Homage to H.H. the Dalai Lama

"May all sentient beings live in peace and happiness."

This is the traditional Buddhist greeting that every Tibetan, as well as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, would pass onto the world at large.

This week I have been thinking of the 73 year old spiritual leader of the Tibetans because March 10th marked the 50th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. Last year on this same date, more protest erupted. In the violent repression that followed 200 Tibetans were killed, nearly 1,300 were injured, and nearly 7,000 were detained or imprisoned. More than 1,000 Tibetans are still missing.

For the first time, the Dalai Lama harshly condemned China, accusing the Chinese Communist Party of having transformed Tibet into a "hell on earth."

I have tremendous respect and admiration for the courage and fortitude the Tibetan people show in adversity, and have felt deeply enriched through my exposure to their culture and spirituality. I feel that so much of Tibetan Buddhism is a way of life, not just a philosophy or a system of beliefs. "Dalai Lama" literaly means, "Ocean of Wisdom."

The Dalai Lama has become one of the most beloved and revered spiritual leaders in the world. His devotion to nonviolent methods to achieve political autonomy earned him the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize.

I was very fortunate to attend two of his teachings in New York, in separate years.

The main merit of the practice of Buddhism is in the improvement or the evolution of the mind, and the way of thinking. Ignorance is the root cause of all suffering. Buddhist practice aims at transforming the deluded and ordinary mind into the pure mind of the Buddha, "The Clear Light," therefore gaining insight into the ultimate nature of reality. I have yet a long way to go towards gaining insight into "emptiness!"

On another note, I missed spending the Tibetan (or Sherpa) New Year with my friends in New York. Tibetan New Year, or Losar, is a major event. It starts with Lhapso, which is a purification ceremony with pujas in a monastery, and involves the whole community. One year I found myself being the only Westerner (extreme minority) in the middle of about 500 Tibetans. Then the festivities proper start with many parties lasting for several days. We eat lots of momos (dumplings) and drink lots of chang (home made brew) and sing and dance. Old prayer flags are replaced with new ones, and everybody puts on their best behavior to generate good karma for the year ahead.

This year, however, there was a restraint in the celebration to protest the new Chinese clampdown.

If His Holiness were to disappear, it is not known in which way he would be replaced since the Tibetan leader is traditionally chosen through an unusual search for his reincarnation.

What follows is the prayer usually given for the Dalai Lama at gatherings:

In the land encircled by snow mountains
You are the source of all happiness and good;
Powerful Chenreizig, Tenzin Gyatso,
Please remain until samsara ends.