Chintan Girish Modi - The Dalai Lama and the importance of compassion

I received the news of the Bodhgaya bomb blasts on a quiet morning in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, as I woke up to the voice of a television reporter in my dorm at the Namgyal Monastery adjoining the residence of Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists.

The news brought in a wave of sadness, a feeling of magnified suffering. I finished my chores, holding the horror in my mind, and walked towards the magnificent Tsuglagkhang Temple, which the monastery is attached to. Unlike other mornings, I had to wait for a thorough security check. The blasts at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya had clearly sparked off suspicion in other Buddhist pilgrimage centres. As I walked up the steps and around the shrine that has a beautiful image of Avalokitesvara, I wished that those who cause such violence may begin to see the harm they are bringing.

That was the last day of my five-week stay in Dharamsala. My mind raced back to the first week, which began with the India Sangha Teachings hosted at this very temple. For four consecutive days, the Dalai Lama had taught us from eighth century Buddhist scholar Shantideva’s famous text Bodhicaryavatara or The Way of the Bodhisattva. The most important aspect of these teachings was to generate in one’s mind the wish to benefit all beings. The Dalai Lama has been lecturing in dozens of countries, pressing the need for compassion in today’s world and forming alliances with peacebuilders. Compassion, in his view, is not just about feeling sorry for someone. It involves, as he mentions in his book Beyond Religion: Ethics for aWhole World, “the determination to alleviate the suffering of others.” This, however, is not the message of a single person. It represents a practice where faith and activism can cohabit comfortably and also draw strength from each other. It is something I have seen practised not only by nuns or monks but also by lay Buddhist practitioners in Dharamsala.

I am reminded of what I witnessed on June 15 when a group of Tibetans and Indians participated in a candlelight vigil at the McLeodganj Main Square to express solidarity with Wangchen Dolma, a 31-year-old nun who was compelled to choose self-immolation as form of protest against China’s continued occupation of and atrocities in Tibet. Those who participated in the vigil walked up to the Tsuglagkhang Temple, where poet-activist Tenzin Tsundue of the Tibetan Regional Youth Congress shared that the Tibetan verses being recited at the vigil emphasized the importance of compassion in the Buddhist tradition. His English translation was something to this effect: “May the first seed of compassion sprout in places that have none. May places that have compassion continue to grow and nurture it so that it may never diminish. May every place be illuminated with compassion.”

I also think of Tenzin Seldon, who has been chosen as a Rhodes scholar after majoring in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethicity from Stanford University. Having done some inspiring work with Students for a Free Tibet, President Obama’s Interfaith Challenge, and the Stanford School of Medicine’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, she is emerging as an important young leader in the Tibetan diaspora with a special interest in women’s rights and issues. True to the Buddhist ideal of working for the benefit of all beings, she is interested in not the Tibetan struggle alone but also the elimination of suffering for other oppressed people, such as the Palestinians, Mongolians and the Uighur people in China.

In his book Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World, the Dalai Lama writes, “….But religion is not necessary for cultivating compassion. In fact, secular techniques for compassion training are already in use, and their effectiveness has even been scientifically demonstrated. It seems that developing inner values is much like physical exercise. The more we train our abilities, the stronger they become.”

He continues, “I am hopeful that such research may pave the way for the introduction of compassion training in schools, which could be very worthwhile. Modern education is premised strongly on materialistic values. Yet, as I often point out, it is vital that when educating our children’s brains, we do not neglect to educate their hearts, and a key element of educating their hearts has to be nurturing their compassionate nature.”

The teachings concluded with each of us being encouraged to live a life of compassion, not hurting or harming anyone, doing as much as possible to help one another, wishing well-being for all. Over four days, people from all over the world sat and listened, diligently trying to absorb his message of compassion between cups of salted butter tea served with bread.

It is easy to come away from such a gathering feeling good but truly internalizing these thoughts demands that we practise them day and night. Now that is the difficult bit. A lot of us tend to give up saying that we are incapable of practising these things, that only people like the Dalai Lama can do it. If a teaching is truly worthy, it needs to be applicable to all.

Next to the image of Buddha Shakyamuni at the Tsuglagkhang Temple, there is a little plaque which reads, “O Bhikshus and wise men, as one assays gold by rubbing, cutting and melting, so examine well my words and accept them but not because you respect me.” If this holds true for Gautam Buddha, it must hold true for the Dalai Lama as well. It is a simple idea – focus on the teaching, not the teacher.

If you still need some convincing about the power of compassion in today’s world, here’s a parting shot from the book Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World.

“Many people assume that feeling compassion for others is only good for others and not for oneself. This is incorrect. Whether or not our kindness brings benefit to others will depend on a great many factors, some of which will be outside our control. But whether we succeed in bringing benefit to others or not, the first beneficiary of compassion is always oneself. When compassion, or warmheartedness, arises in us and shifts our focus away from our own narrow self-interest, it is as if we open an inner door. Compassion reduces our fear, boosts our confidence, and brings us inner strength. By reducing distrust, it opens us to others and brings us a sense of connection with them and a sense of purpose and meaning in life. Compassion also gives us respite from our own difficulties.”

http://thealternative.in/inclusivity/meeting-the-dalai-lama-and-the-importance-of-compassion/

Book review: 'Beyond Religion' by the Dalai Lama

A metaphor the Dalai Lama likes to use goes like this: The difference between ethics and religion is like the difference between water and tea. Ethics without religious content is water, a critical requirement for health and survival. Ethics grounded in religion is tea, a nutritious and aromatic blend of water, tea leaves, spices, sugar and, in Tibet, a pinch of salt. "But however the tea is prepared, the primary ingredient is always water," he says. "While we can live without tea, we can't live without water. Likewise, we are born free of religion, but we are not born free of the need for compassion."

This is anything but a book denouncing faith. But some readers, particularly those with strong religious beliefs, are bound to find the Dalai Lama's argument troubling. Even the power of prayer has dissipated in his eyes. "In fact, I consider prayer to be of immense psychological benefit," he says. "But we must accept that its tangible results are often hard to see. When it comes to obtaining certain, direct results, it is clear that prayer cannot match the achievements of, for instance, modern science."

This volume could be viewed as the distillation of the Dalai Lama's lifelong interest in science and its evolving understanding of consciousness, subjective experience, rhythms of nature and the fabric of the universe. It draws heavily from personal recollections and regular meetings with researchers in the fields of physics, cosmology, biology, psychology and neuroscience. In language that is relaxed and clear, the Dalai Lama suggests that a concern for the welfare of others, "when combined with reflection on our personal experiences and coupled with simple common sense, can, I believe, offer a strong case for the benefits of cultivating basic human values that does not rely on religious principles or faith at all. And I welcome this."