GUJARAT, INDIA, January 19, 2008: Addressing students in the Gujarat Vidyapith, the Dalai Lama said “It is a great honour for me to be in the institute which was founded by Matama Gandhi himself. I am a follower of Gandhi and a great admirer of his. Though I have never had the chance to meet Gandhi, in my dreams, I consider him my teacher in modern times.”
The Dalai Lama is in the city for a Tibetan Festival organised by Darpana Academy and Kanoria Centre for Arts.
In his speech, the Buddhist Leader addressed ahimsa. “In today’s time, institutions like the Vidyapith have a very important role to play since they revive ancient thought and take it forward. Non-violence has become a political message. Ahimsa was introduced to the world by India and then exported out to other countries. Meanwhile it got vanished from here. Revive it, is my request,” he said.