Dalai Lama on the Oneness of Humanity

Guwahati, Assam, India, 3 April 2017 - The unsettled weather of the last few days continued as His Holiness the Dalai Lama set off this morning from Guwahati. Thunder rolled and lightning flashed in the distance as he drove to the airport. The consequent turbulence made the flight to Dibrugarh a little bumpy, but it landed safely and on time.

His Holiness was received on arrival at the Dibrugarh University campus at Rangghar by the Vice-Chancellor Prof Alak Kr Buragohain and Shri Chandan Sarma, Coordinator of the Buddhist Study Centre. Together they lit a lamp to inaugurate the occasion. As he took his seat on the stage with the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar, Prof M N Dutta, His Holiness invited a senior member of the Buddhist Sangha to join them.

Following the Vice-Chancellor’s welcoming introduction, His Holiness addressed 1100 students and faculty.

“Today, it’s important to acknowledge the oneness of humanity. There may be human beings in other galaxies, but we have no connection with them so there’s nothing we can do for them. Similarly, we may feel sympathy for the animals with which we share this planet, but there is not much we can do for them either. However, the other human beings around us we can communicate with because we have language in common. As human beings we are physically, mentally and emotionally the same. We really are like brothers and sisters.

“Developing compassion for others brings inner strength contributing to our own inner peace. This automatically reduces fear. This is important because fear and stress can lead to frustration, which in turn can lead to anger and violence. It’s not enough to say that violence is destructive, to prevent it we must address its causes, which very often are fear and anger.

“The natural counterforce to fear is friendship which depends entirely on trust, which in turn depends on a feeling of closeness, the sense that as human beings we are all the same. This is what I try to practise and share with other people. Whenever I speak in public I greet my audience as brothers and sisters. Differences of religion, colour, profession, family background, whether we are rich or poor, people of faith or non-believers, belonging to this nationality or that nationality are secondary in the context that we are all human beings.

“Many of the problems we face today we bring upon ourselves because we focus on these secondary differences between us. We cling to the idea of my nation, my religion, my community, that we are rich while they are poor. This creates a strong sense of ‘us’ and ‘them’. The only remedy is to remind ourselves that we are all the same as human beings. We need to remember the oneness of humanity.”

His Holiness recommended that people ask themselves if there is any value in violence. It destroys our peace of mind. It ruins the peace and harmony within the family and then within the wider community. And yet violence proliferates. The 20th century saw two world wars, the Korean War and the Vietnam war. As a result some historians say 200 million people met violent deaths. His Holiness remarked that if this immense violence had resulted in a better world some people might say it had been justified, but there is no evidence to bear this out.

“In today’s world we face increasing natural disasters, including earthquakes, due to the effects of climate change. Yesterday in Guwahati I attended the Namimi Brahmaputra Festival celebrating the sacredness of that great river, but we know it also has a tendency to flood. Because of global warming the Himalayan glaciers are melting and less snow is falling. In Dharamsala, where I live, there is much less snow than when I arrived more than 50 years ago. In the meantime, the human population continues to increase and the gap between rich and poor continues to grow. We must find ways to raise the living standards of the poor. We must also find ways to make better use of scarce resources.

“To do this we human beings must work together. We need to share our responsibilities in order to save our planet and create a happier humanity. Thinking of others in terms of ‘us’ and ‘them’ is out of date. This is why I am committed to promoting a sense of the oneness of our human family. Wherever I go I remind people that we are all the same as human beings. The time has come to make an effort to understand that our future depends on others. In our own interest we must be concerned about others and take care of them. This is the wise way to ensure our self-interest. Neglecting others and thinking only of yourself is a foolish way to approach self-interest.

“All the world major religious traditions convey a message of love and compassion, just as here in the land of ahimsa we talk of maitri and karuna. Despite their different philosophical views all these traditions are dedicated to encouraging a sense of love and compassion.

“Love and compassion are a source of inner peace and scientific research shows that a healthy mind contributes to physical well-being. Since we all wish to live in a happy and peaceful world, we should do what we can to make this 21st century a period of peace. The starting point is for individuals to create inner peace within themselves, this is how to make this a compassionate century. And it is those of you who belong to the 21st century generation who need to make this happen. Our hopes for the future rest on you.”

Turning his attention to the drawbacks of contemporary education His Holiness stressed the need for it to incorporate human values. He expressed regret that  education today is oriented towards material goals. He suggested that one solution is for modern education to be combined with an understanding of our inner world. He disclosed that one of his commitments is to trying to revive the ancient Indian knowledge of the workings of the mind and emotions. As more and more Indians show interest in this he feels encouraged, because India may be the only place where modern education could be combined with ancient knowledge leading to peace of mind.

