Reaching out to the world's youth

What Are You Busy With? by Sodargye.[Photo provided to China Daily]

It was already 8 pm on Jan 3 when Sodargye, a Tibetan Buddhist scholar, returned to his hotel from AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong, where he had just finished two days of delivering dharma lectures to more than 11,000 people.

Dharma－cosmic law and order in Buddhism－is applied to the teachings of Buddha and is the form of spiritual education to which Sodargye has dedicated his life.

"Between 70 and 80 percent of the audience were Buddhists, with some from other religions, and some without a religion," the 52-year-old says in a low voice in heavily accented Mandarin. His left thumb moved slowly along his prayer beads throughout the interview.

Sodargye, from the mountainous Garze county in Southwest China's Sichuan province, has traveled the globe to talk about dharma. His first trip abroad was to the United States in 1993. Since then, he has been invited to talk all over the world, mainly to university students and faculties.

His speeches vary, but they always include some sort of spiritual education.

"The lack of a spiritual education has led to problems of unfairness and insecurity, and some solutions can be found in Buddhism. This is the theme of my talks," he says.

"Development of the spirit cannot match the pace of the growth of material life," he adds, saying that this is a common issue in many countries.

He recalls that he was once asked for his views on terrorism and responded that he supports Islam.

"I've studied Islam, and its doctrine does not bring any harm to the world," Sodargye says. "It has been manipulated by some people in the name of religion."

In 2015, he visited Namibia, South Africa and Lesotho, where he offered advice to young people on how to face hardship with the right attitude. He visited orphanages and saw famine up close.

He recalls how he was told that the average life expectancy in Namibia is just 37 to 42 because of HIV and malaria. A lack of jobs for young people, including university graduates, is also a problem.

"The feeling is that local people have little hope for the future," he says. "So the theme of my lecture was never lose confidence ... The locals are actually very intelligent and energetic. It's worth considering how to boost their potential."