India should adopt ancient education system: Dalai Lama

Buddhist spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, said India should adopt ancient Indian education system in its present curriculum to build a strong nation and help future generations tackle present-day stress issues.

Delivering a talk on “Courage and Compassion in the 21st century for young professionals and students” on Saturday, he said India was the only country where religious tolerance exists even in the present times.

“Indian traditions and texts contain material to tackle modern-day stressors, but modern India is not paying enough attention to their immense treasure and
knowledge,” he added.

The Dalai Lama said Indian meditative practices which stem from Indian texts can provide peace of mind to a person and help tackle all the problems of the modern world. Ancient Indian knowledge needs to be revived in this country by one and all – be it a non-believer or a believer of religion. He said the present day education system in India is slightly tilted towards creating a material life, society and culture. India’s educational system should be able to teach students to tackle their emotions, while the Indian yoga practices can be used to build a healthy body, he added.

The powerful combination of modern education and ancient Indian knowledge will attract other countries like China, Vietnam, Korea to adopt the same in their countries.

Recalling how he solved issues between Ladakhi Muslims and Buddhists in Zanskar region on Ladakh, the Dalai Lama said Indian Muslims should play active role in promoting harmony among Sunnis and Shias. The difference between Hindus and Muslims is generally created by politicians, he said.