Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, HP, India - Today, the first ‘auspicious Wednesday’ of the new Wood-Snake year, the monks and former monks of Namgyal Monastery and the staff of the Gaden Phodrang, the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, offered prayers for his long life to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The ceremony took place in the halls of the Old Palace at His Holiness’s residence. When His Holiness entered the building, Prof Samdhong Rinpoché and the Abbot of Namgyal Monastery were there to greet him. Today’s ceremony was based on the rite 'Granting the Essence of Immortality' composed by the Great Fifth Dalai Lama following a vision he had of Guru Padmasambhava in the form of Amitayus. The Abbot of Namgyal Monastery, Thamthog Rinpoché presided over the ritual.
Prof Samdhong Rinpoché made a thanksgiving mandala offering and presented representations of the enlightened body, speech and mind. Then, His Holiness addressed the congregation.
“Today, the office of the Gaden Phodrang, as well as the monks and former monks of Namgyal Monastery, have offered these prayers for my long life. You’ve done it with unwavering faith in recognition of your spiritual bond with me. As you have seen, I have been able to benefit the people of the world to a good extent. In addition, I feel I’ve been able to help Tibetans both inside Tibet and in exile with advice and instructions I have given sincerely.
“So far, I’ve fervently aspired to do my best to benefit the world. I have sincerely given talks with the intention of being helpful to people, whether they think of themselves as religious or not. People with no religious commitment as such have taken interest in what I have to say. I have spoken not so much in praise of religion, but to help people feel at peace with themselves and willing to be of help to others and ultimately create peace in the world.
“I’ve shared my thoughts about inner peace in different parts of the world, particularly with regard to our emotions and the workings of our minds as described in Buddhist psychology. On the basis of what I’ve learned about the Buddhist science of mind, I’ve had discussions with modern scientists. Many of them are interested to know more about the mind and how we can tackle our negative emotions to achieve peace of mind within ourselves. Educated people have paid attention to what I’ve had to say. I’ve shared my understanding of the workings of our minds and emotions in scientific terms. When I interact with scientists, I feel I’m a scientist too.
“Scholars and scientists have found what I have to say helpful. I have done my best to help the world by drawing on the profound traditions we have preserved in Tibet. This is a tradition not based on faith alone, but founded on reason and logic. It enables us to put our minds to good use. This is a special feature of our Tibetan heritage, making the best use of our intelligence. This precious tradition of ours can be of real help to people.
“Since I was a child, I’ve studied mind and awareness in the context of logic. I’ve thoroughly explored the ‘Treasury of Higher Knowledge’ (Abhidharmakosha), which describes cosmology and the formation of the world and so forth in terms that may not comply with current empirical views. These descriptions may be likened to legends. However, books about the Perfection of Wisdom, Middle Way (Madhyamika) Philosophy, logic and epistemology contain sound knowledge about the workings of the mind and emotions. We can share this with the people of the world, without having to touch on religion as such, to encourage the achievement of peace of mind and overcome mental afflictions. This spiritual tradition we uphold is incredible.
“Today, you are offering me these prayers for my long life. I feel I still have many more years to live. I hope to continue to be of help to the people of the world, particularly those in China where there is growing interest in the teaching of the Buddha. I have many friends among them who appreciate what I have to say and I wish to help them.
“Today, I’d like to thank you all for offering this long-life ceremony to me.”
The Chant-master then began to recite the final prayer, the ‘Words of Truth’. His Holiness rose from his seat and was escorted back to his residence.
