Dalai Lama Calls on Young Generation to Enact Change

On Friday Oct. 12 and Saturday Oct. 13, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama addressed the College and members of the Middlebury community in two lectures in which he discussed themes of morality in education and the importance of faith, peace and cooperation on a global scale.

The two-day event was the third time that the Dalai Lama has visited the College; his previous visits were in 1984 and 1990.

Friday’s lecture, titled “Educating the Heart,” marked the first in the spiritual leader’s two-day visit to the College. The Dalai Lama spoke again on Saturday morning in a lecture titled “Finding Common Ground: Ethics for a Whole World.”

In Friday’s lecture, the religious leader tailored his spiritual wisdom to his collegiate audience, criticizing the modern education system for its increasingly materialistic nature, and called on the largely student-filled auditorium to remedy the violence and suffering of the 21st century.

“You are the people who will shape the new world,” he said, addressing the younger members of the audience. “This century should be the century of the peace.”

While the Dalai Lama’s lecture imparted ethical and spiritual wisdom to his audience, he maintained a lighthearted sense of humor throughout. Jokes about his old age and an anecdote about his gall bladder surgery elicited laughter from the audience, as did his decision to wear a Middlebury visor throughout the lecture.

On Saturday Oct. 13, the Dalai Lama spoke to the College community on the topic of global ethics. After his opening remarks the Tibetan leader spoke of “oneness” and the similarities between all people before expressing his belief that the level of violence of the 21st century was “on a different scale,” than the century prior. He called for a reduction of military forces and for a greater emphasis on dialogue.

After his lecture on Saturday, the Campus was granted an exclusive interview with the Dalai Lama, during which the spiritual leader shared his views on cultivating mindfulness in a college community and spirituality in education. He called on college students as the next generation of global citizens to embody qualities of open-mindedness and open-heartedness.

“I think college students — perhaps I think, when they enter the area, perhaps they may feel, this is my home, this is safe,” said the Dalai Lama. “I think that kind of spirit you can extend. I think we can do it. I may not see, in my lifetime, in the next 20 years, perhaps, 30 years, but you, this young student, you have the responsibility and you have the opportunity to see this happy world. So think this way. So make effort, tirelessly.”