His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking to a group of Tibetan students, in Dharamshala, India, on April 17 2016. Ph
Dharamshala — “Tibetan Buddhism is the “wealth of the Tibetan people,” His Holiness the Dalai Lama said while interacting with a delegation of school captains from 19 Tibetan schools based in India and Nepal.His Holiness the Dalai Lama spoke to a group of Tibetan school captains from India and Nepal on Saturday, 16 April 2016. The delegation consisted of 60 students and faculty from 19 Tibetan schools based in India and Nepal, including three staff from the education department. They are in Dharamshala as part of a six-day leadership workshop organised by the Education Department.
The spirtitual leader of Tibet spoke about the rich religious and cultural traditions of Tibet and the responsibility of the younger generations to preserve it.
He said that Tibetan Buddhism is the “wealth of the Tibetan people”. “Politically, Tibet has had to go through a tremendous loss. However, the Tibetan tradition, its language and Buddhist studies have held us together.”
“Nowadays the learned intellectuals from the entire world are increasingly showing interest in the concepts of Tibetan Buddhism,” His Holiness said, adding: “Therefore, we must preserve this unique culture since it has the potential to contribute positively to the whole of humanity.”
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate expressed sorrow at the indiscriminate killing of thousands and the wars that are supposedly being fought in the name of religion in different parts of the world. He emphasised the need to develop warm heartedness and compassion, and called on the students to work towards creating a more peaceful and non-violent 21st century.
“You are all representatives of your schools, so you have the responsibility to pass on the unique Tibetan traditions in the 21st century and also into the 22nd century. That is your duty. Our aim is to educate the 7 billion human beings, whether believer or non-believer, into contributing to a compassionate humanity,” he said.
His Holiness added that “If that happens, then the 21st century will eventually become a century of compassion, of dialogue, of non-violence.” His Holiness told the students “that can be done by Tibetans alone”
“The sustenance and advancement of Tibetan Buddhist culture is not dependent on one person,” His Holiness explained them while responding to a question on the reincarnation issue. He recalled that ancient Indian masters like Gonpo Ludup and Lord Buddha did not have any reincarnation. Yet, their teachings have lived through practice and study for centuries.
