Dalai Lama at Press Conference for Global Launch of SEE Learning

Press Conference for the Global Launch of SEE Learning
April 4, 2019

New Delhi, India - His Holiness the Dalai Lama is in Delhi for the Global Launch of the Social, Emotional and Ethical Learning (SEEL) program developed at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. However, to begin with today, he met with Venkat Krishnan the founder of Daan Utsav - Festival of Giving - who requested him to give a message to all who will participate in the Joy of Giving Week 2-8 October this year. Krishnan told him, “We want people to realize that having compassion for others doesn’t make you sad, it makes you happy.” His Holiness replied, “We are social animals who biologically need karuna or compassion and as long as we have compassion, we’ll be physically and mentally fit. This is something scientists now recognize. Encouraging more people to experience this is the best way to create happy individuals, families, communities and in fact a happier humanity.

“The Joy of Giving Festival is important because during that time we are reminded of karuna; but actually we need to keep it up the whole year round.”

Next he met with about 80 students and teachers from South Asian countries, who represent 300 students who have been taking part in workshops about universal values and secular ethics. Rajiv Mehrotra, Secretary of the Foundation for Universal Responsibility, which has organized the workshops, gave an introduction.

He said the aim had been to strengthen young people’s capacity to develop compassion, universal responsibility and a respect for diversity. Students from South Asia were encouraged to embrace positions that were acceptable to faith traditions and agnostics alike, engaging with issues across religious and ethnic divides. He pointed out that because of differences in individuals’ receptivity immersion programs were necessary to enhance transformative change.

Mehrotra described education in inner values as a lifelong process and suggested that schools and colleges can function as places of healing that can prevent the growth of hatred and fear. They can instead become places of true development.

“When I received the Nobel Peace Prize,” His Holiness responded, “I gave half the prize money to Baba Amte to support the excellent work he was doing to help lepers in his ashram. The other half I gave to the Foundation for Universal Responsibility and asked Rajiv to take action—with this program, among others, he has. Young children don’t care about differences of religion or nationality. But once they enter the education system they learn to emphasise such differences. Meanwhile, education today doesn’t have much to say about inner values.

“Nevertheless, this country has longstanding traditions of ahimsa and karuna, non-violence and compassion. And the practices of shamatha and vipashyana have given rise to an understanding of how to train the mind. Modern education does a wonderful job of providing for material development, but neglects this other aspect of human knowledge.

“Much of the suffering in the world today is of our own creation. Everybody wants to be happy and no one wants to be miserable. Having a few people exercising power and exploiting the majority is a hangover from feudal times, and yet we live in a largely democratic world in which power belongs to the people. In such a world it’s immoral to order others to go and fight. Differences between people need to be solved through dialogue because we live in a global community. We take part in a global economy and we all face the challenge of climate change.

“Discarding weapons, we must adopt a non-violent approach following the Indian traditions of ahimsa and karuna. We need to learn from kindergarten onwards how to tackle destructive emotions and how to combine an understanding of the workings of the mind and emotions with modern education. If this can be achieved in India, others may follow.”

His Holiness told a young Afghan woman who wanted to know how religion can help us work for peace that the key lies in education; that is what will be most effective. A young man from Kathmandu, Nepal heard that acting with compassion counters loneliness and makes you happy. A Bangladeshi student learned that since negative emotions are based on ignorance, the remedy is to develop wisdom understanding reality. His Holiness advised a young Sri Lankan woman that sometimes following secular values is the most effective course.

When a young Kashmiri asked the spiritual meaning of freedom, His Holiness noted that the problems in Kashmir arose out of the partition of the country. He recalled historical links between Tibet and Kashmir. “Keep up your determination,” he advised, “but don’t get too bogged down in emotions. Be realistic. Look at problems you face from different angles. Try to distinguish appearance from reality.’

His Holiness advised a young woman from Manipur, North-east India, who wanted to know how cultivate peace within herself, to read Shantideva’s ‘Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life’. He told her to pay attention to the instruction to exchange selfish attitudes for concern for others because if you remain selfish, others will seem like adversaries, whereas it’s much better to see them as friends. The meeting concluded with a representative from Sikkim making an offering to His Holiness on behalf of the group.

Shortly after he entered the room where members of the press were assembled, His Holiness’s old friend Richard Moore arrived. Referring to him as ‘his hero’, His Holiness explained that Moore is a living example that human nature is compassionate. He recounted that as a young boy in Northern Ireland Moore had been struck by a rubber bullet and rendered blind. In due course he found the British soldier who had shot him and forgave him. As friends the two have worked to help other children caught in crossfire.

