L’anno dell’uccello di fuoco

di Raimondo Bultrini

Tra stanotte e domattina il Tibet celebrerà il Losar, il nuovo anno che passa dal segno della scimmia di fuoco a quello dell’uccello di fuoco, il gallo. A cicli di 12 per ogni elemento, i simboli degli animali che formano lo zodiaco tibetano e cinese variano solo in qualche definizione, ma le date di celebrazione sono soggette a diversi calcoli. In Tibet vengono effettuati sulla base di un sistema adottato dai lama fin dall’antichità e trasmesso da maestro a discepolo. Il nuovo anno cinese è già stato festeggiato infatti un mese lunare fa. Read the rest of this entry »

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Speaks to Delegates from the First Tibetan Women’s Empowerment Conference

Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, HP, India, 23 February 2017 – This morning at his residence, His Holiness the Dalai Lama addressed more than 300 delegates participating in the first Tibetan Women’s Empowerment Conference. The conference, organised by the CTA, has been taking place in Gangchen Kyishong and has involved representatives of the Tibetan settlements right across India. He began by asking if they were happy with the discussions they’d been having and suggested that rather than simply talk about gender equality it was better to work on putting it into effect.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking at his residence to delegates participating in the first Tibetan Women’s Empowerment Conference in Dharamsala, HP, India on February 23, 2016. Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

“We are all part of the 7 billion human beings alive today, but some of us are very well off, while elsewhere others are starving. I believe we can address this disparity if we work hard and develop self-confidence. That in turn depends on cultivating inner strength and the root of inner strength is developing compassion for others.”
Noting that Tibetans have been in exile for almost 58 years, His Holiness recalled meeting Indian leaders like Rajendra Prasad and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who, in addition to being President and Vice President of the country respectively, impressed him with their scholarship. Listening to Radhakrishnan elegantly declaim verses from Nagarjuna and Chandrakirti in Sanskrit brought tears to his eyes, he said. However, he added that he also secretly suspected that he both understood and could explain better what the verses meant.
His Holiness attributed this confidence to the rigorous training he’d undertaken in Tibet, which was founded on the system originally established in the 8th century by Shantarakshita. This combined an exploration of philosophy with a strict command of reason and logic. This approach encourages investigating the topic in hand from different angles, something that can be useful in any branch of education.
He observed that since scientists are increasingly recognising that a disturbed state of mind is bad for our health, there is a growing appreciation of the need to learn more about our emotions and most particularly how to tackle our destructive emotions. Read the rest of this entry »

Sua Santità ha insistito sulla necessità che sia la ricerca fisica che filosofica mirino a superare l’ignoranza e a porre fine alla sofferenza.
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Ground-breaking Ceremony for the South Asia Hub of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and a Public Talk

Hyderabad, Telangana, India, 12 February 2017 – A swift drive across Hyderabad this morning brought His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the site on Hitex Road, Madhapur, where the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics is to build its South Asia Hub. This will be a cooperative venture supported by the MIT based think tank and the Telangana State Government.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Governor of Telangana State HE ESL Narasimhan unveiling the foundation stone for the South Asia Hub of The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics in Hyderabad, Telangana, India on February 12, 2017. Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

His Holiness and HE ESL Narasimhan, Governor of Telangana, unveiled the foundation stone together and then took part in a symbolic planting of saplings, which will grow on the campus.  They were joined in these observances by Deputy Chief Minister, Mohammad Mahmood Ali and Minister of Industries, MA&UD and IT Kalvankutla Taraka Rama Rao. The Governor remarked that peace is commonly invoked in Hindu ceremonies. His Holiness agreed and suggested that prayer also needs to be augmented by action such as training the mind.
At the Hitex Open Arena nearby Ven Tenzin Priyadarshi, founder of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values greeted an audience of more than 1000 in the marquee and another 15000 online. He requested the Deputy Chief Minister, Mohammad Mahmood Ali to formally welcome His Holiness and then invited KT Rama Rao to introduce him. His Holiness began his address in his customary way.
“I always begin by greeting an audience as brothers and sisters, because I consider myself to be just one among the 7 billion human beings who I view as brothers and sisters. The way we are born and the way we die is the same whether we are kings, queens, spiritual leaders or beggars. This is why having a sense of the oneness of humanity is important. Wherever I go and whoever I talk to I try to promote this idea in an effort to break down barriers between us. Whenever I can I smile which mostly prompts others to smile in return, making us both happy. Read the rest of this entry »

