when the Dalai Lama spoke to the teachers of Mexico

13 years ago, in September 2011, during the Fifth National Congress of Education organized by the National Union of Education Workers (SNTE), the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, gave a keynote address that resonated with the educators present and in the National scope. This talk, held in Mexico City, coincided with the Third National Meeting of Parents, thus enriching the dialogue on education in Mexico.

The Dalai Lama’s lecture, titled “Sharpening the mind and nourishing the heart, a holistic approach to education,” was a call to integrate essential values ​​such as love, affection and compassion into formal education.

The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism emphasized the need to educate not only in technical skills but also in human values, proposing these as an antidote to violence and social problems faced by communities.

In addition to his speech on education, the Dalai Lama took advantage of his visit to speak on issues of social and political relevance. He stressed that his presence in Mexico did not have political but humanitarian purposes, focusing his message on the promotion of universal values ​​and harmony between different beliefs and cultures.

The event, although marked by political controversy due to the influence of Elba Esther Gordillo, leader of the SNTE at that time, stood out for the depth and universality of the topics discussed by the Dalai Lama.

His focus on education and universal values ​​left an important legacy for educators and parents who had the opportunity to listen to him, and highlighted the importance of compassion and humanism in the formation of future generations.

The days before the arrival of the Dalai Lama to Mexico

Although the Dalai Lama is a respected spiritual leader and promoter of peace and compassion, his association with Gordillo and the SNTE generated criticism and concerns. Academics and advisors even in the United States expressed concern about the accusations against Gordillo and the SNTE to prevent the Dalai Lama from being used to legitimize this controversial group. The appearance of the Dalai Lama could be politically manipulated by Gordillo and his followers, so in these same pages, analyst Carlos Ornelas published:

“For the Buddhists of the world, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, Tenzin Gyatso, is their spiritual leader and direct heir to the teachings of Buddha. For those who are not practitioners of Buddhism, he is a defender of human rights, freedom and justice. He has earned the respect and admiration of heads of state and ordinary citizens, as well as leaders of churches and religious beliefs of various kinds. The Dalai Lama is the living representation of love of life and values. who support peace in the world.

“Can you imagine him on the arm of Mrs. Elba Esther Gordillo, the life president of the National Union of Education Workers?

“It is public knowledge that Mrs. Gordillo represents the opposite of the values ​​professed by the Dalai Lama. She has easily earned the reputation of being corrupt and authoritarian. She is the head of a voracious clique that squeezes the treasury and manages the affairs at will. quotas of the teachers of Mexico. She is the chief who represents the most pernicious legacy of the regime of the Mexican Revolution.

“As contradictory as it may seem, if something extraordinary does not happen, the lady will share the stage with the Dalai Lama” (continue reading).

The legacy of that unusual meeting

Following the Dalai Lama’s presentation in Mexico at the SNTE, several important reflections that he shared with the audience stood out. The Tibetan leader emphasized the need for global demilitarizationl to redirect resources towards education and health, which in turn would have positive effects on the economy and the environment. He stressed the importance of resolving conflicts through dialogue and not violence, highlighting the responsibility of young people and educators in building a world of peace.

In an interview with National Geographic, the Dalai Lama spoke about the importance of compassion and love in family and school education. He stated that these values ​​must be the core of coexistence, thus preparing individuals to face the challenges of the world. He also mentioned that the current generation has the responsibility to solve the problems caused by previous generations, and that a century of dialogue and peace must be advocated.

Speech by the Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama: Brothers and sisters, I am extremely happy to be here with you, with this opportunity to be able to talk with you and also exchange ideas with all of you, the teachers.

I am telling you who are trainers of the human mind and I want to refer to the last century, which is a century of much bloodshed. According to certain experts, it is said that 200 million people died in the last century due to different wars and different acts of violence.

If such extreme violence that occurred last century had led to a better society and also improved people’s quality of life, it would have some kind of justification, but that was not the case. That is to say, the last century has those characteristics, but now we are in another century, the 21st century, and I believe that this 21st century has to be the century of dialogue, the century of reconciliation, therefore, when there are problems that may arise instead of resorting to violence, attack or whatever, we have to, first, think about resolving it through conversation, through dialogue, and after having talked and seeing the different points, always try to solve the problems in this way by giving in, in some cases, to reach a point in which both have already made a negotiation that leads to an agreement. I think that is something very important and that has to be the characteristic of this 21st century.

In other times in the past in the world there were different communities or different peoples and each of them could be said to live quite independently. So, in that type of structure between town and town it could be thought that if there was a fight between one town and the other, someone was going to win and another was going to be defeated. But today that is not like that, the reality of the world is not like that, in which the different countries are completely independent of the others and therefore attack an enemy and defeat it with violence, also what we are doing is defeating ourselves.

Another aspect that I also think is important to consider is to seriously consider the possibility of demilitarizing the planet. Some countries have already done so and are allocating the funds that were previously allocated to all military forces to other, much more constructive projects.

If we managed to get countries to begin to demilitarize, there would also be a direct economic effect, since all that enormous capital that is being invested in the military forces would be allocated for other projects such as education or health, projects that are much more constructive. and more beneficial for everyone.

When we face this, we have to think that everything has to start, even if we manage to demilitarize, I believe that there would also be an effect on the environment, because I am convinced that so many military forces with their equipment also damage the environment. In other words, we would also have a positive effect in terms of caring for the environment.

All of this is something that if we start to consider it and have it as a vision for this century, I think it could happen later, it takes years, but at some point it is possible that if we lay the foundations for solving problems through dialogue and not by conflicts and try to find a solution simply through dialogue and considering the other’s point of view.

So, on those bases it is possible that there will eventually be the demilitarization of the globe and the world, then a much more genuine space of peace can be felt.