His Holiness the Dalai Lama receiving a traditional welcome as he arrives at the Main Tibetan Temple courtyard on his way to attend a Long Life Prayer offered by the people of Kinnaur in Dharamsala, HP, India on December 6, 2024. Photo by Ven Zamling Norbu
Kinnauris Make Prayers for His Holiness’s Long Life
December 6, 2024. Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, HP, India – This morning the Tsuglagkhang, the Main Tibetan Temple, was decorated with garlands of marigolds as part of a ceremony to pray for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s long life. Brilliant sunlight illuminated the mountain peaks that stood stark against a clear blue sky.
As His Holiness reached the gate to his residence Gibong Rinpoché and Lochen Rinpoché representing the people of Kinnaur stepped up to greet him. At the edge of the temple yard a Kinnauri man and women presented a traditional welcome, offering His Holiness tsampa and curd.
The aisle was lined by Kinnauri women in their finery, richly patterned shawls and elaborate headgear. They sang to His Holiness to greet him. He waved to members of the public gathered on either side to watch him pass, smiling warmly at them. Meanwhile, in the temple a mantra was recited that combined that of Arya Tara with His Holiness’s long name mantra.
Facing His Holiness after he had taken his seat, and presiding over today’s long-life ceremony, was Gibong Rinpoché, the reincarnation of Gyen Rigzin Tenpa, one of His Holiness’s teachers. To His Holiness’s left sat Lochen Rinpoché and to his right the reincarnation of Khunnu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen another of his teachers. The Lamas were joined by 1800 people from Kinnaur in upper Himachal Pradesh.
Prayers began with the ‘Prayer in Three Parts’ followed by the ‘Seven Limb Prayer’. Tea and ceremonial sweet rice were offered and distributed among the crowd. A procession of Kinnauris bearing offerings such as sacred statues and volumes of scripture filed through the temple.
Gibong Rinpoché offered His Holiness a mandala of the universe along with representations of the body, speech and mind of enlightenment. Lochen Rinpoché offered the Long-life Vase, blessed during the ritual of Arya Tara the Wish-granting Wheel, as well as the nectar and pills of longevity. They were followed, as participants in the offering, by Khunu Lama Jangchub Nyima and Ga Rinpoché. His Holiness gave each of them a statue of the Buddha.
The prayer for His Holiness’s long life composed by his two Tutors, Ling Rinpoché and Trijang Rinpoche was recited. The prayer includes a refrain:
… we offer our prayers with fervent devotion:
That Tenzin Gyatso, protector of the Land of Snows live for a hundred aeons.
Shower on him your blessings so that his aspirations are fulfilled without hindrance.
and goes on:
We pray that by the power of this prayer
Expressed from a heart filled with fervent devotion and humility,
May the body, speech and mind of the heart of the Land of Snows,
The supreme Ngawang Lobsang Tenzin Gyatso,
Be indestructible, unfluctuating and unceasing;
May he live for a hundred aeons,
Seated on a diamond throne, transcending decay and destruction.
Addressing the congregation, His Holiness began:
“Today, here we are assembled in a place where people interested in the Buddhadharma can gather in joy and delight. I am someone who was born in Amdo and travelled to Lhasa, where I sat for my final exams in courtyards of the great monastic universities and the Jokhang temple. So, someone who is able to create fortune for others beings. I’am living here and your devotion and faith is incredible.
“I have received many oral transmissions, guided instructions and empowerments and I receaved many teachings from my Senior Tutor Ling Rinpoché to whom I am most grateful. He was very kind to me. He didn’t make light of things and was often quite stern, but he was very dedicated when it came to teaching. I studied philosophy with him. Trijang Rinpoché kindly taught me too. Of course he was quite learned but I used to bully him.
“In addition, I received the support of a number of Debate Assistants. Among them Deyang Tsenshab was learned but humble, and in debate I took advantage of that. He was very kind to me too. Ngodup Tsognyi, a Mongolian scholar, was skilled at capturing the precise point of the debate and scriptures. He was really very helpful. The I studied philosophy under Kabje Dorje Chang Ling Rinpoche.
Now, we’ve been here in exile since a long time, but we have gained opportunities too. If we had not come into exile, I doubt that I would have been able to study as thoroughly as I did. I’d have been caught up in all sorts of rituals and so forth.
All Tibetans inside and outside Tibet have shown total devotion and great faith in me and I’ve done my best to fulfil that faith. Today, members of the monasteries and nunneries and the lay communities of Kinnaur are offering long life prayers for my long-life based on White Tara the Wish-granting Wheel.”
While his words were translated into Hindi, His Holiness put on a Kinnauri hat and smiled. He reiterated that although coming into exile involved being parted from his country, the experience had also provided Kinnauris, Tibetans and growing numbers of people from around the world to appreciate what he had to say.
“As human beings,” he continued, “we should live in a way that accords with dignity, honesty and warm-heartedness. Without concern for past or future lives, as human beings our primary interest should be in helping others. This is something that people who are not Buddhists, as well as Buddhists, can appreciate. I consider that most important in not joust only giving Dharma teachings but as human being we should a live which accords with dignity and honesty with good heart, intention to help others. This is my aim. Even non believers around the wordl appreciate my teachings based on these principles. So, even we are in exile, I teach to develop a peaceful mind.