Taking questions from the audience His Holiness was asked about the future of non-violence when violence continues to be rife across the world. He replied that humanity has changed. During the early 20th century when nations declared war their citizens unhesitatingly joined the war effort. This has changed. His Holiness reported that his physics tutor Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker told him that after centuries of considering each other arch enemies, France and Germany decided to work together. After the Second World War DeGaulle and Adenauer created what has become the European Union, placing community welfare ahead of narrow national interest. This, he said, is a sign of human maturity. Similarly, Japan, whose conduct in the war was quite ruthless, has become a leading nation opposed to the use of force, especially the deployment of nuclear weapons. He suggested these were grounds for being optimistic.

Regarding the introduction of ethics into contemporary education His Holiness reported that at the end of this month he will attend a meeting in Delhi of interested parties who have been developing a curriculum to this end. It seeks to teach values based on common experience, common sense and scientific findings. Once the draft curriculum is agreed there will follow a period to observe how it works in practice.

His Holiness warned that if the present education system continues unchanged, focussed largely on material goals, we will ensure that future generations are only interested in money and power. His aim is to introduce ethics with a universal appeal.

Asked about his recollections of reaching Tawang and Tezpur in 1959, he said they were very clear.

“Once I crossed the border the people from Tawang gave me a very warm welcome. Local officials also took care of me under instructions from the Government of India. When I reached Tezpur, I gave my first official statement to the large number of media people who had gathered there.

“Yesterday I met an old soldier from the Assam Rifles, one of those who escorted me down from the border. He is now 78 years old and although I am actually older than him, I thought he looked older than me. I was very moved to meet him again and gave him a hug. Since arriving here 58 years ago, I have become the longest-staying guest of the Indian Government. I lost my country and the Tibetans who remain there are bereft of happiness, but here in India Tibetan refugees and I have found a new freedom.”

His Holiness was invited to lunch with the Vice-Chancellor and other senior officials of the University. After that he met with almost 500 Tibetans from the Miao and Tezu settlements before flying back to Guwahati.

Original link & photos http://dalailama.com/news/post/1553-visit-to-dibrugarh-university

Dalai Lama & Secular Ethics

New Delhi, India, 7 April 2016 - To start the day in Delhi this morning, His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave an interview to Sonia Singh of NDTV Dialogues before an audience of Indian and Tibetan students. It will be broadcast first tonight. Topics included what he had learned from Nehru, the prospects for his reincarnation and whether he still hopes to see Tibet again in this life.

For the remainder of the day His Holiness participated in a meeting convened to hear and discuss results of the first steps to implement guidelines from a curriculum entitled ‘Secular Ethics in Education’ compiled and published by the Emory-Tibet Partnership towards the end of 2015. Prof Meenakshi Thapan introduced the occasion recalling that His Holiness has emphasized the importance of warm-heartedness in education stating that compassion is a core educational ideal. She noted that his stressing a secular approach is particularly attractive.

She explained that teachers who had shown an interest in trying out the new material had been advised to see how two modules - Emotional Awareness and Forgiveness - would work in practice. She requested His Holiness to address the gathering and he opened with words of gratitude:

”First, I would like to thank you for taking these issues seriously and for attending this meeting. Right now we’re all comfortable here together and yet in other parts of the world people are killing each other - the violence is unthinkable. Meanwhile millions of children are dying of starvation, while elsewhere preparations go ahead to prepare ever more dangerous weapons. The urge to employ violence is very much alive. Corruption thrives and the gap between rich and poor continues to grow. Here in Delhi some people enjoy fine facilities, while there are beggars on the street. Is there any way to change our habituated ways of thinking?

“Fortunately, as a result of experiments, scientists have concluded that basic human nature is positive. At the same time there are findings that suggest that constant anger, fear and suspicion undermine our immune system. We all share the common experience of our mother’s giving birth to us. This is even true of ruthless dictators. Without their mother’s love and affection they too would not have survived. Since scientists conclude that basic human nature is kind and affectionate, there is hope.

