His Holiness the Dalai Lama gives an Avalokiteshvara Empowerment at Tashi Khyil Monastery and Visits TCV Selaqui
His Holiness the Dalai Lama gives an Avalokiteshvara Empowerment at Tashi Khyil Monastery and Visits TCV Selaqui |
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama gives an Avalokiteshvara Empowerment at Tashi Khyil Monastery and Visits TCV Selaqui
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama gives an Avalokiteshvara Empowerment at Tashi Khyil Monastery and Visits TCV Selaqui
- Mes Aynak: Recent excavations along the Silk Road
- Rescuing Afghanistan's Buddhist History
| Posted: 16 Sep 2012 08:01 AM PDT Dehra Dun, India, 15 September 2012 - The garden in front of Tashi Khyil Monastery, Clement Town, was full of expectant faces when His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived early this morning to begin the preparatory procedures for the Avalokiteshvara empowerment he was going to give. To do these he sat with his back to the audience facing the mandala; when he was ready he took his seat on the throne and began. "We need to understand what it is to be a Buddhist. It involves transforming the mind, which is something we have to do for ourselves, it's not something someone else can do for us. The Buddha also encouraged his followers to take the initiative not simply to take his teachings on trust, but to examine them as a goldsmith tests gold to check its real value. To do this it's necessary to be sceptical, to question whether what is taught is appropriate and what its benefit may be. "For example, you might ask what the benefit is of avoiding the ten unwholesome actions. If you practise the virtue of restraint from them, people will regard you as a friend and you'll be happy. In this world, it's clear that when people are powerful and wealthy, but also dishonest, people don't like them, even if they don't show it to their faces. In brief, if you do good, you'll have friends in this life and when you're gone you'll be missed." His Holiness advised that studying the Buddha's teachings is not just a question of reciting prayers about taking refuge, you have to establish for yourself what the Buddha meant. Tibetan Buddhists outwardly observe the discipline of the Vinaya, cultivate a Bodhisattva attitude within and practise Tantra in secret, and it is on this basis that traditions like the Sakya's Lam Dre teachings present the entire practice of the Dharma. His Holiness explained that in conjunction with a tantric empowerment, he likes to give the lay practitioner's vows and the Bodhisattva vows. He explained the lay person's vows and went through the procedu! res for giving them. When it came to generating the aspiring awakening mind of Bodhichitta, he reminded his listeners that the Bodhisattva's commitment is not concerned with only one or two lives but aeon. Such dedication to the benefit of others is a source of great merit. He said,
He then briefly gave his customary caution about the practice of Dolgyal. "Regarding Dolgyal, I said his prayers myself, but once I realised it was a mistake I stopped. This is something that began at the time of the Fifth Dalai Lama, who recorded three observations about Dolgyal: that he was a being that arose from wrong prayers; that he was a perfidious spirit - as he described himself to the Sakya lama he approached after the protectors of Tashi Lhunpo denied him entry - and that he harms the Dharma and sentient beings. So, if there are any among you who continue to propitiate Dolgyal, I ask you not to sit here for the empowerment, because to stay will benefit neither you nor me. This is my advice, but whether you heed it or not is up to you." Before going any further, His Holiness completed his reading of the first chapter of Nagarjuna's Precious Garland. At the end he said he was happy to have completed both the teaching and Avalokiteshvara empowerment, commenting that it is important to be able to take such steps to preserve Tibet's precious culture.
In his response, His Holiness made clear how happy he was to be able to make this short visit. He noted that the Principal had not merely read through the printed report but given his own spontaneous account of it. Addressing the students he said that he was pleased to know that they were learning to employ meditation in their studies, something he has been encouraging the great monasteries to do. "First you gain knowledge by listening to explanations from your teachers or you read books, but this tends to be information without any sense of conviction about it. Next you need to analyse what you have learned to clear away any doubts and then you can meditate on what you have understood, to reinforce and gain real insight into it. "When we were free, we neglected modern education, just as when changes were taking place in the world around us we neglected them too. The 13th Dalai Lama's visits to China and India opened his eyes. After his return to Tibet, he began to make provisions for some Tibetan students to receive a modern education. If that had succeeded we wouldn't have faced the trouble we have and we would have been able to preserve our Buddhist traditions."
