March 27,  2022

 

The Secular Ethics Department of Tong-Len Charitable Trust organised a Talk on the 4 Principal Commitments of His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama in Shimla with Geshe Lhakdor La as the Speaker. It was a great success as the audience were very enthusiastically listening to the talk and even raised several questions to clear their doubts.

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Synopsis:

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His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Four Principal Commitments

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These four commitments shape his vision for the world.

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1. Human Value

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His first commitment is “the promotion of human values such as compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline.” He likes to speak of ‘human values as secular ethics’

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2. Religious Harmony

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The idea that there is one truth and one religion is relevant to the individual practitioner. For the community at large, several truths, several religions are necessary.

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3. For Tibet

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Thirdly, His Holiness is a Tibetan and as the ‘Dalai Lama’ he is

the focus of the Tibetan people’s hope and trust. Therefore, he is committed to preserving Tibetan language and culture, the heritage Tibetans received from the masters of India's Nalanda University, and also protection of Tibet's natural environment.

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4. Revival of Ancient Indian Tradition

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His Holiness the Dalai Lama has always expressed profound admiration towards ancient Indian knowledge for its contribution toward the understanding of the human mind, and the imbibing of practices to tackle negative emotions. His Holiness is convinced that the rich ancient Indian understanding of the working of the mind and emotions, as well as the techniques of mental training, such as meditation, developed by Indian traditions, are of great relevance today. Since India has a long history of logic and reasoning, he is confident that its ancient knowledge, viewed from a secular, academic perspective, can be combined with modern education.