New Delhi: On the occasion of Buddha Purnima, Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Monday urged people to pay more attention to the words of Gautama Buddha for true peace of mind. In a video message on Vaishakha Buddha Purnima Divas, organized by the International Buddhist Confederation and supported by the Ministry of Culture, 14th Dalai Lama said, "Today we are celebrating Vesak, which commemorates the Buddha's attainment of enlightenment after enduring six years of austerity. Buddha had advised: 'O monks and scholars, just as gold is tested by heating, cutting and rubbing it, so, likewise, should you thoroughly examine my teaching and only then accept it - not merely out of respect for me!' This (point of view) reveals a special quality of the Buddha. I respect all religious traditions. They are all of great value because they all teach compassion. However, only the Buddha asks us to examine his teaching in the way that a goldsmith tests the purity of gold. Only the Buddha commands us to do this."
"Another of his principal instructions was this: 'Sages do not wash away unwholesome deeds with water, nor do they remove the sufferings of sentient beings with their hands, neither do they transplant their own realisations into others, it's by teaching the truth of suchness that they liberate beings'," said the Tibetan spiritual leader. Dalai Lama reminded Buddha had called upon his disciples to develop their own spiritual experiences by reflecting on the truth.
"The Bhagawan Buddha, the enlightened one, who is by nature compassionate, says that he cannot simply transfer his own spiritual experience and realisation into his disciples out of love and compassion. Disciples must develop their own spiritual experiences. Therefore, I find his three Turning of the Wheels of Dharma to be very significant," said Dalai Lama. Explaining the 'first Turning of the Wheel', he said, "It teaches the Four Noble Truths - true suffering, the origin of suffering, the true cessation of suffering and the true path that leads to that cessation. This serves as the basic framework of the teaching of the Buddha."
ANI
