Teaching secularism and religious values in schools can tackle terrorism, says Dalai

By Shalini Sinha

Tolerance and compassion are the only ways to win all evils in one’s mind and also within the society, said Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama addressing a congregation of students here on Saturday.

The students had assembled at the Kalachakra ground to participate in an interactive session with the Nobel laureate.

Around 5,000 students from different private CBSE schools, apart from youths from Gaya College, a premier academic institution of Bihar, joined the interactive session and put various questions before the spiritual leader.

Some of the questions asked by the curious students were why even educated people get influenced to terrorism, why feeling of suicide comes to one’s mind and why there is jealousy in the society and within the family.

Replying to the queries posed by students, Dalai sought for change in the education system in accordance with the changes getting noticed in the society.

“Teaching secularism and the religious values can also be a solution to terrorism. Above all, it is tolerance and compassion that can end all problems including terrorism too,” Dalai opined.

Responding to a question asked by a seven-year-old student about the feeling of suicide, Dalai said, “When I too was in your age, similar question arose in my mind”.

He termed inner peace, love and compassion as the solution to all problems, saying youths are future of the country.

“Many teachers are of 20th century and youths are of 21st century. Youths are better future and we can see better world in them. Better future means compassion and happy world. The children today are the future. Come, take an oath to establish equality in the society,” the spiritual leader said, describing India “as a wonderful and peaceful democracy with religious harmony the tradition”.