His Holiness the Dalai Lama arriving at the Main Tibetan Temple for the 33rd Mind & Life Dialogue – Reimagining Human Flourishing – in Dharamsala, HP, India, March 13, 2018. Photo/Tenzin Choejor

DHARAMSHALA: His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Friday concluded the 33rd Mind and Life Dialogue at the main temple, Tsuglagkhang.

Key moderator of the dialogue, Dr Richard Davidson, Neuroscientist and Founder of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin, Madison briefed an overview of the five-day session on ‘Reimagining Human Flourishing’.

“The last few days were really directly inspired by your holiness’ vision,” he said. “Mind and Life has really catalyzed this effort in ways that are truly remarkable, and are benefiting the science and also benefiting children, parents and future in different parts of the world. For all of this, we are so deeply grateful for your holiness’ inspiration”.

The five-day discourse focused mainly on education in light of His Holiness’s longstanding commitment to secular ethics education initiatives and fully integrating values such as compassion, ethics, and attention training into existing educational frameworks.

His Holiness emphasised that the main purpose of his meeting with scientists, other than enriching knowledge, was to help promote inner values of love, compassion, forgiveness through scientific understanding and secular framework.

“It is our generation’s responsibility to act. We’ve seen too much war. We’ve seen too much money spent on weapons. To respond to problems by resort to the use of force is out of date. It’s the wrong method and yet we see it being repeated now at the beginning of the 21st century. We have to change, but our education system is too materialistic. However, we can improve that and the work we do now can influence the centuries to com,” His Holiness said.

A total of 16 scholars and scientists including His Holiness presented on a number of topics pertaining to the education of secular ethics. The topics are Early Childhood Development and Social Emotional Learning, Social Emotional Learning and Education in the Classroom, Meta-Awareness and Attention Training in Education Research, Ethics and Compassion in Education Research and Evaluation and Implementation: Challenges and Opportunities for Human Flourishing.

This is the 33rd Mind & Life Dialogue organised by the Mind & Life Institute and the 13th edition, held in Dharamshala. The Mind & Life Institute is a non-profit institution dedicated to building a scientific understanding of the mind in order to reduce suffering and promote well-being. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the honorary chairman of the Institute.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama at 33rd Mind and Life Dialogue-Reimagining Human Flourishing at main temple, Tsuglagkhang. Photo/Tenzin Choejor

Thupten Jinpa and His Holiness the Dalai Lama discussing a point during his presentation on the Buddhist views of attention and meta-awareness on the third day of the Mind & Life Dialogue at the Main Tibetan Temple in Dharamsala, HP, India on March 14, 2018. Photo by Tenzin Choejor

Matthieu Ricard discussing the role of compassion in secular ethics during his presentation on the fourth day of the Mind & Life Dialogue at the Main Tibetan Temple in Dharamsala, HP, India on March 15, 2018. Photo by Tenzin Choejor

Some of the more than 300 guests listening to His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking on the opening day of the 33rd Mind & Life Dialogue – Reimagining Human Flourishing – at the Main Tibetan Temple in Dharamsala, HP, India on March 12, 2018. Photo by Tenzin Choejor