Public Talk

Universal Responsibility

Sunday, April 18, 2004

On Sunday afternoon, April 18, 2004 His Holiness gave a Public Talk, entitled "Universal Responsibility," at the Pacific Coliseum, to a capacity audience of 12,500. The event, organized by the Tibetan Cultural Society of British Columbia, was emceed by Tsewang C. Tethong. It opened with a spirited welcome by His Holiness’ long-time friend, Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

"Universal Responsibility" has been one of His Holiness’ most popular topics in recent years. The concept, placed in secular context, flows directly from his spiritual messages of peace, compassion and non-violence. His Holiness emphasized that every individual needs to bear spiritual, political and social responsibility for making this world a better place. A peaceful and harmonious world cannot be achieved without the recognition that all human beings, and the earth that sustains them, are interdependent. In the modern world, interdependence is everywhere evident. Nations and continents are connected by technology. Borders have decreasing significance. Under these circumstances, His Holiness urged, we need a sense of global responsibility and wider, more holistic thinking.

His Holiness went on to explain that happiness of the individual depends on the community, because human beings are social animals. Narrow-minded, short-sighted or self-centered attitudes create perceptions of the world that are unrealistic, distorted; they result in exploitation, bullying and other destructive actions that are suicidal for a society.

To a resounding applause, His Holiness stated that the concept of war is out of date. Negative emotions such as hatred always seek an independent target but, if we see everything in holistic perspective, there is no independent target. Everything is interconnected. Today’s problems are the result of thousands of complex factors, both current ones and historical ones. Genuine dialogue is key to knowing what is good for the other and to coming to compromise for mutual benefit.

Moral education used to be guided by Church and family structures. How do we keep our moral ethics in modern society? If we believe in religion, His Holiness stressed, the religious concept should be sincere, humane and reflected in our daily lives. If we do not believe in religion, we should be mindful of scientific evidence that human affection and caring creates more compassionate, stable and peaceful adults, and societies. Keeping the mind vast and open allows us to see our own problems in perspective and, from there, to understand what is meant by global or universal responsibility.

Suggested Readings

Following are some suggested readings written by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and others on universal responsibility and related topics:

• Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama, Daniel Goleman
• The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living, HH Dalai Lama, Howard C. Cutler
• Buddhist Himalayas, Olivier Follmi (Photographer), et al
• How to Practice: The way to a meaningful life, HH Dalai Lama
• An Open Heart: Practicing compassion in everyday life, HH Dalai Lama
• Transforming the Mind: Teachings on generating compassion, HH Dalai Lama
• The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying: The Spiritual Classic & International Bestseller, Revised and Updated Edition, Sogyal Rinpoche (Author), et al
• Freedom in Exile: HH Dalai Lama, Hodder and Stoughton 1990
• My Land and My People: HH Dalai Lama, Potala 1962
• Illuminating The Path To Enlightenment, HH Dalai Lama
• Kindness, Clarity and Insight, HH Dalai Lama
• A Cultural History of Tibet, David Snellgrove and Hugh Richardson
• A Short History of Tibet, Hugh Richardson
• The Status of Tibet, Michael Van Walt Van Praag
• A Policy of Kindness, Edited by Sidney Piburn

Archived Webcasts of Events

• Webcast of the Public Talk