Individuals must understand their needs and revert to being users of resources, from being consumers, to put an end to conflicts caused by modernity.
This was one of the points that emerged at a panel discussion on “Ethics, Meditation and Wisdom in a Turbulent World”, organised by the Maithrim Poshas Trust, at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan on Thursday.
Samdhong Rinpoche, Tibetan Buddhist scholar and founder of Maithrim Poshas Trust, said ethics and meditation, that calms the mind and awakens inner wisdom, were indispensable, and helped solve problems of the turbulent world. He said the increase in violence to sustain a market for weapons; climate change and pollution; economic disparity and civilisational conflicts were some of the threats.
Instead of cooperation, competition was being promoted as an inherent right of individuals, in this era of science and technology, he said. Individuals must limit their consumption to their needs and change must begin from the self, he added.
Elaborating on the negative impact of a progressive society, Tenzin Priyadarshi, director, the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said it had impacted the education system.
Earlier, S. Gurumurthy, economist and editor of Thuglak magazine, moderated the discussion. N. Ravi, chairman of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, spoke.
