Team Herald
Sankhlim: The Dalai Lama was at his impish best as he presided over the celebrations at the Goa Institute of Management as it completed 25 years. His candid observations about Jawaharlal Nehru, the need for Shias and Sunnis to shun conflict and the future of the post of Dalai Lama had everyone rivetted.
Speaking as they key note speaker on the subject – Today’s Relevance of India’s Ancient Knowledge – His Holiness spoke extensively on India’s ability to merge its rich traditional knowledge with modern facets of education. “India has a culture deeply rooted in tradition and knowledge. The land of ahimsa’s cauldron of traditional knowledge includes the art of meditation, compassion, secularism and more” he said. While acknowledging that the British sowed the seeds of the modern style of education as we know it today, he remarked that India is probably the only country which can find the right balance between its traditional knowledge and modern education.
His Holiness emphasised the need to create dialogue and debate on a range of subjects which can aid aspiring B-school students to learn, analyse and gain new experiences. “We need more people to come together and talk and debate on aspects linked to India’s ancient knowledge such as ahimsa and compassion. We also need to find ways to reduce conflict amongst ourselves” he urged the aspiring managers of corporate India.
Responding to a question from a student as to how one could avoid making mistakes, he cited the example of Jawaharlal Nehru the first Prime Minister of India who expressed his interest in becoming the PM when Mahatma Gandhi had expressed his view that perhaps Jinnah should be given that post. The Dalai Lama said “India and Pakistan would have remained united had Jinnah been allowed to take over as prime minister, instead of Jawaharlal Nehru. Mahatma Gandhi wanted to give the prime ministership to Jinnah. But Nehru refused. He was self-centred. He said, ‘I wanted to be prime minister’. India Pakistan would have been united (if Jinnah was made prime minister). Pandit Nehru is very experienced. But mistakes do happen.”
The spiritual leader appealed to Muslims in India to make efforts to reduce Shia-Sunni conflicts that are prevalent in some other countries and asserted that Islam is a religion of peace. He lamented the bloodshed over denominational differences, which he said should be avoided as Islam teaches compassion and harmony.
“We are part of the world of seven billion human beings. Sometimes, I suggested that the Indian community in America, England and different European countries should invite some Europeans during Diwali and New Year, and talk about ‘ahimsa’ (non-violence) which is the basis of religious tolerance,” he said.
“Muslims across the globe follow the same Quran and also pray five times a day. However, there are killing each other owing to differences between the sects like Shia and Sunni,” he said. The Dalai Lama said, “I was in Ladakh. I suggested to Ladakhi Muslims that Indian Muslims should make some efforts to reduce the conflict between Shias and Sunnis”. He told the audience that a national conference of Muslims would be organised in the coming months, which will be followed by a similar convention at the international level.
He appealed to educationists to combine the modern education with ancient knowledge and introduce the same in educational curriculum, first within the country and then at the international level. “We should show that if problems happen we can solve them through a dialogue. It is more important to have inner disarmament through knowledge,” he added.
When asked about the Chinese concern over the future of the post of Dalai Lama, his holiness said the institution of Dalai Lama was no longer politically relevant and it was up to the people of Tibet to decide whether the age-old tradition should continue or not. He said in 2001, the elected political leadership was appointed (by the people in exile) and for the next 10 years he remained in semi-retired position. “Then in 2011, I totally retired from the political responsibility. Now, the elected political leadership carries the full responsibility, I don’t get involved in their decision,” he said.
“This November, we are meeting again. In the previous meetings, they had decided that when my age reaches around 90 years, then the group of leaders will decide about the future Dalai Lama,” the 83-year-old spiritual leader said.
Asked what his biggest fear was he said on March 17th 1959, he had faced a severe crisis when the Chinese turned aggressive and despite his best attempts, the situation did not calm down. He decided to escape after much discussion and when he did it was a very frightful experience. He said “ At 16 I lost my freedom at 24 I lost my country. But we keep our determination alive. I had a lot of interaction `with Pandit Nehru. He told me US will never go to war with China”. When asked what would happen if all the people in the world became monks, he reverted to becoming the mischievous monk and said “If even one third of the people in the world become monks, its best to adopt birth control. But on a more serious note, population and global warming are real concerns which need to be addressed by leaders across the globe” .
Finally when asked what thoughts went through his mind when he was chosen to be the 14th Dalai Lama he said “ I was barely a few years old when the search party arrived at my home to inform my family that I would be the next Dalai Lama. At the time I was a young toddler and I was excited. I ran towards them and recognized them due to what I remembered from my past life. Today China is more interested in the next Dalai Lama than me because for them its more of a political decision. My focus each day is to live life meaningfully every single day”.
