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dalai lama

Sunday, 05 December 2010

meditation, buddhism, and science

© 1994 by Kiki Smith

From Tricycle: Since 1987 the Dalai Lama has met biennially with small groups of Western scientists to talk about the nature of mind and reality, and to plan collaborative research between science and Buddhism. These sessions, organized by the Mind and Life Institute, are designed to explore not only what Buddhism and modern science can learn from each other but also what they can learn by working together. Studies sponsored by Mind and Life are beginning to unravel the brain mechanisms underlying contemplative practice, providing scientific validation of the beneficial effects of meditation practice.

 

Tricycle checked in with the Mind and Life Insitute for an update on these studies. Seven board members (see box below) took a break from a planning session at Princeton University to sit down with Tricycle’s James Shaheen and Joan Duncan Oliver. The conversation ranged from the institute’s recent findings on the demonstrable effect of meditation on brain function to the potential of Buddhism to advance the efforts of modern psychology. As Mind and Life board member Daniel Goleman explains: “His Holiness said, 'Take the methods of Buddhism and test them rigorously and scientifically. If you validate them, share them widely. If they can help alleviate suffering, they shouldn’t just be for Buddhists—they should be everyone.’” 

::continue reading 

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Posted at 04:36 PM in Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhist Practice, Buddhist Psychology, dalai lama, meditation, Science, Writing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Friday, 03 December 2010

can an individual make a difference?

"If the individual acts, society is changed.  Society
is a combination of individuals.  To change, whether
right or wrong, good or bad, the start point, the
initiative, must come from the individual.  So it
is good what you do.  It is very important. 
Sometimes people feel a problem is a huge
problem and even though you see something
wrong, something that need change - then,
they think, too huge.  One person can make
a difference.  It is very important."

~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama

::reposted

Posted at 10:32 AM in Buddhism, Buddhist, dalai lama, Inspiration, Quotations | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Friday, 26 November 2010

the dalai lama: living compassion

Video of highlights of HH the Dalai Lama's teachings in Nottingham, 2008

Posted at 09:16 PM in Buddhism, Buddhist, dalai lama, Film | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Tuesday, 25 May 2010

many faiths, one truth...the dalai lama

By Tenzin Gyatso
WHEN I was a boy in Tibet, I felt that my own Buddhist religion must be the best — and that other faiths were somehow inferior. Now I see how naïve I was, and how dangerous the extremes of religious intolerance can be today. 

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Posted at 11:18 AM in dalai lama, Religion, Writing | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

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Tuesday, 30 March 2010

if you have a sense of caring for others...

If you have a sense of caring for others, you will manifest a kind of inner strength in spite of your own difficulties and problems. With this strength, your own problems will seem less significant and bothersome to you. By going beyond your own problems and taking care of others, you gain inner strength, self-confidence, courage, and a greater sense of calm.

~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Posted at 09:36 AM in Buddhism, Buddhist, dalai lama, Inspiration, Quotations | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Tuesday, 16 February 2010

dalai lama: the tradition and the cult

::link Dalai Lama, an epithet used for the first time in 1578 by the Mongol ruler Altan Khan for Sonam Gyatso, the Third Dalai Lama, or the third in the bodhisattva reincarnation line later identified as the Dalai Lama lineage, is a combination of two terms, ‘Lama’ meaning a Buddhist monk, and ‘Dalai’, ocean-like profound, wide and deep, that is, the monk having ocean-like breadth and depth of knowledge. ‘Dalai’ was actually the Mongolian equivalent of ‘Gyatso’, a Tibetan term that emerged in use as an epithet during the lifetime of the second Dalai Lama, Gendun Gyatso, as the distinction of the Lamas in reincarnation lineage of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. ‘Gyatso’ had the same meaning as ‘Dalai’.

King Altan Khan, a descendant of the known Mongol ruler Kublai Khan, a follower of Tibetan Buddhism in early thirteenth century, was tired of bloodshed and warfare and wished to have peace on his soil. He invited Sonam Gyatso, the best known Buddhist monk of his time, to his court and wished that by his teachings he led his blood-thirsty subjects to the path of peace, love and humanity. Influenced by Sonam Gyatso’s profound knowledge and spiritual energy king Altan Khan honoured him with ‘Dalai Lama’ as his epithet. Then onwards, though the term ‘Gyatso’ was retained as before to comprise the later half of the name in the Dalai Lama lineage but it was the epithet ‘Dalai Lama’ that gave the lineage its unique distinction ever since. The epithet was used not only for Sonam Gyatso and his eleven subsequent reincarnations but also for the two preceding ones – Gendun Drubpa and Gendun Gyatso, posthumously.

