Author Topic: Dalai Lama Opens U.S. Senate session with Favorite Prayer  (Read 8969 times)

icy

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Dalai Lama Opens U.S. Senate session with Favorite Prayer
« on: March 08, 2014, 07:05:46 AM »

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON -- With lawmakers listening raptly, the Dalai Lama on March 7 opened the U.S. Senate session with a prayer of peace as congressional leaders set aside partisan differences to receive the Tibetan spiritual leader together.


vajrastorm

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Re: Dalai Lama Opens U.S. Senate session with Favorite Prayer
« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2014, 09:31:42 AM »
This prayer taken in itself is a lovely prayer, something that everyone expects from HH Dalai Lama,a Noble Peace prize winner. However, it's the 'context' and the situation. This prayer was a prayer before the US Senate at its opening of a session, a very secular, very political context. It raised the ire of a lot of Americans. 

After leading this prayer, the Dalai Lama was going to  meet the Senate and the House of Representatives to present the case of his peacefully seeking greater autonomy for Tibet from China.
As the Dalai Lama has officially stepped down  as the political leader of the Tibetans-in -exile, one wonders why he's still mixing politics with religion( and spirituality).

Again , one questions why he does not want to meet the International Shugden group,who had been seeking patiently to peacefully negotiate with him for a swift lifting of the ban. He had earlier rudely brushed off a gentle and peaceful  request by a nun for a lifting of the ban on Shugden practice, which has brought so much pain and suffering to Shugden practitioners. Yet, he has chosen instead to spend his time to lead the US Senate prayers and to talk about greater autonomy of Tibet from China - a very political topic, which should have been left to the newly appointed Kalon Tripa.

dondrup

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Re: Dalai Lama Opens U.S. Senate session with Favorite Prayer
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2014, 09:04:44 AM »
HH Dalai Lama had led a beautiful Buddhist prayer at the opening of the Senate session. It would have been great and beneficial for all to hear about this prayer coming from the Nobel Peace Prize winner. But unfortunately, no one is going to be touched by this prayer when His Holiness' actions had not conformed  to what He had prayed for. HH Dalai Lama cannot leave out the Shugenpas if He wants to free all sentient beings from their miseries. If He advocate peace, love and compassion, HH Dalai Lama should lift the ban on Dorje Shugden practice immediately. Many Shugdenpas had been and continue to suffer under this ban.

As mentioned by Vajrastorm, why is HH Dalai Lama still involved in secular politics? It goes to show that He still has some form of control of Central Tibetan Administration. Isn't it more appropriate for the Central Tibetan Administration to handle the autonomy issue instead?


RedLantern

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Re: Dalai Lama Opens U.S. Senate session with Favorite Prayer
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2014, 01:42:02 PM »
"for as long as space remains, for as long as sentient being remain, until then may I too remain, to dispel the miseries of the world"  May all who read this words be happy.
A beautiful prayer by the Dalai Lama :The message was of peace,compassion and loving-kindness.Both Buddha and Christ spoke near-identical messages.
Dalai Lama may have led a beautiful prayer,but will these be just empty prayers? There will be no peace and harmony till there is RELIGIOUS FREEDOM!

gbds3jewels

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Re: Dalai Lama Opens U.S. Senate session with Favorite Prayer
« Reply #4 on: March 09, 2014, 02:00:03 PM »
For HH Dalai Lama to open prayer at U.S Senate is of huge significance. One does not simply get invited to US Senate meeting and even bigger as a head of a religion and that not of the traditional majority of the US nation. This event signifies the extend of influence HHDL holds and the rise and growth of Buddhism in the West.

The US government may have an agenda of its own in orchestrating this event. However, while the US government and Chinese government are trying to manipulate, outsmart and engineered each country's plans, HHDL as an emanation of Chenrezig, Buddha of Compassion is above the wisdom and intelligence of the best mastermind in this world. To think HHDL is just being used as a political pawn is naive. I think HHDL has a much much bigger cosmic plan in all his actions.

Klein

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Re: Dalai Lama Opens U.S. Senate session with Favorite Prayer
« Reply #5 on: March 10, 2014, 10:22:59 AM »
"for as long as space remains, for as long as sentient being remain, until then may I too remain, to dispel the miseries of the world"  May all who read this words be happy.
A beautiful prayer by the Dalai Lama :The message was of peace,compassion and loving-kindness.Both Buddha and Christ spoke near-identical messages.
Dalai Lama may have led a beautiful prayer,but will these be just empty prayers? There will be no peace and harmony till there is RELIGIOUS FREEDOM!

