By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, FEB. 7: The Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama, currently in the Indian capital New Delhi, while addressing a congregation of school children said that empathy and oneness of human beings is the bed rock to restoring peace and curbing many of the “man-made problems”. The Tibetan leader was speaking at the Convent of Jeses and Mary school in New Delhi at the ITAHAAS event organized by the Indian Traditions Heritage Society.
The Dalai Lama told 1300 students from 80 schools, “Many of the problems we face can only be solved by recognizing that others want to live a happy life just as we do.”
“We are all human beings, part of the population of 7 billion alive today. The way we are born and affectionately nurtured by our mothers is the same. This is how we survive. Later, we all die the same way. We are physically, mentally and emotionally the same. We share the same kind of feelings of pleasure and pain. And yet we neglect the oneness of human beings and forget that others are our brothers and sisters. Instead we emphasise the secondary differences between us of colour, race, faith and nationality. We view each other in terms of ‘us’ and ‘them’, which inevitably provokes conflict,” the Nobel laureate said elaborating on his view.
The 81 year old Tibetan leader who has on many occasions called on doing away with derogatory customs and cultures reiterated that caste system as well as modern day diseases such as corruption can be done away only when the young people come together and work in unison in abolishing them. The Dalai Lama said, “Be a kind and compassionate person. This is the inner beauty that is a key factor to making a better world.”
Since the weekend, the egalitarian Tibetan leader has been engaging and giving public talks in New Delhi such as the Vidyaloke teachings and public talk at Talkatora Stadium under the same initiative.
The Tibetan leader considered as the foremost figure in Buddhism today has been touring around the globe for the last few decades fulfilling one of his prime commitments which is to promote human values such as compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline in a bid to bring about a more peaceful world.