CONTINUATION OF LIFE, BODHISATTVA, DALAI LAMA AND TIBETAN PREFERENCES

Not merely that the Dalai Lama is the highest office of the present day Buddhism, it is also one of its three most significant institutions, the other two being the Buddha and the Bodhisattva, that emerged in Buddhism over centuries. Enlightenment is the attribute of them all, even of the Dalai Lama who, possessed of oceanic breadth and depth of knowledge, attains the same state of enlightenment as a bodhisattva. However, while the Buddha defined the state of utter spiritual perfection leading to ‘nirvana’ – final extinction, a bodhisattva, in his role as a teacher seeking accomplishment of his two-fold objective, the worldly and the transcendental, keeps on postponing attainment of this state of utter spiritual perfection and his own liberation in preference to a controlled or chosen birth or rebirth. In Tibetan Buddhism, or rather in entire Tibetan tradition, irrespective of this or that branch or school, rebirth and continuation of one’s deeds or perfection level that one attains in one birth into the next is a universally accepted principle. Obviously with humanitarian, social and political compulsions conditioning its life, Tibet developed a natural preference for bodhisattva cult. Its reason was obvious. A bodhisattva by a will to reincarnate as many times as required and by his ability to postpone his own liberation at his will could better help Tibet in resolving its spiritual as well as social and political problems – political instability, infighting, enmity among others.

This Tibetan preference for the bodhisattva cult had early, perhaps pre-historic, roots. Apart that Tibet was till sixteenth century a land divided into innumerable ruling segments and as many tribes and stood in dire need of some power that brought them under one umbrella, its mythical past too has identical connotations. As popular Tibetan myths have it, Tibet was initially the habitation of unruly beasts. Then Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara emanated in a thousand animal-reincarnations and mixed with various extant animal groups. Through these emanated forms he taught them peace and harmony and when external conditions were suitable, took birth as a monkey. He encountered a horrible looking female ascetic, an emanation of the Goddess Tara. They mated and gave birth to the ever first human beings, all different from each other in body-colours, nature and everything. They were the progenitors of original six tribes of Tibet. Soon their number multiplied and now there were eighteen tribes, which number further expanded and Tibet finally had hundreds of tribes inhabiting it. Soon, out of the will to govern there evolved as numerous ruling seats fragmenting this terrace of the earth into small political entities, each engaged in designs to expand, conquer and defeat.

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Posted at 10:03 AM in Buddhism, Buddhist, dalai lama, Tibet, Writing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Monday, 18 January 2010

tibet news - 15/01/10

TibetInfoNet - www.tibetinfonet.net
News Digest 02. Jan 2010 - 15. Jan 2010
==============================

- 2 Tibetan nuns sentenced in Kardze
- Six years for Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen
- China withdraws films in protest over Dalai Lama documentary
- The Dalai Lama defends his stance on Shugden worship
- Two Machu schools shut down
- Man from Ngaba sentenced to 6 years
- US to protest to China over Google

==============================

05. Jan 2010
2 Tibetan nuns sentenced in Kardze
(VOT) Dartsedo (Chin: Kanding) Intermediate People's Court, in Kardze (Chin:
Ganzi) TAP, Sichuan province, gave two Tibetan nuns sentences of two and three

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Posted at 08:58 AM in dalai lama, Tibet | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Tuesday, 06 October 2009

the dalai lama on vegetarianism



Posted at 04:22 PM in Animals, Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhist Practice, dalai lama, Dharma, Film, Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Tuesday, 15 September 2009

obama administration in talks with dalai lama

The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama today confirmed that discussions between the Dalai Lama and a senior US Government delegation took place in Dharamsala on September 13 and 14.
::continue reading here

Posted at 12:46 PM in Buddhism, Buddhist, dalai lama, News, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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Wednesday, 29 April 2009

the dalai lama on america

 FNC

His Holiness the Dalai Lama poses with his FOX News mug after an interview.

The Dalai Lama praised American democracy and said he thinks President Obama is realistic and open, in an exclusive interview with FOX News during his five-city tour of the United States.

The Tibetan spiritual leader, in addition to discussing the value of kindness and compassion, spoke of his admiration for the United States.

"I think basically America is a champion of freedom, democracy, liberty," he said before a series of lectures at the University of California, Santa Barbara. "Occasionally the administration neglects these principles, but overall, I think these principles are very much alive in this country."

It still is unclear whether he will have an opportunity to meet with President Obama this fall when he visits Washington D.C.

"He seems, I think, very realistic, very open," the Dalai Lama said, "and he always reaches out to other people, even though some people create some problems. He always reaches out. That's, I think, wonderful. Very good."

::read more

Posted at 08:17 PM in Buddhism, Buddhist, Current Affairs, dalai lama, Inspiration, Quotations, Writing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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