Philosophy class in the prayer room at IBD

We leave for the airport in Delhi in less than a week! Things have been busy as we wrap up the final days, but also filled with good things. His Holiness is giving a series of teachings to Russian clientele on emptiness and “dependent arising”. Tomorrow is the second of three teachings. The third one is reserved for those that have received a certain level of Tantric initiation. Contrary to popular belief, the practice of Tantra has more to do with visualization and meditation than it does erotic sensibilities. Unlike the path to enlightenment suggested by the Sutra teachings, Tantra holds that one can achieve enlightenment in one lifetime. In this lifetime. In Buddhist philosophy class, Gesehe Kelsang Damdul has been explaining to us a method by which we can all experience the divine within ourselves. According to this philosophy, each and every one of us has deity-like qualities within ourselves, and when we practice visualizing particular gods and goddesses, we become more like them, and more able to demonstrate a compassionate attitude to our fellow man and woman.

We’ve recently taken a field trip to the Dolma Ling nunnery. Initially constructed by the Tibetan Nuns Project, the Dolma Ling nunnery is one of two new facilities in the Dharamsala area. We were given a fantastic chance to interview the original founder of the Tibetan Women’s Association and current Director of the TNP, Rinchen Khando Choegyal. It was a Saturday, the second of the month to be precise, which means that for Tibetans it was a holiday. Rinchen sat down in front of us and explained that because it was her holiday she could have chosen to refuse to meet with us. She then wondered aloud about what kind of purpose life would have if she had made this decision, and asserted that she was thrilled to have the chance to speak with us all. She did so calmly and professionally, and instantly made a lasting and positive impression on me.

Dolma-ling Nunnery

Butter tea in the making!

Fried eggplant!

The discussion went from a description of the current Tibetan Nuns Project to a broader range of conversation about the education and role of Tibetan women in exile. One student asked Rinchen if she thought it would be a good idea for the nuns to develop an attitude focused on international human rights activism. Up until that point most of the questions and comments had been about the inner-workings of the nunnery, the hopes that many of them had to succeed and gain advanced degrees, and the challenges of seriously pursuing the lifestyle of a nun. Rinchen answered with characteristically calm poise, saying that the idea of an outward and selfless focus was indeed a goal of the TNP, and commented that such a view works well with the pillars of Buddhism. Many of the nuns, because of her efforts now have the chance to work towards the highest level of ordination, which had previously been reserved for monks. Another positive development in gender equality is the fact that the nuns are learning the systems of logic and fervent debating style typically practiced solely by their male counterparts.

Under the umbrella of the TNP many positive changes are taking place, and the women engaged in these pursuits seem to be embracing this change, and pursuing its fruits actively.

This weekend we are all moving back down to the Sarah College, coming full circle to the place where we began this three month journey. It’s time for Sarah’s annual picnic, and we’ll all be present for the three days of R&R taking place on campus. A group of about eight students will be heading down to Agra on Monday to visit India’s most famous monument, the Taj Mahal. The rest of us will indulge in good food, carom board, and the company of our Tibetan friends.

Yesterday we had a small tea ceremony with all of the host-families who were nice enough to put up with us for six weeks! In all seriousness, it was a sincere gathering. Khatas were presented to the family members, and the sweet tea flowed freely.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I have a feeling that our three months abroad was time well-spent. As is usual for programs of this nature we have been confronted with many of the challenging realities of the Tibetan diaspora. We’ll all come away with a better sense of what it means to be a Tibetan, and what it means to be a Tibetan in exile. In addition, our immersion into their rich culture has yielded for me a greater understanding and appreciation for the religious aspects. According to the Dalai Lama there are three different types of Buddhism: Buddhist religion, Buddhist science, and Buddhist philosophy. The fact that practitioners are not limited to studying or participating in any of these three forms is admirable. It creates an open environment for research. His Holiness contends that if science reveals that a specific part of Buddhism is wrong, they will change their philosophy. This open-ended approach to religion, science, and philosophy is perhaps one of the reasons why Buddhism has gained such a worldwide popularity, much like Wikipedia!

