His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama visited Dibrugarh University on the 3rd of April, 2017 and was received with great enthusiasm and warmth by the Honourable Vice Chancellor, Prof. Alak Kumar Buragohain and the members of the university community, prominent members of the civil society and the Buddhist community of the region.
In a programme coordinated by Shri Chandan Kr. Sarma, Coordinator, Centre for Buddhist Studies, Dibrugarh University, His Holiness the Dalai Lama delivered a lecture on the theme of Ethics in Modern Education. During his address, His Holiness stressed on the message of universal brotherhood through inner peace and compassion. His Holiness impressed upon the audience the significance of love and trust which are necessary for alleviating fear, anger and violence. Human beings, it was also stressed during the address, are inherently compassionate and this has been affirmed not only by philosophers but also by modern scientific research.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama lamented that inequalities and divisions between humans are increasing immensely between people in the world today. Man-made divisions on the grounds of religion, language, and region, have adversely impacted our inner peace leading to fear, frustration and eventually violence. His Holiness opined that such artificial divisions between humankind should be removed in order to achieve universal brotherhood and compassion.
His Holiness also spoke on the significance of climate change brought on due to our materialistic greed which has led to a depletion and destruction of our natural resources. In order to ensure a secure and peaceful future, His Holiness stressed the importance of sharing resources and harnessing them in a sustainable manner.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama also articulated that the education system in India was imposed by the British and insisted that it is now time to include elements in our education system as was prevalent in ancient Indian knowledge which included messages of compassion, love, and harmony.
His Holiness also expressed happiness that Dibrugarh University will be introducing a course on secular ethics and extended an invitation to the Vice Chancellor of Dibrugarh University to attend further deliberations on the subject with Buddhist scholars. In his concluding remarks, His Holiness thanked the university for inviting him and urged the younger generation to make the 21st century the century of compassion.
At the end Professor M.N. Dutta, Registrar, Dibrugarh University offered the Vote of Thanks.