Long Life Offering to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Buddhist Holy Day
November 4th 2015
Theckchen Chöling, Dharamsala, HP, India, 3 November 2015 - The Theckchen Chöling yard and Tsuglagkhang were brightly bedecked with flowers and banners, when, preceded by monks playing ceremonial horns, His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived this morning.
Smiling as usual, he greeted friends in the crowd of 7000, paid his respects before the image of Buddha Shakyamuni and took his seat on the throne. While he undertook the preparatory rituals for the Long-Life Empowerment he was to give, the assembly recited prayers such as the ‘Praise to the 17 Masters of Nalanda’, the ‘Prayer to the Successive Incarnations of Avalokiteshvara’ and Tara’s mantra.
“Today is the day when we commemorate the occasion when the Buddha descended from the Heaven of Thirty-three after spending the Rainy Season teaching his mother who had taken birth in the celestial realms,” His Holiness began. “This is a celebration observed by followers of the Pali tradition too. The Long-Life Offering has been organized principally by people of Barkham Rongpo, Barkham Tsogshö, Trindo and the Central Executive Committee of the Khampas. Since it is an auspicious day, I thought I’d begin by making a reciprocal offering to you of a Long-Life Empowerment. We have the groups of today’s sponsors here, residents of Dharamsala, people from the TransHimalayan regions and others who come from traditionally Christian countries.
His Holiness explained that the tradition of Buddhism that prevailed in Tibet included the practice of Vinaya, the monastic discipline, concentration and penetrative insight. It incorporates the 37 Factors of Enlightenment common to all Buddhist traditions. From the Sanskrit tradition it preserves instructions and practices for cultivating an understanding of the emptiness of inherent existence, the altruistic awakening mind of bodhichitta and the six perfections. He said it is fundamentally about helping others.
He went on to explain that in addition to the common teachings there are uncommon explanations of the varying degrees of subtlety of the mind. For example, while the waking state, dominated by sensory input is a relatively coarse mind, during the dream state the mind is subtler; in deep sleep it is subtler still and very subtle during fainting. The subtlest mind manifests at the time of death. He mentioned that some Buddhist practitioners are able to focus on that subtlest mind at death with the result that, during their absorption, their bodies do not decay. Scientists are currently investigating this phenomenon.Reporting conversations he recently had with a friend in Nashik, a Hindu Swami who takes an interest in Buddhist philosophy, His Holiness said they agreed that people who recall their past lives provide a strong indication of their existence.
“We do practices that allow the subtle mind to manifest so we can employ it in our spiritual path,” His Holiness clarified. “This isn’t something Tibetans made up; this is what we learned from the Indian masters who taught us.”
He noted that Buddhists in all those countries that follow the Sanskrit tradition are accustomed to reciting the ‘Heart Sutra’, which is a short edition of the Perfection of Wisdom teachings. However, the Tibetan tradition not only preserves several longer editions of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, but also thorough explanations of them by Nagarjuna and his students. He said Tibetans have the Bodhisattva Abbot Shantarakshita to thank for this. It was he who established the Nalanda tradition of explanation and commentary in Tibet. He also encouraged Tibetans to translate Indian Buddhist literature into Tibetan so they could study the scriptures in their own language. He also initiated the rigorous approach to study that originated at Nalanda. The consequence is that Tibetans are the custodians of the most comprehensive tradition of Buddhist teachings.
Likening the Buddha to a physician who diagnoses a patient’s ailments and prescribes a remedy, His Holiness said that the essence of the Buddha’s advice is that ensuring others are happy is the way to make yourself happy.
“We need to overcome ignorance. The Buddha clearly advised, ‘Thoroughly tame your mind.’ We tend to think inappropriately, we are subject to misconceptions rooted in ignorance. We cling to the way things appear to us. That is, we see them as having independent existence.”
His Holiness alluded to what his friend, American psychotherapist Aaron Beck, has to say about the power of mental projection in relation to our disturbing emotions. He asserts that when we are angry with someone and see them as entirely negative, 90% of that perception is mental projection.
