India’s Heritage of Karuna and Ahimsa: A Talk by His Holiness Followed by Q&A
26 October 2020
The Foundation and the India International Center jointly organized a virtual talk by H.H. the Dalai Lama on India’s Heritage of Karuna and Ahimsa on Oct. 26, 2020 at 9 am. The talk was followed by a Q&A with senior Indian thought leaders, who are old associates and friends of His Holiness.
Introducing his life’s four main commitments, His Holiness explained that first of all, as a human being, he works to promote an understanding that humanity needs the Indian traditions of ‘karuna’ and ‘ahimsa’. Emphasising oneness of humanity, he mentioned that we have to learn to live together peacefully. Thinking in terms of ‘us’ and ‘them’ leads to conflicts. Regardless of our secondary differences, we are all same—physically, mentally and emotionally.
Secondly, as a religious figure, His Holiness expressed his dedication to encourage harmony among different religious traditions. Lauding India, His Holiness recounted how all the world’s major religious traditions flourish together here. He underscored that despite differences at the level of practice and philosophy, all religious traditions convey the messages of love and compassion.
His Holiness based his third commitment, i.e. towards the preservation of Tibet and its culture, on two main reasons: ecological and cultural. Expressing deep concern about the Tibetan environment, he warned that as Global Warming increases, if nothing is done to avert it, there is a risk that soon the rivers and lakes — main sources of water for much of Asia — will dry up.
Tibetan culture, he said this is particularly important as it is connected with the Indian Nalanda tradition in profound ways. Tibetans owe their culture and wealth of knowledge on Buddhism to India. He recounted the exchanges between Tibet scholars and Indian universities at Taxila, Nalanda, Vikramashila and Odantapuri. These led to the adoption of rigorous logical approach to learning among Tibetan Buddhist scholars and practitioners. Today, much of this knowledge is preserved in Tibetan texts, while the original sources have been lost to time.
Continuing with this, His Holiness, elaborated on his fourth commitment: revival and preservation of the Nalanda Tradition. Modern education, largely materialistic in its approach, needs to be complemented with ancient Indian knowledge of the workings of the mind and emotions. Principles and practices of non-violence and compassion, concentration and analytical insight combined with modern education can be significantly beneficial to everyone.
During his entire talk, His Holiness laid unequivocal emphasis on the revival of the study of ancient Indian knowledge and the need for its preservation. His Holiness expressed hope that India would take the lead in contributing towards solution of problems that the world faces today. Combination of modern and ancient Indian knowledge, especially India’s ancient traditions of non-violence and compassion, His Holiness said were crucial to this role of India. He urged that the new generation adapt to the changing times and needs and rethink the practices and perspectives that are ill suited to the current environment. If such perspectives have religious sanction then they too must be discarded. He advised that people should adopt a logical approach and not accept received ideas.
The key to creating a more peaceful world is to overcome the divisions of ‘us and them’. The values of tolerance, non-violence and compassion, that are part of ancient Indian tradition, can help us see the oneness of all sentient beings.
A distinguished panel of participants: Aruna Roy, a renowned social activist, Fali Nariman, senior advocate, the Supreme Court of India, Gopal Gandhi, former diplomat, academic and grandson of the Mahatma Gandhi, N.N. Vohra, President, IIC, Dr. Prakash Amte, well known social worker, Shivshankar Menon, former National Security Adviser & Foreign Secretary, Shyam Saran, former Foreign Secretary and Dr. Syeda Hameed, a social and women’s rights’ activist attended the interactive session. More than 25 other prominent guests joined the live session. Mr. Rajiv Mehrotra, Secretary/ Managing Trustee of the Foundation, moderated the session.
His Holiness responded to the questions on significance of prayer, Islamophobia, current socio-political environment in India, the region and the way towards a more compassionate world, among others.
Responding to a question on how to address the discrimination that the Muslim community faces and the labeling of Muslims as terrorists, His Holiness replied that the “so-called terrorists are individuals and can be found among Buddhists, Jews, Christians, Hindus and Muslims” and that the whole communities should not be stigmatized for the actions of a few individuals. As a way forward for the community, His Holiness suggested to engage in intra-community discussions and for the Indian Muslims to take the lead, globally, on building inter-community understanding.
