(TibetanReview.net, Aug20’24) – The Panjab University, located in India’s Union Territory of Chandigarh, has established a Dalai Lama Chair last month with the aim to invite visiting scholars to help nurture and promote Buddhist response to contemporary issues, study of Tibetan and Pali Buddhist texts, Tibetan Buddhist art and architecture, and Buddhist philosophy, reported the hindustantimes.com Aug 20.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) for this purpose was signed between His Holiness Dalai Lama’s foundation For Universal Responsibility (FUR), New Delhi, and Panjab University (PU) to establish the Dalai Lama visiting guest speaker chair in the latter’s department of Gandhian and peace studies (DGPS).
The report cited the university’s vice-chancellor Renu Vig as saying the main purpose of establishing the chair was to promote and preserve the Indo-Tibetan civilisational heritage for the dissemination of philosophical, historical and spiritual studies.
The chair will disseminate teachings and philosophy of the Dalai Lama and promote critical thinking and self-reflection among students, faculty, and the wider community. Specifically, the chair will help nurture and promote Buddhist response to contemporary issues, study of Tibetan and Pali Buddhist texts, Tibetan Buddhist art and architecture, and Buddhist philosophy, Vig has said.
The report said that under the university’s visiting professor programme, the chair will invite credible visiting scholars from diverse related fields ranging from fresh young voices to those who manifest seasoned wisdom.
DGPS chairperson Ashu Pasricha has said the MoU will further explore Dalai Lama studies that discourses His Holiness’ personal contribution on the important subject of ahimsa, peace; social, ethical and emotional (SEE) learning, Gandhian philosophy, research and capacity building.
The Chair is funded by the FUR, with the MoU remaining valid for three years, subject to extension by mutual agreement.
The Panjab University was founded in 1882 in Lahore and incorporated by the government of India in 1947.