Felicitation Lecture
Good afternoon, everybody. My heart goes to each one of you for being here. I feel privileged to be invited in this auspicious occasion where I can receive noble ideas and be a part of this generous programme. But before I get started, allow me to welcome our guest, Mr. Jerry White, the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, senior Ashoka fellow, a humanitarian activist, social entrepreneur, and the Executive Director of the United Religions Initiative. Despite several blows and injuries, Mr. White has ever been stoical and focused on his objectives, and has never let the problems of life intervene into the realization of his dreams. He is truly an inspiration to us because of his life experiences and his indomitable spirit to rise far above the obstacles of existence. To follow his activities is to be enthused with a life-sustaining philosophy- I Will Not Be Broken.
I also extend my sincere appreciation to the URI India for inviting me to make this platform
mine to share my emotion.
In Buddhism peace means a combination of four primary issues. They are happiness, peace,
freedom and security. The Pali Buddhist canon says that Nibbana is the highest or sublime
happiness. The Buddha teaches us that in order to attain peace we have to look within ourselves and not in the pursuit of sensual pleasures. It is easy to discuss peace but it is hard to achieve it. But if we endeavour systematically, we are sure to attain it. So, peace is something we can pursue. Actually, peace lies in our heart and in order to attain peace we have to overcome those problems that work against peace. This includes problems like hunger, illiteracy, distribution of wealth, human rights, child privilege, etc. Peace has two aspects namely negative and positive.
By negative we mean the absence of war, terrorism or any other act of violence. On the other hand, peace in its positive sense means the promotion of a harmonious and a well integrated society. In Buddhism peace operates both in the individual level and in the group level. Only when individuals have attained peace, true peace can be established in society.
The Buddha showed us the way to eliminate suffering and establish peace in the social field. The word peace conveys different meaning for different people. Some people think that peace means a society where there is no war or social unrest. Some people think that peace is the condition when people live in harmony with one another and there is no discord or disagreement among them. But one thing is certain. We and our actions ultimately decide whether there will be peace within us or in the society. That is why pace is dependent on our actions. We are the maker of our own destiny. In order to attain peace, we should have a clear understanding of what causes peace and what hampers it. The Buddha taught that purification of the mind is essential for the attainment of peace. In the Dhammapada the Buddha says, “Mind is the forerunner of all evil deeds or all good deeds. Mind is the chief. Mind makes all things.” Mind is the root of all our suffering and peace, both physical and mental. Our mind ultimately compels us to perform good or evil actions. The Buddha taught us that profit and loss, defamation and fame, praise and blame, suffering and joy, all of these are impermanent and so any of these should not cause us satisfaction or dissatisfaction. They are a natural part of our life. So, we should consider them as temporary and consider them as an opportunity to learn something new. If we can be successful in achieving this state, we will concentrate more on what we do and not on what we get.
The first step to establish peace in the world is to establish peace in the mind of the individual so that he can share that peace with others. The peace of the individual extends and becomes the peace of villages, districts, countries and of the world. According to the Buddha one who conquers himself is more powerful than one who conquers one thousand men.
We all long for peace but peace continues to evade us. The world saw two great wars in the last century and it is our duty to avoid a third world war. So, we should try actively to do this and in order to achieve this aim imparting peace education to the people is very much important. The great teacher the Buddha taught us ways for inspiring love and establishing peace in this world. Buddhism is a very effective vehicle for promoting amity and friendship among individuals and communities. The message of peace propagated by Buddhism radiated all over the world and showed a new way of life to millions of its followers. Though the Buddha is no more with us his teachings are still guiding our lives. The messages of Buddha form the subject matter of Buddhist education.
We should follow the following steps for the promotion and propagation of peace in the world:
1. Dedication of life for the welfare of sentient beings.
2. Living a frugal and contented life.
3. Abstinence from any action that leads to war and disputes.
4. Respect for life in all its forms.
5. Developing peaceful coexistence, mutual understanding and cooperation in the world.
Only sympathy and forgiveness can establish a peaceful and happy environment in life.
If we all know how to follow the advice of the Buddha by contemplating all strangers as our relatives or our close friends then we will not kill, harm or injure one another. Let peace prevail!
