Meeting with the sanghas in Becske

On the morning of June 29, His Holiness Karmapa met with the sanghas from Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, and – last but not least – Hungary.

The meeting took place in the recently constructed Marpa House, built to provide accommodation for the Hungarian Sangha.

Each group had appointed a representative who informed His Holiness about the history and development of Diamond Way Buddhism in their respective countries, as well as their current projects. Most of these reports were accompanied by visual presentations in the form of short videos or slide shows. The representatives of the different countries also offered His Holiness gifts representative of their countries, from cakes, chocolates and home-made bread to a beautiful crystal lotus, representing “our pure devotion to You”.

In his concluding address to the assembled sanghas His Holiness expressed his gratitude for and appreciation of their hard work and achievements. He continued to remind everyone that it was vital to always remember the importance of practice.

“It is wonderful to go through your work and see how much you have accomplished so far, and I deeply appreciate it. At the same time, please keep in mind that all of this work of establishing centres serves the purpose of creating a place where you can find the time and environment for practice.

Merit alone will not be enough to help us reach enlightenment… The blessing of the lineage is there, Lama Ole is there, and I’ll be there as well and offer teachings and aspirations and blessings – but it is essential that you always keep in mind that practice is the most important.”