Kolkata, Dec 1 (IANS) Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, himself a bachelor, Thursday had some words of wisdom for a happy married life saying one should always go for the inner beauty of a person than superficial beauty.
‘Always go for the inner beauty of a person. If people marry only for the superficial beauty of a person, they will remain happy only for a few months then fight and later divorce or worse kill,’ said the Dalai Lama bursting into laughter.
He was in the city to deliver a lecture on world peace at the Indian Institute of Management.
‘Once in order to pull the leg of a dear friend, I said your wife is not at all pretty looking. He retorted ‘I know, but you won’t find anyone with so much inner beauty as her. She has the most beautiful heart one can ever find’.
‘I was speechless by his answer,’ added the spiritual leader.
He also said India being a big country has an important role to play in world peace.
‘In spite of religious, linguistic and regional diversity, India has been living in harmony since long. This is because of her secularism, her democracy and the freedom of speech and the press. The world needs to learn from India.’
Describing the last century as the ‘century of war and bloodshed’, the spiritual leader urged the new generation to go for disarmament and peace.
‘In the 20th century more than 200 million people were killed by war and violence. A better world can materialise only if it is violence free. The young generation should ensure there is more compassion, peace and non-violence.’
‘The geographical barriers have shrunk today. The advancement of technology has brought the world closer. Countries are now mutually interdependent for existence and growth. We must, therefore have a sense of global responsibility.
Referring to himself as ‘a son of India’ he said it is the Indian ‘daal chawal and chapati’ (pulse, rice and bread) that has kept him alive along with the love the people give him.
Asked if given a chance he would go back to Tibet or stay in India, the spiritual guru who was at his jovial best replied: ‘It depends as to when I am given the chance. If it is given after 10 years I will stay in India because a warmer climate will suit a man who will be 86 by then. But I won’t stay in Kolkata it’s so humid here.’
