His Holiness the Dalai Lama Confers Avalokiteshvara Empowerment at Shewatsel Instructing Floor, Leh
–dalailama.com
Shewatsel, Leh, Ladakh, India, 23 July 2023: Following a postponement of the second day of teachings because of native cloudbursts yesterday, folks started gathering on the Shewatsel educating floor early this morning. Ultimately, the organizers estimate, about 65,000 folks packed into and across the floor, lots of them standing to keep away from the light rain. At 6:30am His Holiness the Dalai Lama emerged from his residence using in a golfcart, preceded by yellow-hatted monks carrying incense and blowing horns. A ceremonial umbrella, a mark of respect, flew over the car.
From the platform the place he climbed out of the car, His Holiness smiled and waved to the group close by. Contained in the pavilion he saluted the picture of the Buddha and lit lamps earlier than it. Coming proper out to the entrance of the stage he waved to the group earlier than him and plenty of of them waved again. He then took his seat on the throne and addressed the congregation.
“At the moment, right here in Leh, Ladakh are folks of unwavering religion and conviction, lay folks and monastics. It’s possible you’ll all produce other issues to do, however you’ve chosen to return right here to attend the empowerment of Avalokiteshvara, the Nice Compassionate One, for which I thanks.
“To start with, I’ll do the preparatory rituals and, within the meantime, you possibly can recite the six-syllable mantra, Om mani padme hum. With regard to Avalokiteshvara, all of the Buddhas reward him. Filled with nice optimistic qualities, he’s the embodiment of compassion, a lot as Manjushri is thought to be the embodiment of knowledge. He’s additionally distinguished by his participation in a dialogue with Shariputra within the ‘Coronary heart Sutra’.
“The Omniscient Gendun Drup and subsequent Dalai Lamas had been like Avalokiteshvara. I don’t have their qualities, however I do domesticate bodhichitta. My day by day prayer is:
So long as area endures,
And so long as sentient beings stay,
Till then, might I too stay
To assist dispel the distress of the world.
“Tibetans have a particular bond with Avalokiteshvara, as do folks of the Himalayan Area. You additionally pray to him with the unwavering religion that comes from such an in depth hyperlink. I’ll give this empowerment to you. Such a chance to make this human life worthwhile fills my coronary heart with pleasure.
“I could have the title Dalai Lama and could also be a part of that lineage, however the essential factor is that my major apply is to domesticate the awakening thoughts of bodhichitta and an understanding of vacancy. I make each my elementary, day by day practices. Simply as you all think about me, you recite ‘manis’ with religion in Avalokiteshvara.”
As he started to conduct the empowerment, His Holiness suggested the disciples first to right their motivation. He identified that some folks search to enter the mandala simply to realize advantages on this life, corresponding to wealth and fame. Others search to obtain the empowerment as a method to realize benefit. The correct motivation is to take action to give you the option in the end to learn others by attaining the state of Avalokiteshvara.
He prompt that if we predict solely of the pleasures of this life, we are likely to convey issues upon ourselves and others. He reiterated that the right motivation is to take the empowerment with the objective of achieving enlightenment so as to have the ability to profit all sentient beings.
Subsequent, His Holiness defined how the disciples generate themselves into the deity. He talked about that within the Highest Yoga Tantra clarification of gross, refined and subtlest consciousness, this includes the dissolving visions of whitish look, reddish enhance and black close to attainment, culminating within the manifestation of the thoughts of clear gentle. And that’s the thoughts employed to give attention to vacancy. He confirmed that our extraordinary notion of ourselves is dissolved into vacancy, and the entity of vacancy transforms into the deity.
Giving a abstract of the best way to meditate on vacancy, His Holiness advised the disciples, “Attempt to discover out who you’re. Ask your self whether or not you’re your physique or your thoughts. The place does your self reside inside your physique and thoughts? You’ll discover that you’re empty of any inherently existent individual. You’ll discover you exist solely as designated.”
His Holiness noticed that the outline of the dissolution of gross and subtler minds has a scientific character that scientists suppose they’ll study from. The thoughts that’s cleansed of adventitious defilements can in the end be reworked into that of a pure being—a Buddha.
“So,” His Holiness went on,” think about that you simply remodel into the pure being, Avalokiteshvara, who has overcome all defilements. Take into account that a sentient being is obscured by defilements, however an enlightened being has overcome all of them and is stuffed with information.
“Within the scriptures we discover point out of Buddha-nature, the essence of the Ones Gone to Bliss. It’s from this that we study that every one psychological defilements are adventitious and may be cleared away. This consists of ignorance, which is a distorted view of actuality.
“The character of thoughts is obvious gentle and adventitious defilements are rootedin ignorance. Issues seem to the thoughts as having goal existence, but when they did exist in that method, we should always be capable of discover one thing once we examine. Our distorted view that issues exist objectively can regularly overcome.
“Chandrakirti’s ‘Coming into into the Center Method’ clarifies that if we verify the character of issues, we’ll discover that they don’t exist as they seem. They exist in a standard method merely by designation. Our mistaken conception of how issues exist may be overcome. Certainly, if issues had been to exist in the way in which or distorted view conceives, we should always be capable of pinpoint them once we seek for them.”
His Holiness alluded to 3 verses within the sixth chapter of Chandrakirti’s treatise that take care of the absurdities that will come up if issues had been to exist independently. The verses state that the meditator’s thoughts absorbed in vacancy, following his personal evaluation of whether or not issues have any intrinsic traits, ought to discover them in the event that they exist. But when that they had such traits, the meditator’s equipoise on vacancy would destroy them (which is logically absurd).
