Hyderabad: Dalai Lama has urged his followers and fellow Buddhists across the world to lead meaningful life which is dedicated to the welfare of others, in his special message on the occasion of remembrance of Lord Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death.
On this auspicious remembrance of Lord Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and mahaparinirvana, I am pleased to convey my greetings to fellow Buddhists across the world, Lama said. "Vajrasana, the Adamantine Seat, as Bodhgaya is known in our scriptures, is the most sacred of Buddhist pilgrimage sites associated with Shakyamuni Buddha, our compassionate and founder-teacher of our spiritual tradition," the message read.
It was here that the Buddha attained Enlightenment (Mahabodhi), following which he bestowed teachings on the Four Noble Truths, the Thirty-seven Factors of Enlightenment, and others. The key to his teachings are instructions to discipline the mind for the benefit of sentient beings as infinite as space, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet said.
The heart of the Buddha’s teaching is the combined practice of compassion and wisdom. The practice of bodhicitta, the altruistic spirit of enlightenment, is the essence of all his teaching. The more we become acquainted with a concern for the welfare of others, the more we will regard others dearer than ourselves. We will recognise our dependence on each other and will remember that all 8 billion people in the world today are same in wishing to be happy and to avoid suffering, the message read.
Therefore, on this special occasion, I urge my spiritual brothers and sisters to be warm-hearted and lead a meaningful life, to be dedicated to the welfare of others. Warm heartedness is the key to peace and harmony in the world, the Lama said in his special message.
Buddha Purnima- It is a major festival commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha. It is usually observed in April or May. Buddhism as a religion and philosophy was developed from the teachings of the Buddha. The name Buddha means 'Awakened One' in Sanskrit, according to Britannica encyclopedia.
Buddha lived in India between the mid-6th and mid-4th centuries BCE (before the Common Era). His teachings spread from India to Central and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan. The philosophy plays a central role in the spiritual, cultural, and social life of Asia. Ancient Buddhist scripture and doctrine developed in several closely related literary languages of ancient India, especially in Pali and Sanskrit, the encyclopedia said.
