By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Guwahati: The noble peace prize winning spiritual leader from Tibet and the 14th Dalai Lama who is in Guwahati advocated that the secular ethics should be included in the schools. During the first LBS Founders’ Commemorative Lecture on ‘Human Approach to Peace and the Individual’ at Nehru Stadium on Sunday he urged the people to make the 21st century, a century of peace through dialogues.
“Secular ethics must include in schools to educate the young minds so that we can see a healthy tomorrow. We have to work more seriously for religious harmony by promotion of human values and secular ethics through education. The secular concept is very important to India and its constitution is based on secularism for its multi-religious community. We really need the effort to educate people on this aspect as it is very relevant in today’s world,” Dalai Lama who won the noble peace prize in 1989 said.
Dalai Lama addressing the Interfaith Conclave on Peace and Religious Harmony in Guwahati.
Stating that India was truly an example of secularism where people of world’s major religions lived together, he said, “This is truly a precious thing and is a good example to show the world. India is a pluralistic, multi-religious society, in which home grown religions like Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism flourish alongside religions that have come from outside like Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism and Judaism. All these faiths live peaceably together in harmony. In my lectures abroad, people call me a messenger of India as I always talk of ‘ahimsa’ (non-violence) and harmony.”
The Dalai Lama said that though all religions taught the message of love and compassion, political power and economic interest corrupted people. He said though the world’s major religions had a common message there might be vast differences in theory and philosophy.
“The main practice of all major religions is love and to defend it against obstacles we need tolerance and forgiveness. Consequently, all major religions talk about compassion, tolerance, contentment, and self-discipline. The masters of our various traditions have been realistic in their teaching,” the 78 year old spiritual leader said.
Dalai Lama along with other religious leaders inaugurating the Interfaith Conclave on Peace and Religious Harmony in Guwahati.
On the present crisis situation across the globe, he said that every problem can be solved through dialogues and eventually peace can be expected. “Let the 21st century be the century of dialogues. Problems that are causing troubles need to address with dialogues. Only then we can call it the century of peace. And for that we need strong will power,” the spiritual leader who fled to India during the 1959 Tibetan uprising said.
Earlier, after his arrival in Guwahati, he participated in an Interfaith Conclave on Peace and Religious Harmony. He also inaugurated the 5-Day Festival of Tibetan Art and Culture in the afternoon at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra before moving to Shillong.