Natural Disasters Are Man-made, Says The Dalai Lama

'Wherever you are happy… is your home'; 'Whoever is kind to you… is your parent'

On Saturday, April 09, 2016, I was looking forward to the clock moving at a faster pace in order to hear a live talk by His Holiness The Dalai Lama ('His Holiness'). As the audience gathered to hear His Holiness, the air of The Dogra Auditorium IIT Delhi, seemed to have a pleasant breeze, as if even the room was rejoicing in anticipation of the presence of a very special human being who has brought Happiness into the lives of millions of people globally.

At sharp 14:00 hrs, His Holiness began his talk on ‘HAPPINESS & ETHICS’, which is actually ‘the relevant topic’ for today’s times!

In his opening remarks, His Holiness spoke about how he had transformed himself from a ‘lazy boy’ and a ‘gossip-person’ to becoming a person with a definite purpose. A transformation that even words would fail to fully describe. During the two hours live talk; His Holiness covered various subjects ranging from the importance of global peace to the merits of global education. Gripping the audience the entire time. There was pin drop silence as if the entire audience of almost two thousand people were glued in unification to listen to the World’s most powerful spiritual leader.

While I may not be able to totally cover the entire live talk, here is brief summary of most of the relevant topics that His Holiness very graciously covered.

Natural Disasters
His Holiness referred to today’s Natural Disasters as Man’s Creation. He said that the time had come to unite and to end the ongoing violence. His words, ‘enough of violence – enough!’ still echoes in the ears. At the age of 81 years, his words were crisp yet impressive and impactful.

An Interdependent World
His Holiness said Northern Africa and the Arabic World are facing problems as a result of the mistakes made in the 20th Century. He also said that the sensible people in the USA, Japan, & Australia are working to spread the thoughtful message that violence across the world must come to an end. And so should the threat of the usage of nuclear weapons. This is the need of the hour.

His Holiness said today the world is interrelated and all regions across the world are interdependent. Since Man is a social animal, there must not be any religious boundaries anymore.

The time had come to realize that the well being of all the 7 Bn people across the globe matters. Global peace is critical and there must be a conscious effort to eliminate suspicion and distrust.

In the words of His Holiness, ‘more than offering morning prayers, one must practice honesty, truthfulness, and compassion.’ These traits are far more critical than anything else. The knowledge of emotions matters more than practicing rituals. He also stated that the word Secular implies to respecting all religions and to also equally respecting the non-believers.

Inner Peace & Happiness
We must create a happier world. This will bring inner peace. His Holiness spoke about his study with leading scientists who are now clinically proving that a more agitated person eats his/her immune system.

A healthy mind is a healthy body. He said that people must think more holistically and find ways to relax. Even a little distrust or jealousy will not bring happiness. Only warm-heartedness and unconditional love brings happiness. Trust from the heart brings out sincerity. A calm mind and body leads to longevity.

His Holiness also spoke about how people spend monies to bring about change in the outer body. However, this outer body only lasts for sometime and it is the inner beauty that matters most.

His Holiness said that it is natural for people to care about their families since this a bias love as a result of the biological factor. However, it is equally important to use human intelligence for unbiased love and to treat everyone with unconditional love and compassion. His Holiness said that even our socalled ‘enemies’ come from another mother and therefore even they possess a seed of compassion. Therefore, even they deserve our love.

Restful Sleep
His Holiness says that restful sleep for nine hours is important. When a Doctor examined His Holiness a few years ago (when he was in his late 70’s), the Doctor referred to His Holiness as a ‘young body.’ According to His Holiness, this statement was made because he had led a calm and peaceful life and he always spread the power of love and happiness. He always had restful sleep.

Education is critical
His Holiness said that education is the best manner to spread the power of love and compassion. India is the Guru of Knowledge and India’s ancient Gurus truly left behind profound knowledge, which we must spread. Promote human values through education. Make human values the science of the mind and this will then cover all of humanity for sure. India is an excellent nation that has always promoted unique and good values. He also said that in a population of over a billion people in India, there might be some people who are ‘mischievous.’ But enthusiasm and courage to stand for global unification is more effective than fear.

Reading, Knowledge, & Continuous Training
His Holiness said that everyone must read, gain knowledge, and also adopt continuous training. This is very critical. In the words of His Holiness even if you were to die tomorrow, you must continue to study until your last day. He also said that reading eliminates worry and anxiety and brings longstanding happiness. Knowledge is what matters most!

In closing the one remark that is the best manner to summarize the live talk by His Holiness is this:- ‘SMILE IS THE BEST FORM OF COMMUNICATION.’