Buddhist Teachings - Venerable Geshe Dorji Damdul la
We were all delighted to once again welcome Venerable Geshe Dorji Damdul la to our school. Sharing his words of wisdom with the children of Classes IV, V, IX and XI, Geshe la spoke on the themes of ‘Developing a Calm and Composed Mind’ and the ‘Power of Right Effort: Balancing studies, relationships, and personal well-being without extremes’. With his affinity for the sciences, he was immediately able to make a connect with the older children.
Venerable Geshe Dorji Damdul la presented the children with a metaphor of a mango tree and a poisonous tree. He asked the children what tree they would choose to take care of if they were given the choice. When the children answered that they would nurture the mango tree, Geshe la related it to making the most of life by practicing kindness with those around them and with oneself. With his insightful questions, Geshe la led the children to the three traits of knowledge, discipline and compassion, which can create a better world when applied wisely. Another metaphor he explored is a comparison between a torch and the Sun to illustrate the impact of universal compassion. While a torch is good for personal use to control and will light up your immediate surroundings, the Sun is far more beneficial and lights up the whole world.
Through logical reasoning, Geshe la drew out from the older children the importance of being even-handed in acknowledging both the external and internal factors that affect what we put out into the world and that it is simpler to control what is within. He brought up Darwin’s theory of the purpose of evolution and that to continue reproducing and increase one’s chances of survival, the removal of one’s own negative emotions is key.
The children were eager to learn more about the venerated Buddhist teacher and how he reached this point in his journey. A child asked Geshe la why two people working at differing levels of quality should be treated equally. Geshe la reasoned that further rewarding the person that is already doing well and penalising the person that is doing poorly will only increase the divide. The teachings concluded with a soulful song on the Buddhist principles of compassion written by a student of Geshe la.