New Delhi, India, 24 December 2012 – After the audience of nearly 1500 people, more than a thousand of whom were Russian, had warmly greeted him, His Holiness explained that his voice was hoarse because he had recently spoken for more than 50 hours over two weeks while giving an important teaching in South India.
“In my hurry to finish the texts I caught a cold and that’s why my voice is croaky today.”
He welcomed the Russian guests, telling them that in the past there were many great masters who came from Buryat, Kalmykia and Tuva to study in Central Tibet and later became accomplished. He said this is the heritage that is being revived today. At the same time there are others who have become interested in Buddhist philosophy and have become Buddhists. He said that while he generally advises people to stick to the religion they are born with, he acknowledges that sometimes people feel Buddhism can be more helpful to them. However, he stressed that it is important not then to lose respect for the religion their families belong to.
He also noted that there people who had come from Tibet in the audience and he had words for them:
“I know the spirit of the Tibetan people remains very strong, but despite that it is difficult for you to study in Tibet, or to receive teachings from properly qualified masters, so please listen carefully while you are here.”
Conducting a survey of spirituality, His Holiness said that whether they look at people and the world from a philosophical viewpoint or not, from a theistic or non-theistic standpoint, all our religious traditions teach about love and compassion. He said that the source of our problems is self-centredness. Theistic religions tackle this by complete submission to God, whereas Buddhism reduces self-centredness by focussing on selflessness, the lack of a single, autonomous self, and the advice to regard others as more important than us. He counselled that once we understand that our different religions have common goals, we understand the grounds for granting them equal respect.
“I read recently that here in the twenty-first century, of the 7 billion people alive today, one billion describe themselves as non-believers, which means 6 billion regard themselves as believers in one religion or another. But when we see that apparently religious people indulge in corruption and don’t seem to want to reduce their self-centredness or combat their destructive emotions, we might ask how deep their spiritual belief really is.”
He said that when we are in the grip of destructive emotions we are unhappy, but when we develop love and compassion for others we feel happier and more at ease. Competitiveness and jealousy give rise to fear and mistrust; we lose friends and become lonely. When we are free from fear, trust and friendship grow. When our minds are at peace, we are less anxious and free from fear. And today, scientists and thinkers recognise that true happiness comes from peace of mind.
“Compassion brings peace of mind and with it better health; so cherish compassion.”
– Read more : dalailama.com
– His Holiness the Dalai Lama Teaches a Group from Russia in Delhi – Day Two
– His Holiness the Dalai Lama Teaches a Group from Russia in Delhi – Day Three
