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On September 2, 2018, a conference on “The Impact of Literature on Civilisation” was organised at the India International Centre in New Delhi by the newly established Palpung Marpa Dharma Mati Trust India. The conference was graced by His Holiness the 12th Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa and the chief guest was His Excellency Shri B. P. Singh, former Secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Home Affairs-Government of India, former Executive Director of the World Bank, former Governor of Sikkim and former Chancellor of the Central University of Tibetan Studies, Sarnath. Among the lecturers were also Dr. Shashi Bhala, a Buddhist and cultural studies scholar and researcher and Dr. Jyoti Gaur, an Associate Professor at the Psychology Department of the Swami Vivekanand Subharti University. Also present were many Indian scholars of ancient and modern sciences, along with scholars of the common and uncommon Buddhist sciences from Palpung Sherabling. The speakers stressed the importance of literature as a means towards the advancement of society and civilisation in general. They pointed out the direct connection between the waxing and waning of the quality of literature and the flourishing and decline of language in general. More specifically, other speakers spoke about the impact of Buddhist literature on the level of happiness and well-being in modern society. Related to this latter point, they also emphasized the importance of the preservation of the Tibetan language, which has the special quality of being able to elucidate the deeper meanings within the entirety of Buddhist literature. Other topics discussed included the significance of literature generally in the historical landscape of human civilisation, as well as the history, value and distinguishing features of Tibetan grammar, poetry, medicine and astrology.
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