His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Governor of Telangana State HE ESL Narasimhan unveiling the foundation stone for the South Asia Hub of The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics in Hyderabad, Telangana, India on February 12, 2017. Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Talks to Trainee Officers of the National Police Academy

Hyderabad, Telangana, India, 11 February 2017 – This morning His Holiness the Dalai Lama took a relatively short and uneventful flight from Vijayawada to Hyderabad where he was received by representatives of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy. He drove to the Academy where he was welcomed to the Rajasthan Bhavan Guest House by the Director of the Academy, Ms Aruna Bahuguna, the first woman to occupy that eminent post. The Rajasthan Bhavan stands on a hill with a view across green lawns and the Mir Alam Tank to Hyderabad in the distance.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama laying a wreath at the Martyr’s Memorial at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad, Telangana, India on February 11, 2017. Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

After lunch, His Holiness was driven in an electric golf cart through the campus to the Martyr’s Memorial, where, while a white-uniformed Police Band played, he laid a wreath. Behind the Basic Course Training Complex he planted a sapling that will commemorate his visit. Arriving at the Central Hall, where an audience of about 200, including 139 IPS Probationers and 15 officer trainees from Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal, waited to listen to him, he took his seat on the stage. A young woman trainee introduced him and invited him to speak.
“Usually I like to stand when I speak in public,” he began, “but after yesterday’s exertions, I feel a little tired. The day before yesterday too when I reached Vijayawada I had thought of paying a visit to Amaravati, a Buddhist site in the vicinity of Nagarjunakonda, but while in my mind I was eager to go, my body told me it was too tired. So, may I have your permission to speak to you sitting down?”
The question elicited a crisp, reply in unison, “Yes sir.”
“Dear brothers and sister is how I always address the audience, because we are all the same at human beings. 
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Pellegrini tibetani non ammessi al monastero di Kirti dalla polizia cinese
I tibetani in viaggio per assistere ad un grande raduno religioso nel Sichuan, vengono fermati al confine e gli viene impedito di procedere con l’auto. Non viene fornita ai pellegrini nessuna ragione per l’impedimento del viaggio verso il monastero di Kirti.
“La polizia ha solo detto che a nessun veicolo sarebbe stato permesso di viaggiare attraverso il confine. Hanno detto che i pellegrini avrebbero dovuto abbandonare le loro auto e che sarebbero stati ammessi solo se in viaggio a piedi. Questi tipi di restrizioni selettive hanno profondamente ferito i sentimenti dei pellegrini tibetani. I pellegrini provenienti da Gansu andavano a Kirti solo per motivi religiosi e non avevano commesso alcun reato”, ha dichiarato una fonte di Radio Free Asia, parlando in condizione di anonimato.

Il monastero di Kirti di Ngaba è stato teatro di ripetute auto-immolazioni e altre proteste dei monaci, ex monaci e monache contrari al dominio cinese nelle aree tibetane.

“Non sappiamo se questi ordini provengono dall’alto o se la polizia sta agendo in modo arbitrario”, ha aggiunto. Read the rest of this entry »

Participating in Inauguration of National Women’s Parliament

Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh, India, 10 February 2017 – It was chilly and dark when His Holiness the Dalai Lama left his Delhi hotel yesterday at the start of a journey that would take him to Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. Read the rest of this entry »

HH the Panchen Lama, HH Dalai Lama, Ciu En Lai, Pandit Nerhu, Indira Gandhi 1956

India Could Have Prevented China From Taking Over Tibet

The article explains that India was in a very strong position during start of the invasion to defend the interest of Tibet and India’s security just for the sake of pleasing the Chinese leadership. It explains “It is not widely known that in 1950, China could have been prevented from taking over Tibet.”

