Teachings and Q & A with His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa in Becske, Hungary

On June 28 and 29, 2012, His Holiness held two sessions of teachings and questions and answers in Becske, Hungary.

Before inviting the more than three thousand assembled devotees to ask their questions he reminded everyone present of the preciousness of the positive conditions which had to come together in order to make it possible for everyone to meet and share the Buddha dharma.

“We have to be grateful to the wishes of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas – they are one factor in the development of our consciousness. The other factor is due to our own efforts, not just in this lifetime but in many previous lifetimes as well… We now have these precious conditions – so we should be grateful both to ourselves and to the aspirations of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas.”

After a short teaching on the path and the practice of the bodhisattvas he invited his audience to ask any topic-related questions they might have. The devotees didn’t need to be asked twice – they made ample use of this opportunity, and on both days the Q&A session went on for nearly three hours.

His Holiness concluded both sessions with the short practice of Mahakala (a protector of the Buddha’s teaching) and the concise wishing prayer for rebirth in Dewachen, the Pure Land of Buddha Amitabha.