New Delhi, Apr 21 (PTI) Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Friday said the current Tibet situation could make one lose hope, but if the crisis is looked through the perspective of courage that Buddhists teaching give, one can have a much greater mental resilience.
Addressing a group of monks and other delegates at the Global Buddhist Summit here, he also said many of the Buddhist texts are treatises written by great Indian masters, and that he personally found them “deeply impactful”.
He spoke for about half an hour and emphasised on Buddhist philosophy and values, and emphasised particularly on compassion and wisdom.
The first-of-its-kind summit hosted by the Union Ministry of Culture along with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) began on Thursday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the inaugural session.
The Tibetan spiritual leader was not present during the inaugural function.
The Dalai Lama participated in the Summit on Friday and addressed a group of monks and other delegates who have gathered here for the two-day event.
In his address in Tibetan, which was translated into English by an interpreter present on the dais, the 87-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader also spoke of how Buddhist teachings, ‘Bodhichitta’ (thought of awakening) have helped him in dealing with the Tibet situation.
He also spoke of the need to cultivate compassion and wisdom for deeper inner growth.
Compassion and wisdom are the “two wings, riding on which one can cruise to enlightment,” the Dalai Lama said. “I can also share with you that by engaging in this kind of inner development, particularly focusing on wisdom and compassion, it really can help increase our courage as well,” he said.
“For example, in the case of my dealing with the current struggle and situation of Tibet, if you just think only about it from a narrow angle, you can lose your hope. But if you look at this crisis, this current situation, from the broader perspective of the courage that the cultivation of ‘Bodhichitta’ and compassion give you, then you can have a much more resilient mind,” the Tibetan spiritual leader said.
The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 and has lived in India in exile since then.
In his address, he also recalled his birth in northeastern part of Tibet and said he was later brought to central Tibet, and ever since “I had the opportunity to be schooled in Buddhist texts”.
“Many of these texts are treatises written by great Indian masters. Personally, I found them deeply impactful, while in Tibet and ever since coming into exile, I have familiarised myself with this text, contemplated on the content on the teachings, personally find them to be powerful source, but also something that gives me mental resilience and courage,” he said.
What makes Buddha Dharma unique is the richness of the resources found in the tradition, for inner development, he added.
During the inaugural session, Modi in his address had said the world is passing through challenges such as war, economic instability, terrorism, religious extremism and climate change and asserted that Lord Buddha’s ideas offer a solution to these problems.
The summit was divided into two segments — academic and Sangha sessions.
The Global Buddhist Summit concluded successfully on Friday with the New Delhi Declaration that reinforces the points highlighted by the prime minister in his opening address.
Basic fundamental which can provide inspiration and guidance in the light of Lord Buddha’s message of peace, well-being, harmony and compassion for universal peace need to be highlighted and worked upon, the summit agreed upon.
On Monday, at a press conference here, organisers had said that invite was sent to the Dalai Lama, but till that time it wasn’t confirmed whether he would attend the event. PTI KND CK CK
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