Dalai Lama

08-09-1999, 11:50 AM

I saw a program on Dalai Lama yesterday. Very nice and moving. He said
something like, "I am not a living Buddha. That is false if anyone says it.
I am a Buddhist monk, probably, that you can say." I got a funny feeling
that he was not even quite sure of the latter. In any case, he was quite a
contrast to the many enlightened teachers declaring themselves this and that
or giving themselves the largest titles.

Harsha

01-02-2000, 01:06 PM

Date: Sun, 02 Jan 2000 16:51:52 +0000
From: Maureen Heffernan
To: Blossoming , S-K
Subject: [SacredKundalini] Dalai Lama

> What the Dalai Lama Said: The Millenium Message
>
>
> [Delivered by His Holiness The XXIV Dalai Lama via Internet via
> www.worldpuja.org, January 1, 2000]
> [Transcribed by Roger Ebsen, Closely Paraphrased, some words
> difficult to
> understand]
>
> People ask me what I feel about the new Millennium. ìPeople seem to
> be
> excited about the millennium. The new millennium in itself wiil be
> ënothing special.í As we enter the new millennium, things will be the
> same
> ~ that is, nothing unusual. Just wait, wait, waitÖand then youíll see
> nothing unusual and then weíll forget about it. [chuckles] My only
> worry
> is whether my flight to Delhi today will take off.
>
> The new millennium in itself is nothing specialÖOne thing is
> certainÖWe
> all can use time in our life constructively or destructivelyÖor we
> can
> waste our time, that is up to us. So people who consider the new
> millenniumÖit can be happy one or miserable, it is entirely up to us. So
> that is the point. If we are really looking forward to a new
> Millennium,
> or Century, a happy one, then we must make effort, we must work hard
> for
> it. That is my message for today. Awareness of the problem and learn
> how
> to lose it and keep hope and determination. Not just prayer, but
> through
> action Öto alleviate unhappy situationsÖ
>
> Now, however, if you really want the next millennium to be happier,
> more
> peaceful, and more harmonious for humankind, we will have to make
> the
> effort to make it so. This is in our hands, but especially in the hands
> of this younger generation. The younger generation. I think myself
> also,
> now, mainly, I think, I spent my Öthe most part of my life is spentÖor
> belongs toÖthe previous century. So the previous century is the
> century
> of my generation. So anyway, the other people, not even children,
> [are
> soon] to say bye-bye to the world [chuckle]. So, the younger
> generation,
> you are the people who really have to manage yourself politically, to
> shape the difficult century. So as a human beingÖwith marvelous
> human
> intelligence, the first is education, proper education; and then with
> determination, self- confidence, and a Ö[good] attitude..with these
> fundamental potentialities, then we can change the situation. So the
> younger generation really study well and meantime keep a warm
> heart..this
> is a most important thing I want to say to you. We have had many
> experiences during this century, constructive and extremely
> destructive
> ones, we must learn from these experiences.
>
> We need to approach this new millennium more holistically, with more
> openness and far-sightedness. If we are going to make this the right
> kind
> of effort to make the future of the world betterÖI believe the
> following
> methods are of great importance.
>
> One, while engaged in material progress and taking care of peopleís
> well-being, we need to pay equal attention developing peace of
> mindÖand
> that is taking care of the internal aspect of our being.
>
> Second, our formal education generally deals with only academic
> accomplishments, we need to develop more altruism and a sense of
> caring
> and responsibility for others in the minds of this younger generation
> sitting in various educational institutions. This can be done without
> necessarily involving religion. Therefore, all secular education, as
> it
> in fact consists of basic human qualities such as kindness,
> compassion,
> sincerity and honesty.
>
> The thirdÖthis part of the century, in some ways, has been a center of
> war
> and bloodshed. It has seen, year-by-year, increasing defense spending
> for
> most countries in the world. If we are to change this trend, we must
> seriously consider the concept of non-violence, which is the physical
> extension of compassion. In order to make non-violence a reality, we
> must
> prefer to work on internal disarmament, and then proceed to work on
> external disarmament. By internal disarmament, I mean, ridding
> ourselves
> of all this negative emotion, that results in violence. External
> disarmament will also have to be done gradually, step-by-step. We
> must
> first work on the total abolishment of nuclear weapons and
> gradually work
> up to total demilitarization throughout the world. And the problem
> with
> doing this [is that] we must also work towards stopping the arms
> trade,
> which is currently widely accepted because it is so lucrative. When
> we do
> all these things we can then hope to see in the next millennium a