“By deploying our intelligence we can expand and develop our education. We can look into the value of warm-heartedness and enquire whether anger has any worth. We can extend our natural sense of warm-heartedness by applying our intelligence. We need to learn about our emotions and develop a kind of emotional hygiene. My friend Paul Ekman has been working on developing a map of emotions to help us do this. Many other scientists used to be sceptical that there was any mind apart from the workings of the brain, but their understanding has changed. They have discovered neuroplasticity. This meeting here is not an academic forum so much as an opportunity to discuss how we can change the world.”

Representatives of the team at Emory University, who compiled the draft curriculum on secular ethics, spoke about their work. Geshe Lobsang Tenzin cited the reference in the World Happiness Report 2016 Update to what His Holiness has said about the need for a secular ethics. Jennifer Knox showed how examining responses to different photographs of people can help teach us about the judgements we make. She illustrated this with two different photos of Kelly Gissendaner, an American woman who was executed in September 2015, after many years on death row. She suggested there is a need for trust to be able to change habituated ways of thinking.

His Holiness remarked that learning about inner values affects students. It is our common experience that when we are more compassionate our minds are calmer. Geshe Lobsang Tenzin noted that there are now ways to measure competency in relation to developing compassion.

Teachers from Springdales School, Pusa Road, Convent of Jesus and Mary, GD Goenka Public School, Ghaziabad, Bal Bharti Public Schools, Pusa Road and Rohini and Rishi Valley School, Andhra Pradesh made presentations of their experiences and findings during the pilot study of the secular ethics curriculum. Most of them are working with younger children and had opted to work with the module on Forgiveness of Others. They described using story-telling and role play to lead children to reaching their own understanding of forgiveness and its role in conflict resolution. One eight year old was quoted as saying, “When I say sorry I'm happy because a burden is lifted from my heart.”

His Holiness described the reported findings as ‘wonderful work’. Ven Tenzin Priyadarshi spoke about the work of The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT and the potential for use of technological tools, gaming and apps. He remarked that we don’t want so much to teach values as to teach with values. On a practical point, it was noted that taking time for reflection was important for children and teachers alike to process and digest what had been learned.

Summing up the morning Meenakshi Thapan said that values had to be part of what is going on in the school. Where the good student has previously been the achiever in terms of grades, now a different model emerges. It was found that the curriculum needed to more flexible and less didactic. The project clearly requires taking a more holistic view. She concluded by asking how the curriculum conveys the idea of the good human being we are trying to be.

After a break for lunch His Holiness began the afternoon session:

“The long term purpose of our meeting is to examine how to create a more peaceful world through education and awareness. We need inner peace and we need joy. We need to introduce emotional awareness from an academic point of view. Everyone wants to live in a peaceful world, but it’s necessary to understand that what destroys peace is anger and hatred. This is why the long term goal is to create inner peace within individuals, so contributing to a more compassionate humanity.”

He mentioned that the curriculum in its present form is only a draft. It needs to be tried and tested, the results observed and the content, if necessary, amended. If it is successful it can be implemented more widely. If further meetings can be convened to exchange findings and experience a natural evolution will take place.

On behalf of the Foundation for Universal Responsibility Rajiv Mehrotra described projects to cultivate peace within and without - peace building, non-violence and co-existence, as well as ethics and education. His Holiness responded that he would like to see the Foundation extend the scope of its activities to other parts of India and neighbouring countries. He remarked that although he has several hands to help him, the time has come for those hands to be active. There is an urgent need to act now, to start now.

Dr Meenakshi Gopinath introduced a presentation of the activities of Wiscomp - Women in Security, Conflict Management Peace - but also wisdom and compassion. Wiscomp has been involved effectively in mediation and reconciliation of the Indo-Pak conflict and the troubles in Kashmir.

In the concluding discussion Geshe Lobsang Tenzin pointed out that the material for the curriculum had largely been drawn from His Holiness’s work such as ‘Ethics for a New Millennium’ and ‘Beyond Religion’. Ven Priyadarshi stressed the need to make ethics appealing and relevant. Geshe Lhakdor suggested there was a need to examine what are the obstacles to secular ethics in the 21st century. He also noted that most of the conversation had related to the aspects of method with little consideration of the discerning awareness or wisdom aspects. Naresh Mathur passed on the observation of a friend involved with the Aurobindo Ashram and working with integral values that the curriculum in its present form is too prescriptive. Geshe Ngawang Samten concurred with need for a more holistic approach.

In his conclusion His Holiness suggested that the important thing at this point is to try the ideas out and observe the results. When he proposed meeting again in a year, Meenakshi Thapan intervened and suggested that more frequent workshops in the coming weeks would be a more effective way of maintaining momentum and building on what has been learned so far.

