The most important components of a Buddhist spiritual path are wisdom and compassion. “Just as a bird glides freely across the sky with two wings, so a practitioner walks a spiritual path, relying on wisdom and compassion,” His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso quotes Buddhist thinkers of the past.
General information
The Dalai Lama is called the highest
spiritual mentor of Tibet, Mongolia, as well as any Buddhist territories in many countries of the world. In Buddhism and Lamaism, the main dogma of faith is the principle of reincarnation - the reincarnation of souls. According to such beliefs, the Dalai Lama after death (his immortal soul) moves to the new body of only a male infant born. Monks from all the children who were born on time, choose the true, after which he undergoes special training, which includes not only spiritual, but also secular, political aspects.
The Dalai Lama is the earthly incarnation of the Bodhisattva (the creature who decided to become a Buddha for the benefit of all living on Earth). Today he is in his 14th incarnation and bears the name Tenzin Gyatso.
History of the Dalai Lama XIV
He was born on July 6, 1935 in the village of Taktser in northeast Tibet. His family was engaged in the cultivation of wheat, oats and potatoes. He was the 5th of 9 children.
In 1937, after the death of the 13th Dalai Lama, a group of llamas arrived in the village of Taktser in search of a new incarnation. After special trials, the 2-year-old Lhamo Dhondrub (the name his parents gave him) was recognized as his reincarnated predecessor. In October 1939, he left the house and headed to Lhasa. In 1940 he was elevated to the throne of the Dalai Lama XIV and named Tenzin Gyatso.
In 1949, relations between China and Tibet worsened. The Chinese government claimed that Tibet is part of their state. The Tibetan people wanted independence and invited the Dalai Lama to become their head. On November 17, 1950, Tenzin Gyatso was proclaimed the spiritual and secular ruler of Tibet.
For years, the Dalai Lama has been trying to find consensus with Chinese leaders and resolve the Tibetan-Chinese conflict. The harsh actions of Beijing in eastern Tibet, which led to rebellions that quickly spread throughout the state, prevented an agreement. The Chinese army severely crushed the rebellion. The Dalai Lama was forced to seek refuge in India. About 80,000 Tibetans went into exile after him. Since then, since 1960, Tenzin Gyatso has been living in the town of Dharamsala, which is still called the "little Lhasa."
In 2002, the Dalai Lama resigned as Tibet’s political leader, and Prime Minister Samdong Rinpoche became the head of government in exile. And in 2011, His Holiness withdrew from secular power, which is held by the chairman of the government (kalon-trip).
Between representatives of Tenzin Gyatso and the Chinese authorities, negotiations were resumed on granting greater autonomy to Tibet, but so far there have been no noticeable results.
The life of the Dalai Lama today
His Holiness considers himself an ordinary Buddhist monk and lives a simple life: at 4 in the morning he wakes up, meditates, prays and follows a strict schedule of official audiences, meetings, religious ceremonies and teachings. Ends his day with prayer.
Tenzin Gyatso also travels a lot, is engaged in religious activities, is the author of many books, philosophical treatises and sayings.
Obligations of the Dalai Lama
His Holiness expressed his obligations in this incarnation in this way:
- Universal values: to bring patience, compassion, self-discipline, the ability to be content with little and forgive to this world.
- Interreligious harmony: gaining mutual understanding between different religions and beliefs, since they all have one goal - the education of good and kind people.
- Tibet: works to preserve the Buddhist culture of their homeland, peace and non-violence.
Statements of the Dalai Lama
Oh happiness. There are 2 ways to happiness. One of the ways is external. It consists in acquiring a new home, better clothes, good friends. At the same time, we get satisfaction and happiness to some extent. The second way is spiritual development. It helps in achieving inner happiness. These paths are not equivalent. Without inner happiness, the outer is unable to last long. If the heart is missing something, if life is seen in black, then it is impossible to experience bliss, no matter what luxury you surround yourself. But when you achieve inner peace, you can feel happy even in difficult conditions.
About equanimity. You should never lose hope. Despair is the cause of failure. You must remember that you can overcome any obstacle. Even if you find yourself in a difficult situation, keep calm. If your mind remains calm, external circumstances will affect you little. If you allow yourself to feel anger, you will lose peace, even if the environment remains serene.
About the man. When asked what causes his greatest amazement, the Dalai Lama replied that he was a man. Because he sacrifices health to make money. And then he uses this money to restore his health. At the same time, he is so worried about the future that he is not able to enjoy the present. As a result, he cannot live in the present or in the future. A person lives as if he will never die, and when he dies, he regrets that he did not live.
About the value of life. Waking up, every morning you need to start with the thought: “I was lucky today - I woke up, I am alive, I have this great value - human life, and I will not spend it on trifles. I will direct my forces to internal development in order to open my heart to others and achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all things. I will have only good thoughts about others. I will not be angry or think badly of them. I will do everything to benefit others. ”
About the condemnation. Before you judge someone, take his shoes and walk his path, try his tears and feel his pain. Stumble upon a stone every one he tripped on. And only then can you tell him that you know how to live right.
Quotes
Many interesting thoughts were expressed by the Dalai Lama. The quotes that have become best known are:
- know that silence is sometimes the best answer to a question;
- understand that not everything that you want is really necessary for you;
- the best relationships are those in which love is stronger than the need for each other;
- if the problem can be solved, it is not worth the trouble;
- enemies give us a wonderful opportunity to learn stamina, patience and compassion;
- when it seems that everything is going wrong, then perhaps something wonderful is trying to enter your life;
- you need to learn the rules in order to understand how to break them correctly.
The Dalai Lama is not only a spiritual leader, he is also a philosopher who teaches us how to live correctly, in accordance with the highest principles that can bring a little warmth and goodness into our world, make it a little better.