Since we’ve been here teachings have been sponsored by the Mongols, Russians, Taiwanese, Koreans, Singaporeans, and have been attended by peoples from countries all across the board. This is as multi-cultural as it gets, and hopefully we have all learned much from our experiences. One of the greatest pen-names of our time, Mark Twain, has put it this way:

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of one’s lifetime.”

I thoroughly agree with his stance on travel. Study abroad programs like these, that put an educational twist on recreational travel, are effective vessels for turning academic learning into real-world experience. My hope is that a greater understanding and appreciation for others’ worldviews can be created and maintained through the accumulation of experiences such as these.

Thanks for reading,
Zack

The program continues, and field trip to TCV!

    Since the audience with His Holiness life in Mcleod Ganj has returned to normal. Classes and projects continue. Our esteemed Buddhist philosophy teacher, Geshe-la Graham Woodhouse left for south India last weekend on his way back home to England. Geshe-la Kelsang Damdul, assistant director of the Institute for Buddhist Dialectics, who spent six weeks last year in and around the Oxford campus, is now teaching in his stead. We are continuing to have guest lectures in Dr. Akers’ applied anthropology course. Last week we had representatives from the Tibetan Womens' Association, as well as the Secretary of Education. The group from TWA spoke about Tibetan Womens' role in the movement into exile in 1959 and their position within the modern government in exile.
 
     In the past two days the weather has turned from clear and warm during the day to cold, rainy, and overcast all the time. To my Tibetan host family this type of change is pey yak poo doo, or “very good”. It hasn’t rained here since the end of the monsoon season in late September/early October. In fact, according to my host family, the last two years have been especially dry, with water shortages causing many families to have to traverse a steep hillside down to the river to wash their clothes. Much of this dry weather is attributed to a lack of snow on the mountains during the winter, which according to the locals, seems to be a growing trend caused by global warming.
 
    Two recent field trips have been an inspiring source of information for us. The weekend of October 31st we were given a tour of the Tibetan Reception Center, where Tibetan refugees are cared for until they can receive and audience from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Each refugee that crosses over the Himalayas, usually during the winter, first checks into the reception center in Katmandu, Nepal. Their troubles don’t end when they reach the Nepalese border. Many refugees are turned back, and nuns and women laypeople are often beaten and raped by members of the Nepalese army. Once they reach the Reception Center they are checked in, and after a few days, sent to Delhi, where further processing ensues. After only one or two days they move again to Dharamsala, where they will be granted an audience with His Holiness, and will receive his blessing. Many of the new arrivals we saw still had the rosy cheeks characteristic of the high plateau people.

    Last weekend we spent Saturday morning at the Tibetan Children’s Village, a school for Tibetan refugee children, as well as for some boarders and day scholars. By and large the majority of the students are refugees that have come over from Tibet. Their parents have sent them to receive an education or to join a monastic order. Others that are older come on their own will, recognizing the comparatively large amount of freedom that they have in India. From the reception centers in Katmandu and Delhi they are sent to one of TCVs branch offices to begin their school if they are under 18. If they are between the ages of 18 and 50 they are sent to one of the Tibetan Transit schools, where they will learn various vocational and trade skills.

    Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the visit to TCV is enjoying the company of the youngest children in the baby room. Each year students bring stuffed animals, clothing, and toys for the youngsters to enjoy, and this year was no exception. Mutton for lunch the day before kept my immune system on high alert, and unfortunately I wasn’t able to stray too far away from the bathroom that day. However, I managed to get many photos from Renate Seiwert, and was there in spirit. (photos to be added ASAP.)

TCV

 

 Students having fun in the baby room

 

 

An audience with His Holiness, Part 2

Continued from An audience with His Holiness, Part 1...

The students from the British School wanted to know how they could find inner peace in today’s world of conflict and globalization. The Dalai Lama began his answer by telling of quarrels had with his siblings while he was a child; something everybody with siblings can relate to. He said that eventually the quarrels would subside and they would get along again. They would become intimate, and that this intimacy was something that created compassion. He went on to explain that when one is a child, they have no worries about another person’s background, economic status, or ethnicity, that there is a feeling of oneness that doesn’t come from religion or religious teaching. He advised us to continue to keep that open-minded spirit as we grow into adults, and when our minds become more sophisticated as a result, not to forget our basic nature.

