–dalailama.com Leh, Ladakh: This morning His Holiness the Dalai Lama drove from his residence at the Shewatsel Phodrang to the pavilion at the other end of the teaching ground where he has given the Kalachakra Empowerment twice in the past. The ground was packed with an estimated 50,000 people.
His Holiness turned to the ‘Eight Verses on Training the Mind” and read out the fourth verse: ‘When I see ill-natured people, overwhelmed by wrong deeds and pain, may I cherish them as something rare, as though I had found a treasure-trove.’ Geshé Langri Thangpa’s advice is that we should cherish other beings, even though they may be ill-natured, when we see them suffer.Prayers that were said after he had taken his seat included the ‘Prayer of the Three Continuums’, the ‘Heart Sutra’ and the following aspiration: ‘By whatever merit I may gain by listening to the teachings, May I become a Buddha to benefit all sentient beings’. Tea and sweet rice were distributed and a short mandala offering was made.His Holiness began by recalling that he lost his own country, Tibet, but came into exile in India. Because he has since lived in the Himalayan Region, it’s a place close to his heart. He noted that the people of the region have a special link to Avalokiteshvara.His Holiness remarked that yesterday was Indian Independence Day. He expressed his admiration for India, suggesting that those of us who live here should be delighted at the freedom we enjoy here. We have the opportunity to make our lives meaningful, he added, by doing what we can to help other sentient beings.