“The better you understand the reality of things,” His Holiness remarked, “the less you will grasp at their independent existence. On the other hand, until you understand how you grasp at independent existence you will make little progress on the spiritual path. So the Buddha’s words ‘thoroughly tame your mind’ mean combat ignorance. And the first steps towards that involve cultivating mindfulness and morality.”
His Holiness suggested that in the past in Tibet the majority of the public were only moved by faith. Now that education in general has improved, he said, it is important for people to understand the unique qualities of the Buddha’s teachings. He recommended advice that is given when people study the ‘Ornament for Clear Realizations. “Examine the content, the subject matter and ask what its purpose is. What is the temporary purpose? What is the ultimate purpose? And how do these relate to each other?” In this context it is important to heed the Buddha’s advice to examine his teachings as a goldsmith tests gold. Examine them, investigate them and experiment with them.
“It’s on this basis that I have been able to engage in dialogue with scientists,” His Holiness said. “It’s about reasoned explanation. We Tibetans are in possession of knowledge to be proud of. I’m not talking about converting others to Buddhism, but, for example, our understanding of psychology is something that can contribute to general human welfare. The advice that we can fulfil our own interests by looking after others’ interests can be of benefit to everyone. If we combat self-centredness with concern for others and combat ignorance with wisdom, it will be of benefit and worth living a long life. But, as Geshe Potawa remarked, if you only do harm it would be better if your life were short. ”
His Holiness then began to offer a Long-Life Empowerment of White Tara, in the course of which he led the assembly in generating the awakening mind. Once that was complete, the Abbot of Namgyal Monastery led an Offering Requesting His Holiness’s Long Life, also based on White Tara. Members of the four sponsoring groups, men and women, young and old, many of them visibly pleased, processed through the temple bearing offerings.
Following proceedings in the temple, a second event took place in the yard below. First of all, a representative of the people of Barkham Tsogshö declared that they wished offer His Holiness a symbol of gratitude. Tsogshö Shabdrung Rinpoche read a citation extolling the qualities of His Holiness’s life. He mentioned the special place Avalokiteshvara has in the life of the Land of Snow, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama’s assuming temporal and spiritual authority over Tibet and His Holiness’s birth in Amdo.
The citation also thanked His Holiness for drawing people’s attention to the drawbacks of propitiating Dolgyal and clarifying the pure tradition of Je Tsongkhapa’s teachings. Expressing his community’s pledge not to worship Dolgyal, he said they all prayed to be able to return to Tibet and to be able to listen to His Holiness’s teachings in their homeland. A gold medal bearing images of Tibet, Amitayus the Buddha of Long Life and depicting the connection that people of Barkham Tsogshö have had with the Dalai Lamas since the Fifth, was then presented to His Holiness.
The people of Barkham Rongpo in their turn offered His Holiness a golden Dharma wheel. They too willingly pledged not to propitiate Dolgyal and mentioned that they are trying to persuade their compatriots in Tibet to follow their example.
A group from Tsogchö then performed a traditional dance and song known as ‘The Lama is the Embodiment of the Buddhas of the Three Times.’
In his response His Holiness affirmed that before 1959 and also in exile the spiritual bond between him and these people had been strong and unwavering.
“That’s what counts,” he said. “For a small boy from a village near Kumbum to become leader of Tibet, there must have been a strong karmic connection between us all.”
“These days Shugden people protest against me. They call me a false Dalai Lama. They say I’m a Muslim and that Tibetans shouldn’t support me. Those who instigated people to protest against me like this must have done it out of a personal grudge. However that may be, I advise Tibetans not to be angry towards them. On my own part, every day I practise trying to develop bodhichitta and an understanding of emptiness, so I don’t feel anger towards them either.
“From the start of my propitiating Dolgyal I was also sceptical. So I researched his nearly 400 year history. I conducted various kinds of investigation. I did the practice out of ignorance. Once I discovered the reality of it I chose to stop. But I also felt it my responsibility to make known what I’d found out. Whether anyone else pays attention to what I have to say about it is up to them.”
“Those of us who came into exile in 1959 are becoming fewer and fewer, yet the young people who have come after us are keeping up a strong spirit. That is what we need to do. Tashi Delek.”
