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No rejection of religion in India: Dalai Lama

By Nandini Narayanan and Shruti Chauhan | India Today Conclave website

The Dalai Lama speaking at the India Today Conclave 2009 in Delhi on 6 March 2009. He has said that the 20th century was one of tremendous bloodshed, despite technological advances. The 21st century should be one of dialogue.Office of the Dalai Lama/Tenzin Choejor/India

“India has been my home for 50 years” is how His Holiness the Dalai Lama began his keynote address, The Moral Imperatives of Change, at the inaugural session of the India Today Conclave 2009 on Friday.

Accompanied by a translator — whom he referred to as his “walking stick” — the Dalai Lama began his speech with a generous tribute to his adopted homeland. “It is truly a home on a spiritual level. This is where a homeless person found a home.”

The Dalai Lama then went on to elaborate on the Buddhist concept of how time never stands still and that change is the only constant. He continued, with a pointed observation that “there seems to be a gap between reality and perception”.

“Old perceptions will not fit the new realities. So, a method of action based on an outdated concept becomes unrealistic, and it fails to bring the desired result,” he said.

Peppering his speech with references to the importance of the spirit of human compassion, he gave a little tidbit from his own childhood: “My mother was illiterate, but she was immensely kind and affectionate. I didn’t realise the significance of compassion as a value until later. And today, I think the idea of compassion is very important in the new world order.” As long as a human being is in need, one needs to help out, he added.

That our world is in trouble cropped up several times in the Dalai Lama’s speech. The Dalai Lama said the problems the world was facing were not just due to a lack of education, misuse of technology or even difficult economic conditions. The new reality in the changing world is that we destroy each other.

“Smart brains and advanced technology must combine with compassionate hearts to do something meaningful and constructive,” he said. “What was 9/11?” he questioned. “It was modern technology guided by human hatred.”

The age-old concept of “we” and “they” should no longer hold true. The whole world should think in terms of “we”, he said. He cited modern European cooperation as an example. “In the early 20th century, the Germans were enemies in the eyes of the French and vice versa, but today they have come together to co-operate within the European Union.”

The spiritual leader’s poignant speech, in which he steadfastly refused to accept violence as a viable option, had several references to his view that violence creates more problems than it solves. It is, he said, more important to reach out and understand and connect on a more emotional level with one’s opposition.

“The 20th century was one of tremendous bloodshed, despite technological advances. The 21st century should be one of dialogue.” He said conflict is bound to happen, but there also needs to be dialogue to prevent misunderstandings. This, if motivated by compassion, can only give rise to good deeds.

Always a believer in the importance of India as role model to the world, the Dalai Lama said that a compassionate mind opens the inner doors of the mind. And India has always known the concepts of ahimsa (or positive action that begets positive consequences) and religious tolerance. “India’s idea of secularism has always been different from that of the West, too. There’s no rejection of religion here,” he added. “That’s precisely why India needs to play an active role in promoting global harmony in this new and heavily-interdependent world.”

The Dalai Lama concluded by stressing India’s role as a beacon of hope for the beleaguered Tibetans: “For thousands of years, India has been a guru to us. And we have been the most loyal chela. When the chela is in trouble, the guru has some responsibilities.”

Copyright © 2009 India Today Group

Published in India Today Conclave website