DHARAMSHALA: His Holiness the Dalai Lama spoke to a group of Tibetan school captains from India and Nepal on Saturday, 16 April 2016. The students are in Dharamshala as part of a six-day leadership workshop organised by the Education Department.
In his address to the students, His Holiness the Dalai Lama emphasised the need to develop warm heartedness and compassion, and called on the students to work towards creating a more peaceful and non-violent 21st century. His Holiness also spoke about the rich religious and cultural traditions of Tibet and the responsibility of the younger generations to preserve it.
“You are all representatives of your schools, so you have the responsibility to pass on the unique Tibetan traditions in the 21st century and also into the 22nd century. That is your duty. Our aim is to educate the 7 billion human beings, whether believer or non-believer, into contributing to a compassionate humanity. If that happens, then the 21st century will eventually become a century of compassion, of dialogue, of non-violence. And that can be done by Tibetans alone,” His Holiness told the students.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama expressed sorrow at the indiscriminate killing of thousands and the wars that are supposedly being fought in the name of religion in different parts of the world.
Speaking on Tibetan Buddhism, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said that Tibetan Buddhism is the “wealth of the Tibetan people”. “Politically, Tibet has had to go through a tremendous loss. However, the Tibetan tradition, its language and Buddhist studies have held us together. And nowadays the learned intellectuals from the entire world are increasingly showing interest in the concepts of Tibetan Buddhism. Therefore, we must preserve this unique culture since it has the potential to contribute positively to the whole of humanity,” His Holiness said.
Responding to a question on the reincarnation issue, His Holiness explained that the sustenance and advancement of Tibetan Buddhist culture is not dependent on one person. He recalled that ancient Indian masters like Gonpo Ludup and Lord Buddha did not have any reincarnation. Yet, their teachings have lived through practice and study for centuries.
The delegation consisted of 60 students and faculty from 19 Tibetan schools based in India and Nepal, including three staff from the education department.