Dalai Lama
Source: Tibet.net
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama arrived in Delhi from Bodhgaya on 19 January, 2023. His Holiness drove to the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) to deliver the inaugural TN Chaturvedi Memorial Lecture.
His Holiness took part in the ceremonial lighting of a lamp. He was honoured by DG IIPA SN Tripathi, welcomed by Atulindra Nath Chaturvedi, and introduced to the audience by Aatil Nath Chaturvedi, who invited him to speak.
TN Chaturvedi was a distinguished Indian Administrative Service officer (IAS). Following his retirement, he was appointed Comptroller and Auditor General of India, and then Governor of Karnataka. Members of the Chaturvedi family, SN Tripathi, Director General of the IIPA, RK Mishra, Deputy Director of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, and others greeted His Holiness and escorted him to the TN Chaturvedi Memorial Hall.
"I learned about aspects of ancient Indian thought as a child in Tibet," His Holiness remarked. "Later I came to this country as a refugee, became a guest of the Government of India and have spent the majority of my life here. During that time, I've come to value qualities of ancient Indian thought like 'karuna' and 'ahimsa'. These ideas must be put into action for the benefit of humanity.
"Although I didn't have the opportunity to meet Mahatma Gandhi, I was able to meet Pandit Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri and as a result of talking to them developed sincere respect for them. India is a democratic country with many religious traditions coexisting under secular principles, which is wonderful.
My life now dedicated to promoting 'karuna' and 'ahimsa'. but I express my admiration for them just as an ordinary human being. As humans, we are all the same. We are all born the same way, and we are only alive because of our mother's compassion. It is in our nature as humans to be compassionate. We are social beings. We rely on our community to survive, so we must support the community. By extension, all eight billion people alive today must learn to coexist.
"When we talk about 'karuna' and 'ahimsa,' we're not thinking about our differences, but rather how we're the same. Where there is 'karuna,' 'ahimsa' follows naturally. When you have 'karuna' within you, you have inner strength and self-assurance. On that basis, you can consider other people to be your brothers and sisters.
"The division of people into 'us' and 'them' is archaic. Instead, consider them in terms of 'karuna' and 'ahimsa'. We will be free of fear, anger, and hatred if we cultivate this precious thought of karuna. We'll sleep well and be in good physical health.
"When I think of TN Chaturvedi, I remember that he lived his life in the spirit of 'karuna' and 'ahimsa'. I'm now 87 years old, but I appear younger than my age because I'm at peace. However, having an attractive external appearance isn't nearly as important as revealing 'karuna's' inner beauty."
His Holiness stated that the time has come to consider humanity as a whole, rather than just this or that nation. Faced with the consequences of climate change in the twenty-first century, he stated that we cannot afford to think only in terms of individual nations; we must learn to live together. Because of the gravity of global warming, we must discuss what we can do to combat it and preserve the world's natural ecology.
Edited & Collated by Team TRC