His Holiness elaborated. As people grow they learn to immediately think in terms of religious faith, ethnicity, or social and economic background when they first meet one another. As a result these relationships often begin with a “what I will gain from this“ mentality. He emphasized the importance of keeping a “young” mind when forming friendships and again mentioned the inherent biological factor that creates some kind of compassion and sense of community. Our biology, if I understood correctly, is initially a seat for compassion.

The Dalai Lama’s testimony continued: This youthful compassion allows a person to develop a sense of community, or a “we” at a young age. The implications of this “we” stem far beyond our immediately accessible community, and why shouldn’t they? Is the “we” in our immediate social group the same “we” that others experience in social groups on the other side of the world? If so then all 6.7 billion of us are a bit more similar than “we” thought. His Holiness used the example of India and Pakistan. They are neighbors. As the societies increasingly become more globalized what one does to the environment, and how one reacts to global issues has an effect on the well-being of the other. India and Pakistan share some parts with each other, or you could say that in some ways they are a part of each other. Each is a part of the other‘s “we“. So it is in the best interest of these countries, and of individual peoples and communities to help their neighbors. Through destruction, violent, and negative activity, individuals, communities, and countries negatively influence their own interests.

His Holiness stated that when drawing upon our biological status as a basis for the seat of compassion, one can generate a peace of mind that can be used as a preventative measure to maintain good health. His teaching was that if illness happens, peace of mind can help recall the afflicted to a state of good health. He said that when facing a tragedy in a more calm and peaceful state one can handle it more realistically, and that with anxiety, anger, jealousy even small things can be difficult to handle. These negative physical states and emotions could impede the quest for inner peace in a competitive, global society.

His next point of advice dealt with actions and actors. His Holiness said that as far as actions are concerned, if other person takes advantage unjustly of you sometimes it is necessary to take countermeasures, but that the countermeasure only should apply to the action, not the actor. The actor, according to the Buddhist philosophy, is still a human being, still a part of “we“. His Holiness considers them to be like a family member. His advice was that one must react to the negative action without losing general sense of the actor’s well-being. According to his teaching, the reason why you are taking countermeasures to their misdeeds has to do with the aggressor’s own well-being. His Holiness explained that in the long term committing these negative or aggressive actions is harmful for the aggressor. This understanding is the practical attitude to have in these situations, according to him. But of course with everything, too much is not good. His Holiness let us know that it is unrealistic to use too much compassion.

To summarize this last point, the Dalai Lama used an example where a Buddhist mindset can indeed help one get closer to achieving inner peace. He asked the audience hypothetically what we would do if someone committed an angry or aggressive act against us. How would we react? To restate, in the Buddhist view, His Holiness explained, the act itself is what should be reacted to, not the person who sends the action your way. The angry action, after all is just a reflection of your and the aggressors karmic actions in this life and the last. So in order to develop inner peace in a world that is so competitive and fast-paced we should ask why the negative action was committed in our direction, but remain compassionate to the person who acted aggressively towards us. In this way we may forgive those who do harm to us, remain compassionate towards them, and work to understand negative disturbances in our lives. Sounds simple, right?

Their second question was something like, “what do you do in your free time?” He kind of chuckled a bit, and said, “nothing”. For those of you who were on the edge of your seats wondering about this, and dying to ask him yourself, His Holiness does not grab a beer and watch the game, does not play monopoly or scrabble with the extended family, doesn’t hit the cinema for a film and a rare bag of sour patch kids, and doesn’t beat his parliament in racquetball on the weekends.

Then it was our turn. Our first question was for advice on what we as future leaders, policy makers, and conscious citizens should do to create peace and positive change in the world. I was a little bit surprised when he deferred to his answer to the first question of the audience, saying that he had already explained it then. At first I didn’t understand why he thought he had answered the question already, seeing as how it was completely different from “how do we find inner peace?” I asked my host father about it, and he explained that to someone who hasn’t practiced Buddhism, and who only has the most minimal understanding of the Dharma, His Holiness’ simple English can seem, well, simple. But the more you understand about the philosophy behind the ideas, and how it works in conjunction with the Tibetan Buddhist worldview, the more those few words sound like prophecy. So I think that his answer to our question comes down to the same philosophical base of the first question of the British School group: Compassion as a means for inner peace and the well-being of your neighbors, or the “we”. As “future leaders” it will be in our best interest, then, to have our neighbors best interest in mind when we make career choices, advise financial decisions, or write policy briefs.

