HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA'S VISIT TO WOODSTOCK DVD, by HH the Dalai Lama

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HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA'S VISIT TO WOODSTOCK DVD

by HH the Dalai Lama

September 21, 2006 was the United Nations Day of Peace. Woodstock, New York was fortunate to have a visit on that day from "a simple monk" who is one of the leading spokesmen for peace and understanding in our human world: His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama. This DVD chronicles both his public talk in the town of Woodstock and a Buddhist teaching and ceremony at KTD Monastery, the sponsor of the visit.

In his public talk, His Holiness focused on two main themes. First, he spoke of loving kindness and compassion as basic human values, values that are not particularly religious teachings but rather something fundamental to everything that we cherish in life. The second theme was understanding among religious traditions. His Holiness expressed his respect and appreciation of all major traditions in today's world and urged us to see what is universal among them, especially the cultivation of loving kindness and compassion.

The following day His Holiness gave the initiation of Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, at KTD to an assemblage of over 500 people. He prefaced the ceremony with a long and very erudite Buddhist teaching, touching on essential points of Dharma, Buddhist history and logic.

In these two extraordinary talks in less than 24 hours, His Holiness showed us two key facets of his activity in this world: his work for peace and reconciliation on a basic human level and his qualities as a remarkable Buddhist teacher.

This DVD of a significant event is the first visit of HH the Dalai Lama to KTD, the North American monastery of HH the Karmapa.

Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, was born to a peasant family in northeastern Tibet in 1935. After nearly two decades of monastic education, His Holiness earned the highest level of a Geshe Degree, (a doctorate of Buddhist philosophy). He is widely recognized as both the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people, having assumed full political power after Communist China's military invasion of Tibet in 1951. Since 1959, His Holiness has resided in Dharamsala, India, where the Tibetan government in exile was established. The 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, among many other awards, honored his nonviolent struggle for an autonomous Tibet as well as his tireless dedication to peace and human rights in the world. Today, His Holiness stands as a universal icon of compassion and universal responsibility.