His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet spoke to a crowd of approximately 5,000 students, staff, faculty and others in Bender Arena yesterday. The Dalai Lama held a four-hour teaching, broken up into morning and afternoon sessions, based on the Eight Verses for Training the Mind, an 11th Century Tibetan text, which teaches compassion toward others.
The teaching was part of a nine-day trip through the United States, where the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate has spoken about Tibet’s relationship with China.
“I am very happy to have this opportunity to talk with you,” the Dalai Lama said in his opening remarks. He said that one can use Buddhist teachings to benefit from the teachings.
The teaching was delivered mostly in his native language, with a translator interpreting the Dalai Lama’s statements. His Holiness remarked during the teaching that it was a humbling experience to have someone translate his words and not be completely sure what was being said.
He guided the audience though the Eight Verses for Training the Mind, adding in his own view of the verses and telling the audience how they could apply the principles.
“May I examine my mind in all actions and as soon as a negative state occurs, since it endangers myself and others, may I firmly face and avert it,” reads the third verse.
He said that many people have a perception of Buddhism as being only about a Buddha in a temple with monks, but that the images people should keep in their minds are concepts such as compassion and altruism. The Dalai Lama also spoke about achieving enlightenment and training the mind.
“Enlightenment is not a good that someone can give to you,” he said, stressing that wisdom is not owned by anyone and cannot be given away as a gift. “True enlightenment is [when] the nature of one’s own self is fully realized.”
He emphasized that people must learn to interact with each other to achieve true happiness.
“One can see that other sentient beings are the true sources of all of our joys,” the Dalai Lama said.
The Dalai Lama then spoke about differences between how people view the world and how the world actually is.
He also addressed written questions from the audience during a 10-minute question-and-answer period following the teaching.
“It is very, very important to develop a clear realization that negative emotion is destructive,” he said, addressing one audience member’s questions. The Dalai Lama also addressed questions about meditation, the status of animals and the upcoming millennium.
“I don’t know,” he said in response to a question of whether there would be any catastrophic events around the millennium.
“If whole world face one problem, then nothing can be done … just sit here,” the Dalai Lama said, drawing laughter from the crowd.
The teaching concluded with a brief ceremony generating the mind for enlightenment, which allowed audience members to take refuge in the three jewels of Buddhism, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
“The voice of the Dalai Lama is also our own,” President Benjamin Ladner said before introducing the Dalai Lama. He stressed that it was “not the message, but the man” that was important.
Reactions to the teaching from students and visitors were generally positive.
“It was a very good opportunity for the Tibetan people,” said Thupten Chonyi, a Buddhist monk from a monastery in Philadelphia. He said the event was worthwhile, even though he was disappointed at waiting in line for an hour-and-half before the teaching.
Lines to enter Bender Arena stretched down Massachusetts Avenue to the Wesley Theological Seminary and some students and visitors had to wait up to two hours to enter the Arena.
Despite the wait in line, most reactions from audience members were positive.
“It’s amazing … the guy knows what he’s talking about,” said Andres Rodriguez, a freshman in the School of International Service.
Professor David Rodier, the chair of the Philosophy and Religion Department, was also pleased with the teaching.
“I found it very interesting, especially the way in which we positioned his own understandings of Buddhism [with the teachings],” Rodier said. “He showed a sensitivity to diversity and a respect that was refreshing for a major religious leader.”
Celebrities at the event included actors Goldie Hawn and Richard Gere and members from the band The Beastie Boys. A number of practicing Buddhists also attended the event, meditating in the arena and lighting incense outside the main gates.
“I think that the teachings His Holiness has chosen are the most important teachings for the West,” said Nicholas Vreeland, a Buddhist from New York. “The development of a compassionate and loving mind is the secret to a happy life and a happy world.”
Vreeland said he was pleased that the teaching focused not on “dogma or acts of faith, but very basic, practical things on one hand and on the other, [focused] on the way things are.”
According to a CNN report, the Dalai Lama called for international help and said the Tibetan people were “fed up” with Chinese rule in a speech before the International Campaign for Tibet Saturday. The Dalai Lama did not address either of these issues in his talk before the AU community.
The proceeds from the event are going to support the Tibetan Cultural Heritage project, a part of the Smithsonian Institute’s Conservancy for Tibetan Art and Culture. The Kennedy Political Union co-sponsored the event with the Conservancy.
