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Sitaram · Site Admin Joined: 14 Sep 2005 Posts: 1079

http://www.sulekha.com/chpost.asp...ilosophy&show=0&cid=86618

http://www.lamayeshe.com/about/articles/interview.shtml

The Dalai Lama often says, "We are all selfish, but let
us be wise in the way we're selfish." If we know how to
be selfish, selfishness is good. What is selfishness?

Selfishness is wanting the best for ourselves. If we
really want the best for ourselves, what we need to do
is to forget about our own happiness and, instead,
devote ourselves to the happiness of others. This is
wise selfishness. Forgetting about ourselves and
dedicating ourselves to the welfare of others brings us
the greatest happiness. This is the nature of reality.

This is what the Buddha did in his journey through
samsara, and we can do the same.

The Dalai Lama often says that Buddhism can be summed up
in the phrase "If you can't help others, at least don't
harm them." A noble human life is led on the basis of
ahimsa—non-violence; not giving harm to others. On the
basis of not giving harm, we should then try to help
others as much as we can: materially, physically and
mentally. However, the best way to help others is by
giving them Dharma.

http://www.bodhicitta.net/HHDL%20The%20Eight%20Verses%20

of%20Thought%20Transformation.htm

The Eight Verses of Thought Transformation

1. Determined to accomplish all success, I shall always
practise holding dear all sentient beings, who are more
precious than wish-fulfilling gems.

2. Wherever I go and whomever I accompany I shall
practice seeing myself as the lowest of all and
sincerely hold others dear and supreme.

3. In all actions I shall examine my mind, and the
moment an unsubdued thought arises, endangering myself
and others, I shall face and avert it.

4. Whenever I see a being of wicked nature, who is
overwhelmed by heavy non-virtue and suffering, I shall
hold him dear, as if I had discovered a precious
treasure, difficult to find.

5. When out of jealousy others treat me badly with
abuse, insult and the like, I shall practice accepting
defeat and offering the victory to others.

6. When someone I have benefited and in whom I have
great hopes gives me terrible harm, I shall practice
regarding him or her as my holy guru.

7. In short, both directly and indirectly, I offer every
benefit and happiness to all my mothers. Secretly, I
shall practice taking all their harmful actions and
suffering upon myself.

8. With all these (practices) undefiled by the stains of
the superstitions of the eight (worldly) dharmas, by
perceiving all dharmas as illusory I shall practice,
without grasping, to release (all sentient beings) from
bondage.

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

"We must keep our attention and determination fixed on
the far horizon, and not be distracted by what is
unimportant".

Dalai Lama

PRONUNCIATION: däl läm

NOUN: The traditional governmental ruler and highest
priest of the dominant sect of Buddhism in Tibet and
Mongolia, understood by Tibetans to be the living
incarnation of the bodhisattva of compassion.

ETYMOLOGY: Tibetan : Mongolian dalai, ocean + Tibetan
bla-ma, monk (so called because he is known as the ocean
of compassion); see lama.

lama

PRONUNCIATION: läm

NOUN: A Buddhist monk of Tibet or Mongolia.

ETYMOLOGY: Tibetan bla-ma, the upper one, lama, from
bla, superior

http://www.nobel.se/peace/laureates/1989/lama-bio.html

His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the
spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people. He
was born in a small village called Takster in
northeastern Tibet. Born to a peasant family, His
Holiness was recognized at the age of two, in accordance
with Tibetan tradition, as the reincarnation of his
predecessor the 13th Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lamas are the
manifestations of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, who
chose to reincarnate to serve the people. Dalai Lama
means Ocean of Wisdom. Tibetans normally refer to His

Holiness as Yeshin Norbu, the Wish-fulfilling Gem, or
simply, Kundun, meaning The Presence.

Education in Tibet

He began his education at the age of six and completed
the Geshe Lharampa Degree (Doctorate of Buddhist
Philosophy) when he was 25. At 24, he took the
preliminary examination at each of the three monastic
universities: Drepung, Sera and Ganden. The final
examination was held in the Jokhang, Lhasa, during the
annual Monlam Festival of Prayer, held in the first
month of every year. In the morning he was examined by
30 scholars on logic. In the afternoon, he debated with
15 scholars on the subject of the Middle Path, and in
the evening, 35 scholars tested his knowledge of the
canon of monastic discipline and the study of
metaphysics. His Holiness passed the examinations with
honours, conducted before a vast audience of monk
scholars.

Leadership Responsibilities

In 1950, at 16, His Holiness was called upon to assume
full political power as Head of State and Government
when Tibet was threatened by the might of China. In 1954
he went to Peking to talk with Mao Tse-Tung and other
Chinese leaders, including Chou En-Lai and Deng
Xiaoping. In 1956, while visiting India to attend the
2500th Buddha Jayanti, he had a series of meetings with
Prime Minister Nehru and Premier Chou about
deteriorating conditions in Tibet. In 1959 he was forced
into exile in India after the Chinese military
occupation of Tibet. Since 1960 he has resided in
Dharamsala, aptly known as "Little Lhasa", the seat of
the Tibetan Government-in-Exile.

