation. Read the rest of this entry »