This is so true. It looks strange on the surface that HHDL preaches peace and compassion but encourages ostracisation of people practising Dorje Shugden. HHDL doesn't have to continue the practice but he should not ban the practice as we all know that it breaches religious freedom, one of the key proponents to religious freedom. People not given access to medical, food and education just because they practise Dorje Shugden does not sit well with the prayer that the Dalai Lama just did.

Perhaps, the Dalai Lama should reconsider this if he wants countries such as the USA to support CTA. The last thing the Dalai Lama needs is lots of bad press on why he doesn't lift the ban for religious freedom.

icy

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Re: Dalai Lama Opens U.S. Senate session with Favorite Prayer
« Reply #6 on: March 11, 2014, 09:39:26 PM »
I learnt that the US Congress is filled with a host of representatives from all types of religions.
The 113th Congress is known for being divided, do-nothing and often just plain dismal. This is also the most religiously diverse Congress in American history. There are plenty of faithful surprises in the senate.  It is so appropriate with the Dalai Lama opening the Senate session with an universal prayer.

Matibhadra

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Re: Dalai Lama Opens U.S. Senate session with Favorite Prayer
« Reply #7 on: March 13, 2014, 03:08:22 AM »
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For HH Dalai Lama to open prayer at U.S Senate is of huge significance.

Indeed, the significance of a medieval theocrat witch-hunter praying at the senate of the global leader of state terrorism, the main supporter of bloody theocracies such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, or Bahrain.

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One does not simply get invited to US Senate meeting

Of course, one has to be a top world criminal, and a useful puppet, as is the case with the evil dalie.

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and even bigger as a head of a religion and that not of the traditional majority of the US nation.

Sure, but only if the invited theocrat is hell bent on destroying his own supposed religion, as the evil dalie lame is hell bent on destroying Buddhism.

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This event signifies the extend of influence HHDL holds

Which is the extent of the influence of evil and lie in our dark age, as exemplified by the evil dalie.

You are obviously infatuated with ”influence”, which shows that your frame of mind is that of a politician (or that of a politician's bootlicker), not of a Dharma practitioner.

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and the rise and growth of Buddhism in the West.

Not of Buddhism, but of dalaism, which is obviously your heart religion, and which is characterized by brutal witch hunts, instigation of self-immolations and bloody riots, brazen lies, widespread corruption and nepotism in public affairs, absolutistic theocracy, and so forth.

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The US government may have an agenda of its own in orchestrating this event. However, while the US government and Chinese government are trying to manipulate, outsmart and engineered each country's plans, HHDL as an emanation of Chenrezig, Buddha of Compassion is above the wisdom and intelligence of the best mastermind in this world.

That's probably why the evil theocrat is now for 55 years in exile, dependent on monthly allowances paid by corrupt financiers, and bringing only misery, schism and disaster to his own people, while Buddhists in Tibet and elsewhere in China enjoy not only prosperity, but also the freedom to peacefully practice their thriving religion.

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To think HHDL is just being used as a political pawn is naive.

Every political pawn has his or her own agenda, that's why they become a pawn in the first place. And the agenda of the evil entity is to go back to Tibet as the Western-supported local theocratic witch hunter, as much as the evil butchers of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, etc. are the Western supported theocratic witch hunters of such hellish countries.

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I think HHDL has a much much bigger cosmic plan in all his actions.

That's just what any evil theocrat needs from others: stupid beliefs sanctioning and sanctifying their crimes.

maricisun

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Re: Dalai Lama Opens U.S. Senate session with Favorite Prayer
« Reply #8 on: March 13, 2014, 04:34:06 PM »
A beautiful and lovely prayer of peace by HHDL at the Open U.S. Senate. Why not a prayer of peace to his own people? What about the compassion he teaches. Why no religious freedom? Is the Dalai Lama bias?

Matibhadra

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Re: Dalai Lama Opens U.S. Senate session with Favorite Prayer
« Reply #9 on: March 13, 2014, 05:57:42 PM »
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A beautiful and lovely prayer of peace by HHDL at the Open U.S. Senate.

