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Programme Schedule
Venue : Main Temple Ground
Inaugural Session: 9.30 am
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Chief Guest: Ven. Geshe Lhakdor, Director, LTWA,
(Library of Tibetan Works and Archives)
Ven. Geshe Lhakdor will speak on the significance and importance of the Preview Teachings and their relationship to the main teachings ? ?An Introduction to Buddhism? – by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, which will follow these lectures by Prof. SR Bhatt.
5th June – Session I: 10.00 am ? 12.00 noon
1. Prominent schools of Indian philosophy.
An overview of the Sramana tradition (Jainism & Buddhism)
(A one hour session)
2. Foundations of Indian philosophical thought (Veda and Upanishad)
(A one hour session)
5th June – Session II: 1.30 pm – 3:30 pm
3. Introduction to Samkhya and Yoga
(A one hour session)
4. Introduction to Nyaya and Vaisheshika
(A one hour session)
6th June – Session I: 9.30 am ? 11.30 a.m
5. Introduction to Purva Mimasa
(A one hour session)
6. Introduction to Uttara Mimasa or Vedanta
(A one hour session)
AUDIENCE WITH HIS HOLINESS THE KARMAPA
6th June ? Afternoon 1.00 pm Leave for His Holiness? Monastery
3.00 pm Audience (Tentative timing)
5.00 pm Leave for McLeod Ganj
The audience with His Holiness the Karmapa has been organised by Mr. Rajiv Mehrotra, Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, at the request of the Indian Sanghas.
About 10 buses are being arranged to transport around 400 persons from McLeod Ganj to Sidhbari, the location of His Holiness? monastery. As regards the seating arrangement in the buses, priority will be given to the groups of Indian Buddhists coming from rural areas, namely the YBS, Nasik group, the Himalayan groups, Chennai group. These groups will have to give us lists of their participants, 40 in each list for easy management of the bus seating. The others would have to use public transport, taxis, or make other arrangements. We will know a couple of days before the audience whether the audience is at the Karmapa?s Monastery or at Norbulingka. Both are very close to each other so it won?t affect any of our plans.
The time of 3.00 pm for the audience has been confirmed, but there may be a bit of waiting time before His Holiness actually reaches the venue, as he is going to be busy in another conference from where he will excuse himself, just to meet us. Entry into the monastery may involve security checks and frisking, so we need to arrive well ahead of the designated time.
Please wear your ID Badges on this occasion too, and while travelling to the monastery.
Foreign Nationals please keep a photocopy of your Passports ready.
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7th June – Session I:
9.30 am ? 11.30 am Teachings by His Holiness
11.30 am ? 12.30 pm Lunch
Session II:
1.00 pm ? 3.00 pm Teachings by His Holiness
8th June – Session I:
9.30 am ? 11.30 am Teachings by His Holiness
11.30 am ? 12.30 pm Lunch
Session II:
1.00 pm ? 3.00 pm Teachings by His Holiness
Session III:
4.00 pm to 5.30 pm Talk and Interactive Session with Ven. Geshe Lhakdor,
Director, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA)
9th June – Session I:
9.30 am ? 11.30 am Teachings by His Holiness
11.30 am ? 12.30 pm Lunch
Session II:
1.00 pm ? 3.00 pm Q & A Session with His Holiness
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Notes to the schedule above:
1. Although the morning session is slated to begin at 9:30, His Holiness often likes to come early for the teaching and sometimes even begins the teaching by 9:00 am.
2. So the sponsoring groups (us) should take our seats by 8:30 am and the rest of the public by 9:00 am. Please note it may take you more than half an hour to go through security.
3. The sessions will begin each time with chanting in Sanskrit (on the 7th), Pali (8th) and Tibetan (9th).
4. During the teaching sessions with His Holiness tea would be served by the Namgyal monastery monks. Participants should carry their own mugs, cups.
5. Lunch would be served in a separate shamiana. No lunch coupons are needed. But your badges will serve as your lunch ticket. Only badge holders will be allowed to enter the lunch area.
6. His Holiness will teach in Tibetan. For the non-Hindi speakers, there will be a simultaneous English translation over FM radio. His Holiness will pause between sentences and paragraphs, and allow the Hindi translator who will be sitting close to him to directly translate into Hindi over the P.A. system. So only those who specifically need an English translation should get FM radios.
