 Hello, good morning or Tibetan word, Tushitele. Indeed, I am very happy through television. This is some discussions. Okay, the physical level is a long, long trip difficult. But then my mind, not much differences of physical distance. So, now, thank you. Now, yes. We're very delighted to welcome everyone to a very special conversation with this holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama. My name is Lee Scrunday and I am the president of the United States Institute of Peace. USIP is an independent nonpartisan national institute. We were founded by the US Congress in 1984 to prevent, mitigate, and help resolve violent conflict abroad. USIP currently has more than 300 peace initiatives in 85 countries around the world. Of the many programs we're proud to support, one of our most important and one of our most impactful is called Generation Change. Each year the institute brings together young leaders from conflict affected communities across the world. We provide mentoring and training on how to reduce prejudice, transform conflict, and build bridges across social divides. This year, USIP is very proud to be supporting 300 Generation Change Fellows from 26 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. For the past four years, our fellows have had the distinct and very great honor to travel to Dharmasala to discuss with His Holiness the Dalai Lama all of the big issues related to building and achieving peace. Last year and now again this year, we're traveling virtually because of COVID. We're grateful that this year's event, like previous years, is being organized in collaboration with Radio Free Asia. Together we have chosen the theme of gender equality and peace to frame today's reflections. Because of our virtual reality, our discussion has been sequenced over two days this year. During today's discussion, five of our Generation Change Fellows will engage with your holiness and tomorrow five more of our fellows will have the privilege of doing the same. We hope that everyone who is joining us will follow this discussion on Twitter with the hashtag at Dalai Lama USIP. Your Holiness, thank you for being with us today. Thank you. As I already mentioned, physical level, long distance, trouble, difficult, but my mind is no problem. So, we have right to use modern technology. So, technology, since my childhood, I love technology. Even some small, small damage technology, some movie project and also some pocket watch, I can repair. So, that's my hobby. So, I love modern technology. Now, it is our right and also useful to utilize modern technology. And we can, any sort of ideas or questions we can discuss. So, now, they are today. Is the subject compassion, education and equality. Now, world changing. It is quite encouraging. Look back, last few centuries, too much violence, including first world war, second world war. But when we look at that situation, now today, I think voice of peace much stronger. Not only few leaderships, but public level, really. Now, seriously, you see, thinking world peace. And world peace means individual and community should create peaceful community in order to create peaceful community. Community means combination of individual. So, ultimately, individual should create peace of mind. Peace of mind, not out of fear, but voluntarily. And as a result of thinking as a more wider perspective like that. So, now everybody, as I mentioned earlier, really want world peace. Now, today, I think weapon much advanced. So, if something happen and utilize this weapon that consequences immense. So, unlike previous centuries, when we conflict, we use simple weapon. And then sometimes including boxing, not much serious. Now, today, this weapon really immense destructive. So, now, we really need world peace. But peace, as I mentioned earlier, not through prayer. I am Buddhist. Peace for world peace. You see, pray to Buddha. Of course, no harm, but that is not effective. Since, you see, violence start by Buddha, then we have to pray. To Buddha. But since violence, we human being, we created. So, ultimately, the peace depend on our self. Now, comparatively, now today, I think the peace movement everywhere. And peace, firstly, we have to create peaceful mind. So, now, ultimately, inner peace, loving kindness, compassion. You see, mentally, do not want to harm other, even in including animal. So, that kind of mental attitude, very important. So, now, the non-violence, not only according religion, but use common sense, then non-violence is very important and very relevant to this world. As I already mentioned, destructive power, weapon, including nuclear weapon. You see, immense. So, if you see these weapon, use, actually, mutual destruction. So, now, everybody, we human being, everybody have the right and responsibility to build peaceful world. In order to carry that motivation, so inner peace, very important. So, now, compassion, sense of caring, sense of concern of other's well-being. With compassionate mind, destructive work, destructive weapon, no relevant. So, now, time come, we have to educate right from the beginning to our younger generation. I always telling, we human being, social animal. So, any social animal, you see, their individual survival depend on the community. So, now, we also social animal, individual survive depend on your own community. So, compassion, taking care other, actually, best way to fulfill your own, what say, the interest. So, I think wise selfish is taking care other. You get benefit, maximum benefit. Just think yourself and don't care about other. There's foolish selfish. Now, through education, we should be wise selfish. So, I myself always talking about loving kindness and religious harmony and secular these things. So, result, I get a maximum benefit. So, compassion is, I think, best way to get oneself happy and create lot of friends. I think reality, when I visit, you see, different continent, different country, people show loves me. Because I always smile. So, therefore, you see, loving