Actually the evil dalie's prayer was extremely ugly, as he misused the words of Shantideva as a tool to deceive people and cover his own crimes against humanity -- which is what one mostly does at the US Senate anyway.

cookie

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Re: Dalai Lama Opens U.S. Senate session with Favorite Prayer
« Reply #10 on: March 15, 2014, 02:35:31 PM »
Irrespective of all the controversies re the Dalai Lama, I choose to believe that the opportunity to share the Great Shantideva Prayers with those who have never heard it before, is priceless ! A great milestone achieved !

bambi

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Re: Dalai Lama Opens U.S. Senate session with Favorite Prayer
« Reply #11 on: March 15, 2014, 02:52:28 PM »
I agree with vajrastorm. Since HHDL already stepped down as political leader, shouldnt he just concentrate on what is happening at hand? Yes, its a beautiful prayer BUT there is something MORE important happening NOW. The ban must be lifted and people must be free, free from suffering caused by the ban, free from miseries caused by the ban, ostracization, freedom of practice. I am sorry, how can we say one beautiful prayer but do the opposite?

Matibhadra

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Re: Dalai Lama Opens U.S. Senate session with Favorite Prayer
« Reply #12 on: March 16, 2014, 02:34:35 AM »
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Irrespective of all the controversies re the Dalai Lama, I choose to believe that the opportunity to share the Great Shantideva Prayers with those who have never heard it before, is priceless !

You hold this wrong belief because, overpowered by the mundane concern with praise and fame, and thus by an obsessive thirst for prestige and recognition, you dissociate the teaching from the teacher.

The corrupt, disgraceful teacher carries no lineage, and no matter how much he parrots the words of a pure teaching, poisoned as he is with an evil motivation, no benefit, and actually only harm, ensues.

Therefore, the opportunity is indeed ”priceless”, but in the sense of ”of no value, worthless”.
 
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A great milestone achieved !

A great milestone in disgracing and corrupting Dharma through misusing it for personal and political disgraceful and corrupt purposes.

eyesoftara

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Re: Dalai Lama Opens U.S. Senate session with Favorite Prayer
« Reply #13 on: March 17, 2014, 09:33:18 AM »
Shantideva's prayer
This is one of H.H. the Dalai Lama’s favourite prayers, extracted from “A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life” by Shantideva, a Buddhist master from the monastic university of Nalanda, India and composed in the eighth century of the Christian era.

May all beings everywhere
Plagued by sufferings of body and mind
Obtain an ocean of happiness and joy
By virtue of my merits.

May no living creature suffer,
Commit evil, or ever fall ill.
May no one be afraid or belittled,
With a mind weighed down by depression.

May the blind see forms
And the deaf hear sounds,
May those whose bodies are worn with toil
Be restored on finding repose.

May the naked find clothing,
The hungry find food;
May the thirsty find water
And delicious drinks.

May the poor find wealth,
Those weak with sorrow find joy;
May the forlorn find hope,
Constant happiness, and prosperity.

May there be timely rains
And bountiful harvests;
May all medicines be effective
And wholesome prayers bear fruit.

May all who are sick and ill
Quickly be freed from their ailments.
Whatever diseases there are in the world,
May they never occur again.

May the frightened cease to be afraid
And those bound be freed;
May the powerless find power,
And may people think of benefiting each other.

For as long as space remains,
For as long as sentient beings remain,
Until then may I too remain
To dispel the miseries of the world.


The Dalai Lama opened the session in the US Senate with the following:

"With our thoughts, we make our world. Our mind is central and precedes our deeds. Speak or act with a pure mind and happiness will follow you like a shadow that never leaves."

He hoped for joy in the world and good fortune.

Offering his favorite prayer, he said that "as long as space remains and as long as beings serve humanity, until then may I, too, remain and help dispel the misery of the world."


If the Dalai Lama really means to dispel the "misery of the world" then please dispel the Dorje Shugden practitioner's misery by lifting the ban.

Tenzin Malgyur

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Re: Dalai Lama Opens U.S. Senate session with Favorite Prayer
« Reply #14 on: March 22, 2014, 12:06:52 PM »
Bambi, I wholly agree with you on how His Holiness the Dalai Lama can say such a beautiful prayer during the opening of the U.S Senate and does the opposite when relating to Dorje Shugden practitioners. Its sound so pleasing resonating in the hall, the voice of the emanation on Chenrezig expressing help to dispel the misery of the world. I am sorry if I sounded rude, but please, Your Holiness, maybe you can start dispelling the miseries of those in your very own backyard first?