At the invitation of the Conservancy for Tibetan Art and Culture in Washington, D.C., His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave a one-day teaching and commentary on the Eight Verses for Training the Mind to over five thousand Western and Tibetan students. These verses were transmitted to His Holiness when he was a small boy, and he has recited them every day since then as part of his personal practice.
His Holiness began the day by stressing the importance of implementing the teachings in daily life and went on to cover the complete fundamentals of Buddhist thought and practice. Then drawing from personal experience in working with these teachings, His Holiness gave a profound and succinct commentary on the entire Eight Verses.
The day concluded with the bestowal of the vow for the Generation of Bodhicitta, the heart-felt motivation to become enlightened in order to benefit all sentient beings.