By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, Sept 2: The foremost Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Wednesday suggested incorporating “karuna” or compassion as a subject in the modern education system in India, adding that since India is “home to karuna”, it is most crucial that Indian students learn to foster inner peace and develop human values akin to the ancient Indian culture.
The octogenarian leader in a pre-recorded message on the occasion to mark the second death anniversary of former President Pranab Mukherjee stressed on the importance of teaching students Indian thought alongside modern education. “[Compassion] should not be taught as a religious subject but for them to learn the human values,” he said. The exiled leader also reiterated that he is the longest-staying guest of India, adding that he had developed deep friendships with top leaders of the country including first Indian PM Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, and the first President Rajendra Prasad.
His Holiness also invoked the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophy of ‘Ahimsa’ (Non-violence), “If Gandhiji was alive today I would urge him to talk more on karuna. India is the land of the ancient tradition of karuna, and even Lord Buddha first meditated thinking of karuna and then found enlightenment.”
Former VC of Delhi University Dinesh Singh also said that he endorsed Dalai Lama’s suggestion on compassion being included in the curriculum, [This is] in sync with the feeling of compassion that president Mukherjee would exhibit to people”. At the meet, former Chhattisgarh governor Shekhar Dutt also accentuated His Holiness’ call for compassion on the anniversary, “Karuna element was an act of concern, [Mukherjee] could think what all required to be done for others.”
The Nobel laureate has long stressed on the need to preserve ancient traditional knowledge so that future generations can thrive in the modern world. As part of his long-term project, the ‘Social, Emotional and Ethical Learning’ (SEE) program was globally launched in New Delhi by the Dalai Lama and was introduced in schools in April 2019. SEE Learning is a tool aimed at providing social and economic support for children developed through partnership between the Emory University and the Dalai Lama Trust.