7. On the 9th His Holiness will have a Q & A session in the afternoon slot, but that will not be open to the public, only to the badge holding Indian Sangha.
8. ID badges will be issued to all the registered participants. (Please see details in the next section).
9. Mobiles, video and still cameras will not be allowed into the teaching area. So bring standalone FM radios. Do not depend on the FM apps on your mobiles. Please listen to the FM translation only through earphones. Repeat mobiles will not be allowed into the teaching area.
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More Information and Instructions
Protocol
Members from the sponsoring groups, have to escort His Holiness to his teaching seat before each session and escort him back to his car after the session.
For each session we therefore need 3 persons (taken from 3 different groups), to escort His Holiness and carrying the incense in front. The same three will be with him at the end of the session to leave him at his car or the entrance to his residence.
This protocol will not apply to the Q & A session, as this is not considered a religious aspect of the teaching programme.
So we have 5 sessions to plan for and that means 15 persons from the various groups would get a chance to be part of this ceremonial aspect of the teachings. We shall finalise this in consultation with the sangha leaders.
Co-ordination Office
Normally, the Namgyal Monastery, gives one of the rooms at the side of the teaching courtyard (there is a retreat room, a class room, etc.) to the sponsoring groups to setup as a temporary office. We shall be functioning from this office probably from the morning of 4th June. The issuing of badges, last minute registrations, co-ordination with our volunteers will be done from here.
ID Badges
The badges will be issued in three different colored cards (but same design) for three categories: Organisers, Team Leaders (we have so far been referring to them as Volunteers) and Participants.
The Authorised Signatory would be the group leaders. So for example, Anita Dudhane would be the authorised signatory for all the badge holders from the Goa Sngha. We will have one rubber stamp made, which would be stamped over the signature or the card-holders photograph.
The cards would have serial numbering, and we would be keeping track of which serial number card has been issued to which participant, and keep track of unused, non-issued and blank cards.
For those who have sent us all their details and photographs as requested, the cards will be prepared and ready to be picked up from the coordination office. For the others who will give us photographs at the last minute, we would have to coordinate with their team leaders in preparing the cards.
Photography, Videography, etc.
The Namgyal monastery would do a complete video filming as well as a Live Webcast of the teachings, which will also be available in downloadable form from the website, at a later stage. So we really do not need any official photographer or filming from our side. What we could do is to encourage all those who are unable to come for the teachings, all our friends around the world, to listen to the live webcast. We should provide the link through our various social media pages.
Donations and Offerings
There will be a Donation Box placed in a convenient location for those who wish to make donations in cash. If the amount you wish to donate is fairly large or you wish to make the payment by cheque, or if your offering is in kind or a gift, kindly contact the coordination office for guidance.
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Profile of Prof. SR Bhatt
A reputed & an eminent philosopher, Prof. SR Bhatt is considered an authority on Ancient Indian Culture, Buddhism, Jainism and Vedanta. His research areas include Indian Philosophy, Logic, Epistemology, Ethics, Value-theory, Philosophy of Education, Philosophy of Religion, Comparative Religion, Social and Political Thought etc.
Prof. Bhatt retired as Professor and the Head of the Department of Philosophy, University of Delhi. He was also the Coordinator of UGC Special Assistance Programme. He served as Professor and Head of the Dept. of Philosophy, MS University, Vadodara. He served as General President of Indian Philosophical Congress and Akhil Bharatiya Darshan Parishad (All India Philosophy Association).
Prof. Bhatt has lectured in many universities of different countries and is a member of several national and international associations. He is a Member of Board of Advisors and Regional Coordinator of Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, Washington D.C., USA, which has brought out more than 260 volumes on world cultures and civilizations.
Prof. Bhatt has authored and edited many books which include:
? Buddhist Thought and Culture in India and Korea (Ed.)
? Buddhist Thought and Culture in India and Japan (Ed.)
? Glimpses of Buddhist Thought and Culture (Ed.)
? Buddhist Epistemology
? The Philosophy of Pancharatra
? Value Theory and Business Ethics
? Knowledge, Culture and Value (Ed.)
? Reality, Knowledge and value (Ed.)
? Knowledge, Values and Education
? Applied Philosophy,
? The Concepts of Atman and Paramatma in Indian Thought
? Studies in Ramanuja Vedanta
? Vedic Wisdom, Cultural Inheritance and Contemporary Life
? Major Religions of the World
? Nyayamanjari of Jayanta Bhatta
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