His Holiness the Dalai Lama kicked off a nine-day trip to the United Kingdom on Monday with a visit to Magdalen College in Oxford. He addressed a number of groups during the day, stressing throughout the overriding need for fundamental change in the world and the obligation each of us bears to effect it. “Too much exploitation, too much corruption, lying, cheating. All these, you see, are our own creation,” he said.

This is the Dalai Lama’s second major visit to the UK this year. It also includes a stop at the University of Cambridge, although the main event of the trip will be a public talk on “Compassion: the Foundation of Well-being” at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday. The talk is organized by Tibet House Trust, a charity inaugurated by His Holiness in 1994. 

His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaks at Magdalen College, Oxford. From reuters.com

“We can’t change the past and the future is yet to come, but its causes are in our hands. We can change the future,” His Holiness said while meeting a group of children from local schools. “The 20th century generation to which I belong created all sorts of problems that it will be up to you to resolve. You are our source of hope, so perhaps the end of the 21st century will be peaceful and happier. Instead of focusing on secondary differences between us, we need to think of how we are interdependent and that all human beings belong to one big family.” (Tibet Post)

“Demilitarization and disarmament may seem like a dream, but you could make it real and create a happier more peaceful world,” he added. “The future is in your hands, but for it to be peaceful and happy requires a sense of compassion and concern for others’ well-being. To make this a reality involves incorporating secular ethics, universal values, into education.” (Tibet Post)

Ebrima Chune, an enthused nine-year-old student of Orchard Meadow Primary School, said: “I was pleased when the Dalai Lama said that we children are the architects of the world’s future. Also, it was unusual for a monk to have a sense of humour.” (Oxford Mail)

Speaking to Fellows of the Dalai Lama Centre for Compassion (DLCC), an Oxford-based inter-disciplinary ethics research center that His Holiness inaugurated during the visit, he noted that outdated modes of thought continued to prevail into the 21st century, citing the recent displays of military strength and technology by China and Russia.

The Dalai Lama acknowledged that the US’s response to 9/11 had produced “a lot of unintended consequences,” noting that: “The billions of dollars spent on weapons could be spent on education and health instead.” (The Guardian)

Touching upon the three main fields of traditional Buddhist literature: science, philosophy, and religion, he remarked that science and philosophy could be of interest to anyone at an academic level, while the religious aspect was the business of Buddhists. “We need to acknowledge that we all want to be happy and don’t want suffering. To do that we need to improve education and raise awareness,” he said. (Tibet Post)

During his visit, the Dalai Lama also urged the media to report on love and harmony rather than focusing on division and depicting religion as the cause of conflict. “People feel religion is a troublemaker [but in fact] religion teaches compassion, tolerance, forgiveness, and contentment,” he said. “The idea of a clash of civilizations is dangerous,” he continued, adding that Islam emphasized love, not bloodshed. (The Guardian)

In his closing words, His Holiness exhorted those assembled to unite for change with a proper sense of reality: “Be realistic. When the old pretend to be young and the foolish pretend to be intelligent, it is better to just be realistic. Changing the world is up to us. If each of us tries, the next generation may see a happier, more peaceful world emerge.” (Tibet Post)

See more

"Changing the world is up to us" says His Holiness the Dalai Lama (Tibet Post)
Dalai Lama begins 9 day UK tour (Phayul.com)
Dalai Lama tackles refugee crisis (ITV)
Dalai Lama speaks about refugee crisis at Magdalen College (Oxford Mail)
Refugee crisis: Dalai Lama in plea to put 'interests of humanity' first (The Guardian)