Shartse Khensur Jangchup Choeden Rinpoche, SecretaryGeneral of IBC began the glorious celebration by welcoming His Holiness 43rd Sakya Rinpoche, His Holiness 105th Gaden Tripa, Most Ven. Arayawangso, Most Ven. Waskaduwe Mahindawansa Mahanayake Thero, Most Venerable Samdhong Rinpoche and Ven. Bhikkhu Kaboggoza Buddhrakkhita.
The Secretary General emphasized that this occasion aimed to reflect on the joy that His Holiness brings into our lives, the wisdom he shares, and the unique spirit that makes him so undeniably holy, kind, inspiring, and dependable. He stated how dedicated His Holiness is towards common causes like world peace, universal responsibility, environmental protection and the oneness of the entire humanity. His Holiness is looked upon for embracing change while remaining dedicated to ancient wisdom and values. He said, His Holiness often says, “I am son of India as far as my body is concerned, as it has survived on Indian dal and roti for more than 60 years, and as for my mind, it is fully influenced by thoughts of thinkers like Nagarjuna and other Nalanda masters”. In His Holiness’ words, the relationship between Indians and Tibetans is like Guru and Chela (teacher-disciple relation).
The Secretary General expressed his indebtedness towards His Holiness for his generosity towards the IBC since its inception and how His Holiness was a mentor throughout.
As part of the celebrations, there was screening of film on “Celebrating the Legacy of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama”.
The occasion was blessed when the special message from His Holiness 14th Dalai Lama was read out by our Guest of Honour Most Venerable Samdhong Rinpoche. Notable lines from his letter expressed how Tibetans refer to India as “Arya Bhumi”. He mentioned how he feels a “special closeness to India”. He believes that if aspects of India’s ancient wisdom, of which the Buddha’s teachings are a part, are combined with modern education, they can make a beneficial contribution to greater peace and happiness in the world. He further said that the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS) at Sarnath, Varanasi, which was founded in 1967 with the Government of India’s assistance, facilitated scholars from the Himalayan Region and Tibetans to be part of major projects torestore several texts that have been preserved in their Tibetan translation. He said, at present, there is growing interest in Buddhism among Chinese people, including those from mainland China, which is part of their cultural inheritance.His Holiness also expressed his gratitude to the Government and people of India for the warm hospitality shown towards them since 1959 and for the generous support to protect and preserve the Buddhist culture that is founded on India’s age-old values of karuna and ahimsa. Moreover, scientists around the world are interested in knowing more about Buddhist philosophy and the Buddhist explanation of the interlinkages between the mind and emotions.Respect from other parts of the world was represented in the form of messages from countries such as Russia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, South Korea, Laos, Japan, Myanmar and Mongolia, and were handed over to the Most Venerable Samdhong Rinpoche.
Senior member of Thailand’s Supreme Sangha council Most Ven. Arayawangso talked about the “Triple Gem” that includes the virtues of Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha is to be seen as a power to protect the Tibetan people. He also highlighted how the foundation of a great civilization is rooted in recognizing the good and the evil with wisdom.
Furthermore, Most Venerable Samdhong Rimpochereiterated how His Holiness compiled teachings of Buddha in a suitable medium which is understandable in the post-modern civilization of the 21st century. His Holiness is known as the fearless teacher of the 21st century.
He reiterated that we should do our best to materialize objectives of His Holiness 14th Dalai Lama. Violence is one of the horrendous challenges faced by humanity. He talked about how the negative emotions of people can be tackled through compassion. Here he quoted Mahatma Gandhi by stating “hate the sin, not the sinner”. He further stated how Ethics or moral conduct is necessary for believers and non-believers equally. He drew parallels between Gandhi’s Sarva Dharma Sambhava and the teachings of His Holiness, that there should be a feeling of equality of all religious traditions and non-religious people’s mindset. If equilibrium is not there, then it may be hard to preach His Holiness’ message.
The Head of the Sakya order of Tibetan Buddhism and our keynote speaker Most Venerable Sakya Trizin, delved into the realms which we are most cognizant, that is, the outer activities of His Holiness, which have shaped our contemporary understanding of compassion. He reflected on the four commitments which has defined His Holiness’s life and continue to guide his tireless service to humanity. First commitment being promoting basic human values which touched countless lives transcending boundaries of religion, cultures, and nationality. His holiness identified himself as one among the 8 billion people. Buddhist values of compassion, forgiveness, tolerance and contentment are universal which is essential for happiness and peace. His Holiness’ voice is unifying in a world of differences, as he always says “My religion is kindness”.
His second commitment is to foster harmony among the world’s religious traditions and to recognize wisdom in all spiritual paths. He emphasized on how different religions can learn from one another while maintaining their unique identity. His Holiness’ non-sectarian approach demonstrates true spirit of Buddha’s teachings.
The Third commitment involves preserving Tibetan Buddhism culture & identity. Through His Holiness’ visionary efforts, Tibetan Buddhism found new soil to grow, primarily in India and preserving it has gone beyond mere survival. It has contributed in its ways to the world’s civilization. Profound philosophical insights, meditation practice and compassionate world view of Tibet enriched the spiritual landscape of humanity as a whole.
His fourth commitment is promoting ancient wisdom of India; the Nalanda tradition is seen as a gift to the eastern and western intellectual traditions. His Holiness constantly emphasizes how Buddhism was born in India and the comprehensive system of Buddhist philosophy with regard to logic, meditation that developed thereafter is humanity’s greatest intellectual achievements.
The world has come to recognize that ancient Indian wisdom incorporates not only Buddhist philosophy. It also involves advanced traditions incorporating logic, epistemology, psychology and contemplative science. It offers invaluable insight for facing challenges of the contemporary world. Scholars have demonstrated how these ancient traditions can enrich contemporary understanding of our consciousness.
His Holiness showed us that ancient wisdom is not merely a historical interest, but contains practical methods for cultivating inner peace and understanding the nature of reality. The four prominent commitments of His Holiness realize thebodhisattva ideals.
