The Importance of Living as a 21st Century Buddhist

By Rebecca Dumas / May 20, 2015;

Well-wishers welcoming His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Photo: OHHDL//Tenzin Choejor

Thousands of individuals made their way to the Gyuto Tantric Monastery in Sidhbari on May 10 to attend the four-day teaching given by his Holiness the Dalai Lama. The teachings were based on texts which included The Three Principal Aspects of the Path, The Concise Stages of the Path and Praise to Dependent Rising.

Among the attendees were monks from the tantric colleges of Gyumey and Gyuto, foreigner visitors, Tibetans and a number of Chinese people. His Holiness acknowledged the latter demographic and asked them to be attentive to the study of dharma. “Put efforts even for your own practice. If you are able to do your own practice based on understanding what are the methods or the wisdom and so forth, then your practice will be stable”, he said.

His Holiness greeting the audience
Photo: OHHDL/Tenzin Choejor

A strong theme emphasised throughout this lecture series was the importance of living as a “21st century Buddhist”. His Holiness explained that one should not merely have faith; the need to study and analyse the written texts is vital. The Buddha instructed his followers not to simply accept what was being taught, but to examine, to explore and to experiment what was communicated. “Today…we should not follow our own Buddhist tradition merely based on faith but through understanding and if you can practice them, then you will become 21st century Buddhists. Otherwise if you just think Buddhism is like a custom, when it comes to the certain challenges then you are not able to deal with them”, said His Holiness.

His Holiness also spoke of the acts of violence that are taking place throughout the world in the name of religion. He expressed his confusion regarding these incidents especially because religions are based on love and compassion. However, he said that ignorance is at the root of these problems.

Local residents attending the teaching
Photo: OHHDL/Tenzin Choejor

The teachings were spoken in Tibetan with live translations in English, Chinese, Vietnamese and Hindi. Next, His Holiness will make his way to Australia where he will travel throughout the country and continue his teachings.