Laws of dharma, as told by the Dalai Lama

Praising Pandurang Shastri Athavale, whom he met at the ashram, the Dalai Lama said, "These are troubled times and we need as many Athavales as possible." When Athavale, whom the Dalai Lama referred to as Dadaji, asked him to say a few “words of advice” the monk was succinct: “If they are following your ideals and are going on to become Athavales where is the need for me to say anything more?”

Earlier, in a discussion with Dadaji the Dalai Lama felt that there was a greater need for social movements to retain self- reliance.

"Expecting aid from welfare organisations could be a serious mistake as most of these aids come with strings attached," he advised.

Athavale on the other hand felt that it is not wrong to accept aid if it comes on its own. "If we are able to maintain our dignity and yet get the funds to improve our services it is perfectly alright," he claimed.

Later in the day, the Dalai Lama who is in the city for a two-day Yoga symposium, spoke about “Dharma in Public Life.” The talk was organised by the Hindustani Andolan and the Madhu Mehta Foundation.

The Dalai Lama explained how simple living could be transformed into a `dharma’ where a “positive attitude” brings about great mental peace and tranquillity. Anybody for that matter, living with the society, had a public life and hence a chance to live for the better, he said.

The lecture began with a rhetorical question: “What is dharma?” He then proceeded to delineate between the `believer’ and the `non-believer’, both of whom could lead a life of the right path. “The mind is not a single unit, but has a thousand different sources, where each thought has the power to give you a life of happiness and peace or a life of unease and disturbance,” the Dalai Lama said.

And the only way to transform an unhappy life was through the power of “positive thoughts.” “But,” said the religious leader who has been a stern critic of the Chinese occupation of Tibet for the past 50 years, “tolerance does not mean taking everything one has to offer. You have every right to act against injustice with reasoning, taking recourse to law, etc.”

For those who call themselves `believers’, he had a word of caution: “Religion, if accepted, should be a way of life. So much so that it should be a part of your dreams.”

As his final warning, the Dalai Lama said that poor knowledge of one’s own religion coupled with a greater ignorance of another’s could leave one open to the manipulation in the name of religion.