From Selaqui, His Holiness drove back to Dehra Dun to the Sakya Rinchenling Nunnery, where he was received by Sakya Dagtri Rinpoche and about 200 nuns. He asked them about what they study and was pleased to hear that Sakya Pandita's Treasury of Reasoning is one of their main texts. He told them how important it is to make monasteries and nunneries places of learning, pointing out that Nalanda Monastic University isn't famous for its rituals, just as Nagarjuna is not renowned for ringing his bell or Chandrakirti for blowing his horn.  Read More @ Source 
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| Posted: 16 Sep 2012 08:00 AM PDT Dehra Dun, India, 15 September 2012 - The garden in front of Tashi Khyil Monastery, Clement Town, was full of expectant faces when His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived early this morning to begin the preparatory procedures for the Avalokiteshvara empowerment he was going to give. To do these he sat with his back to the audience facing the mandala; when he was ready he took his seat on the throne and began. "We need to understand what it is to be a Buddhist. It involves transforming the mind, which is something we have to do for ourselves, it's not something someone else can do for us. The Buddha also encouraged his followers to take the initiative not simply to take his teachings on trust, but to examine them as a goldsmith tests gold to check its real value. To do this it's necessary to be sceptical, to question whether what is taught is appropriate and what its benefit may be. "For example, you might ask what the benefit is of avoiding the ten unwholesome actions. If you practise the virtue of restraint from them, people will regard you as a friend and you'll be happy. In this world, it's clear that when people are powerful and wealthy, but also dishonest, people don't like them, even if they don't show it to their faces. In brief, if you do good, you'll have friends in this life and when you're gone you'll be missed." His Holiness advised that studying the Buddha's teachings is not just a question of reciting prayers about taking refuge, you have to establish for yourself what the Buddha meant. Tibetan Buddhists outwardly observe the discipline of the Vinaya, cultivate a Bodhisattva attitude within and practise Tantra in secret, and it is on this basis that traditions like the Sakya's Lam Dre teachings present the entire practice of the Dharma. His Holiness explained that in conjunction with a tantric empowerment, he likes to give the lay practitioner's vows and the Bodhisattva vows. He explained the lay person's vows and went through the procedu! res for giving them. When it came to generating the aspiring awakening mind of Bodhichitta, he reminded his listeners that the Bodhisattva's commitment is not concerned with only one or two lives but aeon. Such dedication to the benefit of others is a source of great merit. He said,
He then briefly gave his customary caution about the practice of Dolgyal. "Regarding Dolgyal, I said his prayers myself, but once I realised it was a mistake I stopped. This is something that began at the time of the Fifth Dalai Lama, who recorded three observations about Dolgyal: that he was a being that arose from wrong prayers; that he was a perfidious spirit - as he described himself to the Sakya lama he approached after the protectors of Tashi Lhunpo denied him entry - and that he harms the Dharma and sentient beings. So, if there are any among you who continue to propitiate Dolgyal, I ask you not to sit here for the empowerment, because to stay will benefit neither you nor me. This is my advice, but whether you heed it or not is up to you." Before going any further, His Holiness completed his reading of the first chapter of Nagarjuna's Precious Garland. At the end he said he was happy to have completed both the teaching and Avalokiteshvara empowerment, commenting that it is important to be able to take such steps to preserve Tibet's precious culture.
