Highlights
- Spiritual leader Dalai Lama stressed on the teachings of Buddha
- COVID-19 pandemic has brought pain and hardship across the world: Mr Lama
- India is currently grappling with the second wave of the COVID-19
Dharamsala: People must come together to overcome global threats, including COVID-19, Tibetan religious leader Dalai Lama said on Wednesday (May 26). In his message for Buddhists on Buddha Purnima, the Nobel Peace Laureate said that by developing a sense of respect for others and a concern for their welfare, one could reduce their self-centredness, which is the source of many problems. “I started my Buddhist education as a child and although I am now nearly 86 years old, I am still learning. Even though our world has changed substantially since the time of Buddha, the essence of his teaching remains as relevant today as it was 2,600 years ago”, he said in a statement.
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Let us all join together in doing whatever we can to overcome the global threats we face, including the COVID-19 pandemic that has brought such pain and hardship across the world, he added.
He said Buddha’s teaching was essentially practical not just for one group of people or one country but for all sentient beings.
People can follow this path according to their ability and inclination, the spiritual leader said.
He further encouraged Buddhists everywhere to discover what the teaching really means to be able to apply it in their life.
This entails listening and reading, thinking about what you have heard and read and making yourself deeply familiar with it.
He stressed that Buddha’s advice was to avoid harming others and to help them always in whatever way possible.
We can begin to do this by recognising that everyone else is just like us in that…they want happiness and dislike suffering. Seeking joy and freedom from suffering is the birth-right of all beings. But personal happiness very much depends on how we relate to others, the Dalai Lama said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.
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