Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai lama on Wednesday stressed on the need to develop compassion along with the mind for betterment of humanity.
“In this universe of around 7 billion people, there are both who harbour good and bad thoughts. We need to develop the inner capacity to transform bad thoughts into good ones,” he said while delivering his lecture on the topic ‘Wisdom of Compassion’ at Pt Ravishankar Shukla University here.
He further remarked: “As we focus on good oral hygiene, we need to also pay attention to purity of our sentiments.” Right from kindergarten to the University level education, the educational system must incorporate compassion and sensitivity along with the development of the mind, the Nobel laureate stated.
The 14th Dalai lama said he always addressed people as his brothers and sisters as because then all the differences based on economic background, religion, language etc disappear. “Everyone is equal. People in every country have the right to achieve a happy life. Constructive emotions and destructive emotions are within each one of us.” Talking about the global issues in present times, the Dalai lama said 21st century is complicated as people have become destructive for the want of more power, more money. He expressed his disappointment with the world leaders and said head of different countries are today placing their personal interest before the global interest. “This is a lack of compassion and it is causing a rise in environmental and ecological tragedies. If everyone thought about other’s right to well-being, these problems will not arise in the first place. A world without compassion leads to destruction,” he said. Terming compassion as a biological factor in every person, the Dalai lama said touch and love of a mother has sprouted compassion deep within every one of us.
“Mother’s love is crucial for proper development of a child. No matter how different you are from another person, mother’s love will always be common in everyone,” he said. He said those who were devoid of this love or experiences abuse from their mothers have a sense of fear, insecurity and anger in them even if they become professionally successful.
Commenting on Indian education system, the Dalai lama said the present education system in the country was introduced by the British and hence it did not incorporate the treasure of ancient Indian philosophies. “Education must promote secular beliefs, ethics and compassion to nurture children in a wholesome manner.” The Dalai lama concluded his talk while urging the audience to go back to the knowledge that the great Indian thinkers had discovered. “I am not saying that one must not study about modern technology or run away from modern education but most essential thing is to teach your children about compassion, love and purpose of human life.”