| Session 1 | Part 1 - The Dalai Lama - Essential Writings - editor Thomas A. Forsthoefel |  |
| Introduction to the Delai Lama by the Calgary Tibetan Community | ||
| "Love and kindness are the very basis of society. If we lose these feelings, society will face remendous difficulties; the survival of humanity will be endangered. Together with material development, we need spiritual development, so that inner peace and social harmony can be experienced. Without inner peace, without inner calm, it is difficult to have lasting peace. In this field of inner development, religion can make important contributions." ... p156 | ||
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| Index | Commentary | References | ||||||||||||
| Commentary - Our bookstudy group had the pleasure of the company and conversation of
members of the Calgary Tibetan Community. Lynn Chazotsang gave a most riveting
talk on the Dalai Lama and his coming visit to Calgary, the history of
the Tibetan refugees and a noble summary of the Buddhist principles that
has caused their community and spiritual leader such respect and acclaim
in the world. She is a teacher. We were blessed by her words. Jock McTavish |
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| Notes from the evening. The Dalai Lama is unfortunately being exploited as a celebrity. The conferences sell seats from $50 to $10,000. The University of Calgary is having a conference soon on Compassion and Community". Again unfortunately there seems a lot of politics associated with this. There are security problems because there are many death threats against His Holiness. We were told this would be $22,000. Apparently due to the influence of the local Chinese community, the City of Calgary refused to bear this cost. It was most appreciated when Prime Minister Harper acknowledged the need and provided the security with CSIS. He said he would not exchange Canadian value for Chinese dollars. The Dalai Lama was born in 1932 and was recognized as the 14th Dalai Lama. In 1950, the Chinese invaded (liberated) Tibet. And in 1959 His Holiness found exile in India at Dharamsala. Buddhism is a way of love. Each of us is a human being. Peace is within us all. The Dalai Lama has conveyed this to the world and has been honoured with many awards. In 1989 he won the Nobel Peace Prize. His Holiness talks always of humanity as one family. We all seek happiness. As we seek world peace it should not be by conversion to our own ideas, but finding how each can contribute. In Buddhism, joy comes from contribution, and suffering from seeking self happiness. Buddhism is about living in peace. Even religion can become an obstacle. When we are not happy, we are not understanding. Wisdom and Compassion are 2 essentials of Buddhism. Wisdom is for discernment. Compassion is not feeling sorry, but releasing others from suffering. We Tibetans refer to older times as The Old Kingdom. Tibet is rather large, about half the size of India and between India and China. There was peace then. During the time of the 5th Dalai Lama, there were lots of Muslims in India and many came to Tibet for asylum. They were given land to settle. There is a fine story of this. An arrow was shot, and a garden was made at the arrows distance. These Muslims were Sunni. They were not subject to tax. They were permitted Sharia law except that a woman was allowed to decide whether she wishes intermarriage. By the time of the 1950 exile of many Tibetans to India, they had to leave without possessions. The present Dalai Lama gave each Muslim arriving $500 and asked India to help. These people mostly settled in Kashmir. In 2004 there was conflict between Buddhists and Muslims in Tibet and the Dalai Lama told them to stop the violence, and they did with ceremonies in each others temples and mosques. Knowing how to face our past Karma is all we can ask. Emotions prevent our seeing the enemy. Compassion for others seems way out. Suffering looked at negatively becomes unbearable. But suffering looked at positively reverses negative Karma. Whenever you generate compassion, it reverses much negative Karma. So it is you can control your life. The impact of the Dalai Lama is great indeed. Not only for Tibetans but for the world. And the best gift to a teacher is that we follow his teachings. He taught that we should always check our motivation. Always seek wisdom and enlightenment. Always without selfishness. Always for the sake of others. He taught the purity of motivation. Let our gift be pure, and let us leave it afterward. He taught us dedication. We should aspire to be Buddha-like towards all. We should be of service to others. He taught as your deeds collect, your heart expands. Tenzin read a piece about the 3 committments of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. About Compassion. Towards understanding others - we are all the same. Support of the Tibetan cause until there comes an agreement. Lynn visited in 1985 and found the Chinese 1-Child Policy meant killing girl babies. She told how when a Chinese farmer neighbour had a son, the Tibetan community celebrated - they did not consider him an enemy. As a visitor she wondered about this. She then asked for questions. Marjorie wanted to know more of the Buddhist take on enlightenment, understanding and ignorance. Lynn explained that "emptiness" is the key understanding here. That wisdom is not only intellectual. That sometimes wisdom even lacks compassion. Emptiness is the central quality of our interconnectedness. It is the understanding that all things have consequence. Ignorance is not recognizing our interdependence. It is not seeing cause and effect. The wrong view creates veils of misunderstanding. Greed and other such qualities come from ignorance. She then explained a tradition of 3 animals representing the wrong view: the pig representing ignorance, the snake representing attachment, and the cock representing hate. Enlightenment brings an end to the cycling of life. Lynn finished with a lovely Tibetan saying: "When alone, watch your mind. When with others watch your mouth. Be in the moment." There was then a lovely mingle where we all enjoyed tea and a selection of Tibetan snacks provided by our guests. Afterwards Lynn answered some additional questions. Q. Reincarnation. A. The test of any new Dalai Lama is that the child recognizes the personal properties of the previous Dalai Lama. This is quite a famous part of the present Dalai Lama's story. Q. What is Woman's Place in Tibet? A. Until recently the men had dominant position. Now it is equal. Q. Please explain about Monks and Marriage? A. There are 4 traditions. 2 may marry. Q. What is Tibetan ritual like? A. Each home is a holy place. There are Buddhist/Tibetan scriptures that are read regularly. We read these teachings before sleeping. It helps purify sleep to pure delight. Q. Is there a Tibetan Temple in Calgary? A. No, not yet. Presently we meet at the Japanese Buddhist Temple. There may be some troubles with available space in the future. (Some members of StDavids offered should such a time come please come talk to us. Explaining we had hosted the Ishmaili Muslims for a few years while they built their temple.) Q. Why is China fighting? What is that about? A. After the Chinese invasion they destroyed nearly all the monasteries. They believe religion is wrong. Only 12 of 6000 monasteries still stand! China seeks control. It has been 50 years now. They destroy Tibetan culture. They send waves of Chinese migrants into Tibet and now outnumber the Tibetan population. They use Tibet as a nuclear dumping ground and other environmental destructions. The old balance is lost to modernism. The United Nations won't help. China accuses the Dalai Lama as being a fomenter of political insurrection. Greed seems to rule China. |
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| References Related to Chapter One | ||||||||||||||
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editorial courtesies. St. David's United Church.Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Jan 2008 |
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