His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited two universities in Chandigarh on October14 -15, where he addressed students and faculty and was awarded an honorary doctorate degree by Chitkara University as well as Global Leadership Award presented by Chandigarh University. The degree was presented at the inauguration the University’s 11th Global Week; he spoke to 1,200 people in his opening address and lit the lamp to mark the opening of the event.
His talk, The Need for Universal Ethics in Education, focused on our common humanities being the basis for creating a more compassionate, peaceful world. His Holiness noted the prevalence of us–versus–them attitudes in the world today and urged the audience to replace this with “warm-heartedness and a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood.”
His Holiness then discussed the role that traditional Indian education might play in reforming modern education. He said that he has made a commitment to reviving ancient Indian traditions such as ahimsa, karuna, and Shamata, and blending them with modern, Western systems. “In this century India can make significant contributions regarding inner peace, not as a religious practice but as moral principles”, he said.His Holiness addedthat traditional Indian education and the Nalanda tradition were the vehicles to facilitate this change.
At Chandigarh University on October 15, His Holiness spoke on Secular Ethics in Modern Education in the Context of Guru Nanak Dev Ji to mark the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak. He began by addressing the audience as brothers and sisters and continued the theme of the shared desire of all people for happiness. He held Guru Nanak as an example of ahimsa for his quest for religious harmony and extolled people to follow his example.
His Holiness described himself as a “messenger of ancient Indian thought.” He noted how this tradition can show the world how to transform society through secular ethics. He urged students to use reason and investigation combined with warm-heartedness and compassion to make this transformation. His Holiness went on to discuss the potential for universities to open people’s minds by combining Indian and Western approaches. “Through our effort, mainly through education…the later part of the 21st century can be more peaceful”, he said.
Following his address, Chandigarh University presented His Holiness with a Global Leadership Award.
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