Dharma Centers

The Dalai Lama advises that the concept of nonviolence and dialogue needs to be taught in educational institutions. It is important for the younger generation to learn them, so that the ideas of dialogue and nonviolence become a part of their lives.

A brief picture of Buddhism in Asia and the West.

As Buddhism takes root in the West, more Westerners are becoming spiritual teachers. Time-tested Dharma methods have provided solutions to culturally based problems that can arise.

We can access the Buddhist teachings, whenever and wherever we want, on our phones and laptops. What is the role of the spiritual teacher in such a society and such an age?

Even if a Western Buddhist community is made up entirely of laymen and laywomen, with no monks or nuns, the monastic vows provide valuable guidelines that Buddha designed for building a harmonious spiritual community.

Following an extensive teaching tour across the globe, Dr. Berzin presented several suggestions concerning the operating policies of Buddhist Dharma centers in foreign countries to the Dalai Lama. Read his observations and recommendations.

The historical precedent of how the Dharma from India was preserved in Tibet suggests how to protect the heritage of the Dharma in the West.

The Dalai Lama advises Buddhist centers on a number of topics, from giving in-depth teachings on emotions and the mind, to making sure that instead of only giving information to the practitioners, they also make a contribution to the betterment of the society where they live.

Confusion arose due to vast cultural differences and the new realities of Dharma centers established by Tibetan teachers for the Western, lay students – a phenomenon that had not existed before in the history of Buddhism.

For Buddhist education to remain effective, it needs to adapt to the present-day needs, as it has always done in the past. Gain an overview of historical precedent to demonstrate that adapting to the times accords with the Buddhist principle of using skillful means.