Dharamshala, India — His Holiness the Dalai Lama begins three-day teaching on Dharmakirti's "Commentary on Valid Cognition" on Monday for Taiwanese and people from 55 countries. During the teaching, His Holiness said, "If we want to bring peace to the world, we must pay attention to how to achieve peace of mind within ourselves."
His Holiness the Dalai Lama gives three-day teaching on Dharmakirti's "Commentary on Valid Cognition" at the request of Taiwanese devotees at the main Tibetan temple in Dharamshala, HP, India, from October 3 to 5, 2022.
Addressing some 5,000 people from 55 countries, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said, "Today, our Chinese Dharma friends have asked me to teach Dharmakirti's 'Commentary on Valid Cognition'.
His Holiness said, “These days, people are absorbed in pursuing a materialistic way of life. While all religious traditions teach us to be kind, the Nalanda Tradition urges us to use our intelligence, to examine what disturbs our peace of mind. It is in this spirit that Dharmakirti reveals that after prolonged study of science and scripture, he is intent on composing this treatise, ‘Commentary on Valid Cognition’. ”
His Holiness said, "We live in a scientific age and scientists are increasingly interested in what the Buddha taught about how the mind and emotions work and how this knowledge helps us to achieve peace of mind. the main factor contributing to this inner peace is training in altruism - love and compassion. when one has peace of mind, one sleeps well without resorting to sleeping tablets."
His Holiness also mentioned his long-standing plan to hold discussions with educationists in Delhi to discover ways to introduce the cultivation of warm-heartedness into the general education curriculum. He is convinced it’s possible because karuna and ahimsa, compassion and doing no harm, have been upheld in India for thousands of years. It was on this basis that Mahatma Gandhi was able to promote non-violence as the underlying theme of India’s Freedom Struggle.
“As soon as I wake up in the morning, I cultivate bodhichitta, rooted as it is in love and compassion and it is from this that I find the courage to work for others,” the Spiritual leader of Tibet mentioned.
“We say the Buddha is worth paying attention to, not because of miracles he performed, but because of what he taught. If we are to bring about peace in the world, we need to pay attention to how to achieve peace of mind within ourselves,” His Holiness the Dalai Lama said.
Then His Holiness the Dalai Lama began to read Chapter Two of the Commentary on Valid Cognition, Establishing the Reliable Guide.
