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Mahabodhi Temple:
As a special addition to the Silver Jubilee
25th Kagyu Monlam, His Holiness said that for three days the
practice of Medicine Buddha would be performed, and in the morning
of this first day, he would like to offer an empowerment of Medicine
Buddha, followed by a teaching session on the Medicine Buddha
practice the next day.
Before the empowerment, His Holiness spoke a little. He first quoted
from Candrakirti: “Now we have the chance to acquire happiness for
this life and for the next lives.” He went on to say that we have
this choice right now. We might not always have this opportunity,
and if we look not only from the Dharma point of view, but also from
a general perspective, at all our lives, we cannot always get the
chance to do what we want. It is not often that people have the
freedom, opportunity or circumstances to do what they want. It even
happens that some people want to be good people and do good things,
but they are compelled by their situation to do negative things.
They cannot but do negative things because of their circumstances.
This kind of situation occurs for many people. Therefore, we who are
assembled here, all of us, we don’t have many of those difficulties
coming from every side, so we really have the opportunity to do
positive things and practice Dharma. Whether we want to do it or not
is up to us, but we have the opportunity to practice Dharma, and do
something good for ourselves and for others. If we do
something that is positive, that will also help other beings. If we
can do that then our lives will become purposeful and meaningful for
ourselves and for others. Generally, there are numerous difficulties
in samsara. There are many inequalities: some are poor, some are
rich, some are women, some are men. There are differences of gender,
differences of wealth, political differences, economic differences.
There are certain pressures, economic pressures, political
pressures. There are difficulties to live our lives, to earn our
living and manage our lives.
His Holiness explained that, if we look from
the Dharma point of view, there are a lot of different religions in
the world. Each religion has its own philosophies and principles,
and there are also differences and conflicts between these different
religious philosophies. Sometimes, it happens that those belonging
to one religion feel they have to establish their own religion as
the better one, and win over the others.
Whether one looks from the religious point of
view or the worldly point of view, there are a lot of conditions
that are not free and suitable. These kinds of difficulties are not
because the world is fraught with difficulties and conflicts.
Although the situation is like that, it is not for that reason that
we have this problem. The main factor is that those of us who live
in this world, the way we think, the way we react, our attitudes,
contribute to this situation. His Holiness used himself as an
example. He said that generally his life has been deeply connected
to Dharma, to religious practices. Therefore, in his life, from the
time that he was born into this world, until now, he has had a
special trust and belief in religion, especially because he was born
into Buddhism. He explained that he has had the habit of being a
Buddhist right from the beginning. He has a commitment to being a
Buddhist. From his childhood he was brought up in a Buddhist
environment. He was called Apo Gaga or Ogyen
Trinley, and these names are related to Dharma too. He went on to
say that nowadays, since leaving Tibet, he lives in a more diverse
environment. When interacting with different religious and ethnic
groups, he has had to acquaint himself with a new etiquette. He has
had to be more aware of many things. Sometimes even though he
himself as an individual felt he did not need to be careful about
certain things, as a Buddhist he has the responsibility to behave in
an especially mindful way in his dealings with people.
Gyalwang Karmapa said that
the Buddhist teachings are straightforward and quite open – that you
can say it is an open-minded religion. Because of his study of the
Buddhist teachings and his own way of thinking through Buddhist
studies, through having a Buddhist understanding and a Buddhist way
of life, he doesn’t feel that the way we live as Buddhists
contradicts any other way of living in any other religious
tradition. He explained that when one talks about Buddhism, the main
point is karma, actions and their results, cause and result.
Generally the Three Jewels are very important, but our actions
become even more important in Buddhism – how we act. Whatever causes
we create, a corresponding result will appear. Therefore karma
becomes the main point in Buddhism. As a Buddhist, His Holiness
said, his main way of being is based on this: because of certain
causes he has accumulated, there is a certain result and he has to
accept that.
Gyalwang Karmapa said that
when we talk from the point of view of some other religions, there
are many who accept God, the Creator, and so therefore in his way of
living in this world, from one side he has a Buddhist view which is
different philosophically from other religions, but that if you look
from the point of view of those other religions, he is created by
God, and he is created as a Buddhist by God. He is a Buddhist
created by God. Therefore, he feels that his way of living as a
Buddhist is not contradicting any other religious belief, so he can
be relaxed and satisfied and can contentedly live his religious way
of life.
Gyalwang Karmapa talked
about his situation and said that if you look from the worldly point
of view he has many difficulties, such as the difficulty of not
having freedom, and other things also. And then, he said, although
he himself doesn’t have some particular problems, there are problems
that other people create for him. He told how many people come to
see him and that, although we might think that it is good that lots
of people come to see him, they come only to tell him their
problems: about gender differences and inequalities, and the
increasing gap between the rich and the poor, and difficulties
between the members of the family, such as husband and wife, and
even little problems. They bring many kinds of problems to him, so
he has a lot of work to do, like the work of a doctor, or like the
work of parents.
