Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Wednesday said the only hope to create a more peaceful future is through a more holistic education in which knowledge of materialistic values, physical and emotional health are integrated.

Interacting with 28 youth peace builders from 14 countries of conflict, he said the younger generations have the opportunity to contribute to a happier world.

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He lamented the increasing use of violence and advocated for a greater role of youth and education in the transformation towards peace.

He stressed his conviction that education is the key to changing people’s way of thinking. “The hygiene of physical is already in our education and now we need to include hygiene of emotion in a secular education system,” he said. He argued that relying on religious system of moral won’t appeal to everyone. He expressed his profound admiration for the ancient Indian knowledge for its contribution toward the understanding of the human mind and the imbibing of practices to tackle negative emotions. He said a new curriculum combining the ancient Indian knowledge which focuses on inner peace and wisdom with modern education that brings physical comfort, is being implemented in various educational institutes across the country.

“If you want inner peace, you should come to India. Come here and study modern education and ancient knowledge, but if you want more dollars, then you should go to the US or Europe,” he said. He urged for a greater sense of oneness and mutual understanding during his conversation and said 7 billion human beings have to coexist on this planet.

“Future of the east, west and north and south depend on each other. National boundary is not so relevant given the new problems such as global warming and climate change. As human brothers and sisters, we have this brilliant intelligence and on top of that, we share an innate compassionate nature. As you witness more and more suffering, use it as an opportunity to strengthen your determination and willpower,” Dalai Lama said.

This is the third annual dialogue with youth peace-builders drawn from countries across Africa, the Middle East and Asia and this year’s youth leaders came from 14 countries, including Syria, Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Iraq, Somalia, Colombia, Nigeria and seven others.