Education must teach compassion, not competition: Dalai Lama at MU
Billions are spent on weapons that kill and war is making way for more intolerance among people Countries should indulge in building a stronger education system for their future generations. DALAI LAMA
MUMBAI: The modern education system needs to incorporate ancient Indian teachings of peace and non-violence to replace competition with compassion, said Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama at the University of Mumbai’s (MU) Kalina campus on Wednesday. His discourse was part of an international conference organised by the department of philosophy.
“We are enjoying peace and privilege where we sit today. But at the same time, another child sitting in Yemen or Syria is suffering. Everyone knows that war is of no help, but the message can reach out a larger audience only if the same values are inculcated as part of education to all,” he said.
Dalai Lama added that today, the masses need to know the importance of tolerance and co-existence more than ever.
In Mumbai for the next three days, Dalai Lama will visit Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) on Friday.
“We teach children about physical health, but no one focuses on emotional health. Our schools and teachers should include moral education in the curriculum that the future generations don’t harp on hatred,” he said.
His discussion highlighted that although more people were following the path of non-violence today, they are finding it difficult to convince others to do the same.
“Children are innocent and don’t care about nationality or other differences in their friends. If we introduce compassion in our classrooms today, thirty years from now we will have a generation who will think and act with unbiased compassion.”
Once the floor was open for questions, many sought his opinion on the current scenario where weapons are reducing schools and colleges to debris.
“Billions are spent on weapons that kill and war is making way for more intolerance among people. Instead, countries should indulge in building a stronger education system for their future generations,” he said.