His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama's profound veneration of the great Nalanda Buddhist tradition shines through in his ode to its saint-scholars, Sun Illuminating the Threefold Faith: Praise to the Seventeen Nalanda Masters' composed by him in 2001. In this beautiful offering, he recounts the specific and most important contributions of each of the masters who follow Buddha Shakyamuni, in the Sanskrit tradition. They include Arya Nagarjuna, followed by Bodhisattva Aryadeva, Acharyas Buddhapalita, Bhavaviveka and Chandrakirti, Bodhisattva Shantideva, Abbot Shantarakshita and others down the centuries. In this masterful rendition, His Holiness not only demonstrates his own command over the Nalanda Buddhist tradition by indicating key achievements of each master in a succinct and deeply insightful verse, but also, records it for posterity.
Reading this remarkable composition, one gains an understanding of the range and profundity of the areas in which the erstwhile Nalanda Buddhist tradition made discoveries and advancements of a significant nature, which continue to remain relevant in contemporary times in the areas of philosophy, science, logic, debate, epistemology and psychology. Uniquely, for centuries the Nalanda university maintained a reputation not just as a centre of excellence for religious study, but also for academic learning, predating the emergence of famous universities in Europe. It is little wonder then that the effulgence of this intellectually rigourous, yet spiritually profound tradition, naturally radiated outwards from India, to China, Tibet, Vietnam, Korea, Japan and beyond, with living lineages thriving up until today.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama considers the Nalanda tradition to be a treasure that not only belongs to India, the place of its origin in ancient times, but also, a treasure of and for the world. Amongst the many reasons he cites, two are especially pertinent for this publication. First, His Holiness maintains that whereas the practice element of any tradition is a deeply personal and private matter, the scientific and philosophical elements may be studied and adopted by anyone, including non-believers. This is especially true of the Nalanda tradition, with its rich legacy in philosophy, psychology, logic, debate and so on.
Second, His Holiness argues that much as we lay emphasis on the hygiene of the body, in today's troubled world, the hygiene of emotions is equally to be observed, maintained and prioritised. In order to do this, one needs a map of the mind, which like some other ancient Indian traditions the Nalanda School excels in providing. On a personal note, His Holiness has often shared with public audiences that although his life has been far from easy, he has maintained equanimity and retains a good night's sleep, due to his training in the teachings of the Nalanda masters. At an experiential level, he can therefore vouch for their efficacy and in this sense, the teachings of the Nalanda tradition are of an extremely practical and useful nature neither out of date nor merely intellectual, rather a key to attaining ultimate happiness.
His Holiness has frequently mentioned that Indians were the Gurus and Tibetans the diligent chelas (disciples), who from the time of Abbot Shantarakshita's arrival in Tibet in the 8th century CE, faithfully adopted and took great care of this treasure, to this day. He is now deeply committed to the rejuvenation of the Nalanda tradition in its place of birth; because, to loosely paraphrase him - it is not out of attachment to the Nalanda tradition itself but because it provides to all those in whose fortunate ears it falls, the opportunity to be of immense service to others. In his view, this living treasure of the Nalanda tradition must be kept alive and once more take root in India, since like a wish-fulfilling tree, it dispels the sufferings of migratory beings circling in samsara.
It gives me great pleasure to know that Tibet House, New Delhi, is bringing out this book, The Blaze of Non-Dual Bodhicittas: Compendium of Sutras and their Commentaries. This collection brings together several classic texts derived from the Nalanda Tradition, as well as others belonging to the Tibetan tradition, that I find useful in my own practice. When I have the opportunity I encourage others to study and reflect on them too. The book will surely be of great benefit to practicing Buddhists and others interested in Buddhist thought.
The bodhicitta refers to the altruistic aspiration to enlightenment rooted in compassion for all sentient beings and it also indicates a clear understanding of reality as it is. The Nalanda Tradition that cultivated a profound understanding of philosophy and psychology in dependence on logic and reason exemplified this. We have kept alive this tradition of knowledge and training, which, taking a scientific approach provides a thorough understanding of the workings of our minds and emotions that remains relevant today.
I offer my congratulations to the staff of Tibet House and everyone else who have contributed to the compilation of this useful work. May its benefits spread far and wide.
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