In the early years of exile, His Holiness appealed to
the United Nations on the question of Tibet, resulting
in three resolutions adopted by the General Assembly in
1959, 1961 and 1965. In 1963, His Holiness promulgated a
draft constitution for Tibet which assures a democratic
form of government. In the last two decades, His
Holiness has set up educational, cultural and religious
institutions which have made major contributions towards
the preservation of the Tibetan identity and its rich
heritage. He has given many teachings and initiations,
including the rare Kalachakra Initiation, which he has
conducted more than any of his predecessors.

His Holiness continues to present new initiatives to
resolve the Tibetan issues. At the Congressional Human
Rights Caucus in 1987 he proposed a Five-Point Peace
Plan as a first step towards resolving the future status
of Tibet. This plan calls for the designation of Tibet
as a zone of peace, an end to the massive transfer of
ethnic Chinese into Tibet, restoration of fundamental
human rights and democratic freedoms and the abandonment
of China's use of Tibet for nuclear weapons production
and the dumping of nuclear waste, as well as urging
"earnest negotiations" on the future of Tibet and
relations between the Tibetan and Chinese people. In
Strasbourg, France, on June 15, 1988, he elaborated on
this Five-Point Peace Plan and proposed the creation of
a self-governing democratic Tibet, "in association with
the People's Republic of China." In his address, the
Dalai Lama said that this represented "the most
realistic means by which to re-establish Tibet's
separate identity and restore the fundamental rights of
the Tibetan people while accommodating China's own
interests." His Holiness emphasized that "whatever the
outcome of the negotiations with the Chinese may be, the
Tibetan people themselves must be the ultimate deciding
authority."

Contact with the West

Unlike his predecessors, His Holiness has met and talked
with many Westerners and has visited the United States,
Canada, Western Europe, the United Kingdom, the Soviet
Union, Mongolia, Greece, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia,
Singapore, Indonesia, Nepal, Costa Rica, Mexico, the
Vatican, China and Australia. He has met with religious
leaders from all these countries.

His Holiness met with the late Pope Paul VI at the
Vatican in 1973, and with His Holiness Pope John Paul II
in 1980, 1982, 1986 and 1988. At a press conference in
Rome, His Holiness the Dalai Lama outlined his hopes for
the meeting with John Paul II: "We live in a period of
great crisis, a period of troubling world developments.

It is not possible to find peace in the soul without
security and harmony between the people. For this
reason, I look forward with faith and hope to my meeting
with the Holy Father; to an exchange of ideas and
feelings, and to his suggestions, so as to open the door
to a progressive pacification between people.".

In 1981, His Holiness talked with the Archbishop of
Canterbury, Dr Robert Runcie, and with other leaders of
the Anglican Church in London. He also met with leaders
of the Roman Catholic and Jewish communities and spoke
at an interfaith service in his honour by the World

Congress of Faiths. His talk focused on the commonality
of faiths and the need for unity among different
religions: "I always believe that it is much better to
have a variety of religions, a variety of philosophies,
rather than one single religion or philosophy. This is
necessary because of the different mental dispositions
of each human being. Each religion has certain unique
ideas or techniques, and learning about them can only
enrich one's own faith."

Recognition by the West

Since his first visit to the west in the early 1970s,
His Holiness' reputation as a scholar and man of peace
has grown steadily. In recent years, a number of western
universities and institutions have conferred Peace

Awards and honorary Doctorate Degrees upon His Holiness
in recognition of his distinguished writings in Buddhist
philosophy and of his distinguished leadership in the
service of freedom and peace.

Universal Responsibility

During his travels abroad, His Holiness has spoken
strongly for better understanding and respect among the
different faiths of the world. Towards this end, His
Holiness has made numerous appearances in interfaith
services, imparting the message of universal
responsibility, love, compassion and kindness. "The need
for simple human-to-human relationships is becoming
increasingly urgent . . . Today the world is smaller and
more interdependent. One nation's problems can no longer
be solved by itself completely. Thus, without a sense of
universal responsibility, our very survival becomes
threatened. Basically, universal responsibility is
feeling for other people's suffering just as we feel our
own. It is the realization that even our enemy is
entirely motivated by the quest for happiness. We must
recognize that all beings want the same thing that we
want. This is the way to achieve a true understanding,
unfettered by artificial consideration."

From Les Prix Nobel 1989.

Selected Bibliography
By the Dalai Lama

Freedom in Exile. The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama.
New York: Harper Collins, 1990. (The fullest account,
written in English.)

My Land and My People. Memoirs of the Dalai Lama of
Tibet. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1962, Reprinted, New York:
Potala Corp., 1983, 1985. (His first account, translated
from Tibetan, written with David Howarth, English
writer, after escaping to India.)

Ocean of Wisdom. Guidelines for Living. Santa Fe, N.M.:

Clear Light Publ., 1989. Reprinted, San Francisco:

Harper & Row, 1990. (Includes Nobel acceptance speech.)

A Policy of Kindness. An Anthology of Writings by and

about the Dalai Lama. Sidney Piburn, ed., Ithaca, NY

Snow Lion Press, 1990. (Includes the official Nobel

lecture and the informal lecture.)

Other Sources

Avedon, John F. In Exile from the Land of Snows. New

York: Knopf, 1984. (Tibet, before and after the

invasion, focusing on lives of individuals, based
largely on interviews, including many with the Dalai

Lama.)
Piburn, Sidney, ed., The Nobel Peace Prize and the Dalai

Lama. Ithaca, NY Snow Lion Publ., 1990. (The Nobel

speeches and statements.)

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

http://www.buddhapia.com/tibet/brother_wayne.html

It is not an easy task to write about the Dalai Lama,
and specifically Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai
Lama. He is such a rare and totally unique spiritual
teacher. There is always the tendency to slip into
hyperbole in praising his extraordinary, divine-like
position, qualities, and the whole aura surrounding this
"simple monk", or the opposite extreme of hiding behind
a dry, scholarly objectivity that is often skeptical.

Here, like the Buddha, I will try to walk a middle path.
Personally, I am convinced there are certain figures,
saints and bodhisattvas about whom it's not really
possible to exaggerate. Such are Mahatma Gandhi, Thomas
Keating, the Trappist sage, Mother Teresa, and Tenzin
Gyatso.

When we encounter great holiness in anyone, there is
evident a superhuman degree of virtue and sensitivity, a
transendence of self-concern, an availability and
responsiveness to others. The above figures all possess
these qualities. As an example in the Dalai Lama's life
- an example so characteristic of who he is beyond his
position - let me offer an instance from one of his many
visits to America. Some years ago at Harvard University,
there was a special conversation going on between His
Holiness and three or four professors before a huge
audience that included a film crew. The first professor
to speak was hogging the limelight, and he went on and
on, way past his allotted time. As his talking became
excessive, and there was no sign he would stop, the
other professors, fearing their own time would be used
up, became impatient, and then it turned to indignation
and anger. Through it all, His Holiness patiently,
calmly, attentively, and with a smile, listened to this
man. His Holiness's sensitivity was such that he knew
this person needed to feel that he was being heard. He
needed attention and affirmation. His Holiness's
compassion was responding to the professor's deeper
agenda, instead of descending into resentment,
frustration, and anger as the other participants were
doing. He chose quite spontaneously to respond
compassionately, even if it meant a slight inconvenience
to the others. This little story is typical of His
Holiness, and illustrates the nature of his sensitivity.

In what follows I would like to explore His Holiness's
commitment to interreligious dialogue, which is really a
dialogue of life itself, not a stiff, formal activity,
as it often is in academic forums. The first part of
this article will consider the Dalai Lama's encounters
with Thomas Merton and Bede Griffiths. Then I will share
my own first meetings with His Holiness, meetings that
essentially continued the line of experience and
development initiated with Merton. Then I will present
some impressions of His Holiness that have occurred to
me over time. The next section of the essay will examine
His Holiness's interest in the integration of science,
wisdom and all the other areas of knowledge, and this
will be done primarily within the context of the
Synthesis Dialogues. We will then move on to the
Buddhist/Christian Monastic Dialogue, and reflect on the
prophetic dimension of this very valuable relationship.
This reflection will then crystallize into what I call
the Matrix as a way to integrate the essential
metaphysical, existential principle of Buddhism and
Christianity. A brief section will look at the Tibetan
issue and the Catholic Church. Finally, in the last
section, I will reflect on the significance of the XIVth
Dalai Lama for this third millennial age.

Thomas Merton and Bede Griffiths

Tibet's first experience of Christians involved a
mission of the Jesuits to the roof of the world in the
latter part of the 17th century with the arrival of
Father Desiderio. He had learned Tibetan and written a
work in that difficult and little known language. Of
course the Jesuits were engaging in missionary activity,
and their methods were innovative and even visionary.

They tended to be way ahead of their time because they
respected the cultures they worked and lived in, and
eventually came to modify their evangelical objectives
with the realization that in China, India, Japan and
Tibet etc. they were dealing with very advanced systems
of wisdom.

This realization certainly also characterizes the
outlook of Thomas Merton, especially in the last years
of his life. He had been absorbing Eastern wisdom on a
deep level long before his fateful trip to Asia in the
autumn of 1968. Thomas Merton had only three audiences
with His Holiness in Dharamsala in November 1968. This
was the whole extent of their relationship in terms of
time. His Holiness said later that he never realized
Christians were spiritual until he met Merton. Here was
a Christian monk completely unlike any Christian the
Dalai Lama had ever met before; he was nothing like the
missionaries of the time, or most of them who were bent
on conversion of Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims etc.

His Holiness discerned in this Trappist monk from
Kentucky a Christian geshe, a profoundly learned man in
matters of spirituality, comparative religion and
culture. He found an openness in Merton rarely seen in
other Christians. Thomas Merton discovered in His
Holiness a brother and fellow monk, equally open, and
very curious about Catholic monastic life and practice.
The two men liked each other immensely, and looked
forward to a wonderful friendship, a friendship that now
awaits its unfolding in eternity.

Father Louis, which was Merton's monastic name, and His
Holiness talked about everything. They shared their
experiences of monastic life in their respective
traditions, looking at various practices, the education,
or formation of monks and nuns, their ways of prayer and
meditation, their sacred texts. They reflected deeply on
the differences and similarities of Buddhism and
Christian faith. They discussed the horrific tragedy of
the Tibetan People before the barbaric practices of
China, the diaspora of the Tibetan exiles, the focus on
securing and preserving their culture and tradition in
India. They also talked about the Vietnam war, the
superpower rivalry, the Civil Rights Movement in the
states, and the anti-war, peace movement in Europe and
America.

His Holiness and Thomas Merton made a deep impression on
each other, and the impact of Merton on the Dalai Lama
was considerable. He often speaks of this literary
genius, this American monk, with affection and
wistfulness. In a wonderful documentary on Merton's life
released in the early 80s, His Holiness was interviewed
by the filmmakers. They asked him about his experience
of the Christian monk. His Holiness spoke affectionately
of him on that occasion, and then, with profound
emotion, and a higher pitch to his voice, he remarked:
"If Thomas Merton had lived, we would have done
something for peace together."

The Dalai Lama met with Bede Griffiths on three
occasions, as in Merton's case, but these encounters
were spaced by years. They were together twice in India
at conferences in which both were participating. But
their most telling conversation occurred in Australia in
the early 90s. Both were visiting this continent
"down-under", and happened across each other's path. It
was an eventful exchange. Both were completely relaxed
and open to each other. They discussed many theological
and mystical teachings of each tradition. Although I
never knew Merton, I did know Bede, and had a twenty
year friendship with him. At the time of their third
encounter, Father Bede was greatly interested in
Dzogchen. He told me of this wonderful meeting with His
Holiness, and His Holiness also told me of it. He said
to me, "Bede Griffiths is a great teacher!". Father Bede
and the Dalai Lama both had a lot of respect for each
other, and had Bede lived longer, they might have
achieved something of importance together. Bede's
knowledge of Hinduism and Buddhism was far greater than
that of Thomas Merton, but both were Christian prophets
drinking from the well of Eastern wisdom and
reinvigorating Western contemplation; both had a similar
mission, but with different circumstances.

First Encounters and Impressions of the Dalai Lama
Passing through Britain for a month's rest after a long
period in India, I had a fascinating experience with His
Holiness. This happened, for the first time in April
1988 at the residence of Basil Cardinal Hume, O.S.B.,
the Archbishop of Westminster and Catholic Patriarch of
England. Although I had seen His Holiness at St.
Patrick's Cathedral in New York City in 1979 when I was
a graduate student at Fordham University, it was not
until this event in London in 1988 until we actually met
for the first time. Cardinal Hume was a Benedictine monk
who had also been an abbot before named Patriarch of
England. He had an interest in dialogue, and welcomed a

Catholic/ Tibetan monastic exchange. I was invited to
this historic dialogue. There were twenty of us
-Christian and Buddhist monks, with a few nuns - seating
around an oval shaped table. His Holiness entered, and
was introduced by the abbot of Prinknash Abbey, which
was Bede Griffiths' monastery before he went out to
India in 1958. This gathering was an intimate situation,
and from the very beginning there was a strong rapport
between His Holiness and I. After the seventy minute
conversation, His Holiness came over to me with an
extended hand. It was a warm and meaningful
introduction. Afterwards, I followed up with a letter to
Tenzin Geyche, his long and faithful secretary, a good
friend, and before long found myself in Dharamsala in
early January 1989. His Holiness and I had our second
encounter at his palace in a two hour conversation. It
proved to be eventful, because it resulted in our
collaboration in producing a document entitled, The
Universal Declaration on Nonviolence. This declaration
is a brief statement of one page that is a kind of
declaration of independence between religion and
war-making. It was later ratified by His Holiness and
Monastic Interreligious Dialogue, the organization I
represented. MID had taken responsibility for the
document after I had written the first draft. Other
members of MID and I refined the final form of the
document.

I have often felt, or had a sense, that the unique
position I have been placed in, continues the
relationship with His Holiness, Tibetan Buddhism and the
Tibetan People that Thomas Merton initiated in modern
times with his historic visit to Dharamsala in 1968. I
have always remained conscious of His Holiness's words
about doing something substantial for peace, and have
hoped that maybe I could contribute to that important
aspiration. Though I'm certainly no Merton, I share with
him the openness to the East, the keen interest in the
Dharma and in Hinduism, Taoism and Sufism, as well as
the powerful hope for a lasting, just and comprehensive
planetary wide peace, a peace that is more than simply
the absence of conflict, a peace that reflects, as St.
Augustine called it in his time, "the tranquillity of
order", a spiritual harmony animating an enlightened
humankind, and a human civilization based on love and
compassion. Such a peace is based on our ultimate
potential, and that requires the engagement of our
spiritual resources for self-transformation leading to
social change grounded in awareness.

Over the years, His Holiness and I have seen each other
a couple of times a year, and I am also a friend of his
younger brother, the Ngari Rinpoche, and his family, as
well as many other Tibetans. These encounters have
gotten progressively profounder in depth and friendship.

Many impressions have formed in my understanding as to
who the Dalai Lama is as a person. I remember so well a
visit I had with him after the 1993 Parliament of the
World's Religions in Chicago on September 5th. We sat
together for two hours as he talked with others;
participated in an interview, and shared stories with
me. On that occasion I saw very clearly how Christ-like
he actually is, and I said to him: "I see Christ in you
more than I have perceived Christ in most Christians!" I
suppose I could have used different language to express
this spiritual perception. Perhaps what I was really
discerning was the sanctity, love and compassion of this
man.

Another impression that has taken root in my view of His
Holiness is his gift for intuition, or we can say, for
clairvoyance, even telepathy. This gift is not a light
matter, and I view it as a by-product of spiritual
realization. I have been in his presence so many times
when I have become conscious of how completely he knows
me, and knows where I'm coming from, or what I'm
preoccupied with when I'm with him. He seems to draw me
into a larger state of awareness, including me in his
own. There is no need to say anything, since in these
moments our communication is perfect, and words would
only detract from what we experience and know, and
possibly only confuse the issue.

A further impression that has struck me is his
intellectual profundity, his ability to understand
virtually anything. His intellectual gifts, however, are
not abstract abilities, but always in service to his
quintessential humanity, his good-heartedness. His
knowledge is always grounded in compassion and wisdom,
and these are practical qualities, qualities found in
the saints of all traditions, or most of them. But there
is so much more. In addition to the attributes outlined
above, there is his sense of humor and playfulness,
indomitable strengths that not even tragedy and
suffering could eclipse. Basically, what I discern in
his example is a highly developed humanism rooted in
spiritual practice and extended to all sentient beings.

His Interest in the Integration of Knowledge His
Holiness has been interested in science and the
other areas of knowledge for many years. He has attended
many conferences around the world attempting to
discover the common ground between science and
spirituality. Most of these meetings he has found
disappointing for one reason or another. Usually they
have fallen short of his expectations either because -as
he puts it - because the scientists were too "hard" or
too "soft". By "hard" is meant that they were closed to
the spiritual dimension of life, and adhered to a purely
uncritical reductionist view of science, a view that really isn't
very scientific at all! The problem with the "soft" scientist
is that he/she is too quick to jump to common ground or
a spiritual view of science and the cosmos. The science
in this case is suspect even though the soft scientist
may actually be enlightened, and so wiser than the hard
scientist who tends to be close-minded and a materialist
reductionist.

His Holiness has been and is intrigued with the notion
of synthesis, the conscious attempt to find the common
ground among all the areas of knowledge, and a grand
unifying paradigm that harmonizes science, religion,
spirituality, social justice, peace and the environment.

The work toward finding such a paradigm took form for
the first time in Synthesis I, or the Dharamsala
Dialogues held in Dharamsala from September 11-16, 1999.

His Holiness participated in this significant gathering
in which a hundred ten people were present, thirty-five
of whom were active synthesizers, while the remaining
were observers and media. The synthesizers represented
all the major disciplines and areas of culture, i.e.,
physicists, mathematicians, biologists, astronomers,
spiritual teachers, theologians, thinkers in commerce,
government, diplomacy, the environment, and activists in
the struggle for the environment, the work for justice
and the promotion of peace.

This event was in many ways historic, not in what it
achieved, since it was only a beginning, and so there
were not dramatic results, but in the recognition of
spirituality as the basis to integrate all knowledge in
a practical value of transformation. In this
recognition, there is an insight that all knowledge has
to have a practical relationship to the improvement of
our human nature, and that of other sentient beings.

Spirituality, the mystical life, provides such a
unifying vision for knowledge, and allows science and
religion to have a more positive, indeed friendly
collaboration. Mysticism being the most universal and
all-encompassing, comprehensive and ultimate wisdom, all
other areas of knowledge must be implied in its range,
or rather, its reality affects all the areas of
knowledge, and none can contradict it. This is a major
contribution to the process of finding common ground and
synthesis itself.

Synthesis II will convene in Trent, Italy with His
Holiness from June 26-July 1, 2001. Around thirty
synthesizers will participate in this event in the
beautiful surroundings of the Dolomite Mountains. This
meeting will be far more focused than the Dharamsala
Dialogues. Insights will emerge from the conversations
that will be encouraged. The important aim of this
conference, and these dialogues, is simply to have a
number of relevant conversations free of ego and hidden
agendas, in a spirit of friendship and community in such
a way that a tangible sense of communion surfaces, and a
new vision emerges from the various insights
contributed.

The Buddhist/Christian Monastic Dialogue

Another important interest of His Holiness that he
shares with Western monks and nuns is the intermonastic
dialogue, and this relationship, especially with the
Tibetans, and His Holiness, has been going on since
Thomas Merton's visit to Dharamsala, though there have
been contacts between Christian monastics and members of
the Zen and Theravadan traditions prior to Merton's
journey to India. The connection with Catholic monastics
is very dear to His Holiness's heart, and he has
mentioned that to many people over the years, including
this writer. The intermonastic dialogue is really moving
into advanced stages, especially with the event that
took place at the Parliament of the World's Religions in
Chicago at the end of August, 1993, and the Gethsemani
Encounter at Merton's monastery in Kentucky in July
1996. April 2002 will witness another round when
Gethsemani II will be convoked, and the Dalai Lama will
participate again, as he did in the previous two
sessions. The Parliament dialogue was for three hours,
but its topic was highly specific, Sunyata and Kenosis:

The Arising of Universal Compassion in the Spiritual
Journey, while Gethsemani I went on for several days and
explored numerous topics of mutual interest, like
monastic life in each tradition, the role of the
teacher, monastic education, mystical experience,
meditation etc. Gethsemani I was profoundly historic and
useful. It was a watershed in Catholic/Buddhist
relations. Gethsemani II should be equally momentous.

The increasing importance of intermonastic relationships

and interreligious dialogue can be seen in the

appearance of the first Encyclopedia of Monasticism.

This two volume work encompasses Hindu, Buddhist,
Christian and Jain monasticism, and represents a needed
contribution to a hitherto neglected area. The intense
conversations that are taking place, coupled with the
intermonastic hospitality exchange initiated by Monastic
Interreligious Dialogue in America, formerly known as
the North American Board for East/West Dialogue, and His
Holiness, no doubt has heightened interest in what is
unfolding.

The intermonastic hospitality exchange between Catholic

and Tibetan monastics has been going on since 1980, and
has reached a level of great depth. From its very
inception, the Dalai Lama has enthusiastically supported
it, and continues to do so. The exchange works in this
manner. Four or five Tibetan monks and nuns will come
over to the United States and spend six months visiting
a number of monasteries and convents of the Cistercian
or Trappist and Benedictine communities. The longest
they would stay in one place might be three weeks to a
month, with a minimum of a week. The Christian monks and
nuns, again four or five of them, would spend a similar
amount of time in the great Tibetan monasteries in
India. The Catholic groups would always visit His
Holiness who has eagerly followed and encouraged this
wonderful program. In each case - whether Tibetans
coming to America, or American monastics going to India
to visit Tibetan monasteries - they would enter deeply
into the monastic observance of each community they
found themselves in. A reservoir of depth has
accumulated over the years from these extraordinary
exchanges, and has prepared the way for the quality and
richness of dialogue and conversation that has
transpired both at the Parliament of the World's
Religions and at Gethsemani I, to name two in recent
years.

His Holiness always emphasizes the necessity of
friendship as a basis for genuine dialogue, one that
reaches a profound level of mutual recognition of each
other's tradition, their equal authenticity, and
intrinsic complementarity, that in the case of
Christianity and Buddhism, they complete each other. In
his numerous relationships with Christians, as well as
Hindus, Jains and Jews, the Dalai Lama has followed his

own teaching: he has made friends with persons of other
traditions, and from the openness and affection
emanating and surrounding these friendships, he
converses with those close to him from other traditions.
Such is my experience with him since the beginning of
our friendship and collaboration. Because we are
well-disposed to each other, that is, because we are
friends, spiritual friends with a strong bond, we are
able to talk about any subject, even ones regarded as
sensitive in each of our traditions. It is this kind of
friendship that makes possible a very vital kind of work
that is in service to humanknid's ultimate destiny for
liberation and salvation.

The Prophetic Vision of the Buddhist/Christian
Relationship

This vital work is a prophetic collaboration, that
through the process of deep dialogue, propels
consciousness forward in each tradition and in a global,
universal sense. From the open-ended character of the
dialogue, something new will emerge for humankind, and
eventually, for all sentient beings. The tension between
the two views, the working toward common ground and
greater understanding, will generate a new awareness , a
more enhanced view that unites what is truest in each
tradition. This work may take centuries, even millennia,
but there will come a day when Christianity and Buddhism
will together offer a new vision to the world.

During Synthesis I at Dharamsala, an insight occurred to
me near the close of the conference, an insight I call a
seed of synthesis, and it is related to the
Buddhist/Christian dialogue and collaborative
relationship. This "seed" of synthesis can be formulated
in this way: the Divine as matrix of dependent arising.
His Holiness was present for this and other seeds from
among a number of the participants in the Dharamsala
Dialogues. Let me elaborate it here. I believe this

integration of the two principal insights represents an

embodiment of Divine Incarnate Wisdom.

The Divine as matrix of dependent arising relates and

unites the essential insight of each of these
traditions. Dependent arising as the interconnection of
all sentient beings, their intrinsic interdependence
exists within the boundaries of the matrix of boundless
consciousness, and this consciousness is the Divine
itself. A matrix both defines and contains, and in the
case of the Divine matrix, defines and contains the
interconnection of all sentient beings. The Divine, in
Christian mystical experience, is the very connection,
or connectivity of all the sentient beings that co-arise
together. It is infinite consciousness animated by
divine compassion and love. Consciousness as a loving,
compassionate, merciful, kind intelligence and knowing
connects all beings in a cosmic, ontological community.
This is an insight that must be considered with great
care.

There are many other points of common ground between the
Buddhist and Christian traditions, and a number of these
are being discussed in the intermonastic dialogue, in
the forums of the Society for Buddhist/Christian
Studies, and in hundreds of academic situations around
the world. They are being thought about by individual
practitioners and writers, pioneers of the spirit
opening up new vistas of realization and universal
culture. Again, His Holiness often leads the way by his

openness and his own insights into where the common

ground might be, as for instance, when he met with

Christians and reflected on the inner meaning of the
Gospel. Buddhists and Christians who are friends and
engaged in ultimate levels of dialogue are servants of a
great purpose larger than either's tradition, and they
are responsible for this work because they have the
consciousness which makes it possible. With their
consciousness comes a burden of responsibility that they
cannot shun or escape. His Holiness has a sense of this
when he speaks of our universal responsibility.

Tibet, Monasticism and the Catholic Church

For many years now, a number of us from the monastic
world have stood in solidarity with the His Holiness and
the Tibetan People, have tried and continue to try to
awaken the Catholic Church to the moral responsibility
it has to similarly support the Tibetan struggle, which
is non-violent and respectful of the People's Republic
of China. In Catholic theology and culture we like the
term conscientization to refer to moral awakening to
justice issues. We are engaged in such a labor of
conscientization, and not simply in the Church, but
extending to all the other religions, and the world at
large.

His Holiness has been following this development with

keen interest and realism. To date we have not been

successful in raising the level of concern in Rome on

Tibet to a high priority status. At the 1993 Parliament

of the World's Religions, in the midst of the

Buddhist/Christian Monastic Dialogue session, MID
introduced the document, Resolution on Tibet. It was
read and presented to His Holiness, who was present for
the dialogue. His Holiness was very pleased with this
action, though it displeased the Vatican. Though there
are many who are interested in this matter in Rome, none
are willing to speak out. So, we go round and round. I
believe there will come a day when this situation will
change, and the Church will come out vigorously,
standing with the Tibetan People, but this will still
take some time. I feel the time is much nearer than many
think. We need to keep pushing, that is, raising the
issue whenever opportunities present themselves, and be
willing to converse with anyone willing to listen.
Relentless pursuit of justice will eventually yield a
rich harvest. I am convinced that the voice of the
Catholic Church would provide the kind of support that
would result in the conscientization of humankind on the
Tibetan tragedy.

The Significance of the XIVth Dalai Lama

There are many reasons why I feel unqualified to
evaluate His Holiness's contribution to our planet and
to suggest his historical significance. He is such a
rare figure, so unique and so precious, and made so
further by the circumstances of his people and the
fascinating role he is playing as a global spiritual
teacher. A number of attributes enhance his
contribution, and are extremely valuable in this new age
which has just dawned.

The first is what I call his spiritual humanism, his
ability to relate to all kinds of people, with and
without any particular commitment to a tradition. He has
seen clearly what's really important, and that has to do
primarily with how we treat one another, including other
sentient beings. In his book, Ethics for a New
Millennium , His Holiness offers a vision of ethics that
can be said to be a form of natural spirituality, a
moral understanding that reveals those qualities in our
human nature that are universal, and are the basis not
simply of ethics, but of the best of religion and
spirituality. He is committed to presenting a practical
guide to ethical life founded on the commonality of
human traits of compassion, love, kindness and mercy to
people who either do or not belong to any of the world's
religions. In this teaching he offers solid advice to
the whole of humanity.

His significance is as an icon of spiritual and human
depth, a powerful presence gently but firmly advocating
change, transformation of the heart, and justice for his
people. His human and spiritual presence in our history
is reinforced by a humble, accessible style of
leadership, often conveyed with humor and laughter. The
nature of his presence and his teaching are also
revealed in who he is as a person, rather than his
position. His generosity as a teacher benefits us all,
and has played an essential role in the lives of
thousands of westerners, and millions of Tibetans. His
Holiness's subtle teaching on universal responsibility
represents something new and refreshing; it manages to
stir clear of a provincial view, or the pitfalls of
nationalism, and evokes what is deepest, most authentic
in all of us. It appeals to our basic and common
humanity. The Dalai Lama, like the pope and other world
spiritual leaders, is an eloquent voice of advocacy for
the planet, and no other spiritual leader has equaled
his contribution to ecological awareness.

All in all, His Holiness is a person with farsighted
vision. In this respect, like a circle, I'd like to
return to that moment when we first met so many years
ago in Britain. When he spoke on that occasion, he said
something that has always stayed with me, making an
indelible impression. He remarked: "We must keep our
attention and determination fixed on the far horizon,
and not be distracted by what is unimportant". He is a
master of that destiny toward which we are all moving.
His ultimate significance concerns this destiny and his
prophetic witness to it.

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

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/tib_timeline

.htm

TIBETAN TIMELINE

c200 C.E. • Buddhism begins to percolate into Tibetan
region and teachings affect Bon religion in kingdom of
Shang-Shung (South Tibet).

3rd century • Buddhist scriptures begin to reach early
Tibetan Kingdoms (North Tibet) during reign of King
Lhatotori Nyentsen.

641 • King Songtsen Gampo unifies Tibet and marries
Chinese princess Wen Cheng and Nepalese Princess Bhrkuti
who bring Buddha images.

641-650 • Construction of Potala Palace, and Jokang and
Ramoche temples to house Buddha images.
773?

• King Trisong Detsen (r.755-797) invites Shantarakshita
to Tibet.

