Kalachakra for World Peace Graz 2002
Teachings by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on:
The Middling Stages of Meditation
by Acharya Kamalashila,
The Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas
by Ngulchu Thogme Zangpo,
The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment
by Lama Atisha Dipamkarashrijnana
Day 1, October 15, 2002
Today we have gathered here in this beautiful city of Graz. A few years back when I visited Graz, I was requested by the Mayor to visit this beautiful city again and in conjunction with the celebration they have planned I was asked that it would be very nice if I were able to confer the Kalachakra initiation at that time. Graz being located in the center of Europe, it would be easy for many interested people to come from different parts of Europe, and particularly since many Tibetans live in Switzerland it would also be very easy for these Tibetans to come to receive the Kalachakra teachings and therefore we have gathered here to receive the Kalachakra empowerment.
Normally, when I confer the Kalachakra empowerment, it is presided by three or four days of preliminary teachings and these religious teachings are practices related to the common practices of preparing our mind, during which I will make an attempt to give an introduction to Buddha’s teaching. As usual we will have here three days of preliminary teachings.
His Holiness then asked how many Tibetans are here and asked them to raise their hands, and he also asked the people from Mongolia, Tuva, Kalmykia and Buryatia to raise their hands.
The Tibetans and all those living in the Himalayan region – they are also Buddhists like the Tibetans – and similarly the people from Mongolia and from the four republics in Russia, we are all same in following the Buddha’s teachings right from the time of our forefathers. In these areas people primarily practice the Buddha’s teachings or Buddhism, and there are pockets and areas where Bön is also practiced.
And for those people who came from different other parts of the world, like those that came from Europe or from America, in your case Buddhism is not the religion from the time of your forefathers. In your case most of you either follow Christianity, Judaism or Islam, so therefore normally I tell people that it would be much safer and much better if you follow the religious tradition of your forefathers, because if you try to follow a particular tradition which is not in the culture that you inherited form your forefathers, initially you might show great excitement and embrace that religion, but later on you might find a lot of complications and it is possible that you then gradually will belong neither here nor there. Therefore it is much safer and much more reliable to follow the religious tradition of your forefathers. Continue reading »