Hon’ble Vice Chancellor Prof. Sunaina Singh exhorts youth to explore cultural & spiritual values at Valedictory of 4th International Dharma-Dhamma Conference
January 13, 2018
The Valedictory function of the 4 th International Dharma-Dhamma Conference was held at the Rajgir International Convention Centre at Rajgir,Nalanda (Dist), Bihar today in the august presence of the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Shri Pema Khandu and the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, Swami Atmapriyanand Ji amidst a galaxy of intellectuals, professors and thought leaders from over 10 countries including Asian and other regions of the world.
Nalanda University and India Foundation along with the Vietnam Buddhist University and the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India collaborated to conduct the Conference. Organizing Committee member Prof. S.P Singh presented a report on the deliberations of the three day conference.
The event was held as part of the commemorative events being held to mark the 25 th anniversary of the ASEAN-India Dialogue Partnership with the active support of the Ministry of External Affairs.
Hon’ble Vice Chancellor of Nalanda University, Prof.Sunaina Singh welcomed the distinguished guests and the delegates to the event. She said,” we have successfully brought together the government (statesmen), policy makers, intellectuals, monks and swamijis on one platform to bridge the gap between the spiritual and thought leadership and the statesmen.” She said that it was now time for the younger generation to step out of the system left behind by the British and explore the cultural and spiritual values of this ancient land to not only rebuild the nation of the future but also their own self esteem.”
Swami Atmapriyanand Ji explained the Shanti Mantra saying that the word Shanti is repeated thrice in the mantra to get rid of the three sorrows, the one that is generated by the body and mind, the one that is generated through living beings and finally the natural calamities. He said there was no proper word to describe ‘Dharma’ in other languages. He said the word Dharma emanated from the word ‘Dhatru’ which means root. He went on to explain how ‘Dharma’ like a root holds the society together from falling apart. He also pointed out that the evil seems to get an upper hand sometimes because the good are not convinced about being good as much as the evil are convinced about being evil. ‘Vivekananda always spoke about being strong and there is no place for weakness”, he said.
The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh said he was eager to know and understand what has come out from the deliberations of the past three days at the conference. He said although his state was rapidly progressing in modernization the people have not lost touch with their culture and tradition. He invited the delegates to visit Arunachal and observe their culture and also the beauty of the land. He said the basic principles in Dharma or Dhamma were aimed at achieving a peaceful society. He pointed out particularly to Emperor Asoka and how he had adapted the principles of Dhamma to rule the land.
Over 150 delegates came from all over the world and India. More than 100 papers were presented in a space of three days. Prof.Chakrapani, Dean – School of Ecology and Environment Studies, thanked one and all for making the Conference successful.