Answering questions in Tibetan from Voice of America, Radio Free Asia and Voice of Tibet correspondents, His Holiness told them that the practices of loving kindness and wisdom that are part of the Nalanda Tradition are something to be proud of. They are kept alive through study and practice as can be seen in the Seats of Learning re-established in South India.

Dr Brenda Ozawa de Silva, moderator of the press meeting, gave an introduction in lieu of Dr Lobsang Tenzin Negi. He mentioned that His Holiness’s relationship with Emory University goes back to 1998 and the launch of Cognitive Based Compassion Training (CBCT). Later, there was collaboration is developing science training for Tibetan monasteries. SEE Learning is the latest program which seeks to provide a comprehensive approach to holistic education. He invited His Holiness to make his remarks.

“The existing education system is inadequate,” His Holiness replied, “with no guarantees that it will bring happiness. Education should include ways to reinforce warm-heartedness. All religious traditions convey such a message, but in today’s world at least 1 billion have no interest in religion.

“From kindergarten upwards we need education to strengthen inner values not just pursue material goals. We need to introduce steps towards emotional hygiene, much as we teach physical hygiene. This way we can address some of the problems we face, in the hope of making this a century of non-violence.”

A key advisor, Dr Daniel Goleman, addressed the gathering via a videolink. “I’m sad not to be there with you,” he began. “When I wrote ‘Emotional Intelligence’ I discussed self-management, in SEEL this has become cultivating emotional hygiene, reducing negative emotions and boosting positive ones. This involves education of the heart, attention training and the development of compassion.

“I recently was struck to see a group of young children each of whom had a toy animal, who at a given point in their class time lay down with the animal on their abdomens. They watched and counted as the animal rose and fell with their breathing and so developed calm and control. This kind of technique has far-reaching effects on the children’s ability to learn and equalizes their potential.

“A combination of wisdom and compassion is what the world urgently needs right now. For the human species to survive will require a mixture of compassion and teamwork. I congratulate Your Holiness on achieving SEE Learning after 20 years work.”

Next, Ms Linda Lantieri from Columbia University addressed the meeting by videolink. “I have had a long involvement with the SEEL program that goes towards an education of the heart. We need such a non-violent approach in the world today. We are going to see a transformation in children being able to develop their hearts as well as their minds. They will have inner resilience enabling them to prepare for challenges and opportunities.”

To illustrate this she told a story about a group of teenagers she’d been working with in a poor part of New York. All of them had lost a friend or relative to violence. Their teacher asked them to share a goal for when they were 21 and she remembered one, Eugene, who said, “To be alive at 21". Not long afterwards the teacher called her with sad news about Eugene. He’d been shot from a passing car and would never walk again.

When she went to visit him in a care facility she found him in a corner talking to a group of other wheelchair users. “I was telling some of the guys what you taught me,” he informed her. She asked how he was and he replied, “I’m good. When I woke up today, I decided to forgive the shooter and I’m feeling much better for it.”  Self-regulation begins with the urge to make a difference. This gathering for the launch of SEEL will help the world, which will be so much the richer for it.”

Prof Dr Kimberly Schonert-Reichl turned to His Holiness, saying, “Your dream of an education of the heart is coming to fruition. These programs can make a difference. I started out as a teacher before I became a researcher and found I had nothing to depend on. I didn’t know what to do. Then I discovered that with SEL students are more likely to graduate and go on to other achievements. Richie Davidson has shown that these skills can be taught and can be seen to be effective in neuroplasticity. Now, SEEL with its education of the heart, compassion, systems training and attention training fills a gap—it’ll be so valuable.”

Among questions from the floor, the first was about why India had been chosen for the Global Launch of SEEL. Brendan Ozawa de Silva replied that the program was the result of a 20 year collaboration with His Holiness and this is where he lives. His Holiness added,

“Among the ancient civilizations such as those in Egypt and China, the Indus Valley civilization gave rise to a rich knowledge of the workings of the mind and views of reality. The Buddha as a product of Indian tradition. Nowadays, India has the potential to help humanity by combining ancient learning with modern education.”

