LEH: Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti called on His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the final day of his three-day teachings on ‘A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life’ at Shiwatsel palace in Ladakh yesterday, 30 July 2017.
Arriving at the teaching ground, she addressed the gathering and said: “I am honoured to be here.”
“We the people of Jammu & Kashmir, as well as the people of Ladakh, are happy that you come here and shower your blessings on us. I wish you the best of health so you may continue to visit us. You bring peace wherever you go. I’ve been touched to know of your remarks distinguishing Muslims from terrorists and reaffirming Islam as a religion of peace. If conditions prevailed I would like to invite you to bring your soothing blessings to the people of the Kashmir Valley too—thank you,” she said.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, in his response, praised India’s religious harmony and called for developing a deeper sense of oneness of humanity to resolve ongoing tensions in the world.
“Religious harmony has long flourished here in this country. India should set an example by showing the world that religious traditions can live side by side in mutual respect. I do my best to tell people about this wherever I go. That’s all I have to say. I’ve been to Nubra and Zanskar, as well as my time here in Leh and everything has gone very well. I’d like to thank you all.”
His Holiness the Dalai Lama yesterday concluded a three-day teaching on ‘A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of life’ followed by a White Tara Long-Life Empowerment at Shiwatsel palace in Leh, Ladakh.
Over 60,000 devotees attended the teaching organised by Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) from 27 – 30 July.
“Mind has a relation to the brain, but its nature is an experience of knowing—of clarity and awareness,” His Holiness continued. “The fundamental cause of the omniscient wisdom of a Buddha is the mind of clarity and awareness we each have within us. This is revealed as we eliminate the obstacles to knowledge. It is this luminous state of mind, referred to as Buddha-nature, that continues all the way to Buddhahood.
“In our normal waking state, we are diverted by sensory consciousnesses related to our sense organs. When we die, the heart stops and with it the circulation of blood, so the brain dies too. However, there are cases of people who remain in meditative absorption, whose bodies, despite this clinical death, remain fresh. There are neuroscientists investigating this phenomenon. We say the subtle mind is still in the body. The coarse mind has ceased, but the subtle mind remains, not dependent on the body, but still there. It is this subtle mind that goes from one life to the next. It’s the fundamental cause of Buddhahood that we access when we meditate on the emptiness of the mind itself.”
“I’ll stop here for this year,” His Holiness said. “If my health is strong and I come again next year, we’ll continue from here.”
His Holiness the Dalai Lama undertaking preparatory rituals for the Long-Life Empowerment on the final day of his teachings in Leh, Ladakh, J&K, India on July 30, 2017. Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL
Members of the community carrying offerings pass in front of His Holiness the Dalai Lama while local artists perform behind them during the Long-Life Offering ceremony in Leh, Ladakh, J&K, India on July 30, 2017. Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL