The Dalai Lama - Tenzin Gyatso

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Buddhism informs virtually every sphere of Tibetan people�s lives, but not every religi-ous specialist is required to take monastic orders. Some of the greatest Tibetan lamas (teachers), such as Marpa and Milarespa in the 11th and 12th centuries, have been lay-men, and many non-monastic or partially ordained adepts lived in remote hermitages, studying, teaching, practicing Tantric rites and meditation. In the course of their train-ing, young monks might spend up to three years in a hermitage run by a non-monastic lama. Like most Buddhist monks, fully ordained Tibetan clergy follow the discipline of the Vinaya set out in Hinayana scripture. The equivalent Mahayana Vinaya became the basis of a further mass of native Tibetan rules which governed a studious and ritualistic monastic routine. In 19th-century Tibet, about one sixth of the male population were

monks, and as monk�s had supreme status in all spheres of life, many families tried to offer at least one son for ordi-nation. A boy probationer can expect to spend three years absorbing the monastic routine, learning to read and write and to recite short texts. A program of rigorous instruction by lamas then starts, each lama specializing in Sutras, Vina-ya, Abhidharma, medicine or Tantra; these courses are followed by demanding exams. Exercises in competitive public debate devised to train novices in the expression of the �true and innermost essence of the Dharma (doctrine)� are another feature of Tibetan monastic training. After twelve years, during which they will have studied and memorized vast numbers of Mahayana texts and commentaries, novices � at the minimum age of twenty � may receive full ordina-tion, and those who shine in their final exams move on for high positions in the academic or political hierarchy.

THE BUDDHA'S FAREWELL - WHEN the Blessed One had remained as long as he wished at Ambapali's
grove, he went to Beluva, near Vesali. There the Blessed One addressed the brethren, and said: "O mendicants, take up your abode for the rainy season round about Vesali, each one according to the place where his friends and near compan-ions may live. I shall enter upon the rainy season here at Beluva." When the Blessed One had thus entered upon the rainy season there fell upon him a dire sickness and sharp pains came upon him even unto death. But the Blessed One, mindful and self-possessed, bore his ailments without complaint. Then this thought occurred to the Blessed One. It would not be right for me to pass away from life without addressing the disciples, without taking leave of the order. Let me now, by a strong effort of the will, subdue this sickness, and keep my hold on life till the allotted time have come." And the Blessed One by a strong effort of the will subdued the sickness, and kept his hold on life till the time he fixed upon should come. And the sickness abated. Thus the Blessed One began to recover; and when he had quite got rid of the sickness, he went out from the monastery, and sat down on a seat spread out in the open air. And the venerable Ananda, accompanied by many other disciples, approached where the Blessed One was, saluted him, and taking a seat respectfully on one side, said: "I have beheld, Lord, how the Blessed One was in health, and I have beheld how the Blessed One had to suffer. And though at the sight of the sickness of the Blessed One my body became weak as a creeper, and the horizon became dim to me, and my faculties were no longer clear, yet notwithstanding I took some little comfort from the thought that the Blessed One would not pass away from existence until at least he had left in-structions as touching the order." The Blessed One addressed Ananda in behalf of the order, saying: "What, then, Ananda, does the order expect of me? I have preached the truth without making any distinction between doctrine hid-den or revealed; for in respect of the truth, Ananda, the Tathagata has no such thing as the closed fist of a teacher, who keeps some things back. Surely, Ananda, should there be any one who harbor the thought, 'It is I who will lead the brotherhood,' or, 'The order is dependent upon me,' he should lay down instructions in any matter concerning the order. Now the Tathagata, Ananda, thinks not that it is he who should lead the brotherhood, or that the order is dependent up-on him. Why, then, should the Tathagata leave instructions in any matter concerning the order? I am now grown old, O Ananda, and full of years; my journey is drawing to its close, I have reached the sum of my days, I am turning eighty years of age. Just as a wornout cart can not be made to move along without much difficulty, so the body of the Tathaga-ta can only be kept going with much additional care. It is only when the Tathagata, Ananda, ceasing to attend to any outward thing, becomes plunged in that devout meditation of heart which is concerned with no bodily object, it is only then that the body of the Tathagata is at ease. Therefore, O Ananda, be ye lamps unto yourselves. Rely on yourselves, and do not rely on external help. Hold fast to the truth as a lamp. Seek salvation alone in the truth. Look not for assis- tance to any one besides yourselves. And how, Ananda, can a brother be a lamp unto himself, rely on himself only and not on any external help, holding fast to the truth as his lamp and seeking salvation in the truth alone, looking not for assistance to any one besides himself? Herein, O Ananda, let a brother, as he dwells in the body, so regard the body that he, being strenuous, thoughtful, and mindful, may, whilst in the world, overcome the grief which arises from the body's cravings. While subject to sensations let him continue so to regard the sensations that he, being strenuous, thoughtful, and mindful, may, whilst in the world, overcome the grief which arises from the sensations. And so, also, when he
thinks or reasons, or feels, let him so regard his thoughts that being strenuous, thoughtful and mindful he may, whilst in the world, overcome the grief which arises from the craving due to ideas, or to reasoning, or to feeling. Those who, either now or after I am dead, shall be lamps unto themselves, relying upon themselves only and not relying upon any
external help, but holding fast to the truth as their lamp, and seeking their salvation in the truth alone, and shall not look for assistance to any one besides themselves, it is they, Ananda, among my Bhikkhus, who shall reach the very topmost height! But they must be anxious to learn."

is without foundation; suffering in the Buddhist sense encompasses what is usually termed 'evil' in other religo-philoso-phical systems, and the existence of evil, caused either by chance events or by deliberate ill-will is not seriously denied.
(2) The Truth of the Cause of Suffering. The proximate cause of suffering is craving (tanh�), but the root cause of ig-norance (avijj�). The objects of craving are manifold: sensual pleasure, material possessions, glory, power, fame, ego, craving for re-birth, even craving for nibb�na (nirv�na). There are various degrees of craving - from a mild wish to an acute grasping (up�d�na). Craving is the proximate cause of suffering and is itself caused by other conditioning factors. The full formula of causation is contained in the Buddhist formula of dependent origination, where the causes for exis-tence and suffering are traced back through a chain of twelve links, back to ignorance. (3) The Truth of the Cessation of Suffering. This growth constitutes the 'good news' of Buddhism. The cause of suffering could be counteracted. This truth affirms that a way out of suffering exists, which if followed will lead the individual to a state of non-suffering called nibb�na, perhaps better known by the Sanskrit form of the term, Nirv�na. If the first truth could be considered to have a taint of 'pessimism,' this truth has the full flavour of 'optimism.' (4) The Truth of the Path to Enlightenment.
The Buddhist path to Enlightenment is that discovered by the Buddha through his own personal effort and practice. It has been called the Middle Path (majjima paipad�) because it is a via media between the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. Both extremes of practice were common in the Buddha's day (as indeed they are in out own). The Buddha calls such extremes vain, profitless and ignoble. The path of the Buddha avoids two kinds of activity usually considered essential for salvation by many religious systems. These are: (1) prayer to supra human powers and agen-cies, and (2) elaborate rites and rituals. On the contrary, these are considered as being positive impediments on the path to the cessation of suffering and the gaining of insight and wisdom. While the Four Noble Truths and the Three Laws of Existence contain the kernel of the Buddha's teaching, and were proclaimed by the Buddha in his very first dis-course, there are many other doctrines that are central to a philosophical system which is as deep as that of Buddhism.

The Four Noble Truths - The four noble truths result from the application of the three ba-sic laws to the human condition. The Buddha frequently asserted that he was interested in the problem of the alleviation of human suffering: "Only one thing do I teach, suffering, and how to end it." His approach to the problem of suffering was similar to that of the phy-sician to his patient. He first diagnoses the malady, then seeks the cause of the malady, next finds out whether a cure is possible. Finally he prescribes the medicine. The four truths correspond to the four steps of this diagnostic-curative procedure. (1) The Truth of Suffering. This truth affirms that the law of dukkha is applicable to the human condition:
'Birth is suffering, decay is suffering, death is suffering; sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair are suffering. To be separated from the pleasant is suffering; to be in contact with the unpleasant is suffering; in short the five aggregates of existence connected with attachment are all suffering.' The validity of the truth of suffering need not be belaboured here; it is essentially a matter for personal verification. The truth of dukkha refers not to the on-existence of the pleasurable and the joyful, but to the very incompleteness and fini-tude of that enjoyment. The imputation of pessimism sometimes made of early Buddhism

Care and Use of Your Mala (prayer beads)
In an effort to serve you better, we believe reliable educational information about malas/power beads is important. We hope you will find this authentic information helpful. It will assist you in having a positive relationship to these wonder-ful spiritual tools. What is the purpose of a mala? The purpose of the mala from the Buddhist or Hindu traditions is for counting during recitation of sacred mantra, such as, "Om Mani Padme Hum," or "Om Tare Tam Soha." Of course, one can use it for any sacred prayer from any spiritual or religious tradition. What does mala mean? Mala (ma-la) in Sanskrit, the ancient sacred language of the Vedas, Upanishads, Rig Vedas, and great Buddhist literature, roughly means, "Rose" or "Garland." A more direct translation is "garland from above," or "heavenly garland." In the Hindu and, sometimes certain Buddhist traditions, it is also called a "japa-mala." In the Mahayana Zen traditions they are also called, fozhu and ojuzu, which in other languages expresses roughly the same meaning. Is there any truth to the belief in malas, or as they are called in pop culture, "power beads," having powers? The simplest answer is yes, in the karmic sense, "as you sow, so shall you reap," as Christ taught. Lord Gautama Buddha, and all Buddhist teachings, stress the principle of cause and effect, called karma. Let's take the example of prosperity or wealth. If you constantly think about, pray for, desire and work for wealth you are planting the seed in your mind for prosperity. Wealth and material prosperity will then eventually come into your life. However, the Buddhist practitioner trains their mind to think in broader compassionate terms, seeking the welfare of all beings, i.e. "May all beings have prosperity and happiness." If we are praying for prosperity, this essentially is an expression of the deeper desire to be secure, to be safe, and obtain-ing the freedoms that prosperity can bring. Ultimately, this means having a peaceful and a fulfilling life. Prosperity then includes living a life whose purpose is to unfold your innate virtue, or good qualities, for without these positive qualities and states of mind, no amount of physical wealth has any real or lasting value. If you consider this for a moment, aren't good character, virtue and spiritual prosperity of the greatest value? When we leave this world at death, only character, spiritual and moral accomplishments, and the karma we create are the riches we can take with us. Living with such goals and aspirations is the best way to create more positive personal karma, removing suffering, clearing karma ob-stacles, creating a better world for all of us. This creates deeper, more lasting great value. So in truth, we would be wise to wish for the happiness and prosperity of all beings. As you well know in your heart of hearts, money or physical things do not create lasting personal or spiritual prosperity. If you know some very wealthy people personally, you can observe this is truth for yourself. Most extremely wealthy people I know personally, worry more about loosing their money and possessions than they do enjoying them. If we have conquered attachment, then we can be of generous heart and truly enjoy prosperity. If we constantly feel some level of agitation, fear, and even negativity because of the process of always maintaining a hold on our wealth, then we are unhappy. One may well experience being at risk of loosing these things, and thus not be deeply happy or prosperous in a spiritual sense. I am sure we all share these ex- periences of fear of having and not having, no matter how much or how little we own. Finally, I always refer to the les-sons expressed in the wonderful tale of the 'Christmas Carol' and the life of experiences of Ebaneser Scrooge which touches upon this message so well. The deepest power of the mala is in your heart's commitment, to pray for the wel-fare, happiness, health and release from Samsara (a Sanskrit term meaning the cyclic process of suffering which re-sults from attachment to, and aversion for objects, things, feelings and thoughts) of all beings. In praying thus, you are also praying for your own welfare.

nificant number. There are 108 books containing the complete teachings of the Buddha, for example. Some believe that there are 108 Bodhisattvas or beings who are fully Enlightened but have agreed to stay in this world to help lead others to Enlightenment. There are said to be 108 states of sinful desire or defilements which must be overcome if one is to reach Nirvana. Many temples have 108 steps, and the Buddhist New Year is often signalled by the ringing of bells or gongs 108 times. Material Considerations Mala are made from a variety of materials. Because of the Buddha's connec-tion with the bodhi tree, beads made from the wood of that tree, or seeds from it are considered quite special. Many ex-ceedingly beautiful mala include semi-precious stones like turquoise or amethyst. There are metal malas, bone malas, stone malas, glass-bead malas. Some people connect the material used with certain benefits or powers, which may be the connection we are seeing in the mercantile world today. Using the Beads Commonly, the mala will be used as a tool to focus one's attention during prayer and meditation. Just as a focus on breathing can help you in your practice, hold-ing the beads and touching each one in turn while you say the name of the Buddha, or repeat your mantra, or express a prayerful thought, helps keep the mind focused on the devotion, and less likely to stray into the paths of thought to which we are all so prone. The power of meditation is well documented, and prayer as well, which brings us somewhat back to the beginning. To the extent that your "power bracelet" keeps you mindful of your spiritual practice, it may indeed posess power after all. But if it's just a fashion accessory.... well, enjoy your chic-ness but don't expect much more than good looks!

The Mala (another explanation) Enlightenment Aid or Power Tool? It seems that every store you go into these days is selling "power bracelets," designed to "focus the energy of the uni-verse" onto one's person, if you will just buy and wear one. There is often a reference made to "the East" or "Tibetan Secrets" in the marketing blurb. Well, I don't begrudge anyone making a buck, but it may be that this current fad carries a good thing a bit far. To be sure, strings of beads play a part in the devotional actions of many Buddhists - His Holiness The Dalai Lama is rarely seen without a strand wrapped around his wrist for example - but there is not an empha-sis on magical powers in the beads used by Buddhists. A Garland of 108 Roses The word mala (which is the proper term for the prayer beads used by Buddhists) is Sanskrit, and means "gar-land" or "roses." It may be no coincidence that the prayer beads used by Roman Catholics among other religious groups, are called "rosaries." Of course, Buddhism predates Christianity and they are both outranked by the Hindus, who are thought to have originated the form of ma-la in use by Buddhists. One hundred and eight beads make up the Buddhist Mala. This is a sig-

"One's motivation at the beginning is very important, because whether or not one's practice becomes successful and effective depends upon the initial motive and attitude. For the development of the right attitude, the practice of refuge and the generation of bodhicitta are vital. Through the practice of the two one should be able to bring about some discipline and transformation within one's mind.
"Love and kindness are the very basis of society. If we lose these feelings, society will face tremendous difficulties; the survival of humanity will be endangered.
"If there is love, there is hope to have real families, real brotherhood, real equanimity, real peace. If the love within your mind is lost, if you continue to see other beings as enemies, then no matter how much knowledge or education you have, no matter how much material progress is made, only suffering and confusion will ensue.
"Human beings will continue to deceive and overpower one another. Basically, everyone exists in the very nature of suffering, so to abuse or mistreat each other is futile. The foundation of all spiritual practice is love. That you practice this well is my only request.
"Responsibility does not only lie with the leaders of our countries or with those who have been appointed or elected to do a particular job. It lies with each of us individually. Peace, for example, starts within each one of us. When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us. When our community is in a state of peace, it can share that peace with neighboring communities, and so on.
"In order to encourage in such practices as taking refuge, living a way of life which accords with the law of karma, and living in an ethically disciplined way characterized by observance of the ten virtues, and so on, we require a tremendous sense of confidence that we can do it. To generate that, and also a kind of enthusiasm, we find in the Buddha's texts a discussion of the preciousness of the human body and human existence. At that stage, we never talk about how impure the body and bodily substances are, or how imperfect they are. In fact, we are talking about how good it is, how meaningful, how purposeful, how much potential lies within our body, what good purpose it can be used for, and so on. This is to instill a sense of confidence and courage.
"It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act. There are two aspects to action. One is to overcome the distortions and afflictions of your own mind, that is, in terms of calming and eventually dispelling anger. This is action out of compassion. The other is more social, more public. When something needs to be done in the world to rectify the wrongs, if one is really concerned with benefitting others, one needs to be engaged, involved."
"The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual's own reason and critical analysis.
"Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent." The Dalai Lama
The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands. Robert M. Pirsig
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Last update: 11/30/04