There were two strongly implicative events that occurred during that period in which one was the invasion of Tibet and the other was the interference of Chinese in Korean war. Though India had no stake in the far Korea, it had its national security at stake in Tibet’s invasion but the Nehru-led India Ignored it.

Sardar Patel had spoken strongly of the intentions of the Chinese and the threats that India was accepting by allowing the invasion of Tibet. The article interestingly explains how India was in a position to prevent the Chinese invasion of Tibet. The article shared an excerpt of an article from the The Economist journal then that says “Having maintained complete independence of China since 1912, Tibet has a strong to be regarded as an independent state. But it is for India to take lead in this matter. If India decides to support independence of Tibet as a buffer state between itself and China, Britain and USA will do well to extend formal diplomatic recognition to it.”. This was the western ideology of the situation during that period.

This article is of a great interest to the participation of the international communities while Tibet which was a land of backward people in the field of science and technology was brutally annexed by China which had achieved certain levels of developments in those fields. Read the rest of this entry »

Il Palazzo del Potala residenza per secoli del Dalai Lama

Che cosa significa il Potala per te? Abbiamo posto questo quesito alla gente di New York perché tra meno di una settimana, il 13 febbraio, si celebrerà l’Independence Day Tibetano. Ogni anno abbiamo evidenziato le parti importanti dello storico giorno dell’ indipendenza del Tibet. Negli scorsi anni sono state prese in esame la dichiarazione di indipendenza del Tibet nel 2013, i pilastri del trattato Doring nel 2014, la bandiera tibetana nel 2015 e la mappa del Tibet nel 2016.

Quest’anno, si metterà in evidenza il Palazzo Potala, un simbolo innegabile di indipendenza del Tibet. Guarda il nostro video per la campagna di quest’anno qui https://www.facebook.com/StudentsforaFreeTibet/videos/10154100975041666/

Avete deciso come celebrerete il Potala? Scopri come è possibile #celebratepotala sul nostro sito web con i social media. https://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/celebrate-potala/

Pema Yoko – SFT internazionale, Students for e Free Tibet, o6 febbraio 2017 Read the rest of this entry »

A Talk about Ancient Indian Thought at the Vivekananda International Foundation

New Delhi, India, 8 February 2017 – In a far corner of New Delhi’s diplomatic enclave, Chanakyapuri, are the elegant quarters of the Vivekananda International Foundation, an Indian public policy think-tank affiliated to the Vivekananda Kendra and staffed largely by retired bureaucrats, intelligence officials and retired military personnel. The Foundation invited His Holiness the Dalai Lama to speak today about the relevance of ancient Indian thought in today’s world. Director Gen NC Vij met His Holiness on arrival and escorted him to a meeting room upstairs in which about 250 people were packed.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama greeting his old friend, former BBC New Delhi Bureau Chief Mark Tully on his arrival at the Vivekananda International Foundation in New Delhi, India on February 8, 2017. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

A small group of ladies chanted a peace invocation and verses of the Buddhist refuge in Sanskrit. Gen Vij introduced His Holiness to the gathering and requested him to address them, which he proceeded to do.

“Dear brothers and sisters, it is indeed a great honour for me to be here and able to speak to you in this institution that venerates the memory of Swami Vivekananda. I’ve visited the rock sacred to him at Kanyakumari and I have also attended meetings of the Parliament of the World’s Religions that he famously addressed in Chicago in 1893. Many people were moved by the vision he expressed, but lately I felt the organization had become a bit sleepy. I told them so and when they invited me to attend their meeting in Salt Lake City they assured me that they had been re-invigorated, but in the end I was unable to attend.
“This meeting here provides me an opportunity to meet old friends, but when I see them it reminds me how old I am. Here’s Mr Malhotra who was my Liaison Officer very early on and Mark Tully who interviewed me as I was about to embark on my first visit to Europe in 1973. He asked me then why I wanted to go and I told him I considered myself a citizen of the world. People like this are firm friends and in the context of rebirth and future lives, I believe that we will continue to be friends in the future too.
“When I arrived in India in 1959, one of my main concerns was to preserve our traditions of study and knowledge. Read the rest of this entry »

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Addresses Students and Teachers of Jesus & Mary College

New Delhi, India, 7 February 2017 – There was a cool breeze, despite the bright skies, when His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived at Jesus & Mary College, a leading women’s educational institution, this morning. The Principal, Sr Rosily received him warmly as he stepped out of his car. Five young Tibetan women, students of the College, presented the traditional ‘chemar changpu’ at the door to the auditorium.

