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Human greed behind unbridled production: Tibetan scholar

By STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, March 14 - Post-modern civilisation in a highly globalised world dominated by advancement in science and technology has created a situation in which production has become unbridled and yet it has to be consumed. People have things much beyond what is needed and this is being fed on human greed as people are consuming far more than what they need.

This was observed by scholar Prof Samdhong Rinpoche, former Prime Minister of Tibetan Parliamentary Board in a memorial lecture on the topic �In Quest of Peace and Justice� on the occasion of the first death anniversary of GL Agarwalla organised by GLP Social Circle here this evening.

Questioning whether people wanted peace, Prof Rinpoche said that peace was much more than absence of war and that unfortunately violence and injustice was structured in modern civilisation even though it might not be visible all the time.

�Humanity is being changed from a user to a consumer, and there is more and more comparison and competition. Today�s growth � I won�t call it development � is disproportionate... peace has to begin in your mind first. And to secure peace, purity of both mind and the means is essential. Peace has to be established by accepting the equality of all sentient beings,� he observed.

Stating that society is built on relationships and cooperation, Prof Rinpoche said that in modern times duties were getting forgotten and competition was thought to be a good thing for progress whereas it actually led to selfishness.

�This reversal of balances has denied the scope of peace and justice... but still we can at least do a quest for peace and justice on the lines of the principles as shown by the great minds such as Gandhi,� he added.

Terming Mahatma Gandhi as among the greatest spiritual preachers born in the world in the last 500 years, Prof Rinpoche said much of what Gandhi spoke about peace and non-violence was applicable to ushering in peace and real progress in today�s strife-torn world.

�Buddha preached the same things before but that was largely confined to the spiritual realm. Gandhi applied non-violence in all the realms � political, economic, social and others. Do not reject Gandhi without reading him first,� he said, adding that ancient Indian wisdom abounded in ideas that recognised the true value of peace and non-violence.

Quoting Martin Luther King, Prof Rinpoche said the world must choose between violence and existence rather than violence and non-violence, which was the case earlier. He also referred to Acharya Vinoba Bhave and said that his philosophy had a lot of relevance today.

Earlier, Justice Mukundakam Sharma, a former judge of the Supreme Court, spoke on the life and contributions of the late GL Agarwalla as a philanthropist, a devout to the cause of Assamese literature and culture, and a pioneer in modern technologies in newspaper printing.

Asam Sahitya Sabha president Dr Kuladhar Saikia, who presided over the function, said the death of truth and credibility was affecting peace and he called for some serious introspection by all for restoration of peace.

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