Alex Rogers
Time
March 6, 2014
In the Tibetan spiritual leader’s first time addressing the chamber, he recalled one of his favorites to deliver the opening prayer on the Senate floor: “Speak or act with a pure mind, and happiness will follow you like a shadow that never leaves”
The Dalai Lama delivered the opening prayer on the Senate floor Thursday morning, the first time the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader spoke in the Senate.
Firstly, as usual, I am Buddhist Monk, so pray to Buddha and all other gods. [Speaking in foreign tongue] The first sentence I’ll read. Now my broken English. The pronunciation may not be correct, at least not American pronunciation.
With our thoughts, we make our world. Our mind is central and precedes our deeds. Speak or act with a pure mind, and happiness will follow you like a shadow that never leaves. The second sentence. [Speaking in foreign tongue] May there be joy in the world with harvest and spiritual rest. May every good fortune come to be and may all our wishes be fulfilled. [Speaking in foreign tongue] This is my favorite prayer. Daily I pray this. That gives me inner strength. So I am asking to serve humanity. As long as space remains and as long as sentient beings remain, until then may I too, remain and help dispel the misery of the world. Thank you.
After the prayer, the Dalai Lama watched on as senators recited the pledge of allegiance. “I know I speak for the entire Senate family when I express our gratitude for the prayer in the Senate and his words of encouragement and his blessing,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said.