A group of students singing a song to welcome His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the start of his talk at Jesus & Mary College in New Delhi, India on February 7, 2017. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

His Holiness participated with Sr Rosily and other senior members of staff in lighting a lamp. A group of young women sang. After Dr Jyotsana Sethi had introduced His Holiness, Sr Rosily welcomed him, explaining that the College is preparing to celebrate the 200th anniversary of its founding organization and the golden jubilee of the College itself.
“Respected elder sister, as well as younger sisters and brothers,” His Holiness began, “all 7 billion human beings on this planet today are physically, mentally and emotionally the same. We all wish to live a happy life and we all have the same right to do so. However we seek to fulfil this wish, it is important to have a sense of the oneness of humanity. We are all members of one human family. Christians say we are all children of one God, Buddhists say all sentient beings share a desire for happiness.
“Right now, while we are enjoying each other’s company in peace and tranquillity, in other parts of the world people are killing each other in anger and hatred driven by a sense of ‘us’ and ‘them’. This makes it all the more urgent that we fulfil our common responsibility to make the 21st century different from the 20th century, in the course of which historians estimate 200 million died violent deaths. I believe such statistics have an impact on our minds, impelling us to find ways to avoid the use of force. Read the rest of this entry »

Talking about Compassion and Ethics to Students at ITAHAAS

New Delhi, India, 6 February 2017 – This morning His Holiness the Dalai Lama drove to the Convent of Jesus and Mary near the Bangla Sahib Gurudwara in New Delhi. He was received on arrival by Smita Vats founder and director of the Indian Traditions Heritage Society (ITAHAAS), an organization born out of a concern that children are becoming increasingly alienated from their traditions and heritage. As he walked to the covered stage in the Convent grounds, the way was lined by smiling school-children in school uniform waving the Indian tricolour. Ms Vats offered His Holiness a heartfelt welcome, remarking too that the skies had cleared and the sun had come out. She told him how much the 1300 students from 80 schools and ITAHAAS delegates were looking forward to listening to him.

Artist Vilas Naik creating a portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama while children sing a song of welcome before His Holiness’s talk at the Convent of Jesus and Mary in New Delhi, India on February 6, 2017. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

His Holiness took this as his cue to begin to speak, but a couple of dozen children were also waiting to sing to him. While they did so, artist Vilas Naik set about creating a portrait of His Holiness using a technique called ‘rapid painting.’ When the children sang their last note, a vivid portrait of His Holiness had emerged. His Holiness resumed his address.

“Whenever I speak to groups of people like you I always begin by greeting them as brothers and sisters and there are reasons for this. We are all human beings, part of the population of 7 billion alive today. The way we are born and affectionately nurtured by our mothers is the same. This is how we survive. Later, we all die the same way. We are physically, mentally and emotionally the same. We share the same kind of feelings of pleasure and pain. And yet we neglect the oneness of human beings and forget that others are our brothers and sisters. Instead we emphasise the secondary differences between us of colour, race, faith and nationality. We view each other in terms of ‘us’ and ‘them’, which inevitably provokes conflict.
“Many of the problems we face can only be solved by recognising that others want to live a happy life just as we do. They too thrive when they receive love and affection. Scientists have established that in the early weeks of life, a mother’s physical touch is necessary for the proper growth of the brain. Children who receive the maximum affection at this time grow up to be happy and secure. Read the rest of this entry »

His Holiness the Dalai Lama: Public Talk at the Talkatora Stadium
New Delhi, India, 5 February 2017 – The streets of New Delhi were quiet this Sunday morning as His Holiness the Dalai Lama drove under misty skies to the Talkatora Stadium at the heart of the city, where Vidyaloke had arranged for him to give a public talk. Read the rest of this entry »

