A Westerner may pay hundreds of dollars to attend a teaching of the Dalai Lama when he travels abroad. However, when he teaches in his home you can attend for merely 10 rupees, which is the cost of the plastic security badge. The teachings I attended were hosted by Singapore and three of the four days were in Tibetan. All of us non-Tibetan speakers carried around tiny radios that we tuned to our desired language. With headphones in, we sat on cushions outside of the temple and watched the teachings on large projectors. Only the monks and nuns were allowed to sit inside of the temple, however, us foreigners did have a chance to see the Dalai Lama as we walked into the temple.
My host at Thosamling Nunnery had a large friend group of expats that now lived in McLeodGanj studying Buddhism. Each day when I arrived they were already seated against the rail on the other side of which the Dalai Lama would walk. We would drink coffee and listen to mantras as we eagerly waited for His Holiness to arrive.
Surrounded by Buddhist practitioners, I was blown away by how considerate and generous everyone was. A Tibetan lady was giving cushions to anybody that did not have one. A different lady let me borrow her radio when I discovered mine needed new batteries. A group of Tibetans sitting next to us offered us the food they were eating.
Finally as the Dalai Lama was about to walk by, security did a final sweep. Everyone in front was instructed to bow down. Nobody had a phone or camera on them as we had to give them up during the entrance security. Fully present, we waited for the Buddha of Compassion to walk by. Everybody held out their khatas in hopes that His Holiness would bless them. My host let me stand against the rail and I eagerly waited.
A Blessing from The Dalai Lama
On the first day His Holiness walked by, taking the time to make eye contact and smile with as many people as possible. His presence and energy was captivating. The most exciting thing happened on the second day of the teachings. A Tibetan man asked my host (because he was standing in front) if he would hold his baby, in hopes of the Dalai Lama blessing him. My host insisted that the father move to the front and hold his own baby. As the Dalai Lama walked by, he came straight to our group and pressed his forehead against that of the baby. Moments beforehand the parents were gently slapping the baby on the cheek to wake him up. The child just wanted to sleep and now he was receiving the greatest honor. The dad was so happy that his child was blessed that he started crying. To the father’s surprise, the Dalai Lama then reached out and put his hand against the father’s cheek. The mom was right beside me, weeping in joy. I looked around at my host and fellow volunteers and noticed they were smiling and tearing up as well. I couldn’t help it as tears came to my eyes, taking in the beauty of the moment. The Dalai Lama has such a strong presence and having him less than 12 inches away, making a families dreams come true was extremely powerful.
Love and Compassion
The first day of the teachings focused on love and compassion. The Dalai Lama holds no ill will towards the Chinese government even after everything they have done to the Tibetan people. He realizes that they are humans just like us, simply looking for happiness. Their happiness may be misguided but they are no better or worse than we are.
He mentioned that we need to see our neighbors as friends and not as competitors. It reminded me of a few days earlier when I had noticed a long line of people waiting for food in the dining hall. I tried to come up with a scheme to break through the line and reach the coffee maker. Instead of loving the humans around me as friends, I saw them as obstacles to my coffee.
In life we can not control other people’s actions, only our reactions. Using my coffee example, it is better if you do not get angry if somebody pushes through the line to get coffee. Instead, look internally at why that bothered you. They are going through their own human experience and apparently for them, right now, cutting you is what they needed in order to be happy. Accept their journey, even if misguided and work on yourself. I say this not to excuse my actions, but because it is the only way somebody can guard their own sanity. People are going to do things for selfish reasons and you have a choice not to get upset.
An hour into the teachings we had a break and Tibetan monks walked the crowd carrying kettles full of butter tea. This classic Tibetan tea is basically hot milk with a layer of oil upon the top. I didn’t particularly enjoy it but it gave the experience an authentic feel.
The second day of the Dalai Lama teachings were very complex. Booklets were handed out of Buddhapalita’s Commentary on Nagarjuna’s Middle way Chapters Seven to Fifteen. The Dalai Lama went over the commentary which was very philosophical and abstract.
On the third day, the Dalai Lama had us kneel and say an oath to give up the five precepts: no lying, stealing, killing, sexual misconduct or alcohol. Before the oath he explained that we could give up as many as we wanted. He told a story of a monk that told his teacher that he could not give up alcohol. Rather than turn the monk away, the teacher simply told him to drink but not to the point of intoxication. The Dalai Lama gave his jovial chuckle and told us we could do the same. He then explained that no sexual misconduct meant no sex outside of a couple. I found it extremely refreshing that he did not say a married couple or even reference what genders the couple should consist of.
He discussed the three poisons of the mind: attachment, anger and ignorance. The Dalai Lama is a huge proponent of education and his discussion often referenced science. I was surprised when he referenced the double slit experiment in physics to explain that reality is not what it seems.
The Fourth day of the teachings were for questions and answers and it was in English. This was my favorite day of the teachings and I found it very relevant to today’s society. You can watch the video down below. The Dalai Lama discussed the history of Buddhism, explaining how in ancient times the Indians taught it to the Tibetans but then forgot it when they were colonized by the English. The Dalai Lama laughed about how now the Tibetans have to reteach the Indians the ancient Buddhist philosophies. He discussed the need to educate Asian countries in Buddhism so that it can spread. He hopes that one day the government will be demilitarized. One of the funniest moments was when he explained how in other religions you pray and ask for things but how the Buddha was very clever and instead makes you do the work yourself.
Obviously I’m no expert on the Dalai Lama or Tibetan Buddhism. My point is to spread what little I do understand from the teachings to my friends back home that have maybe never heard of the Dalai Lama. If I’m being honest, I only started to understand who he was a few years ago when I read Seven Years in Tibet. In the West, the Dalai Lama is not a household name. He is an incredibly wise reincarnated Buddha and the struggle of the Tibetan people is worth researching. I do not try to stand here and claim to be the authority on the subject, simply to raise awareness and encourage others to progress on their own spiritual journey. If you are going to India, I’d also highly encourage you to see if the Dalai Lama is giving a teaching in McLeodGanj!
Chronicles of a Wandering Soul 