“I teach how to cultivate humility, harmony and a peaceful mind. If we can achieve love and compassion, it will lead to harmony among people around the world. And if we do that, our lives will have been meaningful and worthwhile. On the other hand, it would just be unfortunate to fight on the basis of ‘us’ and ‘them’. To share our lives with others out of love and compassion for them and a sense of the oneness of humanity is the best way to lead our lives.
Wether you believe in a religion or not, as long as we are human beings born on this earth, if we could live a life of honesty, troughfulness, without making enemy anyone, but making love and compassion to others, so I feel that I can give some help and benefit to the wordl, and to my friends. So you have done your best and I thank.
As human beings living on this earth, we need to be honest and truthful, to cultivate love and compassion for each other and avoid making enemies. I feel I have made some contribution to helping others appreciate this and you too have done your best, for which I thank you.
The best gift of the Dharma is generate the Bodhisattva vow. I meditate on the awakening mind of bodhichitta as soon as I wake up every morning and I renews his Bodhisattva vow soon after. We can live wit good heart and our life will be very meangful.
When I was in China, visiting China, the cinese leaders were very good. They talk how to serve others. But they also were in hipocracy, deceiving others as well.
So we have not been able to live in our country, Tibet, but in exile we have faced many difficulties, adverse conditions, many ups and downs, but I have taken strength from the Buddha’s teaching that speaks of nurturing a good heart to others: a kind intention to benefit others. And we all believe in the teachings of the Buddha.
So, as far I’m corcerned not only for the tibetans, but of course to non tibetans we do teach about a good heart, warm heartness.
Dharma, is about taming, controlling, disciplining our minds and cultivating a heart intent on being of help to others. Here we are in the Land of the Buddha where we can take the Bodhisattva vow and observe Bodhichitta as part of our daily lives.
As I’ve already said, I renew my Bodhisattva vow every day, cultivating a pure mind, eliminating all the pollutants, I feel it gives me the love, compassion and courage to work for others. It helps me dedicate myself to the well-being of others, which is why it is fundamentally beneficial. It’s very importan for our daily life to cultivate this spirit of Bodhicitta and enlightment. So is very important to have love and compassion and also courage to help for others and to dedicate oneself to the well-being of others.
The Buddha Shakyamuni passed away more than 2500 years ago and yet his teaching of love and compassion has not become stale, is still very fresh, it remains relevant today. Consequently, today, people without any prior connection or interest in Buddhism are taking an interest in it. By seiyng reason and logic the are taking interest in the Buddha. Even in China, where there has been strong opposition to religion, people’s faith in Buddhism is very firm.
So, let’s seize this precious opportunity to take the Bodhisattva vow with delight in our hearts. This will be something significant. Please think about how fortunate we are.
Immagine the Buddha in front of you surrounded by the Sixteen Arhats – the elders, the Six Ornaments and Two Supremes, the Tibetan Dharma Kings like Songtzen Gampo and masters of all the Tibetan Buddhist traditions. And so I reflect on Bodhicitta so please everyone and lay people, young and old, feel that you are very fortunate to have this opportunity to take theese Bodhisattva wows and feel corageous. So, to day religious faith in China is increasing, not in the sense to play religious instruments but to gererate good heart and to benefit otres sentient beings. So, if you have tis motivation, this is the essence of the teachings, the essence of religion, spirituality. The essence of teachings isn’t to play drums, horns or others instruments bus to have a good heart.
I ask tuo you to recite the following verses three times after me and to try to take the vow daily as I do.
I seek refuge in the Three Jewels;
Each and every wrongdoing I confess.
I rejoice in the virtues of all beings.
I take to heart the state of Buddhahood.
I go for refuge until I am enlightened
To the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Supreme Assembly,
In order to fulfil the aims of myself and others
I develop the awakening mind.
Having developed the aspiration for highest enlightenment,
I invite all sentient beings as my guests,
I shall enact the delightful supreme enlightening practices.
May I become a Buddha to benefit all sentient beings.
If you take the Bodhisattva wows in the morning as soon as you get up, it helps to generate determination to bodhicitta and reduce attacment, anger, and so forth.
And so I give the transmission of the mantras of the Buddha Sakyamuni– Om Muni Muni mah manaye soha, of Avalokiteshvara Om mane padme hum, Tara mantra Om Tare tuttare ture soha, and Guru Rinpoché Om ha hum benza guru pema siddhi hum.
He thanked all those who had contributed to offering prayers today for his long life. He told them that indications in his dreams suggest that he will live to be more than one hundred and ten years old, which was met with joyful applause.
His Holiness reviewed his life once more, recalling his birth in Siling, his studies in Central Tibet, his visit to China and his coming into exile. In the face of different ups and downs, he affirmed that it has been bodhichitta that has brought him peace of mind, a good heart, courage and inner strength.
The long-life ceremony came to an end with the recitation of the ‘Prayer of the Words of Truth’ that His Holiness composed in 1960. The prayer ends:
Thus, the protector Chenrezig made vast prayers
Before the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
To fully embrace the Land of Snows;
May the good results of these prayers now quickly appear.
By the profound interdependence of emptiness and relative forms,
Together with the force of great compassion in the Three Jewels and their Words of Truth,
And through the power of the infallible law of actions and their fruits,
May this truthful prayer be unhindered and quickly fulfilled.
https://www.dalailama.com/news/kinnauris-make-prayers-for-his-holinesss-long-life, https://www.facebook.com/DalaiLama/videos/1953141535184359
