Dalai Lama: Inter-faith Prayers for Peace

Zurich, Switzerland, 15 October 2016 - His Holiness the Dalai Lama was met on arrival at the Grossmünster Church this morning by Pastor Christoph Sigrist, who introduced him to representatives of the Evangelical Church, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and the Roman Catholic Church. The Church was packed with about 1000 people as the religious representatives entered together. Once they were seated the building resounded to a Bach toccata played on the organ.

Addressing the gathering Pastor Sigrist said it was an honour and a great joy to welcome ‘Our Brother’, His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Grossmünster Church. “It means a great deal to have you here to pray and reflect with us,” he said. Each of the religious representatives was invited to make a prayer beginning with Tibetan Buddhist monks from Rikon Monastery. His Holiness joined them in their melodic chanting as their prayers for taking refuge and cultivating bodhichitta filled the church. They were followed by the Imam, the Rabbi and women representing Hinduism, the Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches, each praying in their own way for peace and justice among humanity. Finally, the Church rang with the pure voices of the choir singing Heinrich Schütz’s ‘Grant us peace graciously’.

Mario Fehr, an old friend of Tibetans, who is now President of the Canton of Zurich said, “On behalf of the Canton Government and the people of Zurich, I am very thankful that you are all here and that you have joined us to pray for peace today.”

Invited to address the congregation that included another 700 or so watching a monitor outside, His Holiness began:

“Spiritual brothers and sisters, I’m very touched by the atmosphere here with leaders and followers of different faiths gathered to pray together. It’s a great opportunity for us to get to know each other.

“At this very moment we are praying peacefully together here, but in other parts of the world, people are being killed and are being killed in the name of religion. These days if a person is killed by an elephant or a tiger it makes the news, but when people kill other people it seems routine and hardly seems to register.

“Nevertheless, scientists are finding evidence to conclude that basic human nature is compassionate. We depend on each other for our survival. In terms of the threats we all face from climate change, national boundaries have no meaning. Looking at our small blue planet from space no such boundaries can be seen. This is the reality today. We have to think of the welfare of all humanity.

“I have a commitment to promoting happiness through understanding. We human beings are physically, mentally and emotionally the same. We all want to live a happy life, but too often our strong sense of ‘us’ and ‘them’ causes divisions among us. We need instead a sense of the oneness of humanity. All the major religious traditions convey a message of love, tolerance, forgiveness and self-discipline. They all have the potential to bring peace through the cultivation of warm-heartedness. They adopt different philosophical positions, but their purpose is to foster greater love and affection for others. Their common aim is to create more compassionate people.”

His Holiness explained that his second commitment, as a Buddhist monk, is to encouraging religious harmony. He mentioned Thomas Merton, Mother Teresa and other Muslim and Hindu friends who have deeply impressed him, people driven by the dedication of their faith. He emphasised the need to create harmony and respect among religious people. Recalling the first World Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi, Italy, in1986 that he attended at the invitation of Pope John Paul II, His Holiness reported expressing his appreciation to the Pope and telling him how important it was for it not to be a one-off event, but for it to happen again and again.

He mentioned too how important it is for followers of different religions simply to get to know each other. Similarly, he said, scholars and religious leaders should meet to discuss and exchange their experiences. For example, in discussions with Muslim scholars in India and elsewhere, His Holiness has learned that if Muslims commit bloodshed they are no longer proper Muslims. Their commitment is to extend love to all the creatures of Allah. The same scholars have also explained that ‘jihad’ actually refers to a struggle within to tackle our disturbing emotions.

His Holiness suggested a third practice he follows to promote religious harmony—making pilgrimage to other people’s places of worship. He said he started doing this in Varanasi, India, in 1975 and has since visited Jerusalem to pray in the company of Christians, Jews and Muslims. Similarly, he recalled joining visiting Christian sisters and brothers, local Hindus and Muslims under the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment, for half an hour’s silent meditation.

Observing that all the world’s major religious traditions, those that are indigenous like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, and those from abroad like Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, have lived together in India, side by side, in respect and harmony, for centuries. This, he said, is an example for others to follow.

