“Putin needs to think.” What future did the Dalai Lama predict for Russia?
One of the main rulers of the planet’s thoughts, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the XIV Dalai Lama celebrates his 86th birthday. Religious people expect from him teachings about the soul and faith, and secular people – allusions to the fate of the planet and its inhabitants. RIA Novosti publishes the brightest quotes about the prospects for Russia and the world.
About the pandemic:
The coronavirus pandemic in general is the result of bad karma that we have accumulated in previous lives. This is quite obvious, and in the Abhidharma (Buddhist doctrine of the world order. – Ed. Approx.) It is said that there will be a kalpa (a long time period. – Ed. Approx.) Weapons, a kalpa of disease and a kalpa of hunger. The Kalpa of weapons is what happened in previous years – World War I, World War II – and now weapons are still used, and they bring a lot of trouble. The next kalpa, hunger, is when people face financial difficulties. And the coronavirus pandemic, I think, is the beginning of a calpa of disease.
On the main problem of modern education:
The fact is that modern education is too obviously materialistic. People who have gone through such a training system build their lives around material values, create a materialistic culture. Because of this, when faced with difficulties in their own inner life, with emotional difficulties, they do not know what to do. So the problem is in the modern education system. I think it needs to include lessons on working with emotions. Just as we teach children about body hygiene, we need to teach about the hygiene of the mind and senses.
On the relationship between Russia and the United States:
Russia needs the Western world and America, it needs their technologies, and the West needs Russia, because it possesses enormous natural resources. Russia’s future depends on the Western world, and its future is closely linked with the fate of the Eastern world, including Russia. It is imperative for all of humanity that the countries of the East and West live in mutual respect. Russia has a unique geographical position – it plays a very important role as a bridge between East and West.
Also, the southern world (Africa, Latin America) is experiencing big problems, its fate depends on the northern world, and the future of the northern world depends on the southern one.
If we want to build a happy life on earth, then differences in nationality, religion and other grounds must recede into the background. In the 21st century, we must realize that all seven billion people on the planet are one big family … And in this respect, the Russian Federation is a great country, you have enormous potential to build a happy world.
On the future of Russia:
Russia is a great nation with great potential: new ideas, respect for each other, the joy of being human. I think Russia will be able to correctly distribute the opportunities. It has everything to become the leading nation in the world.
About Vladimir Putin:
Russia is a great country with power. Recent events have shown that Putin, as a leader, pays great attention to what is happening in different parts of the world, and this is good (the Dalai Lama said these words in an interview with RIA Novosti in May 2019. – Ed.). But Putin’s colleague, President Trump … (makes a hand gesture, indicating his hopelessness.) Like Putin, he runs a huge country, bears a great burden of responsibility. The leader of such a state must see the big picture. And think about what will be beneficial for the country in the long term. It is very important. He should not only think about getting short-term results. Of course, I have no right to criticize the activities of President Trump. But think about it: he sold billions of weapons to Saudi Arabia. In my opinion, this is wrong. He also withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement. This is very unfortunate.
The world is in a critical situation today. And Putin needs to think very carefully about his actions, take into account the big picture and understand what will be beneficial in the long run.