Budda Yujiro Taniyama, Japan Broadcasting.net Morning News Reporting Monk
About two decades ago His Holiness the Dalai Lama the 14th held a preaching seminar at the holiest site of Sumo – Ryogock Cockgikan stadium（両国国技館）in Tokyo. The ticket was ¥7,000 if my memory is correct. When I got there with my friend, the ‘sumo mound’ in the center had been brilliantly flattened and turned into arena seats that were occupied by fans and obasans.
In retrospect I must admit my inability to recall His Holiness’ words and teachings. But I do certainly remember that the great sage was by no means pedantic, but quite the opposite. Dalai Lama was stupefyingly felicific. The spiritual guru that was forced to abandon his beloved motherland of Tibet in 1959 spoke like thunder, and laughed like Tsunami.
“Tomorrow when you’re gone is absolutley coming” – he has written in his book ‘Art of Happiness’ (I think it was); introducing a renowned proverb in Buddhism that underscores the reality of the transient world we live in. The vehment flood that ruthlessly struck Nepal and Tibet recently has emphatically substantiated that veritable truth, how our lives can perish in a blink of an eye.
Born in 1935, His Holiness is now stunning 92 years of age. That itself is already an accomplishment and I cannot help but wish for his further logevity; regardless of the fact Buddha did teach that aging is suffering. That nonethelss, this world is meritorious.
Tibetan Buddhism has significant resemblance to Buddhism in Japan – as both are esoteric in nature. The latter’s Shingon school in particular, founded by the ingenious priest Kukai 空海 (773-835A.D) in my view is sort of synonymous to what’s been long taught and practiced in Tibet. Esoteric Buddhism, also known as Tantric Buddhism condones life unlike the primitive-form of Buddhism that strictly induced self-achieving Nirvana through tapasya (rigorous training like perambulating in the mountains all day despite the weather), detaching itself unconditionally from the rest of the world as a destitute if not fakir. All possessions were injurious.
Conversely, the esoteric-school that is categorized within Mahayana Buddhism; a new sensational interpretaion that arose roughly five centuries after Buddha’s death, in around 1 A.D by Holy Priest Naga-rujna 竜樹 of present day India, was much more mulficient to say the least. Like His Holiness the Dalai Lama 14th whom I once witnessed at Sumo-stadium, the Mahayana Buddhists were permitted to laugh and cherish delectation of life as long as they honored the basic principles of Buddhism.
Disinterested monk, that is how I understand Dalai Lama. Equal are all sentient beings and all animals including all trees, fish and insects. That said, unless we rectify our despicable human conceit to perpetually flatulate or fart using fossil fuels, tempests and terrific floods of the Himalayas could happen anytime soon, yet again.
Buddha humility is the answer, boys and girls. Never trust adults of horrensous virulence!
Superficial intelligence or artifical negligence had no place in