Regarding devices like mobile phones, His Holiness stated that by itself technology is wonderful, but it depends how people use it. He observed that leaders tend to reflect the communities they come from. Since education today tends to focus on material development, it’s not surprising if that’s what motivates contemporary leaders. He suggested it can take a whole generation to change a community’s way of thinking.

“We are social animals—anger pushes us apart, but compassion brings us together. It’s such a shame that our wonderful human intelligence is squandered on developing and then marketing weapons that can only be used for destruction.”

His Holiness mentioned his admiration for Jacinda Ardern and her skilful handling of the situation after the recent attack in New Zealand. He appreciated her stance of non-violence and mutual respect, something everyone can learn from.

A questioner who wondered if interreligious harmony was as well-founded as His Holiness seems to think was told that he prefers to look at things from a wider perspective. He conceded that there are mischievous people everywhere and untoward incidents do occur, but they are infrequent. His Holiness cited the example of the Parsee community, Zoroastrians from Persia, who now number fewer than 100,000, but who live among millions of Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs in Bombay completely without fear—illustrating India’s tolerant pluralism.

With regard to his own reincarnation His Holiness suggested that if he lives another 10-15 years, the political situation in China will have changed. If, on the other hand, he dies next year the Chinese government may recognise their own candidate to succeed him. He expressed appreciation for the 1st Dalai Lama’s wish to be born wherever he could help relieve the suffering of others.

Tomorrow will see the formal launch of the Social, Emotional and Ethical Learning program.

Dalai Lama Discusses Ancient Indian Knowledge in Contemporary India

The Relevance of Ancient Indian Knowledge in Contemporary India

Bambolim, Goa, India - This morning, His Holiness the Dalai Lama left his hotel at the sea’s edge to drive 35kms inland to the Goa Institute of Management (GIM) in Sanquelim. The Institute, rated one of the leading business schools in the country has 672 full-time and 90 part-time students, 42% of whom are women,and is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

The skies were heavy with monsoon clouds, the fields and trees were vivid green, but the roads were remarkably clear due to efficient police traffic management. His Holiness was welcomed on arrival by Director, Ajit Parulekar and the Chairman of the Board, Ashok Chandra, who escorted him through the hall to the stage. When he stepped out onto it an affectionate cheer went up. As is customary, he participated in lighting the inaugural lamp.

Chairman Ashok Chandra, on behalf of the Institute told His Holiness that it was a matter of great pride that he had honoured them by accepting their invitation. He also welcomed Father Romuald d’Souza, who set up the Institute 25 years ago, noting that without the founders’ support there would be no GIM today. He said he liked to believe GIM was special because, like a human being, it asks itself, who am I? what are my values? Ethics and human values are important to GIM, which tries to live by them and inculcate them into its students.

Director Ajit Parulekar spoke enthusiastically of a new partnership between GIM and the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values (DLC) at MIT, which is intended to enhance the learning of ethics in the institute. He mentioned that Ven Tenzin Priyadarshi of DLC regretted being unable to attend today’s function. The partnership aims to set new standards for training in ethics and empathy in order that they permeate all of aspects of civic society. In an uncertain and volatile world this will require the emergence of responsible leadership, to which GIM can make an effective contribution. The Director also mentioned that GIM will oversee the introduction in Goan schools of DLC’s Transformative Teachers program, which has ethics, emotional learning and meaning-making as core components.

Father Romuald d’Souza told His Holiness that GIM has included ethics in its business courses from the beginning, taking a rational approach. He added that by encouraging compassion, forgiveness and mercy the institute aims to educate the heart as well as the brain.

Right at the start of his talk, His Holiness asked Father d’Souza how old he was and was impressed to hear he was 93. He conceded that he was 10 years younger, which he acknowledged in his introduction:

“Respected elder brother, and the rest of you brothers and sisters, I’m extremely happy to be here to share some of my thoughts with you.”

Taking his cue from a slogan on the wall of the hall, ‘the learning never stops at GIM’, he mentioned a Tibetan scholar who famously advised that even if you will die tomorrow, it’s worth studying and learning something today because of the positive impact it can have on the mind.

“We may be conscious on a sensory level, but learning takes place on a mental level,” he continued, “which is why it’s important to pay attention to our mental consciousness. We need to examine our consciousness at a deeper level than our waking state, dominated as it is by sensory experience. Consciousness is subtler when we dream and there are no external sensory distractions. In deep sleep it is even subtler, but the subtlest consciousness manifests at the time of death. Indeed there are some people who are able to access this level of consciousness and their bodies remain fresh for a time after clinical death has taken place. Scientists are investigating this phenomenon to understand what is going on.

