Forum 2000

[Agape]

We've been to see H.H. Dalailama yesterday , friends and I , promised to take them along .. it's been very lovely, loving meeting ..

my iPhone 3Gs did not do a great job in the bright yellow light inside the room and I was nervous so I moved .

It's called an illusory semi-visible super stellar meeting in Boscolo hotel in Prague ,

although it took me little while to adjust to being on spot light after recent times

His Holiness greeted us with warm heart and handshakes .

Wish everyone could have his share of peace and humour ...


















http://www.forum2000.cz

FORUM 2000

About

Mission
The Forum 2000 Foundation pursues the legacy of Václav Havel by supporting the values of democracy and respect for human rights, assisting the development of civil society, and encouraging religious, cultural and ethnic tolerance. It provides a platform for global leaders, as well as thinkers and courageous individuals from every field of endeavor, to openly debate and share these critical issues.

Background
The Forum 2000 was founded in 1996 as a joint initiative of the late Czech President Václav Havel, Japanese philanthropist Yohei Sasakawa, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Elie Wiesel.

The Forum 2000 conferences and other events organized by the Forum 2000 Foundation are held in Prague, Czech Republic. Since 1997, Forum 2000 has organized sixteen annual conferences which have attracted a number of prominent thought leaders, Nobel laureates, former and acting politicians, business leaders and other individuals, whose common denominative is experience with bearing responsibility. Prince El Hassan bin Talal, Yohei Sasakawa, Frederik Willem de Klerk, Bill Clinton, Oscar Arias Sánchez, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Henry Kissinger, Shimon Peres, Mario Soares, Hana Suchocká, Shirin Ebadi, Sergey Kovalyov, Nicholas Winton, Madeleine Albright, and Wole Soyinka are just a few of those who have attended the Forum 2000 events.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpmLQi3Ggfc





I remember Malcolm has posted about this 'ancient puzzle game' last year before I left to India, in August, one of the last things I read on TOT that time. I found it in my library today ,
really love it .

Thanks Malc , many blessings

[Agape]

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N1Ko8SDZlc


This was one very beautiful anti-war song ..for Sarajevo


Lyrics
ENGLISH:
Across Galicia's fields the wind is cruel and grave
The last of what we had all the waters took away
Like swallows heading south, like a widows veil
We fly above the Earth - two letters in the mail
The fire is still burning, the wood kindles slow
But now its time to go to bed
Sarajevo lies in that valley below
That is where tomorrow we shall wed

In a simple church we'll bind before a priest
A wreath of tamarisk he'll then throw in a creek
And in the open sea the creek will end its flow
With heaven up above we'll be living down below

The fire is still burning, the wood kindles slow
But now its time to go to bed
Sarajevo lies in that valley below
That is where tomorrow we shall wed

I'll build for you a house made of solid stone
And beams of sturdy oak it will be our only home
So everyone will know that I loved to the end
I'll build strong and firm, forever it will stand


Makes me cry sometimes , what all had this planet and us seen already and it seems to take no end ..

[777]

Thank you for sharing Agape. May I ask if you feel that the HH part of his title is deserved having met him and perhaps experienced his energy up close?

[Spiral]

I'm a bit confused about this meeting, why were the likes of Kissinger & Clinton there ?













(I'll not get into the Prince El Hassan bin Talal is the antichrist stuff )

[Agape]

Thank you for sharing Agape. May I ask if you feel that the HH part of his title is deserved having met him and perhaps experienced his energy up close?

Er, Ben , what a good question from you .. now I know His Holiness for some 19 years , met him more closely first in 1994 in Dharamsala , there I came to hear what he has to say for the first time . Definitely, the atmosphere surrounding him has been always very 'authentic' and spiritually empowered . There has been strict protocol surrounding teachings and audiences in old days, I feel that has been loosened up a little bit to accommodate all those millions of curious visitors , students, kids, Tibetan refugees , people can still come and meet him.

He is most importantly 'Buddhist Master' which means, his mind is not lost in doubts and moods and petty concerns of whatever sort you may experience with other people . He is firm in his knowing and very intelligent thinker , open hearted and open minded .

I've received many sets of philosophical teachings, teachings on meditation and tantra from H.H. , he's true in what he knows and what he does . Full respect for him as a teacher ..


