Photo: dalailama.com
Inner disarmament, compassion and peace of mind were the central themes at the keynote address delivered by His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet at the Goa Institute of Management (GIM) in Sanquelim, on August 8.
The Tibetan spiritual leader who arrived in the coastal state of Goa a day earlier spoke about “Today’s Relevance of India’s Ancient Knowledge” at the over 600-student strong institute on the event of its 25th formation anniversary.
Sharing the stage with the exiled Tibetan leader were GIM Director Ajit Parulekar, board Chairman Ashok Chandra, and founder Father Romuald d’Souza.
His Holiness spoke of the importance of learning and the positive effect it can have on the mind. He said learning occurs on a mental level and it is something we cannot hope to attain through just physical means.
“On a sensory level consciousness is related to pleasing sights, sounds, smells, tastes and aspects of touch … But anger and loving kindness are not sensory experiences,” he said, noting that modern education only tends to focus on achieving the material and sensory aspects of life.
Ancient Indian practices like “Samatha” and “Vipassana” have taught us how to calm our minds and to think analytically. This kind of knowledge is vital in today’s emotionally tumultuous world, according to him.
The 83-year old leader noted that this knowledge was developed in India but slowly faded away with time. Tibetans have kept this knowledge alive and they can play a role in reviving and spreading it into the world again, he explained.
Members of the audience listening to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s talk at the Goa Institute of Management in Sanquelim, Goa
Photo: dalailama.com
“We all need moral principles for our own peace of mind, so they should be part of our education. I believe that only in India can modern education be combined with ancient Indian knowledge of the mind and emotions.”
He spoke of the re-established Monastic Universities in Karnataka where there are around 10,000 monks and nuns who are trained and equipped to teach in English, Hindi, Kannada and Tibetan.
“We can achieve peace of mind if we tackle our destructive emotions,” he said, adding that demilitarization and denuclearization are important goals for this era, but to achieve them, a sense of inner disarmament on an individual level is needed first.
He went on to explain how destructive emotions arise from ignorance and from confusing appearances with reality. He said this can be avoided by bearing in mind that there are always other factors influencing these phenomena.
His Holiness engaged in a short question and answers session with the audience and concluded by saying that his responsibility was to now make sure that his everyday life was meaningful as he pursued his ultimate goal of ridding the world of misery. He left the stage to a warm applause.
The Tibetan leader received a warm welcome after he reached his hotel in Bengaluru city on the morning of August 9.
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