Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa University, on December 10, signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Foundation for Universal Responsibility of the Dalai Lama to establish a Dalai Lama Chair for Nalanda Studies in the University of Goa under their visiting research professor programme. It was on this day when the world was celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Tenzin Gyatso the 14th Dalai Lama getting the Nobel Peace prize in 1989.
This Chair will focus on the study of wisdom and practice, aspects of an ancient tradition under the umbrella of a modern Indian university. Apart from the studies of the Nalanda text, the initial phase of cooperation will also encompass meditation and training of the mind, logic and debate, Buddhists metaphysics, conflict resolution and peace studies and gender studies.
While welcoming the Dalai Lama for a talk on the relevance of ancient Nalanda teachings in the modern times, the vice chancellor of Goa University Prof. Varun Sahni said, “We are looking forward to hosting distinguished scholars who would enhance our understandings and our skills in the extremely important knowledge domains.”
Prof Sahni explained why the Nalanda teachings is so important to us today by saying that, “for seven glorious centuries from the 5th century of the common era the Mahavihara at Nalanda was not only a repository of ancient wisdom but also the site of the unique method of teaching and learning that we desperately need in India today. The Nalanda method was about cooperative and argumentative dialogue between the teacher and the learner based on asking and answering questions in order to stimulate critical thinking and to draw ideas and underline presuppositions and inherent contradictions.”
He further added, “If the Indian education system is to ever emerge as a fount of creativity and innovation, we must emulate, incorporate and repatriate the Nalanda tradition in our constitutions of learning.”
However, while addressing the lecture, the Dalai Lama said, “What we are lacking in the existing education system or what we call modern education, which has been introduced from the West, which believed spiritual thing is only praying to God and it is inadequate. One needs to utilise the human brain, not just the faith.
The Dalai Lama requested the Goa University vice chancellor to, “exploit the knowledgeable Buddhists scholars from the neighbouring state of Karnataka. In Karnataka we have one of India biggest set-up and the Goa University must take advantage of this. It should be used as an academic subject and not a Buddhist subject. You should also try to revive Sanskrit as a language which is losing its stature now. You already have a tradition so you should exploit the knowledge we have.”
