29 Students from Ladakh to Arunachal participated for 10 Day Study Tour in Himachal
29 Students from various colleges and universities of Jammu, Chandigarh and Delhi hailing from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh had the opportunity to be part of 10 days study retreat program from 7th Oct – 16th Oct 2018, coordinated by Flowering Dharma at the Deer Park Institute, Bir and Library of Tibetan Work and archives (LTWA), Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.
The retreat program was in two parts including Seven Days Residential Retreat in Deer Park Institute on “The Rice seedling Sutra” led by Ven. Geshe Dorji Damdul, Director, Tibet House, New Delhi followed by one day Session at the LTWA on “Meaning of Life” by Ven. Geshe Lhakdor, Director, LTWA.
In the residential retreat participants studied the “Rice Seedling Sutra” which covers in depth the topics of “Emptiness” and “Dependent Arising” in great depth. Geshe Dorji Damdul thoroughly explained the concept of Emptiness stressing how things are independent of objective existence and dependently originated. The participants also had the opportunity to interact and discuss with other participants from other parts of the world, which provided the necessary exposure and contributed towards their analytical development. The students followed a strict routine commencing from 5:45 am with Meditation Sessions, Classes, Group Discussions and Question and Answer session. The program in Deer Park concluded with “Tsog” Offering Ceremony. Next Day the students proceeded for McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala for an hour long session with Geshe Lhakdor on “Meaning of Life” in which he concisely explained the meaning of True Happiness with should not be mistaken for Superficial Sensual Pleasure. Geshe Lhakdor very skillfully tied how it is important for people to understand the “Wisdom of Emptiness” and have “Compassion” for the happy life from a very practical and logical stand point.
Apart from the classes and study sessions the students also had the opportunity to explore the nearby places of tourist attractions including the monasteries, different NGOs and their centers as well the nature around.
