Dharamshala: Now more than ever, it is necessary, if not incumbent to reflect on the true interconnectedness of the entire humanity. Never before have so many countless people across the world been linked by their wellbeing and consequences.
But how, then, as individuals, do we respond to the interconnected world and rise over the feelings of self-centeredness, anxiety and fear in the face of an increasingly uncertain future.
For His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibetan spiritual leader and Nobel peace laureate, the answers lie in a system of education inculcating moral values or an approach to educating ourselves based on scientific findings, common experience and common sense.
It is not enough simply to pray. His Holiness argues “education” and “understanding” of how destructive emotions disturb our inner peace can help us learn the tools to effectively tackle them.
“Along with physical hygiene, we need to teach children to cultivate emotional hygiene,” His Holiness remarks, “so they can learn how to tackle their destructive emotions and achieve peace of mind.”
Speaking about the marvels of the human brain, His Holiness underlined how balancing it with “warmheartedness” can help us achieve inner peace and happiness, however, if coupled with “anger or jealousy, can lead to disastrous consequences.
His Holiness’ call for compassion that has spread throughout the world is derived both from Buddhist wisdom and scientific conclusions that altruism, compassion and warmheartedness as factors for our wellbeing can be taught, learned and cultivated through reason and intelligence.
And finally, it offers a secular roadmap to navigating our emotions on a daily basis, and in the process, building a happier, resilient and more connected world.