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In August 1991 The Tibet Center and The Gere Foundation were greatly honored to host His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New York City for two weeks of teachings. The teachings took place at Madison Square Garden and culminated in the Kalachakra initiation, one of the most important rituals of Tibetan Buddhism.

Kalachakra means “wheel of time.” The wheels of time kept turning, and while in India in the spring of 1997, we invited His Holiness to return to New York in order to commemorate the 1991 initiation. His Holiness accepted immediately, and a time was set for his visit, though no specific topic for his teaching was chosen.

We met with His Holiness again a year later. At that time there was a great deal of discussion on the subject he would address. Initially we had requested that he teach about emptiness, the most profound and challenging subject in Buddhist philosophy. However, on further consideration, we felt there would be greater benefit in choosing a more general teaching, one that would provide an overview of the Buddhist path but would also prove accessible to those of different spiritual persuasions. Feeling that listeners would benefit from a teaching on the bodhisattva’s way of life, His Holiness chose to combine Kamalashila’s Stages of Meditation and Togmay Sangpo’s The Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas.

The three days of teachings were held at the Beacon Theatre on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, before 3,000 people. Out of respect for the doctrine he was imparting, His Holiness delivered the teachings seated on a throne. Many in the audience made the traditional prostrations and symbolic offerings as part of the formal request for instruction.

Following these three days at the Beacon Theatre, His Holiness gave a more public and less formal talk in Central Park. Organizing this event proved a daunting enterprise that involved the cooperation of countless city, state, and federal officials and agencies. Hundreds of volunteers selflessly gave of themselves.

Finally, the Sunday morning of the talk arrived. We rather anxiously drove His Holiness from his hotel to the East Meadow, just off Fifth Avenue and Ninety-eighth Street, where he would enter Central Park. His Holiness asked how many people were expected. We told him we would be delighted with 15,000 to 20,000, but we simply didn’t know.

As we made our way up Madison Avenue to the site, we strained to look up the side streets to see if there was any sign of people. As we approached Eighty-sixth Street, we began to see the crowded sidewalks and people moving toward the park.

We took His Holiness to the holding tent behind the stage and went to peek through the curtain. We were overwhelmed to see that the entire East Meadow was filled beyond capacity. It was a beautiful and thrilling sight. We later learned that more than 200,000 people had peacefully gathered there. The area was filled with blessings. The rain that had been falling earlier had stopped. With a massive sound system and video monitor ready to project his teachings to the enormous crowd, His Holiness stepped onto a stage decorated with flowers and a single wooden chair placed in the center.

His Holiness chose to speak in English. Through his simple style he inspired all present to engage in virtuous ways. Surely, many of those present generated bodhicitta, the aspiration to attain full enlightenment in order to help others. We might imagine that upon returning home, all in attendance shared the experience with family and friends, thereby inspiring even more virtuous thoughts and actions. Others read about the event or saw it on television. Consequently, millions of people generated good thoughts as a result of that morning in Central Park.

According to Buddhist belief, countless Buddhas and bodhisattvas witnessed the virtuous thoughts generated by all those congregated in Central Park. We believe that the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of all directions would then have prayed that these good thoughts not dissipate and that all these beings progress along their spiritual paths.

When His Holiness completed his teaching, we prayed that, as a result of the virtue accrued by this event, Maitreya, the future Buddha, would be born and manifest his attainment of enlightenment, that the intellect of all present would blossom into wisdom and that all their needs would be satisfied. We prayed that Maitreya might be so pleased, he would place his right hand on each person’s head and predict the imminence of his or her supreme enlightenment.

As we drove away from Central Park, His Holiness thanked us for having arranged this event, and we in turn expressed our gratitude...

... The subject of His Holiness’s talk, Eight Verses on Training the Mind, is a very high Buddhist practice. Traditionally a teaching of this kind would not have been given publicly, and surely not to such a large audience. We were overjoyed that so many people had come to listen, though we also realized that the material was dense and challenging. How many of us would be able to implement his wise words?

A special mention must be made of Rato Geshe Nicholas Vreeland’s effort in editing His Holiness’s teachings from the three days at the Beacon Theatre and the talk in Central Park. Much of the material is quite advanced, some well beyond the understanding of a general audience. When discussing these inherent difficulties, His Holiness told Nicholas to “follow your nose” while being mindful not to distort the profundity and purity of the teachings. Nicholas has succeeded glowingly. The merit of this book is his.

But most of all, we wish to thank His Holiness the Dalai Lama for continuing to give these precious teachings. May this book help tame the minds and open the hearts of all beings.

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