Dharamshala: From September 15 - 17, the spiritual leader of Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave series of preaching at various schools in Mussoorie, India on how to tackle the emerging problems of 21st century by developing a peaceful mind that is attentive not only to one's country, but to humanity as a whole.
"We often forget that we are human brothers and sisters. Sometimes we pay more attention to the differences between us that are essentially secondary, matters of race, faith, nationality and rank. These are the sort of factors that give rise to conflict and war, which provoke us to divide people into "them" and "us"...just as in the global economy, we need to overlook the barriers represented by national boundaries. This is clear too in terms of the environmental problems we face, because they affect us all," His Holiness proclaimed at the Woodstock School in Mussoorie.
He further elaborated on consequences of environmental degradation, stating that most countries put their national interests ahead of global interests, but the rising sea level will not distinguish the difference between national boundaries.
On the following day, His Holiness visited the Wynberg Allen School in Mussoorie after attending the Tibetan Homes Foundation (THF) Golden Julibee celebrations. “Today, when we are celebrating the 50th anniversary, everything has gone very well and I’d like to thank all of you have contributed to this occasion. The Homes Foundation has asked us all not to lose hope, but to keep our homeland in mind, which is very good advice," His Holiness said.
"Time is always moving on and no force can stop it. My own generation, people over 60 or 70 belong to the twentieth century, which is now over and gone. People like these who are less than 20 years old truly belong to the twenty-first century. They will shape the future." - Those are the words of His Holiness as he addressed the students at Wynberg Allen School.
Upon looking at the crowd of eager learners, he mentioned that he enjoy meeting young people because they are the one who will guide the direction of the future; the path he hopes will lead to the cultivation of peace and prosperity.
Following the speech, one of the students asked how he can contribute to world peace in which His Holiness responded that not all 7 billion people living on the same planet will suddenly work for peace, but one can start on an individual level - an example he brought up is Buddha, who initially taught only five students, but his message gradually expanded.
"The twentieth century was an era of unparalleled bloodshed, during which some say 200 million died through violence. If we are to make this century more peaceful, we won't do it by prayer alone, we have to take action."
"These days, it seems a lot of people seem to think Buddhism is only about prayer, when it is actually about study and maturing the mind. In order to practise you have to take account of reality, both of the external world and especially the inner world. And today, while we learn from science, scientists are learning about the mind from us," stated His Holiness as he tried to explain to the crowd the Buddhist's philosophy of external and internal peace.
Drawing upon the teachings, a student asked a final question of what does it mean to have "inner peace" in which His Holiness responded, "To have peace of mind is to be not only physically relaxed, but completely relaxed on a mental level too; not dull, but fully alert. When something negative occurs, if you focus on that alone, it seems to be entirely negative, but if you are sufficiently at ease to be able to look at it from a broader perspective, you may be able to see some positive side to it and this brings inner strength...the important thing is to deal with the trouble makers within our own minds."
