DHARAMSHALA, October 3: The Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama expressed pleasure seeing more Indian devotees taking interest in the ‘rich knowledge’ of tradition passed down by Buddha and the great Indian Nalanda scholars. “Nowadays, the number of Indians taking keen interest in Buddhism, its philosophy and logic is increasing. It is applaudable and pleasing to see them taking interest and preserving their own ancestral teachings and traditions,” the spiritual leader said today as he began the four-day teaching on Aryadeva’s 400 Stanzas on the Middle Way (Uma Shigyapa).
Over 7,200 devotees from 64 countries attended the first day’s teaching today organized at the request of a group of 950 Taiwanese. The Tibetan leader said that historically, Chinese are the earliest adopters of the Buddha Dharma taught through Sanskrit while followers of Buddha Dharma through Pali language are the senior most students. “However, if we compare the level of knowledge, the younger students are not that poor,” he said jokingly while crediting Shantarakshita, the great Indian Scholar who was instrumental in spreading Buddhism throughout Tibet.
The Dalai Lama said that all 7 billion human beings, not necessarily a Buddhist or a practitioner, have the opportunity to understand and teach the root cause of sufferings. He said, “If we compare the physical and the mental sufferings, latter has more effect on an individual. The materialistic developments only give physical comfort and not mental. Evidently, many rich people in the west are realizing the importance of mental wellbeing.”
The 1989 Nobel Peace Laureate urged people to not replicate the 20th century, blotted with wars and mass killings. He also stated that it is responsibility of the mankind to find solutions to all the man made problems and that praying is not an answer to all problems.
He also expressed his disappointment over the misdeeds and divisions created in the name of religion, whose core teaching is love and compassion. “We are turning the medicine of happiness into a poison,” the Dalai Lama said emphasizing the need for religious harmony.