Re: World Peace begins with Inner Peace -- His Holiness The Dalai Lama

Winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1989, His Holiness the XIV (14th) Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people, and an occasional ATCA Contributor, joined scientists on Saturday in Vancouver, Canada, to discuss how stress can affect health.

The 71-year-old monk, clad in traditional robes, answered questions from three prominent scientists who work in fields related to mental health. The Dalai Lama journeyed to Vancouver over the weekend to open a new centre for peace and education and wrapped up his visit Saturday night before a crowd of 14,000 people at GM Place.

Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan and Canadian Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Monte Solberg presented The Dalai Lama with the honorary Canadian citizenship that Parliament unanimously decided to award him earlier this year. It was only the third time the honour has been granted. South African leader Nelson Mandela and Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who saved Jews from extermination during the Second World War, have both received the honour. "Your Holiness, if you know anything at all about our Parliament, you will know that we never agree on anything, let alone unanimously," said Mr Solberg. "Clearly you really have had the ability to bring people together."

The honorary citizenship drew strong opposition from China, which warned the gesture could harm relations. The Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) said Canada recognises China as the legitimate government of both China and Tibet, but has great respect for His Holiness The Dalai Lama. His Holiness fled into exile in northern India in 1959, following a failed uprising against Chinese rule, but is still widely revered in Tibet and across many parts of the world.

Among the three experts on the panel with His Holiness was the medicine and health scientist, Dr Deepak Chopra, also an ATCA Contributor, who noted that rising violence and terrorist attacks are increasing the world's yearning for peace. The Dalai Lama replied that early stress in life from poverty or abuse leads to negative emotions such as fear, jealousy and anger which turn into violence. Essentially, the Dalai Lama believes world peace begins with inner peace, tolerance and compassion. He said that once people develop compassion -- mercy and forgiveness -- more meaningful dialogue can take place which will ultimately lead to a less violent world.

"In order to understand meaningful dialogue first you must understand others' interests and you must respect them as your brothers and sisters and also consider them as a part of yourself," His Holiness said. He said people could look to the example of a nurturing mother to understand true compassion.

At one point Dr Deepak Chopra, who studies the mind-body connection in relation to good health extensively, asked The Dalai Lama if world peace would come about if society elevated the profession of motherhood. The Dalai Lama chuckled, scratched his head and said, "Yes that's good...The long term is the answer to deal with violence motivated by anger and fear, so we must have compassion to create more humanity."

His Holiness said he believed even a child who had suffered abuse could be healed by learning how to change his or her perspective from a negative one to a positive one. "Make the effort. Work hard. Be united. I think you should know you have a responsibility to work together," he told a packed audience at Vancouver's Orpheum Theatre.

Psychiatrist Prof Allan Young, who holds the leadership Chair in Depression Research and is the Associate Director at the Institute of Mental Health at the University of British Columbia, asked the Dalai Lama for his thoughts on the parallels between compassion and mental ill health. He wanted to know why it seems people have less compassion for people with mental disorders than for those with physical ones. "It would be a scandal if someone had to sleep in the street with cancer but why is it not for someone who has schizophrenia?" asked Prof Young. "I don't know." said the Dalai Lama, noting that the new centre for peace and education would be a good place to conduct more research on why people fall ill from depression with seemingly little reason.

After the honorary citizenship ceremony, the floor was handed over to the Dalai Lama, who spoke about how to cultivate happiness. "I feel for a successful and happy life much of it depends on our mental outlook," His Holiness said, as he sat cross-legged on a couch onstage. "The money, power or even health, I think is secondary. If mental state is calm, at peace, then you really enjoy your life."

The Dalai Lama's thoughtful observations are particularly relevant given ATCA's concentration on opportunities and threats arising from climate chaos, radical poverty, organised crime, extremism, informatics, nanotechnology, robotics, genetics, artificial intelligence and financial systems. All of the 10 complex global challenges of the 21st century identified by ATCA, depend on the trio of "Compassion, Calmness and Peace" to begin to resolve some of the seemingly intractable yet interlinked confrontations with the appropriate universal values. As those inherent confrontations accelerate and feed off each other's momentum they possess the capability to damage and to disrupt the delicate global dynamic equilibrium. Faced with this unpalatable prospect for humanity in the coming two to three decades or less, it is necessary to rethink strategically because geo-politics coupled with short term unsustainable demand for resources has indeed brought humanity to its crossroads, yet again.

