In a rare emotional moment yesterday the Dalai Lama, Tibet's visiting leader, broke down and cried during the last session of a three day discussion of Buddhism's core book of scripture, the Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra.
When discussing the concept of compassion, the Dalai Lama bowed down in mid-session for nearly two minutes to wipe away his tears, before he resumed his teachings yesterday morning.
"I don't have the Bodicitta [(
The Dalai Lama said that Buddhism would not be what it is now without the selfless work of the early Indian adepts of the religion, such as Nagarjuna and Asanga.
Yesterday's talk held his followers in rapt attention, many of them moved to tears by the spiritual leader's talk.
Indeed, the Dalai Lama said yesterday that his teachings are his present for his followers in Taiwan and urged them not to reward him with monetary gifts.
"If you trust me, you don't have to give me red envelopes," he told nearly 10,000 followers which attended his teachings. "I hope you will practice Bodicitta, because it will make you happier."
Asked about the legitimacy of the Falun Gong's teachings, the Dalai Lama said that since he has not studied the teachings in detail, he is in no position to comment. But he expressed his regret over the brutal crackdown on Falun Gong practitioners by the Beijing government.
The Dalai Lama, however, urged his followers to stick to one religion to avoid confusion. He made the statement when asked about allegations by some Falun Gong members that Buddhism is "no longer capable of helping other sentient beings" and reports by some members that the head of Falun Gong, Lee Hongzhi (
At the end of the day's teachings on Buddhist philosophy, the Dalai Lama reserved an hour to answer questions from his followers on a wide range of issues.
On the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan by Afghanistan's fundamentalist Taliban regime, the Dalai Lama said that such behavior is not conducive to his efforts to promote inter-faith harmony.
Last month, the Taliban destroyed the gigantic 2nd century Buddhas carved into the mountains along the famed Silk Road after a state edict was issued which claimed the statues were against the teachings of Islam.
"Since it is a precious historical artifact, it is also not good for their tourism industry," he said.
But the Nobel Peace Laureate urged his followers not to condemn or hate the Taliban for their act.
The Dalai Lama, on the last leg of his teachings on his second trip to Taiwan, will perform a two-day initiation of Avalokiteshvara, or Kuanyin, beginning today.
SEPARATE: The MAC rebutted Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is China’s province, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 neither mentions Taiwan nor grants the PRC authority over it The “status quo” of democratic Taiwan and autocratic China not belonging to each other has long been recognized by the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in its rebuttal of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan can only be represented in the UN as “Taiwan, Province of China.” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday at a news conference of the third session at the 14th National People’s Congress said that Taiwan can only be referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is not only history but
CROSSED A LINE: While entertainers working in China have made pro-China statements before, this time it seriously affected the nation’s security and interests, a source said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) late on Saturday night condemned the comments of Taiwanese entertainers who reposted Chinese statements denigrating Taiwan’s sovereignty. The nation’s cross-strait affairs authority issued the statement after several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑), Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜) and Michelle Chen (陳妍希), on Friday and Saturday shared on their respective Sina Weibo (微博) accounts a post by state broadcaster China Central Television. The post showed an image of a map of Taiwan along with the five stars of the Chinese flag, and the message: “Taiwan is never a country. It never was and never will be.” The post followed remarks
INVESTMENT WATCH: The US activity would not affect the firm’s investment in Taiwan, where 11 production lines would likely be completed this year, C.C. Wei said Investments by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in the US should not be a cause for concern, but rather seen as the moment that the company and Taiwan stepped into the global spotlight, President William Lai (賴清德) told a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday alongside TSMC chairman and chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家). Wei and US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday announced plans to invest US$100 billion in the US to build three advanced foundries, two packaging plants, and a research and development center, after Trump threatened to slap tariffs on chips made
CONSISTENT COMMITMENT: The American Institute in Taiwan director said that the US would expand investment and trade relationships to make both nations more prosperous The US would not abandon its commitment to Taiwan, and would make Taiwan safer, stronger and more prosperous, American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene said. “The US’ commitment to Taiwan has been consistent over many administrations and over many years, and we will not abandon our commitment to Taiwan, including our opposition to any attempt to use force or coercion to change Taiwan’s status,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) on Friday last week, which was published in the Chinese-language newspaper yesterday. The US would double down on its efforts
RSS