Kyushu, Japan: His Holiness the Dalai Lama concluded his ten days Japan visit after giving a teaching at Tochoji Temple in Fukuoka, Kyushu Island in the west of Japan yesterday. The temple was originally founded in the 9th century by Kobo Daishi, popularly known as Kukai, who brought the esoteric, vajrayana teachings of Shingon to Japan.
More than 1500 Buddhist devotees and followers had come to receive the teachings.
His Holiness led a recitation of the ‘Heart Sutra’ and Je Tsongkhapa’s ‘Prayer to be Reborn in Sukhavati – the Land of Bliss’ in Tibetan, after which the ‘Heart Sutra’ was recited again in Japanese.
“Today, in this famous temple, I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to recite the ‘Heart Sutra’ and the ‘Prayer to be Reborn in Sukhavati’ for those who suffered untimely death and those who lost their homes in the Kumamoto earthquakes and recent disastrous floods,” His Holiness said.
“I had to recite this ‘Prayer to be Reborn in Sukhavati’ when I received novice ordination at the age of seven. I was very nervous but managed to do it and whenever I recite it now, I remember that occasion.
“To be reborn in a higher realm you need to have created positive karma, which is why it’s important to study, reflect and meditate on the teachings under the guidance of a qualified teacher. This prayer was composed by Je Tsongkhapa who was an outstanding scholar and practitioner. His book, ‘Essence of Eloquence’, which explores which of the Buddha’s teachings can be regarded as definitive and which are provisional, was translated into Hindi by the Indian Pandit Tripati and Geshe Yeshi Thapkay. I asked Tripati whether Tsongkhapa might have been as qualified as the scholars of Nalanda and he told me that among them he would have been more than equal, he would have been pre-eminent.
His Holiness mentioned that all religious traditions teach love and compassion and are essentially helpful to human beings. He quoted a well-known verse that reflects the Buddhist stance. “The Buddhas do not wash unwholesome deeds away with water, nor do they remove beings’ sufferings with their hands and they do not transplant their own realization into others. It is by teaching the truth of suchness that they liberate beings.”
His Holiness stated that prayers for others can serve as a condition for the activation of positive karma, even if those people have committed some gravely unwholesome deed, and thus offset the potential for miserable rebirth.
He advised the people of Japan not to focus exclusively on the material development and take account of the workings of the mind and emotions as well. He also reminded them to be 21st century Buddhists. “Study and strengthen their faith on the basis of reason and understanding.”
His Holiness told them about the initiative led by the people of the Trans-Himalayan region who have pledged to make their temples, monasteries and nunneries into centres of learning, where all who wish can study and discuss what the teachings mean.
After presenting each other images of the Buddha, the organizers thanked His Holiness and offered prayers for his long life and for Tibet.
Tomorrow, His Holiness will leave for India via Singapore.