In his response, His Holiness made clear how happy he was to be able to make this short visit. He noted that the Principal had not merely read through the printed report but given his own spontaneous account of it. Addressing the students he said that he was pleased to know that they were learning to employ meditation in their studies, something he has been encouraging the great monasteries to do. "First you gain knowledge by listening to explanations from your teachers or you read books, but this tends to be information without any sense of conviction about it. Next you need to analyse what you have learned to clear away any doubts and then you can meditate on what you have understood, to reinforce and gain real insight into it. "When we were free, we neglected modern education, just as when changes were taking place in the world around us we neglected them too. The 13th Dalai Lama's visits to China and India opened his eyes. After his return to Tibet, he began to make provisions for some Tibetan students to receive a modern education. If that had succeeded we wouldn't have faced the trouble we have and we would have been able to preserve our Buddhist traditions."
From Selaqui, His Holiness drove back to Dehra Dun to the Sakya Rinchenling Nunnery, where he was received by Sakya Dagtri Rinpoche and about 200 nuns. He asked them about what they study and was pleased to hear that Sakya Pandita's Treasury of Reasoning is one of their main texts. He told them how important it is to make monasteries and nunneries places of learning, pointing out that Nalanda Monastic University isn't famous for its rituals, just as Nagarjuna is not renowned for ringing his bell or Chandrakirti for blowing his horn. Read More @ Source 
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| Mes Aynak: Recent excavations along the Silk Road Posted: 16 Sep 2012 05:00 AM PDT By Joanie Meharry, Popular-Archaeology.com, Vol. 4 September 2011Joanie Meharry interviews the Director of the National Museum of Afghanistan about the news-making significance of the spectacular finds at Mes Aynak and the new exhibit that showcases some of its most astounding artifacts. Kabul, Afghanistan -- Nearly ten years to the day since the Taliban destroyed the National Museum of Afghanistan's pre-Islamic statues, the exhibition, Mes Aynak: Recent excavations along the Silk Road, opened at the museum. The event held on March 15, 2011 in Kabul was jointly commemorated by the Afghan Minister of Information and Culture, Makhdoom Raheen, the Minister of Mines, Waheedullah Shahrani, and the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl W. Eikenberry, demonstrating the elaborate effort that made the exhibition possible.
The collection showcases the latest finds from the ancient Buddhist monastery of Mes Aynak ("little copper well"), located in Logar province's rugged terrain, 25 miles southeast of Kabul. Since 2009, archaeologists from the National Institute of Archaeology and the Délégation Archéologique Française en Afghanistan (DAFA) have been rapidly excavating the site. The efforts are urgent because, in less than three years, China Metallurgical Group Corp, a Chinese mining company, is scheduled to develop the overlapping copper mine – the second largest unexploited copper mine in the world. The deal will secure more than $ 3 billion for Afghanistan's struggling economy. Thus, the Ministry of Information and Culture, the Ministry of Mines, and international delegations are making a concerted effort to promote both the country's rich natural resources and cultural heritage. The exhibition, Mes Aynak: Recent excavations along the Silk Road, is one such initiative and is noteworthy for the speed at which it was curated by the museum staff. Housed in two rooms on the second floor of the museum, the brightly-lit displays are accentuated by the space's dim lighting and deep red walls. The collection contains some 70 pieces of ancient ceramics, coins, and sculptures. Among these include the Dipankara Jakata statue, which on the back features a unique painting depicting a previous life of the Buddha, dating to the 3rd-5th Century, and a wooden seated Buddha statue, dating to the 5th Century. Indeed, archaeologists are already hailing the discoveries from Mes Aynak as some of the most significant to be unearthed in Afghanistan. The exhibition is also complemented by a well-illustrated booklet, published in English, Dari, and Pashtu.
