By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, November 4: A Washington-based think tank today organized a two-day panel discussion with the Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama at his residence here. Titled, ‘Abundance Without Attachment’, it aims to discuss pursuing happiness in a world of economic growth and how the rich can help uplift the poor.
The Dalai Lama said that the poor should develop self-confidence and inculcate the ‘I can do it’ attitude. He said they should not feel inferior but work hard to uplift themselves.
Moderated by Arthur Brooks, President of American Enterprise Institute (AEI), the discussion was attended by noted panelists, the Tibetan Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay, Finance Minister Tsering Dhondup, Home Minister Dolma Gyari and members of Tibetan Chamber of Commerce.
Speaking about the agenda for the next two days, Arthur said, “We live in a chaotic life filled with overwhelming work. We rarely stop to ask the purpose of the work. For the next two days we will slow down and ask about ‘the why’ and deep purpose that lies behind our vocations.”
Expressing the importance of reducing the gap between the rich and poor, he said, “Development is not just big buildings and big factories in a concentrated place. In India, rural areas still remain poor. So I think real development should take place in the rural areas.”
Continuing on the wealth gap, he said, “The richer side should provide facilities mainly in education and it should be done in a respectful manner. Treat them as a same human being without any ego. With education, give them courage to build self-confidence and sense of equal. The poor should also work hard. That is the proper way to reduce the gap.”
Paresh Shah, CEO of Glimpluse, said that one should not bottle up their wealth for personal storage but that one should keep the wealth flow to create more employment.
“Poor people should be treated as an asset rather than a liability,” said the Robert Doar of AEI.
The chamber of commerce later in the day had a separate session with the think tank. Sonam Topgyal, International Affairs Chairman of Chamber of Commerce said, “It is encouraging to see western business setups following and recognizing the ‘business with ethics’ guidelines scripted by His Holiness. Such development is favorable for us since our organization follow the same.”
Representing Dharavi, one of the world’s largest slums, Asim Abid Shaikh of Reality Tours and Travel said, “There is poverty but a strong sense of community in Dharavi and Rich people in Mumbai hold negative view of the place. So through this meeting we would like to show the positive side of it and show that poor people do work hard.”
The panelists discussed ‘Development and dignity: Meaningful living in the face of poverty’ and ‘Escaping poverty through entrepreneurship: Building businesses in India’s slum’ on the first day. Tomorrow, they will deliberate on ‘The power of free enterprise’ and ‘Should morals come before markets?’
