Dalai Lama presides over top Indian academics’ seminar on secular ethics

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His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking during a short interaction with Vice-Chancellors on the second day of the Association of Indian Universities’ Meet at Sarnath, UP, India on March 20, 2018. Photo by Lobsang Tsering
His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking during the 92nd Annual Meet of Association of Indian Universities at CIHTS in Sarnath, UP, India on March 19, 2018. (Photo courtesy: Jeremy Russell/OHHDL)

(TibetanReview.net, Mar21, 2018) – Addressing the seminar, the Dalai Lama said in a brief introductory note, “Through an education system which is motivated by compassion, we can expand the sense of well being of all people, not just for your own circle and eventually bring peace to entire human being on this planet.”

He bemoaned the fact that the existing education system had overshadowed the basic human nature with an extreme materialistic attitude and culture.

Lobsang Tenzin Negi, Professor and Director, Emory-Tibet Partnership made a presentation on ‘Values and Necessity of Secular Ethics in Education’ to set the stage for the discussion.

Professor Pritam B Sharma, President of Association of Indian Universities, spoke on the relevance of the Dalai Lama’s message and called upon the Vice Chancellors and others attending the meet to heed his message.

He said: “Yesterday His Holiness has made it clear that we, occupying the highest chair of university authorities have to understand the value and worth of compassion, karuna. This is beyond religions and this is not akin to particular cultural group, geographical boundary. We have the responsibility to create peaceful world, where harmony, peaceful coexistence spread to all religions and those who don’t believe in any religion, we have to consider that all of them are our sisters and brothers. It is with this kind of mindset the world will be thousand times more peaceful and beautiful than it is today.”

And Professor Girishwar Mishra, Vice Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishvavidyala, informed the seminar that the Dalai Lama had made it very clear that a vast gap had arisen between real human nature and education, that “we have forgotten our true nature and we have considered all the attachments as indicators of true natures”.

On a proposal by President Sharma, all the Vice Chancellors attending the meet decided to institute a centre for secular ethics, professional morality and scientific values, in their universities as initiatives for better, sound and healthy education.

About 150 Vice Chancellors of Indian Universities, besides academics and scholars from across the world attended the meet.

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