Corrupt believers should be dismissed by religious leaders: Dalai Lama

Mumbai: Tibetan religious leader Dalai Lama on Monday said he was more concerned about problems created by human beings like corruption than natural disasters.

"I am not satisfied with the present condition of India. In India, there is less of violence, but too much exploitation and corruption. I am more concerned about these man made disasters than any natural disaster," he said while addressing students of Somaiya college here.

"There are various man made problems in India. Gang rape of women is one of them. Since these problems are our creation, only we can eliminate these problems. Man made problems will not be solved merely by praying. If that was the case, there wouldn't have been problems in the first place," the spiritual leader said.

Cautioning students against falling prey to self-styled godmen, he said, "There are a lot of self proclaimed dharma rajas (god men) who only seek money and sex.

Devotees should know the qualities of a spiritual leader. If 1.2 billion Indians are believers in God, how could corruption happen? Even corrupt believers should be dismissed by religious leaders."

On equality for women, he said, "Education brings in equality. Females should make more efforts in getting educated and working in society. Women should not remain silent and accept inequality. They should also speak more strongly against the dowry system," he said.

When asked about the future of the institution of 'Dalai Lama', he said it depends on the people of Tibet.

"As early as 1969, I had officially stated that the institution of Dalai Lama should continue or not should be left to the Tibetan people. If majority of people feel that this institution is no longer relevant, it should be stopped."

"When a magazine correspondent asked me if there could be a female Dalai Lama in future, I immediately said yes, it is possible," he added.

On the increasing economic gap between the rich and the poor, the religious leader criticised common practices like extravagant marriages and said the money should rather be used on feeding the poor and the homeless.

"Those wealthy people who spend lakhs on marriages should rather go and feed the street children. That is a meaningful marriage. If there are millions of poor people in the country, how can money be spent so foolishly?" he asked.

He said India should keep its culture intact, while modernising itself. "Modernisation is very important, whether you like it or not. India has a very strong culture. It should be kept intact while becoming modernised," he added.