By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, June 5: The Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai today spoke on the importance of having psychology as a subject in schools for more peaceful mind and eventually more peaceful world. The Tibetan spiritual leader was speaking on the first day of the annual three-day teaching for Tibetan youth at Tsuglagkhang here.
Speaking from his years of practice of reason and logic text His Holiness suggested the study of mind according to Indian wisdom as part of school curriculum. “The duty falls upon the future generation with education and in depth knowledge on psychology to create more peaceful minds in the world,” the Tibetan spiritual leader said.
Unique to Tibetan Buddhism and few Indian traditions including Pali tradition, the octogenarian spiritual leader urged the Tibetans including the students to study the working of mind to create a more peaceful world.
“It is nothing new and it has been there for over 1000 years. There is a general perception that these wisdoms are to be studied only bys the monastics. The lack of interest from laypeople is a regressive thinking,” he said, “The six million Tibetan hold immense belief in the teachings of Buddha. However, obtaining better understanding through examination would make the belief a belief with wisdom, which is really important.”
Attended by over 8000 devotees including 2,800 college and school students from various institutions, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader taught on Nagarjuna’s ‘Commentary on Bodhichitta’ and Gyalsey Thokme Sangpo’s ‘Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva’.
On the first day of the teaching, the members of Buddhism Introductory Committee of Dharamsala (BICD) presented a logic debate in front of His Holiness before the teachings commenced.
The Tibetan leader said that most of the problems in the today’s world are caused by indisciplined mind. “Since the problem is within us, the solution must also come from within by making our mind more disciplined,” he said, while emphasizing that an individual wouldn’t achieve peaceful mind just by praying.
This is the 11th year since the first ever teachings for Tibetan youth began in 2007 at Upper TCV, organized by the Buddhism Introductory Committee of Dharamshala.
The BICD is a voluntary committee formed in 2006 to help Tibetan youngsters to stay accustomed with Buddha Dharma and Tibetan Buddhist culture by arranging introductory Buddhist classes.
