Coimbatore: India, known for its rich tradition of oneness despite the enormity in population, should be emulated, Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama said on Tuesday.
On a tranquil day amid huge crowds in Coimbatore, Dalai Lama unveiled a 7-feet 9-inch marble statue of Swami Vivekanada at Vattamadai near Kangeyam through video conferencing.
Sculpted by Shivadatta Jaimini and Surendranath Jaimini of Jaipur, the statue is said to be the tallest made out of Makarana marble.
The Tibetan leader is in the city to take part in the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Swami Vivekananda.
Addressing a huge gathering of Tibetans and locals in an upwardly mobile city, he said being rich is about having a compassionate mind and not owning cars.
“Knowledge should be used for the best interest of the nation. A healthy mind is required for a healthy body. Richness is not about owning big cars, houses or a big television. Richness is in having a compassionate mind,” he said.
He appealed to spiritual leaders to come forward and educate moral ethics to the masses as it is the need of hour.
Calling himself a messenger of ancient Indian thought, he said that the saints and spiritual gurus should not confine themselves to temples.
They should come out and share their views and experiences with the people so that they could jointly work on economic issues, improving international relations and global warming.
Despite its diversity, India has produced great thinkers and eminent spiritual leaders and people of all religions coexist in this country.
There is harmony in spite of various religious differences and traditions. The country should deem it a responsibility to demonstrate the 1,000-year tradition of harmony to the rest of the world where there are conflicts and issues.
Modern education is important but that should not be at the cost of neglecting the 1,000-year tradition of ancient India.
The Indus civilisation has produced great thinkers and philosophers who believed in Ahimsa concept and the true meaning of Ahimsa is compassion in action.
The other countries of the world could think about producing such eminent thinkers and spiritual leaders if they emulate Indian concept of Ahimsa.
“It is imperative to deal with ego as ‘I’ forces you to speak lies and turn a hypocrite. In a global population of seven billion, there are over one billion non believers. It is important for the nuns and monks to come forward and educate the masses about spirituality and moral ethics. This will help minimise negative thinking and maximise compassion.”
Dr M. Manickam, executive vice chairman of Sakthi Sugars and Dr G Baktavatsalam, chairman of KG Hospital shared the dais with Dalai Lama. Hundreds of Tibetans from across the state were present to hear the discourse of their spiritual leader.
Swami silent for 10 years
Coimbatore: Mounasadhu Swami Sathyanand Maharaj, founder of Ramanagiri Trust who claims to have been observing silence for the last 22 years for the sake of the nation and world peace, shared the dais with Dalai Lama.
After Swami Nirmalanandanath, the 73rd pontiff of Adi Chunchunagiri Math of Karnataka delivered his special address it was the Mounsadhu’s turn to take the podium for the key note address.
The silent Sadhu rose from seat and walked up to the podium, placed a sheet of paper and wrote on it.
A devotee who stood beside announced that the Swami who had observed silence for the last 22 years would not speak, but conveyed his message: “God is here” – the obvious reference was to Dalai Lama. All through the function, the Mounasadhu sat silently, holding the hand of Dalai Lama.
While delivering his speech, Dalai Lama said he admired the Sadhu for having accomplished the task of not speaking.
“I also attempted observing silence for a week but words tumbled out by mistake. It is very difficult to remain silent for over two decades”, he said.
However, he also said that it is important for Sadhus to talk to the masses, share their experiences and promote peace.
