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Dalai Lama brings ‘long life’ wisdom to Madison
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The Dalai Lama made his seventh visit to Madison this summer and celebrated with a long life ceremony, making the city the first host of the event in the Western Hemisphere.
The long life celebration, called Tenshug, occurs every 12 years in what Tibetans consider “obstacle year,” according to Marilee Wertlake, media coordinator at Deer Park Buddhist Center.
“This is a very spiritually important ceremony,” Wertlake said. “Part of it is rededicating yourself to following the example that the Dalai Lama sets in terms of compassion and kindness and living a good life.”
According to Wertlake, Geshe Sopa, director of the Deer Park Buddhist Center, has a personal connection to the Dalai Lama and invited him to celebrate this ceremony in Madison. The Dalai Lama first visited Madison in 1979.
ADDIN AudioMarker 50 “It is clear that His Holiness loves Madison and loves Wisconsin,” said Zorba Paster, who introduced the Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama, whose name is Tenzin Gyatso, stressed the values of compassion and inner peace in his public talk, “Educating the Heart.”
“ADDIN AudioMarker 1824 World peace ultimately comes from inner peace,” he said. “Peace must come through individuals.”
While peace was a main theme of the Dalai Lama’s talk, the unrest in Tibet was not forgotten.
Outside the Alliant Energy Center, about 200 people from the Western Shugden Society were protesting against the Dalai Lama for limiting their religious freedom to worship Dorje Shugden.
Josh Niederwerfer, president of the University of Wisconsin Students for a Free Tibet said the Dalai Lama does not support this practice because it causes division within the Buddhist religion.
“Most of the Tibetans I talked to were just annoyed about it.” Niederwerfer said. “There were some Tibetan ladies that told me they threw money at the protesters because they think they are being paid by the Chinese government.”
According to Niederwerfer, the Dalai Lama is advocating non-violence among Buddhists and is trying to establish peace talks with the Chinese government.
“We in Tibet very much respect the Chinese people, though not the Chinese government,” the Dalai Lama said.
While the Dalai Lama is one of the world’s most powerful leaders, he stressed he is “nothing special, simply just an ordinary person.”
The Dalai Lama’s sense of humor showed as he answered questions previously submitted by audience members.
When asked where he gets his strength, he responded, “Good sleep. Good food.”
In addition to the public talk, the Deer Park community and the North American Tibetan Association organized a series of teachings and prayers throughout the week as part of the ceremony.
Niederwerfer said a number of Tibetan and Buddhist students attended the teachings.
“There are people who are very faithfully coming here because they’re Buddhist and the teachings have a great deal of meaning to them,” Wertlake said.
The city of Madison honored the Dalai Lama’s visit by flying the flag of Tibet from July 19-24.
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The Dalai Lama is harming Dorje Shugden practitioners in India. This ‘man of peace’ is denying them food, shelter, education and travel visas for worshipping a Buddha traditionally revered by millions for four hundred years. His own Teachers practised it too, but he says they are “wrong”. So much for the love, compassion and religious tolerance he preaches everywhere!
Why is the Dalai Lama suppressing religious freedom? Find out at: http://www.wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.org/
I am somewhat surprised to see so little comment on the reason that the Western Shugden Society were protesting against the Dalai Lama in Madison.
News of his persecution of a section of his own people is now spreading, and evidence of human rights abuses increasing each day. Please look at www.aboutwss.org, the official website for the Western Shugden Society. There are also a growing number of informal websites dedicated to exploring the truth behind this political ban of an ancient religious practice and the disharmony and suffering it is causing. See the excellent www.WisdomBuddhaDorjeShugden.org or its associated blogspot www.WisdomBuddhaDorjeShugden.blogspot.org. There is video footage on there at the moment that points to a large problem in the Tibetan community. Thank you.
Before the Dalai Lama’s ban on Dorje Shugden practice, there was no problem between Shugden and non-Shugden practitioners within the Tibet-in-exile communities. The Dalai Lama created this problem.
www.WisdomBuddhaDorjeShugden.org