On
Mongolian New Year, His Holiness Cherishes Strong Bond Between Tibet and
Mongolia[Friday, 4 February
2011, 5:00 p.m.]
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His Holiness the Dalai
Lama addresses (c) Mongolian monks studying at Drepung Monastery in Doeguling Tibetan settlement in the southern Indian state of Karnataka on 3 February 2011. Mongolia’s foreign minister, Mr Voroshilov Enkhbold is seen sitting on the right side of His Holiness the Dalai Lama |
MUNDGOD: Remembering hundreds of year old unique
bond between Tibet and Mongolia, His Holiness the Dalai Lama extended
his greetings to Mongolian students and devotees at Drepung Gomang
Monastery on their New Year on 3 January.His Holiness conveyed
his greetings to monks studying Buddhism at Drepung Monastery and
around 300 Mongolians who have travelled to Doeguling Tibetan
settlement in Mundgod to attend his teachings.“I express my
warm greetings to ministers from Mongolia, foreign minister Mr
Voroshilov Enkhbold, monks and lay people on the New Year. Tibet and
Mongolia have a unique relationship dating back to more than hundred
years. The great difficulties posed by communism, particularly immense destruction caused to
Buddhism, kept Tibet and Mongolia
apart,” His Holiness said.“However, the contacts gradually
revived as Mongolia sends its monks and nuns to study in great Tibetan
monasteries which were re-established by the Tibetans in exile. As
for me, I visited Mongolia for the first time in 1979. Not only Tibet
and Mongolia are same followers of the Nalanda tradition, but they are
the only two who are carrying forward the pure form of that tradition
among the world’s hundreds of millions of Buddhists,” His Holiness
addedHis Holiness underlined the importance of applying
Buddhist science of logic in the teaching methodology in schools.
“Nowadays, Western scientists are taking special interest in Buddhism
and many of my friends among them have told me about the usefulness of
using dialectics in teaching different subjects in schools. In the
Tibetan schools in exile, we are preparing to teach subjects like
science and mathematics using dialectics. If this becomes successful,
then it would be very beneficial to introduce such method in schools
in Mongolia. I have a good experience that the process of learning
through analysis by using one’s mind and logic is more meaningful.”His
Holiness said the diligence of the Mongolian students studying in
Drepung Monastery would definitely make valuable contribution to the
education system in their country. Speaking on Dolgyal
propitiation, His Holiness said over 99 percent of Tibetans have
believe in me and they do that with reason. But a small section of
Tibetans do not think about reason and remain in blind faith. It is my
responsibility me to explain, but to listen to it is ones’ own
freedom.”There are around 230 Mongolian monks at Doeguling
Tibetan settlement in Mundgod, out of which majority are at Drepung
Gomang Monastery in a separate unit called Samlo Khangtsen. [Reporting
by Sonam Tsomo of Tibetan Freedom]More pictures:
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| His Holiness the Dalai Lama presents an idol of Buddha to Mongolia’s foreign minister on the New Year at Drepung Monastery in Mundgod, India, on 3 February 2011 |
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| His Holiness the Dalai Lama greets Mongolian monks studying at Drepung Monastery on their New Year on 3 February 2011 |
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| His Holiness the Dalai Lama is greeted by members of the family of Mongolian monks studying at Drepung Monastery in Mundgod, India, on 3 February 2011 |
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| His Holiness the Dalai Lama enjoying special Mongolian cookies made for the New Year at Drepung Monastery in Mundgod, India, on 3 February 2011 |
