Bhubaneswar, Odisha — The spiritual leader of Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said the "spirit" of people of Tibet is "resilient and strong" that "the time will come when Tibetans in Tibet and those in exile come together again."
Bhubaneswar, Odisha — The spiritual leader of Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said the "spirit" of people of Tibet is "resilient and strong" that "the time will come when Tibetans in Tibet and those in exile come together again."
After lunch, 1600 Tibetans from the Phuntsokling Settlement in Chandragiri filled the KIIT auditorium. To begin with the Settlement Officer gave a report, mentioning the start of the settlement in 1963 on 849 acres of land, when the community included 300 monks and nuns.
He described the development of schools, the construction of a hostel for old people with the support of Tibetans in Switzerland and the offer of 4 post-graduate places for Tibetan students at KIIT University
His Holiness regaled the audience with the importance of study for personal satisfaction and to preserve the Buddha's teaching. He told them that 40 years ago he urged monasteries and nunneries that had previously concerned themselves mostly with performance of rituals, to develop programs of study. One result was that last year 20 nuns were awarded Geshe-ma degrees in recognition of their completing their rigorous Buddhist education.
Similarly, Penor Rinpoche's determination to encourage study and debate at his monastery Namdrolling in South India, contrary to the advice of Chatral Rinpoche, has meant that today there are a good number of well-qualified Nyingma Khenpos.
He concluded, "We live as refugees, but we have kept our traditions alive. Our spirit is resilient and strong. The time will come when Tibetans in Tibet and those in exile come together again."
Then, remarking that he might not visit them again so often, His Holiness decided to lead the community in a brief ceremony for generating the awakening mind of bodhichitta. He took time to describe the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, Indian and Tibetan masters they could visualise before them in witness to their aspirations.
He encouraged them with the advice that all the happiness in the world comes from ensuring that others are happy. He ended by giving transmission of the mantras of Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri and Tara.
