Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche addresses The Eighth Chamamlalji Memorial Lecture

March 27, 2015 Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche was today invited as the Speaker for “The Eighth Chamamlalji Memorial Lecture,” organized by International Centre for Cultural Studies, New Delhi.

Rinpoche spoke on the requested theme of “Emerging Cultural Crises in the West and India’s Role as the World Guru”. At the start Rinpoche expressed gratitude to the organisers for inviting to speak at Chamanlalji Memorial Lecture, and emphasised the achievement of the supreme meaningfulness of life by Chamanlalji to have led his life forsaking all self-interests.

Rinpoche thereafter, in speaking on the theme of the lecture, pointed out how Indians are not fulfilling the role as world Guru; the conflicts of Western civilization are mere symptoms; the five major challenges: Excessively beyond-limit increase in human population, Violence, The inequality-gap between the poor and the rich, Environmental degradation, and Religious or Cultural conflict. Rinpoche explained how each of the five has the potential to destroy the entire world.

Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche also outlined these important issues: How overproduction—beyond the need—done for commercial gains increase people’s greed; how through comparing and competition one’s identity is made lost; how rather than for need there prevails consumerism; how these arise from the modern ‘civilization’; how, many of the balances that need to be brought about, are instead destroyed by that kind of preceding ills of the modern ‘civilization’.

In this context, Rinpoche pointed out, for example, the balances between self and others, body and mind, the individual and the society, rights and duties, co-operation and competition, external material things and inner mind, and others. Further on these points Rinpoche explained how India’s traditional thoughts mention of the four aspirations of a person—spirituality, wealth, wants and liberation—and how through spirituality one can rule over (overcome) wants and wealth; how in the present age material wealth alone is considered as the aspiration of a person.

Subsequent to that, Rinpoche advised some important things necessary for creating an ethics-based society: That the various religions live in harmony in India needs to be shown as a guiding model to the world; to bring about justice and transparency, for example for a Buddhist, one must observe one’s morality; there should be frequent dialogue amongst various religions; a concordant situation for the four aspirations of a person should be created; followers of religions should know well their respective spiritual scriptures; all should promote secular ethics. All these can be done by the enlightened Indians—the capability which is already there with Indians, simply need an awakening factor for the capability to be implemented into practice.

The Chief Guest for the Memorial Lecture was Prof. Lokesh Chandra, and the event was presided by Prof. Kapila Kumar. Those who attended the lecture included Universities lecturers, many government officials, writers and media personnel.