“On a sensory level consciousness is related to pleasing sights, sounds, smells, tastes and aspects of touch, including sex. But anger and loving kindness are not sensory experiences. They take place on the level of the mind. Modern education tends to pay more attention to material goals and sensory experience. Although all religious traditions teach about love, tolerance and so forth, in India the longstanding practices for developing a calmly abiding mind (shamatha) and analytical insight (vipashyana) have given rise to a thorough understanding of the workings of the mind and emotions.

“In today’s world, which is facing an emotional crisis, such knowledge is not only relevant, it’s valuable. Scientists tell us they have evidence that basic human nature is compassionate. This is borne out by our common experience of our mother’s care and affection in our infancy, without which we would not survive. Scientists have also observed that constant anger, fear and suspicion undermine our immune system, whereas a compassionate attitude sustains it.

“We are social animals. Altruism attracts friends and brings people together; anger drives them apart.

“Until about 200 years ago, education was the province of religious institutions, which were responsible for instilling a sense of moral principles in their followers. Since education and religious establishments parted company this responsibility has lapsed. We all need moral principles for our own peace of mind, so they should be part of our education. I believe that only in India can modern education be combined with ancient Indian knowledge of the mind and emotions.”

His Holiness observed that although such knowledge developed in India, in the course of time interest in it deteriorated. However, in upholding the Nalanda Tradition, Tibetans kept it alive and have brought it back to the land of its birth. He suggested that reviving ancient Indian understanding of the mind and emotions, reason and logic, in India, is a contribution Tibetans can make. He mentioned that in the re-established Monastic Universities, mostly in Karnataka, there are 10,000 monks and nuns trained and equipped to teach. Many of them today are capable of communicating in English, Hindi, and Kannada, in addition to Tibetan.

He spoke of encouraging Indians settled abroad to invite others to share festivals like Diwali and to discuss longstanding Indian traditions like ahimsa or non-violence. He also contended that as the world’s most populous democratic country, India should show the world that it is possible for religious traditions to live together in harmony.

“We can achieve peace of mind if we tackle our destructive emotions, so the goal of making the 21st century an era of peace and compassion is feasible. It will involve finding solutions to problems in dialogue, not the use of force. Therefore, demilitarization becomes another goal, as does the planned elimination of nuclear weapons. But for any of these goals to be fulfilled, they must be founded first of all on a sense of inner disarmament.”

His Holiness invited questions from the audience and the first questioner wanted to know how to apply ancient Indian knowledge in day to day life. He advised her that it would involve studying the mind and emotions in a rational logical way. He referred to a couple of American cities, one that has declared itself a city of compassion and the other that has redefined itself as a city of kindness. Because of the focus on kindness and compassion and programs associated with them, students in both cities have become noticeably less violent and more ready to help others.

Asked how to find peace of mind, His Holiness recommended taking a more holistic view of problems you face. If you look at them only from one angle, they may seem overwhelming, while from a wider perspective they seem more manageable. He quoted the 8th century Indian master Shantideva who counseled analyzing a challenging situation to discover if it could be overcome. If it could, there’d be no need to worry. Instead you should act. If it couldn’t be overcome, worrying about it wouldn’t help.

His Holiness was invited to talk about a time when he was afraid and he referred to the night of 17th March 1959 when he escaped from Lhasa. His efforts to mediate with the Chinese communist forces had broken down and there seemed no option but to leave. But that involved passing the Chinese military camp in the dark and crossing a large river. He was afraid inasmuch as he didn’t know if he would see the dawn of the following day. Once over the first pass his fear began to subside.

“Chinese communists work on the basis that power comes from the barrel of a gun, from military force. But Tibetans’ strength lies in the truth. The power of the gun is temporarily decisive, but in the long run it is the power of truth that is the longer lasting.” The audience applauded.

“We raised the question of Tibet at the UN to little effect. Nehru told me that the USA would not go to war with China over Tibet and that sooner or later we would have to enter into discussions with the Chinese. Since 1974 we have not sought independence. This has no bearing on what is past. Chinese historical records show that in 7th, 8th and 9th centuries Chinese, Mongolian and Tibetan empires flourished. Today, I admire the spirit of the European Union whose members place the common interest before national sovereignty. In such a spirit, if we secured the rights granted us under the Chinese constitution, there could be benefit in our remaining with the PRC.”