kindness towards other is best way to get benefit to oneself. I think simple world, best way of selfish practice is show loving kindness to other. Okay, so, compassion is, sound looks like taking care other more. Reality, you see, taking care other is the best way taking care yourself. Okay. So, foolish selfish, wise selfish. Now, we should not follow foolish selfish. We should practice wise selfish. Okay. So, now, I always feel, since we are social animals, so, from childhood, we always, you see, appreciate mother's affection, family affection. So, that is the seed, we further are strengthening. So, now, important is education from childhood in our class, we should include. The child or student also want happy life. So, the key factor, not just knowledge, but warmheartedness. Now, that in our modern curriculum, I think, should include the warmheartedness, a part of education, very important. Okay. So, compassion, education, and then compassion, their equality automatically come. So, now today, a lot of world problem is, you see, lack of equality. Although the principle of democracy is equality. So, everywhere, people, you see, use the word democracy, democracy. Meantime, in the atmosphere of democracy, dictatorship also sometimes happen. Now, that is wrong. Everywhere, we really want democracy. So, now, in order to develop democracy, compassion is key factor. Okay. Now, go ahead, Suta. Now question. Your Holiness, we want to thank you for showing us the way to be wisely selfish. For reminding us that peace in this world depends on us. For encouraging us to create a peaceful mind by demonstrating every day in every way, loving kindness and compassion. And for reminding us of a key truth, an inescapable one, that democracy is wholly dependent upon equality. Thank you. Your Holiness, we have five generation change fellows who wish to present part of their life story to you and to ask you a question. I'm very pleased to introduce our first fellow. Matilla Hor is from Bangladesh. Matilla. Good morning to your Holiness and everyone present at this event today. My name is Matilla and I'm from Bangladesh. So in 2020, when all the schools were shut down for an indefinite period due to the pandemic, the woman who helped me manage my household decided to take her daughter out of school, but continued her son's education. The son was 11 and the daughter was seven years old. It is very important to mention here that she is a single parent and obviously the decision maker and the bread earner in the family. The deep rooted social norm in the form of patriarchy and the daughter aversion, a term coined by academics perhaps influenced her decision to take her daughter out of school. Your Holiness, my question is, what would you say to this mother to help her understand her role as a mother and a decision maker for ensuring her daughter's education? Thank you very much. Now, as I mentioned earlier, in order to develop democracy, education equal male and female, everybody should have full education, educated. Then we really, you see, create atmosphere equality. So it is totally wrong distinction male and female as a Buddhist monk Buddha himself, you see, give us monk none equal. So a part of my own little contribution. I introduce a nunnery here. She should start serious debate or education. So since Buddha give us equal, even monks nuns. So now in society there is no point treat differently male and female. So we should treat equally 100% equal for male or son and daughter. As I mentioned earlier, democracy, everybody now say democracy. Now democracy means everybody should have not only equal right, but you see, mentally thinking utilize equal opportunity like that. So education very important. So the mother, I very much appreciate pay much attention for her daughter. Wonderful. Now these things we should not follow the traditional way, but utilize human intelligence. Then in order to develop peaceful world, I think almost half of the population are female. So in order to develop peaceful world, the male and the female all have responsibility. So therefore, girl, boy, son should have equal sort of opportunity for education in order to develop peaceful world. Okay, now next question. Your holiness, thank you for insisting that democracy is not just about the equality of rights, but it's essentially about the equality of opportunity. And for showing us very clearly that we can't have peace if there is not equality between the genders we take that message very deeply with us. Your Holiness, we're very pleased now to present our second fellow. Asher Omar is from Afghanistan. Asher, the floor is yours. Asher, delict your Holiness. I'm Asher, a US Peace Builder and Women's Rights Advocate from Afghanistan. I have been working in communities to resolve conflict and promote gender parity in my country. I departed my country just two weeks before the collapse to pursue my masters in US and to return home more assertive and knowledgeable to serve my country. But now I am a stateless person in a foreign country and my family is forced to migrate from their homeland because of the extremist groups overtaken. While hundreds of thousands of women who didn't have a way out are in danger and oppressed under the new extremist regime. However, we have witnessed the bravery of these Afghan women and standing strong for their rights and demanding their rights to be respected and considered by these armed extremist terrorist groups. Your Holiness, my question is reflecting on your Holiness journey who has experienced both forced immigration and oppression inside your homeland. What's your advice to Afghan women inside the country fighting for their rights and how can they stay resilient in the face of this constant oppression? Thank you. Basically, as I mentioned earlier, you see, firm determination, no matter how difficult to achieve, the aim we should be realistic and moral principle. And when we carry, try to achieve that because of the political situation and also sometimes, even I