His Holiness the Dalai Lama conducting preparatory rituals before conferring the White Manjushri permission in New Delhi, India on March 22, 2015. Photo/Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

His Holiness the Dalai Lama Giving the Permission of White Manjushri

New Delhi, 22 March 2015 – Almost every seat was taken and an expectant hush filled the hall when His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived this morning to begin preparations for the White Manjushri permission he was going to give.

“This ‘permission’ or blessing of Manjushri is related to tantra,” he began, “But there are people who say that the Mahayana and Buddhist tantra were not taught by the Buddha. I’ve even heard it said that the Buddha did not know Sanskrit. However, Nalanda masters like Nagarjuna, Aryadeva and Chandrakirti wrote extensively about Guhyasamaja Tantra. Shantarakshita, who later established the Buddha’s teachings, monastic ordination and the Three Trainings in Tibet, also wrote about Highest Yoga Tantra. Subsequently, Atisha too mentioned the practice of tantra in his work ‘Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment’ https://www.sangye.it/altro/?p=1095 .”

His Holiness went on to explain that Nagarjuna’s view is that the Buddha’s teachings in the Mahayana relate to the generation of the awakening mind of bodhichitta. What’s more, Buddhist Tantra involves deity yoga in which you imagine transforming yourself into a deity in relation to an understanding of emptiness. All Buddhist tantra emphasises an understanding of emptiness, which is an indication that it is the teaching of the Buddha. The practice of tantra employs the innate mind of clear light, a mind that is sharp, open and without bias.
The Buddha made it clear that overcoming ignorance is something we have to do for ourselves by following the path he revealed. And this means we need to study.
The Buddhas do not wash away unwholesome deeds with water,
Nor do they remove the sufferings of beings with their hands,
Nor do they transplant their own realization into others.
It is by teaching the truth of suchness that they liberate (beings).
Tibetan Buddhist masters have suggested that some teachings describe the general structure of the path, while others are tailored to individual needs. His Holiness described the Perfection of Wisdom and Vinaya teachings as belonging to the first category, while most tantric teachings belong in the second. When it comes to practice, it’s better to study teachings that provide the general structure of the path first. Then embark on the more specific teachings like tantra that seek to employ a more subtle consciousness to realise emptiness and transform it into wisdom.
His Holiness clarified that he was giving the ‘permission’ of White Manjushri whose practice is mostly focused on wisdom along with altruism and compassion. It comes from a collection called Rinjung Gyatsa that he received when he was young from Tagdrag Rinpoche. He guided the audience through the requisite visualizations, including a short repetition to generate the awakening mind of bodhichitta. At the end he announced that this year’s series of teachings was complete.
“Real transformation only takes place if you engage in the practice with sound knowledge,” he advised. “Therefore you need to study, and then study some more. When I was young, I was little inclined to study. I was naturally lazy. But once I reached the age of about 16 I developed more interest. I studied and I thought about what I studied. Now, looking back, I recognise how helpful this has been.“
Rajiv Mehrotra expressed thanks to the staff of the Foundation for Universal Responsibility for their hard work in making the event possible. He expressed appreciation of His Holiness’s having accepted the invitation to teach. Finally, he led everyone present in a recitation of a Prayer for His Holiness’s Long Life. http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1248-giving-the-permission-of-white-manjushri