> year-by-year decrease in the military expenditure of the various
> nations
> and a greater working towards demilitarization. Similar problems
> will, of
> course, always remain. I believe, one of the sources of trouble is
> human
> intelligence and because of human intelligence we always can find
> different ideas, different ideologies, and also, I think the unlimited
> desire for conflict or derision. Therefore, so long as human beings
> live,
> or living, on this small blue planet, some form of problem [is] always
> there. [Belief there, prayers?Ö] or hope of a world without problems
> ~
> that, I think, is hypocrisy, that is not realistic. So, problems always
> have been there. So, we need Ösome method to deal with the problems
> [without whining?]... So that is very important. So, similar problems
> will always remain, but the way to resolve them to sit down at a
> discussion. So, I feel that the concept of war is very much based on a
> concept of real estate, my interest, their interest, is something
> totally
> separate, unrelated. Under best circumstances, the concept of war
> which
> means 100% victory [on] our side, 100% defeat of other, the so-called
> enemy. Now, today, reality is not that. My interests very much
> [resembles] others interests; Others interests [reflect] my interests.
> So
> thatís the reality. So, therefore, under best circumstances, or
> according
> to [better] reality, discussion with your neighbor, even who you call
> enemy, but in reality, discussing your enemy is actually discussing
> warfare. So in the best circumstances, conquer the war, conquer the
> one
> side, 100% victory, one side 100% defeat [idea]; it is outdated. So,
> [laughter] [I love this] Öthe next century should be a century of
> dialogue
> and discussion rather than one of war and bloodshed.
>
> Fourth, we need to address the issue of the gap between the rich and
> poor,
> both globally and nationally. This inequality, with some sections of
> the
> human community having abundance, and others on the same planet
> being
> hungry, or even dying of starvation, is not only morally wrong, but
> practically also, [because it is a solvable problem?]Ö. Here, I want to
> make a small position, if you will agree, the first week of this 21st
> century, those middle-class people, and certainly those rich people,
> rich
> families, I think one day, I think should remain [with just] one meal.
> Some kind, some form of fast. So this isÖ that could be [some kind o]f
> reminder that while they are enjoying living without any difficulties,
> that there are millions of people who are without just one meal, some
> even
> without that. ÖOn an individual basis, if they agreeÖoffer a
> reminder..fastingÖjust one meal.
>
> [The whole problem is to ensure freedom.]ÖAs long as there is no
> freedom
> in many parts of the world, there can be no real peaceÖand in a sense
> no
> real freedom for this effort to work. I think, for the sake of our
> future
> generations, we need to take care of our earth and of our
> environment.
> Environmental damage is often gradual and not easily apparent and
> often by
> the time we become aware of it, it is generally too late. Since most of
> the major rivers flowing into many parts of the Southeast Asia
> originate
> from the Tibetan plateau, it will not be out of place to mention here
> the
> crucial importance of taking care of the environment in that area.
>
> Lastly, one of the greatest challenges today is the population
> explosion.
> Unless we are able to tackle this issue, effectively, we will be
> confronted with problem of major resources being inadequate for
> all the
> human beings of this earth. We need to seriously look into these
> matters
> that concern us all if we are to look forward to the future with some
> hope.
>
> So, lastly, I just want to share one of my public pleas, that is, inside
> are many difficulties and inside some cases, I think horrible, or
> hopeless
> sort of appearances, we should not lose our determination, it is very,
> very important, so please [maintain] optimismÖso that, eventually, we
> can
> work on all these painful experiences or problemsÖ[Right from the
> beginning, it will remain with sort of hopelessness, or difficulty, and
> then, even small things, which we can easily defeat?] Öeven that
> reason we
> can never retreatÖso, therefore it is very important to keep
> self-confidence and determination. From that a perfect mind, [a most
> entrusted element?] in order to keep the community. So, therefore,
> believer or non-believer, please try keep a warm heart insideÖthen
> you,
> yourself will be a happier person, and through that means, your
> family
> will be happier, and through that means, a happier , more peaceful
> community can build. So according to my experience, or from my point
> of
> view, in order to create a happier humanity, happier world,
> andÖalsoÖ
> including Ölittle animals, or birds, beasts, other sentient beings, we
> human beings, with the help of human intelligence, with help of a
> wiser
> perspective ~ [must] keep a warm heart, a compassionate heart inside.
>
> Thank You