If issues had an inherent id, with out dependence on different elements, typical actuality must face up to final evaluation (which can also be logically absurd). Nevertheless, the Yogi finds nothing, neither this nor that, to level to. If issues had an important core in and of themselves, this is able to result in the logical fallacy of typical actuality’s withstanding final evaluation.
Lastly, if issues with an important core arose from a trigger, final manufacturing couldn’t be denied. Then, the Buddha’s educating that phenomena are empty of self-nature wouldn’t be true. Once we say one thing is empty, the very factor we’re analyzing is claimed to be empty of inherent existence or self-nature.
Chandrakirti’s view is that ignorance that grasps at or misconceives true existence, is countered by understanding that issues are literally merely designated.
His Holiness mentioned 5 modes of reasoning which might be employed to show that phenomena don’t exist independently or objectively. ‘Diamond slivers’ is used to investigate issues from the angle of causes. ‘Refuting existence or non-existence’ analyzes issues from the angle of results.
The reasoning often known as ‘Potentialities of arising’ analyzes issues from the angle of causes and results, whereas the reasoning ‘Refuting existence as neither one nor many’ is used to investigate the important nature of all phenomena. Lastly, ‘Dependent arising’ is known as the King of Causes and is used to ascertain the dearth of true existence of all phenomena.
After giving a abstract clarification of vacancy and the way Avalokiteshvara arises from the clear gentle thoughts, His Holiness started the formal means of the empowerment. He gave the Bodhisattva vows, which he talked about he takes afresh daily. Costumes which might be the insignia of a yogi had been distributed among the many Lamas seated near the throne who included Taglung Matrul Rinpoché, Tatsak Kundeling Rinpoché, Ugyen Chöphel Rinpoché, Gomang Khensur Rinpoché and Gyumé Khenpo Rinpoché.
In main the disciples by way of the cultivation of the All-Encompassing Yoga Thoughts His Holiness famous that the altruistic aspiration for enlightenment is indispensable on the trail to Buddhahood. He identified that even the Buddha entered the trail as an extraordinary being after which demonstrated the method of purification.
“I’ve many pals with expertise of apply,” His Holiness revealed, including, “I can say that I’ve expertise of cultivating bodhichitta and an understanding of vacancy myself, which has come about as a result of I’ve met with this human life and encountered the Buddha’s educating and I’ve made effort. I, Lhamo Dhondup, from Amdo have practiced with such exertion that, if I can obtain single-pointed focus, I’m wanting ahead to reaching the trail of preparation.”
Returning to the All-Encompassing Yoga Thoughts, His Holiness inspired the disciples to domesticate the awakening thoughts of bodhichitta and to then think about it taking kind as a moon disc on the coronary heart. Urging them to replicate on how issues should not impartial, however exist solely as designated, he instructed them to think about this perception as a white five-spoked vajra standing on the moon disk on the coronary heart. He then prompted them to think about attaining Buddhahood on the premise of typical and supreme bodhichitta represented by the moon and the vajra. He led them in reciting the mantra: “Om sarva yoga citta utpatayami.”
A part of the proceedings contain tossing a flower into the mandala. The congregation had been represented by President of the Ladakh Gonpa Affiliation, Ven Tsering Wangdus and the President of the Ladakh Buddhist Affiliation, Thupten Tsewang.
As His Holiness continued to grant the empowerment, he reiterated the robust connection the disciples have with Avalokiteshvara, whose 1000 arms characterize 1000 common monarchs and whose 1000 eyes characterize the 1000 Buddhas of this lucky aeon. He emphasised practitioners’ must really feel assured about participating within the path.
“I don’t do any hurt,” he advised his listeners, “I don’t even consider harming others. And I really feel solely compassion for many who do hurt.
“You’ve taken this empowerment from me right this moment and everybody right here is equal in having obtained it. We should always not give attention to any alleged variations of standing. We should always not look down on anybody, however regard one another as equal. There are events the place some folks decline to just accept meals or drink from these they contemplate to be decrease than them. Nevertheless, we shouldn’t consider anybody as decrease than us. We’re all the identical. Everybody right here, as I mentioned, is equal in having obtained this Avalokiteshvara empowerment.
“Khunu Lama Rinpoché was a lay practitioner, however I had no hesitation in receiving a radical clarification of Shantideva’s ‘Method of the Bodhisattva’ from him. I single-pointedly relied on him as certainly one of my root gurus. You too ought to regard all those that have obtained this Avalokiteshvara empowerment right this moment as your equals.
“I recite the ‘Eight Verses for Coaching the Thoughts’ day by day, which embody the strains, ‘Every time I’m within the firm of others, might I regard myself as inferior to all and will I settle for defeat and supply the victory to them.’
“I’m sitting right here on a excessive throne and I’ve a giant title, however I consider myself in a lowly place. The definitive Avalokiteshvara is to have an excellent and a heat coronary heart that expresses itself as a want to assist others. We have to keep in mind the oneness of humanity, with out wanting down on or reviling anybody, solely looking for to be sort to others.
“In case you keep away from disparaging, wanting down on or bullying others, you’ll be joyful they usually’ll be joyful too. By accumulating good qualities you’ll expertise the Dharma and attain the objective.
“In our society there could also be some who flip to medication looking for momentary bliss. Some take tablets and so forth. However these actions don’t have any lasting profit, whereas if you happen to domesticate an excellent coronary heart primarily based in your religion in Avalokiteshvara, the profit shall be of lengthy length. In case you see different folks taking tablets or different substances, don’t copy them. Suppose to your self, ‘This isn’t what I wish to do since I’ve obtained the empowerment of the Nice Compassionate One from His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
“That’s all for right this moment, let’s make a thanksgiving mandala.”
His Holiness waved to the group as soon as extra from the stage and once more from the golfcart as he drove again to his residence—and ultimately the solar started to return out.