Second Day of Teachings at Vidyaloke

New Delhi, India, 4 February 2017 – When His Holiness the Dalai Lama returned to their family house this morning, Mr and Mrs Analjit Singh, with their son Veer, as well as Mr and Mrs Najeeb Jung, received him. They escorted him through the house to the dais beneath a shamiana in the garden. The golden marigolds which yesterday decorated the path and backdrop to the stage were replaced today with garlands of white carnations. The audience of more than 330, mostly Indians who have come of age in the 21st century, greeted His Holiness with smiles and respectful salutations.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama taking a moment to listen to a flute player as he arrives at the start of the second day of the Vidyaloke teachings in New Delhi, India on February 4, 2017. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

Following the chanting of the ‘Heart Sutra’, a brief rendition of the perfection of wisdom, His Holiness addressed all those gathered before him.
“Good morning everybody,” he began, “I don’t consider this as a formal Buddhist teaching so much as an academic review of ideas presented by Nalanda masters that continue to be useful today. As human beings we always have the potential to improve ourselves, remembering that the Buddha did not achieve enlightenment through prayer but through following the path. As the ‘Heart Sutra’ says, ‘all the Buddhas who perfectly reside in the three times, relying upon the perfection of wisdom, become manifest and complete Buddhas in the state of unsurpassed, perfect and complete enlightenment’. The mantra that ends it reveals this— ‘Tadyata, gate gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi svaha—’It is thus: Proceed, proceed, proceed beyond, thoroughly proceed beyond, be founded in enlightenment,’ which encourages practitioners to proceed through the five paths.
“Gate gate – proceed, proceed – indicates the paths of accumulation and preparation and the first experience of emptiness; paragate – proceed beyond – indicates the path of seeing, the first insight into emptiness and achievement of the first bodhisattva ground; parasamgate – thoroughly proceed beyond – indicates the path of meditation and the achievement of the subsequent bodhisattva grounds, while bodhi svaha – be founded in enlightenment –  indicates laying the foundation of complete enlightenment. Read the rest of this entry »

Inaugural Teachings at Vidyaloke

New Delhi, India, 3 February 2017 – After travelling from Dharamsala to Delhi yesterday, His Holiness the Dalai Lama was today the guest of Vidyaloke, an initiative, whose name alludes to the light of wisdom, focussed on revitalizing ancient Indian tradition. He was welcomed by patrons of Vidyaloke, Analjit Singh, his wife and son Veer, on arrival at the family house and escorted to his seat on a dais beneath a heated shamiana in the garden. The path, bordered with marigolds, was strewn with rose petals. In his introduction to the occasion, Veer Singh declared that the intent of the gathering was to play a part in reviving Indian wisdom in hope of creating a century of peace.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama being escorted to the dais to give the inaugural Vidyaloke teachings in New Delhi, India on February 3, 2017. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

Taking inspiration from Shakyamuni Buddha, an eminent Indian, Vidyaloke had requested His Holiness to teach Nagarjuna’s ‘Letter to a Friend’ and a praise he himself had composed to the 17 Nalanda Masters. After a Sanskrit incantation of the ‘Heart Sutra’ with flute accompaniment, His Holiness began to speak.
“Brothers and sisters, I consider this gathering not to be just about a teaching of the Buddhadharma, my hope is that it will lead to ensuring that the 21st century is a happier, more peaceful era than the last. That’s our main purpose.”
Before continuing he was presented with the eight substances of traditional Indian hospitable offerings, water to wash, water to drink, flowers, incense, light and so forth.
“In the 20th century, human beings faced great suffering,” His Holiness continued, “with widespread killing in the name of ideology and nationalism. However, where, in the early part of the century, people joined up without hesitation when a nation declared war, by the end of the ongoing Vietnam War people began to ask, ‘Why sacrifice so much human life?’ They yearned for peace instead. Towards the end of the century the nations of Europe, where people were fed up with divisions into ‘us’ and ‘them’, created the European Union to be able to work together in a more mature way. Read the rest of this entry »