Dharamsala: The 3rd of June was the last day of His Holiness the Dalai's lama's teachings at TCV School. His Holiness also conferred 28 nuns and monks with science degrees. The nuns and monks belonged to the three Buddhist nunneries and monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism.
The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and the spiritual leader of Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama also stressed on the respect and tolerance for all religions. He spoke of his book, "Ethics beyond religion". He said that secular ethics is the basis of all religions. The Buddhist way of thinking is very similar to secular ethics as the Buddha also respected people from different backgrounds and dispositions. He cited India as an example because India has a 1000 year old concept of secularism.
He also said that his generation belonged to the 20th century whereas the students and the youth belonged to the 21 century and they had to take care of themselves, their families, their countries and finally the world. He urged them to take this duty seriously.
After the teachings of HidsHoliness, the remains of the two Lamas, Lhadang Trulku Rinpoche and Geshe Lama Kunchuk were displayed and people were allowed to pray to them.
At 1 p.m. the Kalon Tripa, Dr Lobsang Sangay gave a speech. He explained the founding of the Tibetan Government in exile and their functions. Since the Dalai Lama handed his over his political right, the Tibetan political situation has improved both in exile and all over the world. He spoke about the awards given to the Dalai Lama such as the Nobel Prize and the Templeton Prize and how leaders all over the world have commended him for his efforts.
Then the students of TCV posed many questions and he answered them. He explained about the Registration Certificate. When asked about his earlier promise to raise the number of professors to 10,000, he said that it was a tough job but it could still be achieved. He then explained the educational reforms and how the school textbooks and curriculum has been changed. All the Tibetan school Principals met and some days back, they had a meeting, so they are progressing slowly.
After his speech, Dr.Lobsang Sangay gave the prizes to the students who won essay competitions (Tibetan and English), Art competitions and Caption competition organized by the school. The students recieved a cash prize and a scarf.
Then, the Speaker of the Parliament, Penpa Tsering, spoke on the policy of democracy that is being followed by the Government and how it has evolved over the past few years, especially after the Dalai Lama's complete retirement from Politics. He said that the situation of democracy in exile has improved. He spoke about the Tibetan Parliament's rule, the members and their duties etc.
From June 7th to 9th, His Holiness the Dalai Lama will teach at the Main Temple, Dharamsala on Introductory Buddhist Teachings.
