» Dalai Lama, Featured, Mumbai, Pushkal Shivam, youthjournalism.org » Dalai Lama calls for new century of dialogue and peace
Dalai Lama calls for new century of dialogue and peace
Youth Journalism International Senior reporter Pushkal Shivam got the chance to question the Dalai Lama. Here is the exclusive result…
By Pushkal Shivam
Senior reporter
Youth Journalism International
MUMBAI, India – With a wave of his hand, the Dalai Lama said that his generation “is ready to say goodbye” after living through a century that became “the center of bloodshed.”
|
The Dalai Lama in Mumbai, India. Pushkal Shivam/youthjournalism.org |
The Dalai Lama, 75, told Youth Journalism International that those who are under 20 today belong to a new century that “should be the center of dialogue” so that it can be more peaceful for everyone.
“We must try to solve these problems through dialogue. That’s the human way,” the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Tibetan spiritual leader said during a recent visit to Mumbai.
The Dalai Lama said “the new shape” the world will take is on “youth’s shoulder.”
“You should have a realistic vision. That’s very important,” he said.
The Dalai Lama, who heads the Tibetan government in exile, said that in order to see reality, it takes more than just education.
“You must analyze the thing according to the use of different information, then look at the object” with a “calm mind,” he said.
A disturbed mind, the Dalai Lama said, “cannot see reality” because it becomes biased with too much anger or desire.
He called for a “secular way of moral ethics” that can play “a really important role” in keeping the mind calm and able to analyze or investigate reality more objectively.
To achieve any goal, the Dalai Lama said, requires a realistic approach.
An unrealistic approach, he said, “always brings disaster.”
“So calm mind is very important,” he said.
The 14th Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet more than half a century ago as China clamped down on his mountain nation, condemned the violence that marred the 20th century and led to the untimely deaths of more than 200 million people.
“If that immense violence, including the use of nuclear weapons, really brought some genuine peace,” he said, than maybe there would “some sort of justification” for it.
But, he said, that “is not the case. So using violence is totally wrong method” for dealing with the world’s problems.
The Dalai Lama visited Mumbai to speak to a convention of Academia Eurasiana Neurochirurgica, a group of neurosurgeons. A Youth Journalism International reporter was given the opportunity to ask him a couple of questions during the course of the visit.
The Dalai Lama has declared his intention to retire this spring. He rejected pleas from the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile to reconsider his decision.
It is not clear if there will ever be another Dalai Lama or if the institution has reached the end of the line.
Dalai Lama urges India to embrace nonviolence
By Pushkal Shivam
Senior reporter
Youth Journalism International
MUMBAI, India – Citing the recent, mostly nonviolent revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, the Dalai Lama said that India should do more in the struggle to prevent violence.
On the subject of nonviolence, the Tibetan leader said, “Indians are guru. We are chela [follower].”
“As a chela, I am actively promoting nonviolence and religious harmony,” the Dalai Lama said. “Now the time has come, my boss, my guru, must play more active role regarding promotion of nonviolence.”
One of the founders of the modern Indian state, Mahatma Gandhi, drew on traditional spiritual values to create a comprehensive philosophy of nonviolent struggle. That effort ultimately led to the creation of India’s democracy in 1950.
The American Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr and such modern-day activists as the Rev. Desmond Tutu in South Africa have cited Gandhi’s influence for their own nonviolent efforts to bring a more just, peaceful world.
“We should not consider nonviolence as a sign of weakness, but rather as a sign of strength,” the Dalai Lama said during a recent visit to Mumbai, where he addressed a conference of neurosurgeons and fielded questions.
In his address to the convention of Academia Eurasiana Neurochirurgica, the 75-year-old Tibetan exile called war “mobilized violence” and pleaded for a healthier, more peaceful way of life.
The Dalai Lama said technology alone cannot guarantee a better world.
He said there is a need for “ethics based on religious faith and secular ethics” to underpin the changes necessary to end the scourge of war.
Despite its nonviolent roots, India has a large, modern military and a storehouse of nuclear weapons. Its leaders have long eyed neighboring Pakistan and China as potentially deadly rivals.
|
The following is a full transcript of the exchange between Youth Journalism International Senior Reporter Pushkal Shivam and the Dalai Lama. YJI: Your holiness, this is Pushkal Shivam from Youth Journalism International. The Time magazine named you as one of top 25 political icons. Which factors, in your view, will drive the politics of 21st century? And my second question is: what do you have to say about the disconnect that a substantial number of young people across the globe have with spiritual matters and how can it be bridged, your holiness?
YJI: All right, I’ll repeat the first question again. The Time magazine named you as one of top 25 political icons. Which factors, in your view, will drive the politics of 21st century?Dalai Lama: Not very clear.
Dalai Lama: I don’t know. I don’t know. YJI: All right, then, to the second question. What do you have to say about the disconnect that a substantial number of young people have with spirituality? How can young people identify with spiritualism? How can they connect with spirituality? What is in store for them? Dalai Lama: Whether you call spirituality or not, now I will tell you, the younger generation, youth. Now my Those youth below 30 or 20 really belong to 21st century. Now, 20th century gone. As I mentioned briefly, 20th century eventually became center of bloodshed. According to some history, in 20th century over 200 million people killed through violence. If that immense violence, including the use of nuclear weapon, really brought some genuine peace to world, then may be some sort of justification. But that also not the case. So using violence is totally wrong method. So now this 21st century should be center of dialogue. Whenever we meet, we have met with some crisis, about difference of interests, potential of conflict. We must try to solve these problems through dialogue. That’s the human way. In order to create 21st century more peaceful century, this century should be the center of dialogue. So my generation ready to say goodbye. So your generation – 21st century 10 years past, 90 years yet to come – what kind of new shape this planet on your shoulder, youths’ shoulder? For that reason you need vision. You should have realistic vision. That’s very important. So now in order to see the reality, education alone, information alone, not sufficient. You must analyze the thing according to the use of different information, then look at the object calm mind. Disturbed mind cannot see the reality because your mind already becomes biased. Too much anger, too much desire or attachment, then your mind becomes biased. So you can’t see the reality objectively. So education one part. Another factor you must try to keep calm mind. So here the moral ethics, usually I describe secular way of moral ethics really important role here in order to keep your mind more calm and through that way analyze, investigate the reality more objectively. Through that way you can see the reality more clearly. So any goal, in order to achieve that approach must be realistic approach. Unrealistic approach always brings disaster. So calm mind is very important. |
Filed under: Dalai Lama, Featured, Mumbai, Pushkal Shivam, youthjournalism.org
[...] living inside the prison with their inmate mothers. His pieces are available on YJI’s blog. Follow this link for Shivam’s coverage of the Dalai [...]
His Holiness DalaiLama could not give satisfying reply to the question
posed by the reporter. I think, it would be better on his part to
involve exclusively in Spiritual sphere instead of mixing it with
politics
His Holiness is aware of the fact that time factors such as centuries do not have any relevance to realise the TRUTH which alone
bring Peace to the humanity
Enlightened people in the world Expect More from HIS holiness during
his so called post retirement period.
Hello just wanted to give you a quick heads up.
The text in your article seem to be running off the screen in
Ie. I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to let you know. The design look great though! Hope you get the issue fixed soon. Many thanks
Thank you! It should be fixed now.