World Peace Challenges According to the Dalai Lama

Jay’s Organic Corner for Healthful Living™nnWorld Peace Challenges According to the Dalai Lama:nIs Peaceful Change Real? A Look at What the Dalai Lama Says About Peace and the Future of Mankind nReported and commentary by Jay North — Edited by Ramona Peetnn21 September Was the UN International Peace Day & Very Few People Seemed to Know This. His Holiness the Dalai Lama Calls All Nations to Peace.nnSome people may find it interesting that just in the past week in one county in California, there were three important events aimed at moving the world towards global peace. The events themselves, both large and small, received no press attention whatsoever. The peace events mentioned above were Earth Dance Ventura, Living Peace in Ojai, and a national walk for peace, represented by an all youth activity program of inner city (Los Angeles) kids making their way through Ventura County on their way to Seattle, WA. They were, for the most part, well promoted but not well attended. Why, one might ask? That is a fundamental question that can only be answered by leaving the answer to mystery. nnDuring the same time period, there was rather large, concentrated effort to raise funds to help Save Our Schools throughout the county. The school fundraiser is an ongoing event to raise funds to help keep art and physical education in the local school system. The Save Our Schools event in Ventura, CA was contributed to and attended by over 1,000 people. There is no bias for or against education intended here; it’s just an interesting comparison. nnPerhaps if the National Draft were reinstated, there would be more interest in a peace movement to save the planet. After all, “Mrs. Jones” does not want Johnny going off to war, and a National Draft just may make her think twice about baking cookies to “Save Our Schools” and not attending a “peace rally”. There were many subjects covered at The Ojai Living Peace event, and we only have space enough to cover a few. Hopefully, they stir sufficient interest to help stop the madness.nnWhat His Holiness the Dalai Lama Says about World Peace nnHis Holiness the Dalai Lama:nn“It is ironic that the more serious problems emanate from the more industrially advanced societies. Science and technology have worked wonders in many fields, but the basic human problems remain. There is unprecedented literacy, yet this universal education does not seem to have fostered goodness, but only mental restlessness and discontent instead. There is no doubt about the increase in our material progress and technology, but somehow this is not sufficient as we have not yet succeeded in bringing about peace and happiness or in overcoming suffering.”n n“We can only conclude that there must be something seriously wrong with our progress and development, and if we do not check it in time, there could be disastrous consequences for the future of humanity. I am not at all against science and technology – they have contributed immensely to the overall experience of humankind, to our material comfort and well-being, and to our greater understanding of the world in which we live. But, if we give too much emphasis to science and technology, we are in danger of losing touch with those aspects of human knowledge and understanding that aspire towards honesty and altruism.”nnThere Is a Core Problem That Needs To Be AddressednnOne local distraction is not our only problem; there is a core problem that needs to be addressed. It goes beyond apathy, and it’s deeper then saving our schools. People throughout the USA and the rest of the world are being distracted by the pending financial doom and our government’s ideas to fix it. People are, in fact, truly facing simple, basic survival and are just getting by, making unreasonably high mortgage payments and paying insane gas prices at the pumps, ridiculously high food prices, and an unfair taxes system. People are focused on buying Suzy and Johnny a hot dog, not on saving the planet from possible destruction by madmen with nuclear tools. nnWhere Do We Begin?nnWorld peace is a nice idea, but what about basic human compassion at the core level of every man, woman, and child? Every man, woman, and child deserves to be happy; they deserve basic human rights, a roof over their heads, a full stomach before bed, and clean drinking water. Then, perhaps, we can move on to the more lofty ideas of world peace and dismantling the insanity of nuclear bombs. nnThe nitty gritty work starts in our hometowns too. We as citizens, as a nation, have the responsibility to help raise our neighbors up. It may start in the streets, perhaps with people we don’t even want to know, but this is our challenge and our work. nn nNations Have No Choice but to Be Concerned About the Welfare of OthersnnHis Holiness the Dalai Lama:nn“The achievement of justice, harmony, and peace depends on many factors. We should think about them in terms of human benefit in the long run, rather than the short term. I realize the enormity of the task before us, but I see no other alternative than the one I am proposing – which is based on our common humanity. Nations have no choice but to be concerned about the welfare of others, not so much because of their belief in humanity, but because it is in the mutual and long-term interest of all concerned. An appreciation of this new reality is indicated by the emergence of regional or continental economic organizations such as the European Economic Community, the