Teachings of the Dalai Lama Day 2: Debates, Reason, Dependence, Emptiness, and Initiations

The second day of the teachings began with Vanessa and I finding a seat more centrally located in the foreigners’ section, which was to the right of the stage. In front of the stage, there was a debate going on between two Buddhist monks. Even though you couldn’t see the debaters or understand the Tibetan they were speaking, it was clearly a debate from the occasional sound of the monk’s hands clapping when he would make a point. The motion of slapping one hand into the other is meant as a way of emphasizing a point and symbolically suggests the closing of the cycle of samsara.
When the Dalai Lama began speaking, the sound of the Tibetan broadcast was drowning out the sound of the English translation, and it was difficult to focus on the English. A surprisingly large number of people left within the first thirty minutes, so Vanessa and I quickly found ourselves sitting at the front of the foreigners’ section, no more than thirty feet from the Dalai Lama. The sound also improved significantly, and we were able to make more sense of the translation.
The Dalai Lama began the teachings by discussing the differences between the Theravada tradition of Buddhism and the Mahayana tradition. He emphasized that while the Theravada tradition only relies on the original texts and the life of the Buddha himself, the Mahayana traditions benefit by drawing on the other teachings of the Buddha associated with the bodhisattvas. He added that these extra sutras elaborate and expand on the original teachings of the Buddha, and that the teachings of the past 2,600 years are just as valid as the original “Four Noble Truths.”
Recognizing that people may dispute some of the additional teachings and emphasize the importance of the original scriptures, the Dalai Lama made it clear that one doesn’t just simply read all the scriptures and take them at face value. He explained that it’s important to use “intelligence and reason” to understand the scriptures, so that you can fully comprehend the teachings of Buddha. His larger point was that that the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism, especially as practiced in Tibetan Buddhism, helps individuals more fully understand the teachings of the Buddha because it takes the lessons found in the scriptures and applies the accumulated wisdom of Tibetan lamas and reason to the scriptures.
The Dalai Lama then explained the meaning of some of the sutras in more detail. He focused a lot on teachings that are more associated with Tibetan Buddhism, so I did not understand some of the phrases the translator used and some of the ideas themselves. A few of the points that he focused on were the different types of mind that people have, the value of regular practice in order to fully understand the teachings of the Buddha and Ultimate Reality, the importance of recognizing the inherently interdependent nature of the world, and the notion of emptiness.
His discussion of interdependence especially appealed to me. He emphasized the importance of recognizing that all beings are dependent on others, and that no one is “independent.” He described this dependent nature of the world as “the treasure of the teaching of the Buddha.” I loved this description and the value it places on this way of understanding the world. If more people could recognize how fundamentally interdependent we are not just on each other, but on all living creatures, the world would be a better place. When we deny our dependence on other species and people, it’s easy to think that our actions have no effect on others. In reality, every choice we make has an effect on others.
The other great part about today’s teachings was the amount that the Dalai Lama seemed to be laughing and enjoying himself throughout the morning. He would often have a wide smile on his face and would laugh out loud. At times, he engaged in discussions with the other lamas surrounding him, and they seemed to be sharing some sort of a joke about his teachings. At one point, the Dalai Lama was explaining the concept of emptiness by using the example of the Ladakhi people. The translation of the analogy didn’t make much sense, but it was clearly humorous to the thousands of Ladakhis sitting around. It was so nice to sit around learning from the Dalai Lama, while he seemed happy and joking for three hours. It’s so easy to think that learning, especially when it’s related to religion, is supposed to be serious, but the Dalai Lama constantly reminds us that learning can be fun.
As the Dalai Lama finished with the teachings for the day, he began to discuss the Avalokitesvara initiations that he was about to do. The initiations are for lay people who want to take on the Dalai Lama as their guru. He carefully explained what the initiations entailed, and the different vows that people would have to take. He made sure to explain that the vows weren’t something to be taken lightly, and that people were committing themselves to following the teachings of the Mahayana tradition and helping others. As the initiations began, I was surprised by the number of foreigners who participated. In a world in which secularism and materialism are so often seen as being important, it was refreshing to see so many other people who believe in the importance of a spiritual basis for their lives.