5,000 devotees listen to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teaching in SydneyTuesday, 1 December 2009, 2:38 p.m.
Sydney: His
Holiness the Dalai Lama has begun a two-day teaching on “Awakening the
Mind” in Sydney this morning. Nearly 5,000 people are attending the
teaching.The morning session began with a traditional
indigenous “welcome to country” from the Cadigal people of the Eora
aboriginal nation, the traditional owners of the Sydney area.Flanked
by Buddhists from Thailand, Vietnam, Tibet and many other countries,
His Holiness said he was very happy to be giving another teaching in
Australia, and in particular to be explaining Nagarjuna’s Commentary on
Bodhichitta, which he said he considers a “sacred, important and
sophisticated text”.In his opening remarks His Holiness spoke
of the potential of all the world’s great religions to bring inner
peace, arguing that while differing in their philosophy, all religions
carry the same message of tolerance and compassion. Beginning the
teaching, His Holiness emphasized that for a happy life and a peaceful
community we must train our mind and look more at our inner world,
explaining that all worry and frustration come through ignorance of the
nature of ultimate reality.During the lunch break His Holiness
held a meeting with Australia’s Tibetan Community. Around five hundred
Tibetans were present, with many travelling from interstate. Over one
hundred members of the Mongolian community also joined the meeting. In
a half hour address His Holiness focussed on the importance of
education, encouraging more of Australia’s Tibetans to try to go to
university in order to learn skills and professions that will benefit
and strengthen the community.At the close of the afternoon
session all those attending the teaching received a packet of seeds
blessed by His Holiness. In recognition of the 20th anniversary of his
Nobel Peace Prize on 10 December, His Holiness will be offering gifts
of seeds to all those he connects with during his Australia visit. The
seeds are of native Australian plants, selected in consultation with
Greening Australia to help support resilient and sustainable native
ecosystems in the local areas His Holiness will be visiting.His Holiness will meet with Australia’s Chinese and Vietnamese communities tomorrow.–Report filed by Dr. Simon Bradshaw, Campaign Coordinator, Australia Tibet Council
