September 11th marks a day of somber remembrance for most of humanity. Yet, while the other side of the globe was looking towards the past to commemorate a moment in history that shook the world, in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh and Datia, Madhya Pradesh, India, a different commemoration was taking place with the aspiration of looking at the present in the light of Dharma.

Once in Datia, His Holiness was ushered to take His place at the center of a stage that stood over a crowd so large it seemed to flood out more than 100 meters from the gathering hall blending into the surrounding rural community.

The ceremony began with traditional Tibetan prayers led by His Holiness Karmapa, Lodro Rinpoche (General Secretary), Nendo Rinpoche (Dorje Lopon) and Solpon Tsultrim Namgyal, with offerings of incense and khatas (silk scarves) to an altar containing a statue of The Buddha and a picture of the revered “Babasaheb” Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

Afterward, prayers continued in the Theravada Buddhist tradition led by the Venerable Anand Deo Mahathero.

Demand from the large assembly of media representatives for His Holiness’ attention was so high that, before His speech, The Karmapa consented to a brief press conference in a room just outside the meeting hall.

Once His Holiness was seated, the private room began to fill with journalists, some traveling from as far as 400 km to speak with Him, with cameras, notebooks and microphones in hand, eager to seize the opportunity to ask the Karmapa an array of questions appropriate to the subject matter of the conference (The Relevance of Buddhism in The Present World). Of course, due to recent current events in India, the hot topic of political corruption and terrorism was on the tip of everyone’s tongues.

The Karmapa made sure to be clear that “a line should be drawn” between “spirituality” and politics, explaining that He himself has never studied political science and has devoted His life purely to spiritual matters. He went on to explain the difference between the “two paths” and how one can never achieve the intended result from the spiritual path nor the political path so long as they are intertwined. The Karmapa further stated that the word “politics” in and of itself is not a negative word and the role of politics is intended to be for the betterment of a society. His Holiness later went on to explain that Buddhism, which the Karmapa described as “a way of life rather than a religion” can be used as a guideline in the ethical execution of political responsibilities, much like Dr. Ambedkar had done in his time. His Holiness Karmapa eventually chose to pass off any further inquiry on the topic of Buddhism and politics by sharing, “If anyone is interested, my teacher, His Holiness Shamar Rinpoche, has written a great book on this very topic called Creating a Transparent Democracy, in which He used His vast knowledge of Buddhist ethics and philosophy to propose a new system of democratic governance that eliminates the possibility of corruption.”

The Karmapa spoke about the genuine possibility of achieving “what the Buddha achieved” if one dedicates themselves to the Dharma, pointing out that in these modern times our greatest difficulty is simply finding the time in our busy lives to do so. His Holiness candidly admitted that He too is not free from the restrictions of time and expressed His wish to visit more holy places of Buddhist pilgrimage in India, which, as He explained, are sources of “great inspiration”.

His Holiness Karmapa then returned to the stage to give His concluding speech as Chief Guest of the conference, summing up the topic of the relevance of Buddhism in the present world, “In general, spirituality brings balance in everyone’s lives. Therefore, throughout the millennia there have been many spiritual philosophies and religions to offer this balance. For the modern world, Buddhism not only offers temporary relief from mankind’s confusion, but a permanent one as well.”