Four Noble Truths:

Over 2,500 years ago the Buddha achieved complete enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, in Bodhgaya, India. Born as a prince named Siddhartha, the would-be Buddha abandoned a life of luxury and became an ascetic in search of truth. After six years of rigorous ascetic practice and meditation, he found what he was looking for. After that, Siddhartha was known as the Buddha, which means, “the awakened one.”

The very first teaching the Buddha gave was on what he called “The Four Noble Truths.” The four noble truths are: 1) the noble truth of suffering, 2) the noble truth of the origin of suffering; 3) the noble truth of the cessation of suffering; and 4) the noble truth of the path. The Buddha taught that life is affected by suffering, and that this suffering is caused by delusion and the “afflictive” emotions of grasping and aversion. Fortunately, however, by practicing the path that the Buddha outlined and by training our minds through skillful means and wisdom we too can become free from suffering.

All of the teachings of Buddhism can be encapsulated in its two most fundamental concepts: interdependence and non-violence.

A Path to Happiness & Peace:

Every being, from a tiny ant to the largest elephant, desires happiness and avoids suffering. Almost everyone now agrees that the material development alone cannot bring real happiness and peace in the world. Only if we fill in the gap with spiritual development then there is the possibility of finding a path to genuine happiness and peace. All Buddhist teachings, known as the Dharma, are about helping us to do this, and we need to practice the Dharma as faithfully and devotedly as we can.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama always says that he has three commitments to accomplish in his teaching: promotion of human value; promotion of religious harmony; and the resolution of the Tibetan issue. In order to promote human value he emphasizes love, compassion, tolerance, forgiveness and good heart—which he calls “secular ethics” or "universal responsibility." In this public talk His Holiness, most probably, will provide us with the nuts and bolts of how to be a happy, compassionate and kindhearted person even in this wired-up and stressful world.