The next question came from Justin Landers, who is working on a promotional video for the Sarah College for Higher Tibetan Studies and the Institute for Buddhist Dialectics, to help raise funds for operational costs and improvements. He briefly explained his aims and asked His Holiness to give a statement concerning the significance of these institutions to the Tibetan community, and asked how those studying under their curriculums could use their experiences to better fulfill his wishes. He thought for a few moments, rocked slightly and gazed up at the ceiling, then quickly turned to Geshe-la Kelsang Damdul, assistant director of the Institute for Buddhist Dialectics and said,
“Did you ask him?”, after which he burst into laughter with the rest of the room, chalking the question up to a plug by the assistant director. The Dalai Lama does have a quick wit, and a wonderful laugh.

Now, with the crowds full attention he composed his answer. There were two things he wanted to address. He began by explaining the 1973 establishment date of the school of Buddhist Dialectics. He said that he and his administration at that time felt that young Tibetans that went through the Tibetan general school, established in 1960, were very bright and that many had shown interest in studying Buddhist philosophy. His Holiness was aware, however, that they didn‘t want to join a big monastic institution; that they were a little hesitant. So the institution was started mainly for those young Tibetans who had basic [modern/moral] education. There were other clientele that were interested in Buddhist studies and philosophy, specifically Europeans and Americans. His Holiness praised the small school for its productions up until now, and said that they have been “quite satisfactory”.

His Holiness paused a moment before continuing, and then turned his attention to the Sarah College. He spoke generally, mentioning the new programs, teacher training, and groups of students from western universities that have been coming to study there. Like the Institute for Buddhist Dialectics, said His Holiness, the Sarah College has become quite useful, and can make some contribution in terms of the promotion of general human value, and of better knowledge about the human mind, and human emotion, and how one can better tackle these different emotions. He said that he makes these claims of moral and psychological achievement as a part of Buddhist science, not a part of Buddhist religion. This was the first part of his answer.

The second part concerned the importance of the dialectic system that has been established for Tibetan discourse on science, philosophy, and religion. there is a special technique that comes from an ancient institution in Tibet. I apologize, but could not quite get the name right. His Holiness talked about the founder of Buddhism and his methods of reasoning. He commented on the Tibetan Buddhist tradition as it is used to emphasize studies and learning, not just meditation, and that the style of learning and disciplined study is one that uses a well established system of dialectics. But, the Dalai Lama said, neither English nor Chinese yet employ a similar system of dialectics that is so functional a method for the investigation of truth. His Holiness sought to clarify by making sure we knew that it was not the Buddhist tradition he was speaking of, but the technique to explain or to articulate Buddhist, philosophical, and scientific concepts.

The Tibetan leader expressed his hope that Tibetan dialectics could be introduced to the fields of medicine, modern medicine, economics, political science, and especially law. Using this dialectic system, he said, one’s understanding becomes more precise, and his/her method of explanation to others become more precise, and again His Holiness emphasized, especially in the field of law. A smile peeled across his face as he mused about the sharp mind a lawyer can develop by employing the Tibetan system of argument and debate, and how the practitioner can develop a very sharp mind. With that kind of mind, His Holiness said,
“lawyers win!” He erupted into laughter with the rest of us before returning to his normal poise.

He looked at the camera for his concluding remarks. He reestablished his opinion that the dialectic system for logical argument be used in other world languages. He said that in this way the dialectical school can make some contribution, as can the young students, to the world community. Quickly he turned to Dr. Sidky and fired off,
“what do you think?” To which Dr. Sidky immediately responded,
“Absolutely.”

Please note that my interpretation of the message given to us by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, when I am not simply reporting what was said and such interpretation is used, is my own. Please feel free to email me at miamitibetanstudies@gmail.com with questions, comments, arguments, or refutations of my take on the parts of the dialogue that were not specifically explained to us then and there. Thanks as always,
Zack