Dalai Lama receives KISS humanitarian award in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The KISS Humanitarian Award-2017 was presented to Dalai Lama at Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) here today.

The award citation recognized his “concern for the oppressed human beings from all over the world in need of compassion”. He is a beacon of hope, aspiration and inspiration for the millions of people across the world, it mentioned, while noting his struggles and sacrifices for the people and universal compassion.

Saswati Bal, President, KIIT & KISS and Prof. Achyuta Samanta, Founder presented the award before an audience of 27,000 indigenous students of the institute and a host of dignitaries.

In his acceptance speech, Dalai Lama called for making this century a century of compassion and peace. “Previous century was marred by violence. There were world wars in which atom bombs were also used. Brains of brilliant scientists were utilized for destruction. Let the 21st century be the century of compassion and peace. Peace does not come from outside, rather it comes from inside. We need to destroy our anger, aggression and jealousy. Anger and violence always bring disaster and creates a fearful atmosphere. World peace can be achieved only by inner peace,” the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner said.

Deliberating on the role of education, he stated, “Existing modern education is inadequate as it focuses on material value and fame. Secular education should include moral education. Research is now going on to figure out how best to do it.”

He also suggested KISS to carry out experiments to include moral education.

“India is the most populated democratic country and an ancient civilization. This country has produced most brilliant people, including Buddhist masters. Buddhism has come from India. Modern world lacks moral principles and knowledge to tackle our destructive emotions. Ancient Indian psychology was very advanced and still very relevant to deal with this problem. You should feel proud of your rich history, heritage and traditions,” he told the students.

KISS Humanitarian Award is a prestigious international award given to someone who has made exceptional contribution to the society in various fields relating to social issues and who has distinguished himself or herself as a true humanitarian. Instituted by Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), Bhubaneswar in 2008, the award is presented annually and its recipient is chosen by a high-level jury.

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