Search Buddhist Channel

Dalai Lama begins Buddhist holy month with prayers for quake victims

By Pburbu Thinley, Phayul, June 5, 2008

Dharamsala, India -- Tibetans spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama presided over a special prayer session dedicated for the victims of last month’s devastating earthquake that rattled Southwest China’s Sichuan province here this morning.

<< His Holiness the Dalai Lama offering prayers during the special prayer congregation for victims of May 12 earthquake in China at the Tsuglagkhang (main temple), Dharamshala, India, June 4, 2008.

More than 2000 people, including Tibetan Buddhist monks, nuns and foreign devotees, joined the prayer gathering here today, which also marked the beginning of Buddhist holy month of Saka Dawa, the annual festival that represents the three most important events of the life of Lord Buddha - his birth, enlightenment and parinirvana.

Tibetan Buddhists believe during Saka Dawa, the fourth month of the Tibetan Lunar calendar, the karmic results of virtuous and non-virtuous actions are magnified. A spiritual undertaking in this month and more particularly later on its full moon day is believed to enable a person to accumulate maximum merits in one’s life, hence the most auspicious time to engage in virtuous deeds.

The prayer, which lasted more than an hour this morning, was organized by the Tibetan Government-in-exile (TGIE) through its Department of Religion and Culture at the Main Tibetan Temple (Tsuglagkhang).

Prime Minister (Kalon Tripa) of the Tibetan government Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche and, other senior Government officials and staff attended the prayer session.

Ven. Tsering Phuntsok, Minster for Religion and Culture, said the grand prayer congregation led by the Dalai Lama was dedicated for the “well being of all sentient beings, and particularly for the enormous suffering caused to over 15 million people” affected by the earthquake.

A major earthquake measuring more than 7.8 on the Richter scale jolted Wenchuan County in Sichuan Province on May 12, the death toll from which rose on Tuesday to 69,107, with another 18,230 missing, the Chinese state media reported. Another 373,577 people reportedly sustained injuries in the May 12 quake, China's worst natural disaster in a generation.

Wenchuan, located some 146 km to the northwest of Chengdu, provincial capital of Sichuan, lies in southeast part of the Aba (Tib: Ngawa) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture and has a large ethnic Tibetan population.

“Through this grand prayer ceremony, the Kashag prays for all the quake victims, including those who died in the recent earthquake and their families as well as for the speedy recovery of all those injured during the disaster,” press statement of the Kashag (Cabinet body) of the TGIE stated. “Kashag also prays that natural calamities such as these may never occur in any part of the world” it added.

Similar prayer sessions are also being conducted in other Tibetan settlements.

We Need Your Help to Train the
Buddhist AI Chat Bot NORBU!
(Neural Omniscient Robotic-Being for Buddhist Understanding)

Dear Friends in the Dharma,

We seek your generous support to help us train NORBU, the word's first Buddhist AI Chat Bot.

Here are some ways you can contribute to this noble cause:

One-time Donation or Loan: A single contribution, regardless of its size, will go a long way in helping us reach our goal and make the Buddhist LLM a beacon of wisdom for all.

How will your donation / loan be used? Download the NORBU White Paper for details.

For Malaysians who wants to donate in MYR, please use the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your purpose of payment (loan or donation) in the payment slip. Thank you.

Once payment is banked in, please send the payment slip via email to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv. Your donation/loan will be published and publicly acknowledged on the Buddhist Channel.

Spread the Word: Share this initiative with your friends, family and fellow Dharma enthusiasts. Join "Friends of Norbu" at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/norbuchatbot. Together, we can build a stronger community and create a positive impact on a global scale.

Volunteer: If you possess expertise in AI, natural language processing, Dharma knowledge in terms of Buddhist sutras in various languages or related fields, and wish to lend your skills, please contact us. Your knowledge and passion could be invaluable to our project's success.

Your support is part of a collective effort to preserve and disseminate the profound teachings of Buddhism. By contributing to the NORBU, you become a "virtual Bodhisattva" to make Buddhist wisdom more accessible to seekers worldwide.

Thank you for helping to make NORBU a wise and compassionate Buddhist Chatbot!

May you be blessed with inner peace and wisdom,

With deepest gratitude,

Kooi F. Lim
On behalf of The Buddhist Channel Team

Note: To date, we have received the following contributions for NORBU:
US$ 75 from Gary Gach (Loan)
US$ 50 from Chong Sim Keong
MYR 300 from Wilson Tee
MYR 500 from Lim Yan Pok
MYR 50 from Oon Yeoh
MYR 200 from Ooi Poh Tin
MYR 300 from Lai Swee Pin
MYR 100 from Ong Hooi Sian
MYR 1,000 from Fam Sin Nin
MYR 500 from Oh teik Bin
MYR 300 from Yeoh Ai Guat
MYR 300 from Yong Lily
MYR 50 from Bandar Utama Buddhist Society
MYR 1,000 from Chiam Swee Ann
MYR 1,000 from Lye Veei Chiew
MYR 1,000 from Por Yong Tong
MYR 80 from Lee Wai Yee
MYR 500 from Pek Chee Hen
MYR 300 from Hor Tuck Loon
MYR 1,000 from Wise Payments Malaysia Sdn Bhd
MYR 200 from Teo Yen Hua
MYR 500 from Ng Wee Keat
MYR 10,000 from Chang Quai Hung, Jackie (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from K. C. Lim & Agnes (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from Juin & Jooky Tan (Loan)
MYR 100 from Poh Boon Fong (on behalf of SXI Buddhist Students Society)
MYR 10,000 from Fam Shan-Shan (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from John Fam (Loan)
MYR 500 from Phang Cheng Kar
MYR 100 from Lee Suat Yee
MYR 500 from Teo Chwee Hoon (on behalf of Lai Siow Kee)
MYR 200 from Mak Yuen Chau

We express our deep gratitude for the support and generosity.

If you have any enquiries, please write to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv

TOP