GUWAHATI, April 1 - Voice of peace is growing everywhere nowadays. People are also changing day by day and it is high time, we seek peace through education. It is important that secular education includes morality, ethics, etc., to create happy people so that every individual can spread happiness and thus peace in a geometrical progression, starting from the individual to the society.
This was the observation made by the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso. He was delivering a talk on �A Human Approach to World Peace� and interacting with the audience at the concluding function of the platinum jubilee celebration of The Assam Tribune and the golden jubilee of its sister publication Dainik Asam at the Pragjyoti ITA Centre for Performing Arts here today.
He underscored the importance of newspapers in spreading the canons of peace and maintained that the violent incidents that wrecked many countries in the 20th century should not be allowed to be repeated in the 21st century. To achieve this, he said, there is a need to develop the spirit of dialogue. �We must solve our problems through dialogues and awareness and not through violence and counter-violence. We must stand firmly in support of non-violence,� he maintained.
The Dalai Lama started his talk with the announcement that one of his commitments is to prove the oneness of the human beings. He then shared the information that a number of scientists have now found that the basic human nature is compassion and this is a sign of hope, he asserted.
�Everyone comes and goes the same way and hence, while we are alive, we should not cause any problem or suffering for others,� he said. �They are our brothers and sisters. Using our intelligence properly, we must create a happy family, a happy community and a happy world,� he added.
In this respect, he maintained that the Indian concept of karuna (compassion) should be adhered to. �Karuna is the foundation stone of ahimsa (non-violence) practised in India. Without karuna, ahimsa remains elusive,� the Dalai Lama said, adding that many scientists are now showing interest in the Indian approach of non-violence.
He said a logical approach is also �very very important� towards creating a congenial atmosphere for peace. He asserted that the existing education system is inadequate to produce compassionate people. It considers the material aspects more, but happiness of the individuals is at the core of a happy society, he said.
Scientists have now found that a healthy body needs a happy mind, he said. �Some people in India, America and Europe are now pleading that education should create happy minds,� he added.
In the early part of the 20th century, every citizen joined the army of his country when it was in war with another country, but in the later part of the last century, this attitude underwent a change, the Dalai Lama said.
On the issue of terrorism, he said that the compassion of the terrorists remains dormant. It is wrong to identify the terrorists with the religion they are allied to and using force to counter them is also counter-productive. �Using force you cannot control emotion,� the Dalai Lama said.
The Dalai Lama also released a souvenir on the 50 years of Dainik Asam and a book on the first editor of The Assam Tribune Lakshmi Nath Phookan at the function.