Background

Winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1989, His Holiness the XIV (14th) Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people. Born to an ordinary family, His Holiness was recognized at the age of two, in accordance with Tibetan tradition, as the reincarnation of his predecessor the 13th Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lamas are the manifestations of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, who chose to reincarnate to serve the people. Dalai Lama means Ocean of Wisdom. Tibetans normally refer to His Holiness as Yeshin Norbu, the Wish-fulfilling Gem, or simply, Kundun, meaning The Presence. He began his education at the age of six and completed the Geshe Lharampa Degree (Doctorate of Buddhist Philosophy) when he was 25.

In 1950, at 16, His Holiness was called upon to assume full political power as Head of State and Government when Tibet was threatened by the might of China. In 1954 he went to Beijing to talk with Mao Zhe Dong and other Chinese leaders, including Chou En-Lai and Deng Xiaoping. In 1956, while visiting India to attend the 2,500th Buddha Jayanti, he had a series of meetings with Prime Minister Nehru and Premier Chou about deteriorating conditions in Tibet. In 1959 he was forced into exile in India after the Chinese military occupation of Tibet. Since 1960 he has resided in Dharamsala, aptly known as "Little Lhasa", the seat of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. In the early years of exile, His Holiness appealed to the United Nations on the question of Tibet, resulting in three resolutions adopted by the General Assembly in 1959, 1961 and 1965. In 1963, His Holiness promulgated a draft constitution for Tibet which assures a democratic form of government. In the last four decades, His Holiness has set up educational, cultural and religious institutions which have made major contributions towards the preservation of the Tibetan identity and its rich heritage.

Unlike his predecessors, His Holiness -- forced into exile in 1959 whilst in India -- has met and talked with many Westerners and has visited most major countries in North & South America, Europe and Asia. He has met with religious leaders from all those countries. His Holiness met with the late Pope Paul VI at the Vatican in 1973, and with His Holiness Pope John Paul II in 1980, 1982, 1986 and 1988. At a press conference in Rome, His Holiness the Dalai Lama outlined his hopes for the meeting with John Paul II: "We live in a period of great crisis, a period of troubling world developments. It is not possible to find peace in the soul without security and harmony between the people. For this reason, I look forward with faith and hope to my meeting with the Holy Father; to an exchange of ideas and feelings, and to his suggestions, so as to open the door to a progressive pacification between people."

In 1981, His Holiness talked with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Robert Runcie, and with other leaders of the Anglican Church in London. He also met with leaders of the Roman Catholic and Jewish communities and spoke at an interfaith service in his honour by the World Congress of Faiths. His talk focused on the commonality of faiths and the need for unity among different religions: "I always believe that it is much better to have a variety of religions, a variety of philosophies, rather than one single religion or philosophy. This is necessary because of the different mental dispositions of each human being. Each religion has certain unique ideas or techniques, and learning about them can only enrich one's own faith."

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We look forward to your further thoughts, observations and views. Thank you.

Best wishes

For and on behalf of DK Matai, Chairman, Asymmetric Threats Contingency Alliance (ATCA)

ATCA: The Asymmetric Threats Contingency Alliance is a philanthropic expert initiative founded in 2001 to understand and to address complex global challenges. ATCA conducts collective Socratic dialogue on global opportunities and threats arising from climate chaos, radical poverty, organised crime, extremism, informatics, nanotechnology, robotics, genetics, artificial intelligence and financial systems. Present membership of ATCA is by invitation only and has over 5,000 distinguished members: including several from the House of Lords, House of Commons, EU Parliament, US Congress & Senate, G10's Senior Government officials and over 1,500 CEOs from financial institutions, scientific corporates and voluntary organisations as well as over 750 Professors from academic centres of excellence worldwide.

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