There are many people who go to 'watch ' his talks his teachings out of sheer curiosity and they certainly , do not go automatically away 'enlightened ' , especially those who were not quite ready ..
I think. Buddhist teachings are lots about psychology, logic , rather than miracles . Even the whole Yoga doctrine is more less a science if you wish to understand more, you have to approach it that way, head some sort of curriculum, take things step by step .

He can transform the energy of people tremendously, lift up moods , it just happens . Everyone starts smiling , feeling brighter ..well, till it hits another block of some stupid human emotions .

Generally, after many years I spent in Dharamsala, I'll probably always miss the atmosphere , it's part of me, I'm part of them . We feel much closer to each other back there than is possible here , and I can't quite recreate it at the moment .

I used to run meditation groups, give lectures now n then , so I was more among people years back,

now due to the Bodhgaya 2002 ET event and all that followed,

guess I had to give up on many illusions on what people are like when it comes to truth .

Shall I continue ...

[Agape]

I'm a bit confused about this meeting, why were the likes of Kissinger & Clinton there ?













(I'll not get into the Prince El Hassan bin Talal is the antichrist stuff )

I don't think they were there this year . I've attended the Forum 2000 as observer in 2007 , was it, with friends from Thai Embassy in Prague who happened to be Thai Ambassador and his wife , really good friends for long time, and we did not see either Hillary Clinton or Henry Kissinger, I think they'd miss us anyway ..


and I did not attend the forum this year, I'm not to puppet shows . Not to public lectures anymore either .


This was just small semi-private meeting .

[Agape]

I think also, not knowing how much time do I have left on this desolated planet, it was my only duty to go and report myself to my teacher .

I expected he may also kick me out like it happens now n then but didn't .

:unity:

[shamanseeker]

Hello Agape,

Could you please explain where you come from to someone like me who has missed your history? I would really appreciate it. Is the Dalai Lama your teacher or someone else?

I have always loved the Dalai Lama but then read some derogatory things about him.

I saw him in Milan about 3 years ago and went along. I found him compassionate, entertaining and he has a wonderful sense of humour. I've always wondered if the Americans managed to 'change' him when he went to visit but I'm sure that the Buddhist leaders know what they and the other Cabal and Illuminati are up to. I was touched during his meeting when he talked about loving the Middle Eastern people and how unfair it was that they were being blamed for 9/11. The Muslim leader in Italy was sitting in the front row, got up and he and the Dalai Lama embraced. It was a very sincere and moving moment.

However, at one point, the Dalai Lama seemed like he changed and started talking about what a wonderful thing it was that the European Union existed and I was really surprised. Then he seemed to snap out of it. It was almost like he was mind-controlled at that point.

I'd like to add that he says one of the truest things that anyone has said on this planet - that his religion is to be kind to each other. If we followed this one little bit of advice, the planet would be a paradise indeed.

I'd be grateful Agape if you could answer my points here. I am totally ignorant of your past and would love it if you could sum it up for those on the forum, like me, who know very little about you.

Thanking you in advance By the way, lovely photos!

[Agape]

This year there was Joan Baez ..but I don't think they let her sing ...

and Aung San Su Kyi .. speaking of democracy, I think, we're still all walking in old ragged shoes ..

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFZxBvUMlG0

[Eelco]

Hi,

I'd like to know more too.
I've been researching buddhism over the last view months. there are some different paths that flowed from the original teachings..
In that sense I think HH the Dalai Lama is the religious leader of one split off of buddhism. Mahayana buddhism that is. Next to that he was/is a political figure, being the ruler of the tibetan government in exile(please correct me if I am wrong).

By what I have seen of HH he seems sincere, but I feel is as much bound by social, religious and political strings as any leader..
I had started a thread on tot a few days ago called friendly buddhism where I linked to a pretty in depth study on how Tibet was run before the chinese occupation.
Not a very pretty picture. I don't think it says anything about the integrity of the current incarnation off the Dalai Lama by the way.

With Love
Eelco

[Agape]

Hello Agape,

Could you please explain where you come from to someone like me who has missed your history? I would really appreciate it. Is the Dalai Lama your teacher or someone else?

I have always loved the Dalai Lama but then read some derogatory things about him.