There are many different
problems in the world. His Holiness asked how can he face these
problems? He asked, does he know everything? Does he have all the
solutions to these problems? Is he like that? But he said one cannot
respond to people by sending them away, or saying one doesn’t know
the answers. One can’t say that. So he tries to find a way. He said
he has nothing much to offer, but he tries to find a solution. He
instructs them to face their problems and continue to live in a
positive way. He tries to encourage them so they do not lose their
faith. The main thing he does is to encourage them to continue to
face their problems. Generally to all the people he knows or does
not know, from his heart very sincerely he has loving kindness and a
kind of aspiration that he tries to express even from his body.
He said that even when he looks at somebody he tries to look as much
as possible with kindness and compassion. He expressed the wish that
because of that attitude people would get some new hope and
encouragement and some courage. For some people this does happen and
for some it does not. This is what the world is like – that is the
law of the world. It cannot be that everything becomes perfect for
everyone.
His Holiness said that when talking about the
problems associated with the Dharma life and the worldly life, the
main thing is that it is very important to have the outer conditions
and the inner conditions harmoniously together. The mind has to be
very stable, with some courage and intelligence, wisdom and skilful
means. If that is possible, then although birth, old age, sickness
and death cannot be eliminated, generally most of the worldly
problems can be solved. Our bodies are impermanent, and the events
of birth, old age, sickness and death cannot be immediately removed,
but if you have courage and can continue, even problems associated
with those natural occurrences can be overcome. So it is His
Holiness’ wish to bestow the empowerment of Medicine Buddha to give
courage and strength of mind to everybody.
The three thousand worlds become the world of
Medicine Buddha. His Holiness instructed the participants to think
of this place as the Mandala of Medicine Buddha. This pure view is
also to give encouragement and to hold a positive outlook. We live
in this world, and we should not see it as darkness or as
hopelessness. If our mind is like that we cannot see anything else
except darkness and hopelessness, but if we see it as light and have
some hope, even if there is a little hope, then slowly slowly we can
find a way, find a light. Because of that, we will be able to see
that the outer world and the beings inside are not something that is
unpleasant and that consequently everything is bad. The world
outside is not all bad. It is not that everything is polluted. It is
not like that. If we try with courage and hope, we can change this
world into a Pure Land, and we can transform our beings into
something positive imbued with loving kindness and compassion. That
is the main point. That is the practice. So let us look outside this
compound and see if it is Medicine Buddha’s Palace or not. We clean
it morning, noon and night, and the dust is always there! The Palace
of Medicine Buddha cannot be a place where even if we clean it three
times a day it is still dusty!
In the news of the world so many people are
killed here and there, there is a lot of violence. It is not that
people are sitting like Buddhas, smiling with peacefulness. It is
not like that. This kind of teaching and practice is for those who
actually practice Buddhism. So of course they can practice this, and
those who are not Buddhist also. However, the main point is that
this teaching is giving hope, and a possibility that we can
transform this world and transform the people into something
positive. It is not that this is only about Buddhism, but about the
whole situation. It is not right to say that the Buddha taught only
for Buddhists. It is true that the Buddha taught for Buddhists and
especially for Vajrayana practitioners, but actually these teachings
are to give hope and encouragement to all beings whether they are
Buddhist or not; to give hope that there is a possibility to
transform ourselves and the world around us.
After the empowerment, His Holiness spoke more:
His Holiness asked where Lama Tashi Dondrup was sitting in the
assembly. He said that all the money that Lama Tashi Dondrup has
been collecting has been used beneficially, and he has sponsored
this empowerment and puja. It is due to the wishes of the 16th
Karmapa that all of us are living under the grace and blessings of
all the Buddhas and Karmapas of the past. Lama Tashi Dondrup
sponsored this Dharma activity, and we can fulfill this activity. As
our contribution, we should do the practice well and accomplish the
wishes of the Teacher. His Holiness expressed his deep gratitude and
the gratitude of all the participants for Lama Tashi Dondrup’s
sponsorship. His Holiness said he believed that through the merit of
the Medicine Buddha prayer, all the Karmapas will have long lives.
Then His Holiness mentioned again that at this
25th Kagyu Monlam, medical service was offered to everybody. From
Taiwan many members of a medical group called the Taiwan Root
Medical Peace Corps came. They gave free medical treatment to more
than 5000 people during these days. They did it with great sincerity
and it was a great contribution. It was greatly beneficial to the
Indian people living around these areas, and also a true practical
help to those attending the Kagyu Monlam. From His Holiness’ side,
he expressed his sincere thanks. He also said, there are many poor
people all around the world, and he hopes that in the future this
group can be of medical help and give support and comfort to many
people, and that they may be able to revive people who are close to
death, and even bring back people who have already passed away. This
is His Holiness’ wish and prayer.
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