think religiously, little sort of discrimination, but these are the old fashioned. Now, the world is changing. So, like Afghanistan, for the time being, some difficulties, but eventually, you see, definitely things will change, I feel. So, the important is sort of close contact. We should not let them isolate. So, particularly like India, you see, very border Afghanistan. So, I think India has special opportunity and we have to work continuously. At the moment, Afghanistan situation is very serious and very sad. Okay. Then, next. You're holding us. We're very pleased to present our next fellow to you. Mubarak Mukhmi is from Tajikistan. Good morning, your Holiness. I am Mubarak from Tajikistan. After graduating from my high school, I became determined to encourage and motivate young girls in rural Tajikistan to pursue higher education and be financially independent. I also seek to ensure that every girls receive equal opportunities as their male counterparts in society. So, I developed a project called Women are the Future Leaders of our Country. We plan to offer girls and women training in leadership and the preparing of a business plan. We told them how they could use their skill in business and become financially independent. We organized IT classes and told them how to sell their products online and through social media. The women and girls started their own small business, but some of them faced problems because their husband or brothers didn't allow them to use social media, didn't trust them and would not support them. So, your Holiness, my question is, can you share an example from your experience where you have seen men share their power and trust and support women and not feel threatened? What circumstances allow this to happen and what can we learn from such situation? I am quite sure among people who totally dedicated for democracy and thinking about society, all these male, I think really is making effort to bring equality, male and female. So, unfortunately in the past sometimes including religion make some discrimination. Now that I think already changing, time changing. So, there are many people who really making effort, individual name I can't remember now. Now, basically I think genuine leaders or people who really committed democracy, I think everyone really want to promote equal education and equal right. And I always to say mentioning, female, male, female more important. So, I think some scientist, some occasion, you see, male and female together watching some picture, suffering picture. The female, even physically more sort of excited, even physical level more reaction. So, female biologically more compassionate nature. So, now today world, when we talk peaceful world, now female should take more active role to promote genuine peace. This is my view, I often is telling. Okay, your holiness we're very pleased that our next generation fellow is from South Sudan, may we present. May we present. Your Holiness, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. In a place called Pariel in South Sudan. A 17 year old girl who was a student class 6 was forced to murder 65 year old. Our office was called for intervention. And when I went with the team, we found that the poor child was locked in a room. She has been given a rope, a gun and a knife by her brother, who wanted to give her out by force for a right price. And he had told her that unless she walks to her husband's house, she can go ahead and kill herself with one of the many options she had. My questions to your Holiness is, in a context like this where gender inequality or let me say gender based violence is so clear. What is the place of forgiveness and healing and how does forgiveness and healing advance gender equality? Thank you. As I already mentioned, now this movement, not one particular country but whole world wide, now we need effort bring equality, not on basis of color, basis of traditional thinking. Now time comes, we should treat equally all people, particularly as I mentioned earlier, equal opportunity made female. So I think the main thing is education. And now this, including television and talk. Mobile. Mobile, we have to use this technology and try to reach as much as possible to people. So I think the things are changing, much changing. So now we need determination and sometimes we need little patience. Eventually things will definitely change. Now for example, male and female then also you see due to color. So now these are now changing, changing. So therefore we need some patience and meantime effort, effort. Okay, that's my feeling. In our own sort of course, about the bed is a lot of sort of difficulties but without losing determination and without losing compassion, mutual respect and making continuously effort, effort. Things are changing. Okay. Your holiness, thank you for reminding all of us that change cannot occur without effort every day and in every way. Your holiness, we have a woman you met her last year. She was part of this group. Her name comes from Afghanistan and she would like to address you again this year because what you shared with her last year has changed your life and she would like to share that with you. When I had the honor of meeting your holiness the Dalai Lama. I was in Afghanistan at that time identifying myself as an Afghan and as a Muslim. However, now I'm not anymore an Afghan but a global citizen living in the US and in Canada. My identity has shifted a lot after meeting your holiness. For example, I am moving beyond those very patriotic values for one country in one religion, but consider the entire world my home in all human beings in the world, my country, men and women. In this nourishing me a very deep sense of compassion to my fellow brothers and sisters in the world to their sufferings in my responsibility to selflessly and humbly serve the entire world with love and kindness. In the impact it had on me is to develop resilience, inner peace, compassion in the lifelong learning and commitment to learning and unlearning. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Your holiness, we have an additional question with your permission that we would like to ask you. This is from Kamal. Kamal, may we introduce you. Your holiness, thank you so much for taking out the time today and speaking to all of us. We've noticed in the recent past that removing women from democratic processes has had a more negative impact on gender balance and gender equality in particularly conflict-toned countries. So what would be your message to these local communities that how should they ensure that more and more women are able to participate in democratic processes so that we can see more gender equality across all walks of life. Thank you. Now some, what's a different view according to their own faith. Then you see these, it's difficult to criticize or change, but you see think more, wider perspective, then these are eventually can change. Otherwise, we, one individual, even one group of people, are difficult to pursue these people. So, me as a Buddhist monk who totally committed to promote religious harmony, so sometimes it's difficult to frankly express about some religious tradition. So, I think public education and media, trying process these will, I feel definitely will change. Okay. Your Holiness, we have a very special colleague, Rachel Debal. She comes from Nigeria, but she is not able to connect with us virtually tonight. But with your permission, I would like to share a final question with you that comes from Rachel. So, Rachel says that after the 1995 Beijing conference that brought together women from all around the world, there was an improvement that we could all see in the inclusion of women and girls in many countries. You could see it, it was concrete. But Rachel says this progress appears to be stagnating now, particularly in the area of politics. So the promise and the progress that happened after Beijing, now it's going the wrong way. And what Rachel says, if you look at my own country in Nigeria, women cannot rise above a certain level of leadership. And that's because she says there are stereotypes and there's resistance to women progressing. So Rachel's question, your Holiness, is what is your advice to both women and men to change their attitudes and to make institutions more receptive and considerate towards gender equality? So now these some backward thinking, discrimination, male and female, these things, and also on the basis of color, and also basis on faith. So these are old thinking. Now, things definitely change. Now, important is education through information. I think there's only way to public level to bring equal and even some obstacle from their national policy or their religious thinking. Eventually, it will change, it definitely will change. The important is our effort should be continuously with reason, not through violence, with respect to other who have different view, but respect. In the meantime, our own view, we have to constantly make effort to change. Your Holiness, you observed that women are more naturally compassionate than men. Do you think that it is possible for men to learn from women the arts of compassion and peacemaking? I think basically, it is possible for men to learn from the arts of compassion and peacemaking. I think basically, male, it is through centuries. So now, I think due to certain political reason or religious reason, a little bit sort of discrimination, now these, now through education and also the actual circumstances now really give us opportunity equality. So, we have to make effort, okay. Now, next. Your Holiness, we have a question that has come from one of our generation fellows. This is the question. People often argue with the notion of gender equality because they believe that it is not compatible with their culture or with their religion. What would you say to this? Yes, please repeat question. Many people say we don't agree with gender equality because it is not compatible with our culture or our religion. What would you say to that person who says that? As I already mentioned, you see some tradition make distinction male and female including some religious tradition. So now, these are, I think as I mentioned earlier as Buddhist, I already made some sort of contribution equal. As I already mentioned, so I think time passes. These will change. In the meantime, we should make effort through media equality. That's my feeling, okay. Your Holiness, we want to deeply from our hearts, all of us express our admiration for your wisdom and your guidance to us and to thank you deeply for spending this past hour with us. Your Holiness, I started as a peace builder 40 years ago when I was their age. And I can truly say that I would have been much better at what I did if I had had the privilege of being in your presence as a young peace builder. They are so lucky. We are so lucky to have this chance to be with you. Thank you. We would like to take a moment and express our gratitude to the many people who have been with us tonight, to Nian Shakuth, to Ashar, to Mathia, to Mabouk and to Garrison for asking their questions and to Kamal and to Rachel, who also had the opportunity to ask their questions and engage with you and learn from you. We would like to give a very special thanks. To the creator of this event, to Calden Loda, and Radio Free Asia for our continued collaboration now for many years. And to all of your staff, your Holiness, in your office, including Secretary, Tenzin, Talca, Tetsae, Samdup and the technical team that's led by Don Eisenberg and Tenzin Checho. We'll be back with you if you permit tomorrow evening for the next session, the final part of this year's event. And we'll be focusing, as you have guided us tonight, we'll be focusing on education for both our heart and our mind. On behalf of all of us. Thank you. Thank you. See you again tomorrow. Okay. I think we will face the same person's face, but I would like to have new ideas, new questions. Thank you. Thank you. See you again tomorrow.