JM: Tell me about when and why you first planned this exhibition. OKM: It was from 2009 that the Institute of Archaeology of Afghanistan started the excavation at the Mes Aynak site. Some artifacts, when they got them, they sent them to us. In 2010, they also excavated some artifacts which were possible to transfer to the National Museum of Afghanistan. For this purpose, we organized the Mes Aynak exhibition at the museum. Mes Aynak is a huge Buddhist site in Logar province. The archaeologists are working very hard. They try their best to finish, as soon as possible, this excavation. I think this site is really important for me, for our museum staff also. JM: Why is the Mes Aynak exhibition also important? OKM: They found many different kinds of artifacts. For example, this is the first time they excavated a wooden seated statue of Buddha (see cover photo above, left). And, also, they got one artifact, the Dipankara Buddha, where in the back there is a painting. This is very important. We don't have these kinds of artifacts at the National Museum from different ancient sites. For this purpose, we organized the exhibition with the support of the US Embassy. We had the opening ceremony on the 15th March, 2011. That time was a special time. We invited many people specially: the cultural attaché and also the ambassador of different embassies in Afghanistan. At the same time, it was very important for us. The Minister of Information and Culture announced during that gathering that the ministry wants to have a new building for the museum, that we got the land from the Defense Ministry by the order of His Excellency, our president. It was a suitable moment that he announced this. Also, after this gathering, when the speech was over, we had the opening ceremony of the Mes Aynak exhibition. I think it was very interesting for all of these people they invited. I think when everyone visits the exhibition they appreciate it and also they enjoy the visit.
JM: So, thus far it seems the exhibition has been well received by the public? OKM: Yes! There was many media we invited on that day for the ceremony. Also, after that, now the school children and also students of different universities they are coming. They enjoy the visit of this exhibition. JM: There have been a lot of important finds coming out of Aynak, like you mentioned. How did you select which artifacts would go on display? OKM: Actually, this is a very huge site. We cannot accept all the artifacts from the site to the National Museum. We don't have enough space. If you see the site, there are many stuppas they excavated. We don't have enough space at the National Museum. The Ministry of Information and Culture has this plan to have a site museum, which is very close to the Mes Aynak area. In this case, the government of Logar province mentioned land around 60,000 square meters. In future, our ministry has plans to transfer all of these big artifacts, including small and big stuppas, to the site museum. This is because bringing all of these artifacts to the National Museum of Afghanistan, which is around 30km away, is too difficult. Our ministry prefers to have a site museum in the Logar district. It is possible to transfer these in a safe way to the site museum. JM: The US Embassy also announced it is planning to do a conservation and storage facility. Is this where the remaining artifacts will go next? OKM: Yes! The US Embassy's ambassador has announced $ 5 million for building a new National Museum. At the same time they had a trip to the Mes Aynak site. They promised to the Ministry of Information and Culture to bring some facilities for cleaning and conservation of the artifacts. They promised they will support this project for the site museum to make a lab over there and also storage. JM: Given the uncertain security situation, do you think now is a good time to carry out excavations, like at Mes Aynak? OKM: I think security on the site – nothing has happened these two or three years back. The Ministry of Interior checked the security of the site. I think there are more than 1,500 police involved for the security of the site. Nothing has happened up to yet. I hope that the people help for security, because this is to the benefit of the people of Logar province. This is also good for our people in Afghanistan. I think the security is better now. They have to continue this excavation at the Mes Aynak site. The ministry is trying their best as soon as possible to finish this excavation over there because the Chinese company (China Metallurgical Group Corp) wants to finish this archaeological excavation. Then they will start to get the copper from the site. We have to finish the excavation over there. JM: Mining is a very big topic in Afghanistan right now… OKM: This is very important for our people. We appreciate these projects in our country, but we have to protect our cultural heritage. We have to, as soon as possible, finish this excavation.
Joanie Meharry is currently completing an MA in International and Comparative Legal Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. This summer she lived in Kabul while researching the archaeological site of Mes Aynak with a Global Heritage Fund Fellowship and a Connecticut Ceramics Study Circle Grant, as well as directing the project, Untold Stories: the Oral History of Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage, with a Hollings Center for International Dialogue Grant. She writes often on Afghanistan's culture and politics. Joanie also holds an MSc in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Edinburgh. Read More @ Source
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| Rescuing Afghanistan's Buddhist History Posted: 16 Sep 2012 04:00 AM PDT By ANN MARLOWE, Published on the Buddhist Channel, Sept 16, 2012 (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Kabul, Afghanistan -- Even as once-secure parts of Afghanistan succumb to criminality and the insurgency, and the Afghan financial system hovers on the brink of failure, there are small signs of hope here. A spectacular Buddhist archaeological site is now being excavated by the Afghan government's National Institute of Archaeology, near where Al Qaeda ran a training camp in the 1990s.