I saw him in Milan about 3 years ago and went along. I found him compassionate, entertaining and he has a wonderful sense of humour. I've always wondered if the Americans managed to 'change' him when he went to visit but I'm sure that the Buddhist leaders know what they and the other Cabal and Illuminati are up to. I was touched during his meeting when he talked about loving the Middle Eastern people and how unfair it was that they were being blamed for 9/11. The Muslim leader in Italy was sitting in the front row, got up and he and the Dalai Lama embraced. It was a very sincere and moving moment.

However, at one point, the Dalai Lama seemed like he changed and started talking about what a wonderful thing it was that the European Union existed and I was really surprised. Then he seemed to snap out of it. It was almost like he was mind-controlled at that point.

I'd like to add that he says one of the truest things that anyone has said on this planet - that his religion is to be kind to each other. If we followed this one little bit of advice, the planet would be a paradise indeed.

I'd be grateful Agape if you could answer my points here. I am totally ignorant of your past and would love it if you could sum it up for those on the forum, like me, who know very little about you.

Thanking you in advance By the way, lovely photos!

Hello Shamanseeker,

I thought I've seen you around previously ..or did you change your name, sometimes people take similar 'spirit minded' names ..

where do I come from, well that would be long story again and thanks for asking ..can I offer you link to Alex Reynolds radio interview for starters if you have not heard it yet , it may fit in and then there's whole bunch of links under there to follow ,
so follow the White Rabbit ..

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4GGoKCTynM


Here, the Bodhgaya Event Report : http://projectcamelotproductions.com...NALVERSION.pdf

If you open the pdf , you will also find my short bio at the start ..

What you have addressed is very plausible, it's I think more complicated for many people to understand where do Tibetan people 'come from' , literally or philosophically, they lived in completely different environment till some 60 years ago when Chinese 'liberation army' took over Tibet by force , they called this 'an agreement' but no way there was ever any agreement ,
H.H. Dalailama had to leave Tibet in disguise in 1959 , followed by many monks and ordinary people in the next decades,

they are now scattered as refugees in many countries, mostly in India of course who has the closest spiritual and cultural ties with Buddhist Tibet as we know it .

In my own eyes, their situation is not dissimilar to the one of Native American Tribes and many other ancient cultures who experienced either exodus or severe mistreatment in hands of 'modern conquistadors', trying to implement their version of 'modern society' over the old , to them useless and dysfunctional spiritual leadership ,
here the case being even more severe with the pressure of Chinese communist regime plotting very brute character assassination of all 'old-stylish' and to them it seems, intangible values, those intangible values including unfortunately ..human lives, human rights, freedom of religion , speech and what other freedoms to name .

Tibetan people had to embrace this very big lesson for humanity I believe, and start sharing what they preserved and cultivated in natural form for centuries and millennia ,
teachings on wisdom, loving kindness and compassion , meditation and many other till then 'secret teachings' , now being made openly available to the larger human contingent . If everyone on this Earth could understand even some of it, no matter whether they see themselves as Christians, Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists, Muslims or Jews , there would be peace ,

for as you have also noted, there is no other 'religion' than love . It's non-violence and compassion that makes the difference between a cultured being and a mere beast ruled by his instincts, fears and hatred .

The only thing that can truly repair the state of human matters is exactly cultivation of loving kindness, respect and education as basic human values, among else .

Without understanding each other , our history , connectedness of thoughts .. evolution is not possible.

So, even H.H. Dalailama learned to speak English to a good deal though he does not feel always comfortable about it and especially in old times, preferred keeping to his Tibetan language and legacy but his ordeal followed his depth,
in accordance with his teachings, I think he tries to deliver his messages in many ways , address problems of different cultures in manner more understandable to them but .. he did not change to either 'American Dalailama' or 'European Dalailama' , even though, I'm sure there's plenty of people who would prefer to see him that way .

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP93nwaEgNY

[The One]

Hello Agape,

Could you please explain where you come from to someone like me who has missed your history? I would really appreciate it. Is the Dalai Lama your teacher or someone else?

I have always loved the Dalai Lama but then read some derogatory things about him.

I saw him in Milan about 3 years ago and went along. I found him compassionate, entertaining and he has a wonderful sense of humour. I've always wondered if the Americans managed to 'change' him when he went to visit but I'm sure that the Buddhist leaders know what they and the other Cabal and Illuminati are up to. I was touched during his meeting when he talked about loving the Middle Eastern people and how unfair it was that they were being blamed for 9/11. The Muslim leader in Italy was sitting in the front row, got up and he and the Dalai Lama embraced. It was a very sincere and moving moment.

