DHARAMSHALA: One should strive for living a life full of compassion, for the positivity of love and compassion one practices, will be felt even at the time of death, said His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Friday.
He was speaking about the cultivation and benefits of compassion at a conference on ‘SEE Learning: A Worldwide Initiative for Educating the Heart and Mind’ in Dharamshala.
Jointly hosted by the Dalai Lama Trust and the Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics at Emory University (Emory Compassion Center), the conference was organised at the newly inaugurated Dalai Lama Library and Archive in Dharamshala earlier this morning.
The inaugural session of the two-day conference was timed to celebrate two important milestones-33rd anniversary of the conferment of the Nobel Peace Prize on His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the creation of the Dalai Lama Library and Archive.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama graced the inaugural session and exhaustively spoked about the cultivation and benefits of compassion. He also offered prayers and condolences upon the news of the demise of Gaden Trisur Rizong Rinpoche: the 102nd Ganden Tripa’s throne holder and a tutor to His Holiness.
His Holiness said, “We should live a compassionate life. And, if you do so, it will help you in this life, and at the time of death, you can also feel the positive vibes of your practice of love and compassion.”
His Holiness further added, “my life is about practising the principles of Bodhicitta and the view of emptiness. By practising these as much as possible, I gain many experiences and insights that I share with others. That is the essence of my life”.
The ongoing SEE Learning conference will highlight the progress and impact of the Compassion Center’s programming, including The Compassion Shift Initiative and preview how the initiative will advance a global culture of compassion by disseminating and scaling two of the Emory Compassion Center’s research-based programs – SEE Learning (Social, Emotional and Ethical Learning) an international K-12 education program, and CBCT (Cognitively-Based Compassion Training) a meditation program for adults. The conference will also feature a session on the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative, a groundbreaking science education program for Tibetan Buddhist monastic institutions. Throughout the conference, panellists will explore how the Compassion Center is developing, implementing, scaling, and researching programs that seek to promote a compassionate, peaceful, and sustainable world.
The opening session of the event was attended by Kasur Prof. Ven Samdong Rinpoche and Central Tibetan Administration’s acting Chief Justice Commissioner Karma Damdul, Sikyong Penpa Tsering, Deputy Speaker Dolma Tsering Teykhang, Education Kalon Tharlam Dolma Changra, Security Kalon Dolma Gyari, DIIR Kalon Norzin Dolma, Election and Public Service Commissioner Wangdue Tsering Pesur and Auditor General Pema Dadul Arya. The Secretaries of the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, along with Emory University’s executive leadership, including President Gregory L. Fenves and Vice-President Provost Ravi V. Bellamkonda and executive director of the Emory Compassion Center Lobsang Tenzin Negi also attended the event. Principals and Heads of the Tibetan Educational Institutions and the conference’s panellists, participants and observers were also among the gathering.