The meeting was concluded with a vote of thanks acknowledging everyone who had participated and supported this ground breaking occasion.

Original link & photos http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1380-meeting-on-secular-ethics-curriculum

Dalai Lama Gives Public Audience for Foreigners in Dharamsala

Dharamsala, HP, India, 28 May 2014 - It was comfortably warm in McLeod Ganj today when His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave the second public audience in recent weeks, attended by approximately 1500 people from 62 countries, including 300 Indians. His Holiness walked from his office down to the Tsuglagkhang courtyard where people had been organized in national or regional groups. He posed for photographs, shook hands and exchanged greetings with the many well-wishers.

Once photographs had been taken he went up into the Tsuglagkhang to pay his respects while the crowd rearranged themselves to be ready to listen to him. He began by saying that he had recently decided to revive his custom of periodically meeting with the public and visitors to Dharamsala.

“We are all the same,” he said, “physically, mentally and emotionally. We all want to lead a happy life and we have a right to do so.”

He spoke about how in a materialistic world many people depend on sensory experiences to be happy, but that such experiences are short-lived. He said that developing inner peace is more effective. Conceding that we are all driven by self-interest he said:

“The key is to follow self-interest wisely by developing concern for others rather than foolishly being only concerned for ourselves.”

In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition the knowledge involved in such mental training derives from the traditions that flourished at Nalanda University in India. He expressed gratitude to the ancient Indians who he regards as Tibet’s gurus, while urging contemporary Indians to keep up their longstanding practice of ahimsa, non-violence and the remarkable inter-religious harmony that derives from a respectful secular approach to spiritual traditions.

When answering several questions from the audience he affirmed that no matter how troublesome the world around us may be, it is always wiser to resolve conflict through non-violence and dialogue. Asked how friends can support Tibetans he said the Tibetan cause is a just cause, so to support it is to support justice. He said he sometimes characterizes the situation as a struggle between the power of the gun and the power of truth. In the short term, the gun seems stronger and more effective, but in the long term it is the power of truth that prevails. He expressed optimism that the present younger generation, who belong to the 21st century, will be able to shape a happier, more peaceful world.

Original link and photos: http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1132-public-audience-for-foreigners-in-dharamsala

Dalai Lama Speaks to Youth on Compassion & Love in Germany

DHARAMSHALA, September 21: Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama, currently in the last leg of his ten - day Europe tour said that Children of twenty-first century should resolve conflicts and problems through dialogue instead of resorting to violence.

In Hanover, Germany, the Dalai Lama met with school students, spoke to the press and gave public talks on ‘Young People’s Contribution to a Peaceful World’ and ‘Ethics for the Young Generation and Strength through Compassion and Solidarity’.

His Holiness visited Wunstorf, a small town of 40,000 people and met with the Mayor of Wunstorf, Rolf Axel Eberhardt and his wife on Thursday. He then travelled to nearby Steinhude on the southern shore of Lake Steinhude, where he was the guest of the local school meeting in a large marquee.

“You need education, but you also need a vision for the future,” said the 78 year Nobel Laureate. “It (education) should also involve instructions about our minds and emotions. The world has become smaller and what happens in one place has repercussions in another. Among the 7 billion human beings alive today we have many problems, including violence and war, which are man-made problems.”

His Holiness also shared his childhood life and his relation with his parents. His Holiness also noted the importance of learning ethics or moral values in education courses.

Later in the day, His Holiness then gave a public talk to over 4000 people at Badainsel Steinhude, where the Tibetan leader said that love and compassion are important for human beings to live together.

“Some people consider the practice of love and compassion is only related to religious practice and if they are not interested in religion they neglect these inner values. But love and compassion are qualities that human beings require just to live together.”

His Holiness then explained that one need to have tolerance and patience to protect the sense of compassion.

“Sometimes people take these qualities to be signs of weakness. But they’re not, he said. “Anger is a sign of weakness. Genuine compassion and self-confidence are based on deep inner strength, which is expressed through tolerance and forgiveness.”

His Holiness then visited the Vietnamese Vien Giac Monastery. He said that the teaching of the Buddha, whether in the west or east, remains the same although the cultural trappings may change. "But it is the teaching we should pay attention to rather than the culture," he said in his answer to a question by one of the Vietnamese devotees.

He then proceeded to the Hanover Airport from where he flew back to India.

Original article with photos:
http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?article=Dalai+Lama+speaks+to+youth+on+compassion+and+love+in+Germany&id=34022