The Dalai Lama Trust would like to wish you a very Happy Losar. We recognise that the last year has been very difficult universally and we pray that the new year may bring peace and prosperity with it. We wish to thank everyone who has contributed to the running of the trust in the last year – Firstly, His Holiness the Dalai Lama who is the very embodiment of compassion in action and inspires us everyday, the trustees who give their valuable time and expertise in matters of decision making, our committee members who work hard to make sure that the allocation of the funds is fairly decided, our staff who has been working tirelessly to make sure that things run smoothly daily and of course to all those who have made offerings and donation to the trust. We realise that is only through the coming together of several minds, hearts and hands that we are able to continue our work and are profoundly grateful to everyone involved.

In a recent teaching, His Holiness wished to convey his greetings to all those who celebrate Losar – all Tibetans, people from Ladakh and other Himalayan regions and Mongolians. As this year is on its way out and the next one approaches, His Holiness advises us to carefully check our minds. Particularly as Buddhists, he recommends that we check what we have done in the past year in relation to the study, reflection and meditation of the Buddha’s teachings. In the new year, His Holiness encourages us to continue to pursue the study, reflection and meditation of the teachings of the Buddha, Master Nagarjuna and his followers and Master Tsongkhapa and his followers so that we may be able to fulfil the aspirations of these masters, our own root gurus and the lineage masters. His Holiness once again reminded us that as we celebrate Losar with a ‘Tashi Delek,’ we must reflect on our past year and begin the new year with the wish to continue to deepen our studies.

Speaking to Tibetans in Tibet, His Holiness expressed that he has seen (either online or through the television) the deep devotion that they have to Avalokiteshwara and the strong faith that they have in him. His Holiness wished to greet them with a special ‘Tashi Delek’ for Losar. He added that the Tibetan writings that were developed during the time of King Songtsen Gampo and then Trisong Detsen and so forth, formed the Buddhism that we have, which is something unique among the followers of the Buddha. He expressed that this impeccable Nalanda tradition holds the Tibetan culture within it. In order to study this tradition, knowing the language is paramount, making the Tibetan language itself extremely valuable and worthy of respect. He continued to explain that today even scientists admire and respect these teachings of the Buddha that Tibetans have preserved for over a thousand years. He emphasised to Tibetans in Tibet how important it is that they preserve this culture and explained that efforts do to the same are also being made in exile. 

His Holiness went into further detail by explaining that once in exile, several steps were taken in order to preserve Tibetan language, culture and religion. The first of these was to begin teaching this culture to the younger generation in schools, including the teaching of Buddhist logic, reasoning and the study of the mind. The second effort was to re-establish monastic institutions where students are able to study the Nalanda tradition. These monastic institutions then went on to produce thousands of Geshes and scholars. His Holiness explained that the exiled community is doing what they can to preserve and promote this tradition and urged the Tibetan community within Tibet to also have the aspiration to preserve their own culture and religion. 

His Holiness also explained that there are an increasing number of Chinese people from mainland China who are taking an interest in Buddhism, particularly professors of universities in China who have access to the exiled community’s publications. They especially admire this tradition and have remarked that the Tibetan Buddhist tradition is the pure Nalanda tradition and is also scientifically sound. So although politically Tibetans are under the rule of the Chinese government, from the standpoint of religion, His Holiness believes that the Tibetan community in Tibet may have the opportunity to spread the teachings that they have to the Chinese people as well. 

This wrapped up the message that His Holiness wished to express for the New Year. If you wish to listen to the message yourself in the video, the Losar greeting begins at 45:12. Once again the Dalai Lama Trust takes this opportunity to wish you a very happy new year and prays for the collective safety, health and peace of all. Losar Tashi Delek!