Dharamshala — His Holiness the Dalai Lama inaugurating a book launch of 'Two Saints,' on May 25th, written by his friend Arun Shourie, where insisted that he is still a simple disciple of Indian gurus.
During his introduction, author Arun Shourie praised His Holiness, saying that given that the number of Tibetans in exile is smaller than the population of Karol Bagh, the fact that Tibet is a matter of world concern is due only to his efforts.
Shourie's son, who has cerebral palsy, presented His Holiness with the book before he spoke, thanking Shourie and his son for their kindness.
“Today, when I meet my Indian friends I am struck by the sense that although this body of mine is Tibetan, in terms of study and knowledge, I may be more Indian than you. This is because of what I’ve learned from ancient India and the Nalanda tradition about tackling negative emotions and strengthening inner values. We Tibetans are chelas or disciples of Indian gurus who have kept intact and alive the knowledge of ancient India that we received from you. One of my commitments is to revive that ancient Indian knowledge in this country.
Pointing to senior BJP leader L K Advani, who was present on the occasion, the Dalai Lama said, “Advani once told me, according to Indian understanding, secular means to respect all religions and also to respect non-believers. Since I heard that from you, I want to consider you my teacher.”
“You’re making material advances, but should also combine this with stronger inner values. India is the one country that can combine modern education with inner values and ancient knowledge that are a source of inner peace. This involves tackling negative emotions and nurturing those that are positive. We talk about prospects for world peace, but first we need to find inner peace.
“Ancient Indian knowledge is not just to close eyes and pray, rather it is to do more of analysis and reasoning. That’s why only in India it is possible to combine ancient knowledge with modern technology.”
“In the more than 60 years that I have studied and analyzed what I have learned of ancient Indian wisdom, asking myself, for example, what is the use of anger, my destructive emotions have almost disappeared. Before the arrival of Buddhism, we Tibetans were warriors, but with the coming of light from India we curbed our violent inclinations and became a more peaceful, civilized nation.
“Therefore, I appeal to Indians to please pay more attention to your longstanding traditions in the spirit of the Buddha’s advice to examine, investigate and experiment with what you hear before making it your own. In the earlier 20th century scientists only acknowledged the function of the brain, now they are more interested in knowing about the workings of the mind.”