However, at one point, the Dalai Lama seemed like he changed and started talking about what a wonderful thing it was that the European Union existed and I was really surprised. Then he seemed to snap out of it. It was almost like he was mind-controlled at that point.

I'd like to add that he says one of the truest things that anyone has said on this planet - that his religion is to be kind to each other. If we followed this one little bit of advice, the planet would be a paradise indeed.

I'd be grateful Agape if you could answer my points here. I am totally ignorant of your past and would love it if you could sum it up for those on the forum, like me, who know very little about you.

Thanking you in advance By the way, lovely photos!

Also shamanseeker if you look on forum page there is a forum block to the right with agape discussing the Bodhgaya Event

[Agape]

Hi,

I'd like to know more too.
I've been researching buddhism over the last view months. there are some different paths that flowed from the original teachings..
In that sense I think HH the Dalai Lama is the religious leader of one split off of buddhism. Mahayana buddhism that is. Next to that he was/is a political figure, being the ruler of the tibetan government in exile(please correct me if I am wrong).

By what I have seen of HH he seems sincere, but I feel is as much bound by social, religious and political strings as any leader..
I had started a thread on tot a few days ago called friendly buddhism where I linked to a pretty in depth study on how Tibet was run before the chinese occupation.
Not a very pretty picture. I don't think it says anything about the integrity of the current incarnation off the Dalai Lama by the way.

With Love
Eelco

Well, you know , according to me.. true teachers of humanity do not let the differences , either in school of thought, or political agendas rule and ruin their moral profile and corrupt their teachings accordingly .

Conventionally, and historically of course, as Buddhism took off in various times and countries it split to schools and forms, whether they are Mahayana or Theravada, Vajrayana or Zen , they all formerly originate at one Buddha who taught more than 80 millions of sutras to his various disciples , the so called Tripitaka in either Pali or Sanskrit or later translated to many other languages , including Chinese and Tibetan is indeed very 'thick file' .
Buddha himself was heard to say that no matter how many 'teachings' come from his mouth they could be all inscribed to one tree leaf ..and teachings of 'other Buddhas' in Space and ( I 'm sure he meant , on this Earth ) would fill the remaining countless leaves ..

that means to say Buddhist teachings were about 'common and uncommon wisdom' rather than about adherence to particular sect or person.

There are sects and schools evolving around everything, as in our times, people create organisations and seminars, so they did that times as well.

Taoists created sects, not sure Old Master would support such a thing . It's not something to dwell upon seriously, it's a source to learn from and cross , they say , use the teaching like a boat to cross the river , cross its own meaning , then you can find the truth by researching it,

not by 'following it' .


With much love and peace to you..

more later


E

[Eelco]

In a perfect world, I'd have to agree.

This is not a perfect world however.
And in the study mentioned above there do seem to come up some differences in how I persieved the Tibetan occupational tragedy and the way the country was run before the chinese did their thing. (http://jandeane81.com/threads/122-Friendly-buddhism)
The differences between Mahayana(which I don't know that wel), Zen(which I know a little better) and theravada(which is the one i have taken a more thorough look at the last few weeks/months) Seem to be there. And from my observation do colour the view in which to read or understand the Tripitaka. Even though they share the same source.

From what I gather at some point it was even considered to learn and study the many commentaries instead of the original text (which by the way were (like the bible) written after the buddha died as i am sure you know). Maybe not as long after the fact, but the perfect memory 500 arahants were supposed to have in those days do not reflect the memorie capabilities I see in todays (self) proclaimed arahants. which don't seem to be that perfect.

So being the through experience more causcious person. I hold some reserves to the way the teachings are brought to us.
Although slowly i am trodding some first steps along theravadan lines..
Not saying by the wat That that one is the best or better than any of the others. But for now it seems to make for a better fit to the person I am.

With Love
Eelco

[Eelco]

Well, you know , according to me.. true teachers of humanity do not let the differences , either in school of thought, or political agendas rule and ruin their moral profile and corrupt their teachings accordingly .

I am not saying the Dalai Lama is corrupting the teachings.. That is not what I meant.
Like I said from what I have seen I believe he is sincere in they way he practises what he teaches..

With Love
Eelco