Women have key role in ensuring global peace: Dalai Lama

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Friday said women have an important role in making the 21st century a century of peace as biologically they are more compassionate than men.

Addressing the National Women's Parliament here, he said women should play a more active role to promote basic human values of compassion and love.

He said that while men and women were all equal human beings, the latter have more potential when it comes to compassion. "Scientists say women are most sensitive towards others' sufferings," the Buddhist leader said.

He said he believes that if females take the leadership in all countries, the world would be a safer place.

"Most of warriors in the world are men. There may be some exceptions but generally speaking all trouble-makers are male," he said.

He urged women to develop self-confidence and work hard with determination in all walks of life.

He found fault with the existing education system, saying it is more oriented towards material wealth than basic human values. "It is not adequate to produce warm-hearted and compassionate humanity," he said and cautioned that if this continued, the 21st century will be full of violence and discrimination like the previous centuries.

The spiritual leader said there is a real hope because research by scientists show basic human nature is of compassion.

Stressing the need for inner peace, he said that without this the world can't have genuine outer peace.

The Tibetan leader said this century should be a century of dialogue and compassion and to respect others' interest and rights.

He feels that real disarmament can happen only when there is disarmament in mind and emotions. Stating that female have a special role in ensuring this, he said his mother was his first teacher who taught him compassion and love.

--IANS

ms/lok/dg