Felicitation viii

The Dalai Lama

When I meet people, I don’t think about being different from them, about being 
a Tibetan, a Buddhist or even the Dalai Lama. I only think about being a human 
being. At the fundamental level we are the same, whether rich or poor, easterner 
or westerner. We all share the same potential for positive and negative emotions.

I am therefore pleased to know that this journal, CASTE: A Global Journal on 
Social Exclusion, of Brandeis University is being launched to advance the study of 
caste and social policies. The caste system, from what I know of its prevalence in 
any place is really outdated; I feel it is a vestige of feudalism. Through education, 
as your journal aspires to do, we can promote a sense of the oneness of the seven 
billion human beings.

With my prayers and good wishes,

22 February 2019