Association of South East Asian Nations, and so forth. I hope more such trans-national organizations will be formed, particularly in regions where economic development and regional stability seem in short supply.n nTo improve person-to-person contact in the world at large, I would like to see greater encouragement of international tourism. Also, mass media, particularly in democratic societies, can make a considerable contribution to world peace by giving greater coverage to human interest items that reflect the ultimate oneness of humanity. With the rise of a few big powers in the international arena, the humanitarian role of international organizations is being bypassed and neglected. I hope that this will be corrected and that all international organizations, especially the United Nations, will be more active and effective in ensuring maximum benefit to humanity and promoting international understanding. It will indeed be tragic if the few powerful members continue to misuse world bodies like the UN for their one-sided interests. The UN must become the instrument of world peace. This world body must be respected by all, for the UN is the only source of hope for small oppressed nations and hence for the planet as a whole.”nnThere Still Remains a Very Real and Powerful Force with the Capacity to Bring About the Total Destruction of MankindnnOn the whole, while basic survival and individual happiness are at humanity’s core, there still remains a very real and powerful force that has the capacity to bring about the total destruction of mankind. It’s not news anymore. Nobody wants to talk about it anymore, because it’s not news and efforts to dismantle nuclear power in the past have been to no avail. Yet the threat remains all too real.n nHis Holiness the Dalai Lama: nn“By far, the greatest single danger facing humankind – in fact, all living beings on our planet – is the threat of nuclear destruction. I need not elaborate on this danger, but I would like to appeal to all the leaders of the nuclear powers who literally hold the future of the world in their hands, to the scientists and technicians who continue to create these awesome weapons of destruction, and to all the people at large who are in a position to influence their leaders: I appeal to them to exercise their sanity and begin to work at dismantling and destroying all nuclear weapons. We know that in the event of a nuclear war, there will be no victors because there will be no survivors! Is it not frightening just to contemplate such inhuman and heartless destruction? And, is it not logical that we should remove the cause for our own destruction when we know the cause and have both the time and the means to do so? Often we cannot overcome our problems because we either do not know the cause or, if we understand it, do not have the means to remove it. This is not the case with the nuclear threat”.nnThe Dalai Lama messages for humanity are indeed important and many people today throughout the world take his words to heart. His Holiness has spoken often about our basic human rights. Humanity’s basic needs and happiness are not being met. Our basic right to adequate shelter, good nourishment and clean water is the basic right of all humanity, not for just Tibetans but for all sentient beings on the planet. nnThere Is Enough Wealth, Prosperity, and Riches on Planet Earth for Everyone with a New Approach to the Distribution of WealthnnBuckminster Fuller, a famous writer from the 1960’s, wrote about these same concepts. Bucky, as his loyal followers used to like to refer to him, said, “There is enough wealth, prosperity, and riches on planet Earth for everyone, and with a new approach to distribution of wealth, every man, woman, and child on planet Earth could have a good life – a clean healthy life, in quality shelter, without going to bed hungry. nnAnother philosopher, Leonard J. Mountain Chief (deceased Blackfeet elder from Montana) said, “When men and woman come together to share in harmony and love, there will be peace on earth, and through this, no child anywhere in the world will go to bed without dinner.”n nHis Holiness the Dalai Lama: nn“This type of compassion is what we must strive to cultivate in ourselves, and we must develop it from a limited amount to the limitless. Undiscriminating, spontaneous, and unlimited compassion for all sentient beings is obviously not the usual love that one has for friends or family, which is alloyed with ignorance, desire, and attachment. The kind of love we should advocate is this wider love that you can have even for someone who has done harm to you.nn nAnd the Future of Mankind, Where Are We Headed?nnHis Holiness the Dalai Lama:nn“Love one another; the expression of love is very important at this time. Compassion is not at all easy but it is our task. Each individual has the right to be happy. Ultimately, humanity is one, and this small planet is our only home. If we are to protect this home of ours, each of us needs to experience a vivid sense of universal altruism. It is only this feeling that can remove the self-centered motives that cause people to deceive and misuse one another.”nnPeace is in you. It is in each one of us one at a time. It starts with us in each of our towns.nnNo endorsement of Buddhism is intended in this article. The Dalai Lama is an important leader in the world. The reporter and editor have used his quotes to illustrate what men and woman can do to help save our planet. Your comments are welcome.nn