agencies
DHARAMSHALA, May 16: Tibetan Spiritual leader Dalia Lama on Monday greeted people with good health and spirit on the auspicious occasion of Vesak, the Buddhist celebration of Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death.
The Dalia Lama said in a video message released by his office, "We are celebrating Vesak, which commemorates Lord Buddha's attainment of enlightenment after six years of austerity.
"On the basis of his own experience, Buddha advised, O monks and scholars, just as gold is tested by heating, cutting and rubbing it, so likewise, you should thoroughly examine my teaching and only then accept it-not merely out of respect for me. This point of view reveals a special quality of Buddha.
"I respect all traditions. They are all of great value because they all teach compassion. However, only the Buddha asks us to examine his teachings in the way that a goldsmith tests the purity of the gold. Only the Buddha commends us to do that," he added.
The Tibetan spiritual leader further said that another of Buddha's principle instructions was that Sages do not wash away unwholesome deeds with water, nor do they remove the sufferings of sentient beings with their hands, neither do they transplant their own realisations into others, it's only by teaching the truth of suchness that they liberate beings.
As per the Dalai Lama, "Lord Buddha, the Enlightened one, who is by nature compassionate, says that he cannot simply transfer his own spiritual experience and realisation into his disciples out of love and compassion for sentient beings.
"He said that disciples must develop their own spiritual experiences by reflecting on the truth of suchness as the Buddha explained it therefore, I find his three turnings of the wheel of Dharma to be very significant.
"Lord Buddha said the first turning of the wheel teaches the four noble truths - true suffering, true origin of suffering, the true cessation of suffering, and the true path that leads to that cessation. This serves as the basic framework of the teachings of Buddha.
|
