“ALWAYS HURRY, hurry, hurry,” the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet Tenzin Gyatso chided, as organisers of the Harmony in Diversity conference punctuated his visit here with meetings with religious leaders and members of the media.
As the world slows threatened by the enigmatic Corona Virus proving the world is one, as is the human family, from my archives floats this stop in time. Occasion is the visit of the Dalai Lama, the Spiritual Head of Tibetan Buddhism with a message: the world is one, one human family.
The Dalai Lama’s message
We need a sense of global responsibility. To think only of oneself is old-fashioned and selfish. The world is one; one human family… Human perceptions seem to lag behind changes in reality, so now that interdependence is the reality, there is still so much exploitation, when the reality is that everyone’s prosperity is interlinked.
Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, Spiritual Head of Tibetan Buddhism
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Dalai Lama From the Article Archives by Kris Rampersad
Noting the theme of the conference, Harmony in Diversity, the Dalai Lama reminded his audience that diversity is necessary to progress, but too much diversity could cause problems, so there is also need for harmony.
He saw diversity existing within harmony, as one human person may have diverse ideas at times.
Observing the audience in what he called multicultural Trinidad and Tobago, he said he felt as if he was in a fashion show with the variety of dress styles before him, also •noting his own distinct style of dress.
Different Religions, Culture Races, One Humanity
“It is a clear indication that we represent different cultural, religious and racial backgrounds,” he said, suggesting that people have developed distinctive cultures and lifestyles in different parts of the world, for practical reasons the environment and climates are different, so they adapt their lifestyles to that particular area.
Although he began his speech through an interpreter, much to the surprise and appreciation of the audience, he soon chose to speak directly to his audience in what he called “my broken English”
He urged the conference participants to be motivated by compassion and pure intentions, which should include believers and non-believers, atheists and extremists, who should all be seen as part of humanity, and in need of compassion.
The Dalai Lama said every human activity can be dirty if the motivation is not good, adding that people sometimes tend to be more concerned with action rather than motivation.
He also advised that people work together to develop a spirit of universal responsibility.
“We need a sense of global responsibility,” he said. “To think only of oneself is old-fashioned and selfish. The world is one; one human family.”
A follower of the Buddhist religion that preaches moderation in all things, the Dalai Lama’s first day in Trinidad and Tobago was a packed one.
He was whisked to the conference opening at Mt Hope Medical Sciences Complex; out of the conference and into the meeting with the religious leaders; off to Tobago for lunch and back to Trinidad in the afternoon to a cultural rally at the National Stadium, all exposing him to the harmonious diversity of the country.
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