Religious conversion a personal choice; shouldn’t oppose: Dalai Lama

Bengaluru, May 24: Nobel Peace Prize winner and Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Tuesday said the biggest threat to humanity is one-sided education.

"We only teach material values to our children and there is no effort to make them learn more important inner values. This is the most destructive weapon for humanity," he said in an interview to a news paper.

The absence of a holistic education leads to greed and human intelligence is used for destructive purposes. "The current system of education only promotes more material culture. It is short-sighted," said the 14th Dalai Lama.

The spiritual leader said a draft curriculum with secularism and ethics is being readied. "We hope to pilot it as a lesson in schools. This will ensure that the next generation will be much better in terms of inner values. I may not be able to see that in my lifetime. But it will happen," said the 81-year-old world leader.

Religious conversion

Asked about row over religious conversions, he said, “Religious conversion is a matter of personal choice. Buddhism is the most scientific religion and if people from other religions accept Buddhism by choice, then there shouldn’t be any objections.”

Cordial Sino-India relationship

Speaking to reporters, after his speech at the state-level seminar on “Social Justice and Dr B?R?Ambedkar” organised by the Social Welfare Department at Dr B?R?Ambedkar Bhavan at Vasanthnagar here, he stressed on the need for cordial relations between India and China. “In the long run, cordial relations will prevail and should prevail,” said.

“China houses a large number of Buddhists, while Buddhism originated in India and travelled across China. That way, the two countries share similarities. Therefore, I feel that the two countries will have cordial relations one day,” the Dalai Lama said while responding to a question on the strained relationships between two major economies of the world.

He termed the growing bond between China and Pakistan, which has worried the Indian establishment, as serious political matter. He refused to comment on the issue.

The Dalai Lama termed the demolition of ancient monuments in Tibet by the Chinese regime as very sad.

Regarding China’s objection to his visit to Arunachal Pradesh recently, he said: “I visited Arunachal Pradesh. I prefer to remain silent on the issue.”