Work on Mes Aynak ("Little copper well") has proceeded at a rapid pace since it began in May, because the archaeologists - 16 Afghans and two Frenchmen from DAFA (Délégation Archéologique Française en Afghanistan) - are racing against time. Within a year, the site is slated to be destroyed by Afghanistan's largest single foreign investment, a Chinese-run copper mine not 900 yards away. The plan is to document the site thoroughly and attempt to remove as many of the smaller stupas and statues as possible for conservation in the National Museum or possibly a future local museum. Because the buildings are mudbrick and schist, a wholesale relocation isn't possible. Visiting the main 262-by-131-foot Buddhist temple, which once boasted a stupa 32 to 50 feet high, it was hard not to gasp. The head of DAFA, Philippe Marquis, pulled back plastic protective sheets to reveal statue after statue of Buddhas and donors. In many niches, large hands and feet peeked out, the rest of the bodies still obscured under mudbrick. Some statues were intact except for their heads, removed by looters. There are wall paintings in still-vibrant reds and black, and even the stump of a wooden pillar.
At just over one square mile, Mes Aynak is one of the country's largest Buddhist sites, equal in importance to the famous ruins in Bamiyan and the looted site of Hadda. Mr. Marquis says that it's likely Mes Aynak was begun in the first century, but most of the ruins he showed me date from the fourth and fifth centuries. During that period, and for the next century or two, he says, it's possible that Afghanistan was ruled by a theocratic Buddhist kingdom, "like Tibet." Must the site be destroyed? Mr. Marquis says the site survey now taking place is aimed at providing the Afghan government with the means to make an informed decision about Mes Aynak's fate. Take Action Photo Gallery On Wikipedia Peition to the President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai "Our job is to help Afghans set up this operation. Our budget of $ 10 million will be spread over three years. The Chinese have an obligation for excavating, but not for restoration of the clay statues. We are asking the U.S., Italy, China and the U.N. for money - we are trying to create an international coalition like the one fighting in Afghanistan." Mr. Marquis is convinced of the significance of the site for our knowledge of the Buddhist world and argues that Mes Aynak, if properly excavated and preserved, could offer "a reward a hundred times bigger than the copper mine. The copper mine is for 20 or 30 years. But this will be around for much, much longer." The mine is supposed to bring about $ 880 million to the government before production, but the payments depend on contractual benchmarks that have not been met. The Afghan government didn't accept the Chinese plans for waste storage - which is a good thing - but this will delay the series of payments. The $ 880 million is equal to the annual customs and tax revenue of Afghanistan, but given the realities of corruption, it is questionable what impact it will actually have on Afghans' lives. By contrast, the ruins, Mr. Marquis says, "are for everybody. This is for the future of Afghanistan." The unequivocal good news is that the work is proceeding under the efficient Afghan supervision of Nadir Rasouli, with Afghans doing all of the excavation. Mr. Marquis is doing the documentation only. The Afghans I met, who are working under Mir Zakir, deputy director of the National Institute of Archaeology, were enthusiastic about their labor and eager to show me their finds. "They are very proud of their work," Mr. Marquis says. "They are not working only for money. " ----------- 
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<< Seated Buddha. Wood. The figure is seated in meditation on a lotus and is the only complete example known to have survived. Dates to the 5th-7th Century. Photo by Jake Simkin.
<< Front of Dipankara Buddha. Schist stone painted and gilded. On the back is a unique painting representing part of the story of the previous life of Buddha. Dates to the 3rd-5th Century. Photo by Jake Simkin.
<< One of the many Buddhist statues found at the Mes Aynak site in Kabul, Afghanistan.| You are subscribed to email updates from BuddhaRocks ☸ Buddhist To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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