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FEATURE | EASTERN HORIZON 29

His Holiness the Dalai Lama answering
questions from the audience during his
interaction with Russian university students
online from his residence in Dharamsala, HP,
India on March 29, 2021. Photo by Ven Tenzin
Jamphel

has met the Buddha. What he taught control it’s good to be patient, but of them, such as hurricanes and
has been preserved in Tibetan it is not appropriate to be patient wild-fires, are beyond our control.
in the 100 volumes that record with the suffering in general. Since However, by cutting our use of
his words, the 220 volumes of we each have Buddha nature, it’s fossil fuels and turning instead to
subsequent Indian treatises and the much better to try to fulfil it by renewable sources of energy, such
10,000 works by Tibetan scholars overcoming ignorance and suffering. us solar and wind power, we can
and the minds of those who read curtail the carbon emissions that
them. It’s a living tradition. With regard to relations between are at the root of the problem.
science and Buddhism, His Holiness
His Holiness assured a St remarked that when he was in The moderator, Prof Nikolai
Petersburg student that from a Tibet, he had virtually no contact Yankovski thanked His Holiness for
Buddhist point of view everything with scientists, although as a his helpful answers. He told him it
depends on us. This galaxy arises child he was naturally curious. In had been a great pleasure to be in
because of our karma. If we train India and elsewhere he has been touch with him.
our minds, cultivating altruism able to meet with scientists and
and wisdom we can put an end to engage in discussions with them. In his final advice, His Holiness
the cycle of existence. Mind has no Subsequently, the study of science noted that some Russian republics
beginning or end. So long as it is has been included in the curriculum have traditionally been Buddhist.
shrouded in ignorance, we remain of the monastic centres of learning. “People who haven’t had the
sentient beings. But once ignorance Monks and nuns have learned about opportunity to study, who only
has been eliminated our mind the physical world. Scientists have engage in saying prayers and
becomes the mind of a Buddha. learned about the workings of the performing rituals shouldn’t be
mind and emotions, as well as ways content with that. Study as much as
However, His Holiness rejects to cultivate and preserve peace of you can. Compare what you learn
giving in to difficulties that may mind. His Holiness outlined the with science. Bring the Nalanda
arise because they are ‘the result varying subtlety of different states Tradition alive. Thank you and see
of our karma’. He stressed that of mind. you again.” EH
there are few situations that
cannot be changed and that As to how to maintain peace mind Source: https://www.dalailama.
negative karma can be countered when there is so much trouble in com/news/2021/our-world-in-a-
by creating positive karma. His the world, His Holiness cited the time-of-change. March 29, 2021
Holiness explained that faced example of problems that arise
with circumstances beyond our because of global heating. Many