774 • King Trisong Detsen invites Padmasambhava, yogin
of Swat, to Tibet, and construction of Samye begins

(775).

c785 • Samye, Tibet's first monastery, built by Trisong
Detsen and Padmasambhava. • Great Convocation, 3000
monks ordained. • Translating begins. • Padmasambhava
founds Nyingma order.

792 • Exponents of Indian Buddhism prevail in debate
with Chinese at Samye.

840 • Persecution of Tibetan Buddhism under King Lang
Darma, period of conflict and civil strife begins.

877 • Destruction of Tibetan Dynasties. • Buddhism
almost completely wiped out in Tibet.

978 • Commencement of second Buddhist period in Tibet. •
Atisha (982-1054).

1038 • Atisha comes to Tibet and founds the Kadampa
school (which later becomes the Gelugpa order).

c1039 • Marpa the translator (1012-1099) founder of the
Kargyu school, travels to India, studies under Naropa.•
Gampopa (1079-1153) is responsible for the actual
founding of the Kagyu school on the basis of Kadampa,
later to be known as Gelugpa. Monastic practice and
education system, with the Tantric practices of Naropa,
Marpa and Milarepa.

1040 • Birth of Milarepa, 2nd hierarch of Kagyu order
and a renowned poet.

1055 • Birth of Marchik Labdron (1055-1153) founder of
the Chod lineage, the main lineage founded by a woman.

1060 • Founding of the Sakya Lineage by Brogmi
(992-1072). • Gonchok Guelpo (1034-1102) establishes the
first monastery of the Sakya monastic order.

1247 • Sakya Pandita submits to Godan Khan; beginning of
the first priest/patron relationship between a Tibetan
Lama and a Mongol Khan.

1261 • Tibet is reunited with Sakya Pandita, Grand Lama
of Sakya, as king.

1350 • King Changchub Gyaltsen defeats Sakya and founds
a secular dynasty.

1409 • Ganden, first Gelug monastery, built by monastic
reformer Tsongkhapa (1357-1419).

1435-81 • In prolonged warfare, Karmapa supporters gain
control of royal court.

1578 • Gelug-pa leader gets the title of Dalai
("Ocean") from Altan Khan.

1642 • Gushri Khan enthrones the 5th Dalai Lama as
temporal ruler of Tibet.

1653 • "Great Fifth" Dalai Lama meets Qing Emperor
Shunzhi near Beijing.

1682 • Fifth Dalai Lama dies; regent conceals death for
the next 14 years.

1716-21 • Italian Jesuit priest, Ippolito Desideri
studies and teaches in Lhasa.

1717 • Dzungar Mongols invade Tibet and sack Lhasa. •
Fifth DL's tomb looted.

1720 • Dzungars driven out, Qing (Chinese) forces
install Kesang Gyatso as the 7th Dalai Lama.

1721 • The position of Amban is created by a 13-point
Qing decree on Tibet. 29-point Qing decree prescribes
"golden urn" lottery for picking DL and PL, bans visits
by non-Chinese, and increases Amban's powers.

1904 • British troops under Colonel Younghusband enter
Tibet and occupy Lhasa.

1910-12 • Chinese troops occupy Tibet, shoot at unarmed
crowds on entering Lhasa.

1911 • Bogh Haan, the Urga "Living Buddha," proclaims
Mongolia independent.

1913 • 13th Dalai Lama proclaims Tibet a "religious and
independent nation".

1924-25 • Pressure from monks causes Dalai Lama to
dismiss his British-trained officers.

1933 • Truce ends. China and Tibet fighting; the 13th
Dalai Lama dies at age 58.

1934 • Reting Rimpoche named regent. • China permitted
to open Lhasa mission.

1940 • The five-year-old Tenzin Gyatso is enthroned as
the 14th Dalai Lama.

1941 • Unable to keep celibacy vow, Reting is replaced
as regent by Taktra.

1945 • Newly opened English-language school is closed
after monks protest.

1950 • Red China invades Tibet; Tibetan army destroyed
in battle at Chamdo.

1951 • 17-point agreement between China and Tibet;
Chinese occupy Lhasa.

1956 • Tibetans in Kham and Amdo (Qinghai) begin revolt
against Chinese ruler.

• Dalai Lama visits India for 2,500th anniversary of the
Buddha's birth.

1959 • Dalai Lama flees to India. 87,000 Tibetans die in
anti-Chinese revolt.

1960 • International Commission of Jurists: "acts of
genocide [have] been committed... to destroy the
Tibetans as a religious group."

1963 • Dalai Lama approves a democratic constitution
for the Tibetan exile community.

1964 • The Panchen Lama is arrested after calling for
Tibetan independence.

1978 • Visitors find only 8 temples left in TAR, down
from 2,700 in 1959.

1979-80 • China allows a series of three delegations
from Dalai Lama to visit Tibet.

1989 • Dalai Lama receives the Nobel Peace Prize.

1995 • Dalai Lama recognizes six-year-old Gedhun
Choekyi Nyima as 11th Panchen Lama. China denounces the
Dalai Lama's choice.

1999 • The Karmapa (Urgyen Trinley Dorje) flees Tibet to
join the Dalai Lama in exile.

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