To counter the possibility of taking wrong decisions under the influence of negative emotions, His Holiness once again commended taking a more holistic view of the situation. The important thing, His Holiness said, is that responsibility for taking decisions is on your own shoulders. You should reach your decision after careful consideration, then stick to it and follow it through.

He explained that destructive emotions arise out of ignorance, specifically mistaking how things appear for reality. Despite their appearing to have independent or intrinsic existence, when we understand that phenomena arise in dependence on other factors, our tendency to give in to negative emotions becomes thinner.

A final questioner asked what His Holiness thought when he was recognised as the Dalai Lama. He reported that his mother told him that on the day the search party from the Tibetan Government reached his house, he had been especially excited. He ran towards them and recognised several of them—presumably the result of some previous memory.

As to the future of the institution of Dalai Lamas, His Holiness has made it clear since 1969 that whether or not there is a 15th Dalai Lama will be up to the Tibetan people to decide.

“My responsibility now is to see that my day to day life is meaningful. I am guided by the following prayer:

For as long as space endures

And for as long as living beings remain,

Until then may I too abide

To dispel the misery of the world.

“I am determined to follow that through. An individual can make a differene. As human beings, you all want to live a happy life. If you’ve found anything I said interesting, share it with your friends—that’s how ideas are spread. If what I said was of little interest, please feel free to forget it. Thank you.”

The hall was again filled with sustained and warm applause.

The Director thanked everyone who had contributed to making the event a success. His Holiness then joined invited guests for lunch, following which he returned to his hotel. Tomorrow he will travel to Bengaluru.

Original link & photos https://www.dalailama.com/news/2018/the-relevance-of-ancient-indian-knowledge-in-contemporary-india

Dalai Lama at the Mind & Life Conference - Reimagining Human Flourishing

Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, HP, India - The Tsuglagkhang, the Main Tibetan Temple, adjacent to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s residence was the location this morning for the opening of a Mind & Life Conference focussing on ‘Reimagining Human Flourishing’. Participants, presenters and moderators are seated around a large low table set laterally across the main body of the temple. They are flanked by guests and interested observers—100 from the Mind & Life side and another 200, many of them scholarly monks and nuns, invited by the Dalai Lama Trust. When His Holiness arrived he greeted several old friends before taking his seat at the head of the table.

Susan Bauer-Wu, President of the Mind & Life Institute, began by welcoming everyone present to this Mind & Life Dialogue, the 33rd altogether and the 13th in Dharamsala. She expressed gratitude to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama Trust and the Hershey Family Foundation for their support in making it possible. In the 26th year of its existence she reiterated the Mind & Life Institute’s aim of working to eliminate suffering and promote human flourishing. On this occasion the intention is to delve again into how to give young people a good education that takes account of secular ethics, attention and compassion, love and forgiveness—an education of the heart, bearing in mind the evidence that compassion can be taught. She closed her introduction by presenting His Holiness with a copy of a new book, ‘The Monastery and The Microscope’, a record of the dialogue that took place in Mundgod in 2013.

This morning’s moderator Kimberley Schonert-Reichl introduced the first speaker, Richard Davidson. He started by thanking His Holiness for his time and inspiration and went on to present a brief historical context for the current meeting. He cited five previous meetings as having a pivotal bearing on this one. The first was the 5th Mind & Life dialogue held in 1995 in Dharamsala, at which altruism, ethics and compassion were discussed. Next was the 8th Dialogue, also in Dharamsala, that dealt with d estructive emotions and led to Dan Goleman’s writing a book that catalysed public focus on them. At this pivotal point, Davidson reported, His Holiness advised the members of the Mind & Life Institute to investigate practical ways to cultivate a virtuous mind and counter destructive emotions.

The third key meeting on ‘Investigating the Mind’ took place at MIT. It was pivotal again because it was the first public meeting to raise questions about the mind and destructive emotions in a mainstream scientific context. The prestigious scientific journal Nature reported it and so brought the mission of Mind & Life to the attention of the world. The fourth key meeting, focussed on Neuroplasticity, revealed that training the mind can change the brain, while the fifth, in Washington, DC, focussed on educating world citizens.

