February 4, 2026: The 108 Peace Institute, in collaboration with Dept. of Liberal Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Manipal Institute of Higher Education, Bangalore organized a lecture session titled “Empowering Youth for a More Compassionate World”. The session featured Venerable Geshe Lhakdor, a distinguished Tibetan Buddhist scholar and Director of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives.
Geshe Lhakdor began the talk by reflecting on the source of long-lasting happiness. He said that the source of long lasting happiness is inner peace which comes from having a compassionate heart. Geshe la said that leaders with values such as compassion will always make decision that is beneficial for the public. He highlighted the Dalai Lama’s commitment to promoting universal human values such as compassion, kindness, patience, and a sense of responsibility. According to him, true education should go beyond academic achievements and focus on human flourishing by teaching individuals how to live harmoniously with others and cultivate a compassionate mind.
Compassion, he explained, is more than sympathy; it involves understanding the suffering of others and having the genuine will to alleviate that suffering. He noted that the lack of compassionate leadership in today’s world has contributed to many man-made problems such as war, violence, and killing. Quoting Gautama Buddha, he remarked that compassion is a value which, if one holds in one’s hand, means possessing all other virtues. He further added that compassion can be cultivated through meditation on the benefits of kindness and by recognizing that every living being needs love and compassion.
He emphasized that material wealth alone is not sufficient to remove problems of the world. If material wealth can remove problems, then the wealthiest people should be the happiest on earth, which is not so. Therefore, he urged the students to study science of mind and take care of mental health and develop a compassionate mind which will help them become a better person who can contribute positively to global peace.
The lecture ended with a vibrant Q&A. session. Around 76 students and faculty members attend the event.
