A view of the members of the audience listen to His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the International Mindfulness
In the last one or two decades more and more scientist, including medical scientist, have been showing greater interest on mind or emotion. Although mind or emotion is invisible, yet it has quite an important role in our physical wellbeing, family and community, His Holiness said.
The mind is both the creator of peace and trouble. Buddha said thorough investigation and experiment is important. Objective investigation requires a calm mind, His Holiness said.
He said mindfulness is watching your mind and concentrating on one particular subject. Another aspect is 24 hours watching your mind including during ones dreams and being aware of yourself, your responsibilities and duties. First step of mindfulness is concentrating on breathing – focusing one subject. This helps to calm the mind.
During the panel discussion His Holiness the Dalai Lama said that the present educational system is materialistic oriented. This is quite understandable. About thousand years ago, when separate educational institutions started, moral education or internal values or ethics were taken care by the church. Today education focuses more on brain development, he said.
“Please pay more attention to our inner values, inner potentials,” he said. Today newspapers, TV or radio talk only about money or economy. There is very little information or talk about inner values.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama said ultimate source of happiness is within us and not money or material things. Of course, money and material things are important but they are not the ultimate source of happiness. Ultimate source of happiness is within ourselves.
Over 30 international speakers – specialists in medicine, psychology and education will address the 4-day International Congress Mindfulness. The congress started on 18 August at the Hamburg University and concludes on 21 August.
The Congress was jointly organised by the Tibetisches Zentrum (Tibet Centre) Hamburg and the Centre for Buddhist Studies at Hamburg University.
After lunch His Holiness the Dalai Lama met with the faculty members of the Centre for Buddhist Studies at Hamburg University and their sponsors. He expressed his appreciation for their work.
While addressing the members of the media in the morning, His Holiness spoke about his first two commitments in life – promoting human values and religious harmony. He said that all religions have the same aim to bring inner peace even though there might be difference in the philosophy.
He emphasised that the media have the responsibility to promote human values and religious harmony. Therefore, media people are very important and have a special role to fulfill.
He further said that media should carry out thorough investigations. “You should have long trunks like elephants, with which you can smell from the front and back. And if you catch wind of something, then you must report on it honestly, unbiased and objectively,” he said.
Commenting on the recent events it Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said “it is very sad.” In spite of desperate feelings, His Holiness praised the Tibetan people for following the non-violence principles.
Responding to a question about His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s decision to devolve his political authority to the elected Tibetan leadership, he said he was happy and proud to implement what he believed in.
He said that in 1951, he assumed the formal political leadership of the Tibetan people. In 1952, he established a reform committee in Tibet. Due to Communist China’s interference it wasn’t successful.
Since coming to India in 1959 as a refugee, the following year in January 1960 the process of democratisation of Tibet’s policy was introduced. In 2001, the Tibetan people directly elected leadership. Since then His Holiness the Dalai Lama lived as semi-retired. In 2011, His Holiness said he handed over the political leadership to the directly elected Tibetan leadership.