Having reviewed the topics that will be discussed during the course of this conference, Davidson began his own presentation under today’s theme of Early Childhood Development and Social and Emotional Learning. He mentioned neuroplasticity, the role of genetics, sensitive periods and innate basic goodness in early childhood development. He talked about early synaptic overproduction, cortex pruning and prefrontal pruning in the context of a timeline of brain development. Some developments can lead to vulnerability, while others lead to resilience. He also made reference to sensitive periods in childhood development, such as birth, starting school and adolescence.

In the context of thoughts associated with changes in the brain, His Holiness wanted to know, if someone is physically at ease, which comes first the thought or the change in the brain. Davidson replied that many scientists say thought and brain activity co-occur, remarking that this relates to the relation between mind and brain about which he considers little scientific progress has been made for 100 years. This prompted His Holiness to reflect on the purpose of his meetings with scientists.

“One purpose is to extend our knowledge. Several decades of experience have shown that ancient Indian understanding of the workings of the mind derives from practices to cultivate single-pointedness and analysis—shamatha and vipashyana. It involves knowledge of how to transform emotions that remains relevant today. On the other hand, science presents a challenge to traditional Indian cosmology, which has resulted in my publicly rejecting belief in Mt Meru as the centre of the universe.

“However, since science is only beginning to investigate the mind, I believe ancient Indian knowledge has a contribution to make and that it is important to bring these traditions together. In 1979, when I held discussions with scientists in Moscow, they were happy to acknowledge five sensory consciousnesses, but dismissed mental consciousness as only of religious concern.

“The second purpose of these meetings relates to the crisis of emotions we witness in the world today, which is manifest in the contrast between the peace we enjoy together here and the anguish experienced in other parts of the world where people are being killed or dying of starvation. We need to show more concern for others’ well-being. We need a greater sense of the oneness of all human beings, the sense that we all belong to one community. We need to promote warm-heartedness. Religion can contribute to this, but sometimes religion leads to greater divisions. In such a context, scientists’ finding evidence that basic human nature is compassionate is a source of hope.

“That basic human nature can give rise to self-confidence, trust and transparency. It allows us to smile. Viewing others with suspicion is not a way to be happy. The one billion of seven billion people alive today who have no interest in religion are still human beings. We and they need a secular approach to creating a more peaceful, joyful world. Science shows us, for example, that warm-heartedness is good for our physical health.

“The time has come to think in terms of the whole of humanity not just our nation within its own boundaries. The environment too is telling us that we human beings have to work together as one community, which is the only way we’ll meet such serious issues as the increasing shortage of water. It will require a new approach to education that takes account of scientific findings and that cultivates human qualities on the basis of a secular scientific approach.

“This world with its human population may last another few thousand years, but we have to encourage the next generation to do things differently. I’m nearly 83, so I don’t have that much time left and when I’m gone I may go to heaven, if there is one. But I may be reborn on this planet since I pray to abide to dispel the misery of the world for as long as space endures and as long as living beings remain.

“It is our generation’s responsibility to act. We’ve seen too much war. We’ve seen too much money spent on weapons. To respond to problems by resort to the use of force is out of date. It’s the wrong method and yet we see it being repeated now at the beginning of the 21st century. We have to change, but our education system is too materialistic. However, we can improve that and the work we do now can influence the centuries to come.”

Richard Davidson concluded his presentation noting an increase in depression and suicide among children and young people. He remarked that leading scientists are beginning to acknowledge the potential contribution ancient Indian understanding of the workings of the mind can make.

After a fifteen minute break for tea Michel Boivin spoke about studies in child development, especially the investigation of the way twins develop. With regard to whether nature or nurture has greater influence in child development he quoted another expert in field asking which is more important to a rectangle, the width or the length.

Dan Goleman considered social and emotional learning in the context of reimagining human flourishing. He spoke of teaching young children to think about what would make a given situation better and what would make it worse. He reminded His Holiness that his friend Paul Ekman had commented that maturity is about widening the gap between impulse and taking action. Amongst social and emotional learning’s advantages are that it leads to greater self-awareness and self-management skills, as well as responsible ethical decision making.

His Holiness remarked that the mind can change and that children are susceptible to being taught to analyse. He noted the ancient Indian approach that reading or listening to an explanation is not enough. You have to think about it to really understand it. And having understood something you have make yourself really familiar with it in order to embody that understanding.

As the opening session came to an end, His Holiness left the temple and returned to his residence. Conference participants continued their discussions during the afternoon. His Holiness will join them again tomorrow morning.

Original link & photos: https://www.dalailama.com/news/2018/mind-life-conference-reimagining-human-flourishing-opening-day