22 December 2010, 3:23 p.m.]
DHARAMSHALA: His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said “the need of human values like love and compassion is immensely important irrespective of whether one is a believer of religion or not”, emphasising that “money alone cannot bring happiness”.
“In human society, be it at the family, society or national level, money alone can not bring happiness - it also needs love and compassion,” His Holiness told a gathering of over 20,000 devotees during a discourse on Nagarjuna's Commentary on Bodhicitta (jangchup semdrel) in Gangtok on Tuesday (21 December). Sikkim's Chief Minister Dr Pawan Kumar Chamling along with cabinet ministers and members of state legislative assembly attended the teaching.
His Holiness reiterated the importance of studying Buddha's teaching rather than just putting faith in it. “The Buddha has said attainment of liberation from suffering depends on oneself,” His Holiness said, adding that “it is very important to analyse Buddha's teaching rather than keeping it just as an object of faith”.
Prior to the teaching, Sikkim's chief minister Dr Pawan Kumar Chamling presented Mendel Tensum (auspicious offerings of an golden image of the Buddha, a scripture containing his teachings and a miniature stupa) to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
At twelve noon, His Holiness the Dalai Lama along his retinue paid a visit to Sikkimese King Palden Dhondup's memorial garden, which is adorned with a variety of the region's indigenous species of flowers. Following this, His Holiness attended a luncheon reception hosted in his honour by chief minister Dr Chamling at the latter's residence.
His Holiness also visited a research institute on Indo-Tibetan studies and its museum. In his address to a gathering of hundreds of students, His Holiness said: “Whenever I meet young people I used to tell them that they belong to the 21st century. I am a man of the past 20th century and people of my generation are on the cusp of saying good bye to you. The previous century was one of the world's most important century, and the same time cruel as historical records said more than 200 million people were killed during that century.”
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is on an eight-day visit to Sikkim at the invitation of the state government.
--Based on report filed by Sheja Editor Kelsang Khedup from Gangtok
No comments:
Post a Comment