“Finally, if may say so,” His Holiness remarked, “I wonder how appropriate it is for us to pray to God or to Buddha for peace when the problems and conflict were created by us. I wonder if we were to meet Jesus Christ, the Buddha or Muhammad, if they might not ask, ‘Who created these problems you are seeking help to resolve? Isn’t it your responsibility to sort things out?’

“I feel we should make a personal commitment to promoting inter-religious harmony and to cultivating compassion within ourselves. If we also discuss this with friends and family, we can spread these ideas. In our materialistic world money seems all important, but much more valuable if we want to lead a happy life is to cultivate warm-heartedness. This is what strengthens the inner peace that anger and jealousy so easily destroy. Paying more attention to our inner values will ensure we’re healthy in body and mind and can make a real contribution to peace in the world.”

Pastor Sigrist thanked His Holiness for his words and called on all present to join in saying St Francis of Assisi’s Prayer for Peace:

God, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console,

To be understood as to understand,

To be loved as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life, 

Amen

He announced that Syrian refugees had been offered shelter in apartments attached to the church and that they had prepared a lunch for the religious leaders, representatives and guests.

Towards the end of the meal, President Mario Fehr presented Zurich’s Gold Medal to His Holiness as a mark of appreciation.

Tibetans thronged the cobbled streets outside the church to see His Holiness off as he drove to Zurich airport. From there he flew to Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, where he was met on arrival by old friends Suzanne and Csaba Kiss of the At Home Gallery and Martin Butora, advisor to the President of Slovakia, and his wife. Tomorrow, His Holiness will interact with students and faculty at Komensky University in the morning and give a public talk in the afternoon.

original link & photos: http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1473-inter-faith-prayers-for-peace

Dalai Lama: Explaining a Human Approach to World Peace

Kolkata, West Bengal, India, 13 January 2015 - This morning, Ms Anuradha Lohia, Vice Chancellor of the Presidency University, and Mr Debajyoti Konar, the Registrar, received His Holiness the Dalai Lama as he arrived at the University and escorted him to the University's Derozio Hall. The West Bengal Minister of State for Education, Mr Partha Chatterjee joined His Holiness and the Vice Chancellor on the stage.

The Vice Chancellor offered both guests a bouquet of flowers, a shawl and a framed photograph of the University before introducing His Holiness to the faculty, students and other guests in the audience. She began by remarking:

“We have an epitome of peace amongst us today."

She recounted the University's proud contribution to education in India since its foundation nearly 200 years ago and mentioned the thinkers, freedom fighters and leaders numbered amongst its alumni. Before inviting him to address the gathering she described His Holiness as being extraordinarily human while at the same time an evident embodiment of wisdom and compassion.

“Elder brothers and sisters, and younger brothers and sisters,” he began, “it is indeed a great honour for me to speak here at the oldest of modern Indian educational institutions”

He mentioned that as he was on his way to the University this morning he was thinking about what he might say about ‘A Human Approach to World Peace’. It struck him that thousands of years ago human beings must have had various ways of solving problems and conflicts among themselves. Then they developed weapons, beginning perhaps with knives and arrows. This trend has culminated today in weapons of immense destructive potential. They were developed by scientists with the finest brains and the highest education, which, while it may not have been their intention, is focussed on refining the means to kill.

“We must change this inclination to resort to the use of force, employing weapons, to solve problems. Differences are bound to arise between us, but we must find ways of resolving that are peaceful and not destructive. Even on an individual level from time to time we encounter conflicts with others, but we have to try to find ways of resolving them through dialogue. In the same way, we need to find ways of solving problems on family, community, national and global levels by talking them through. By implementing ahimsa, non-violence, we have the opportunity to avoid violence and develop a more human approach to resolving conflicts peacefully.”

He chuckled and said that while the core of his talk might be the ancient concept of ahimsa, it remains keenly relevant today and there is something appropriate about an elderly person, nearly eighty years old, speaking about something ancient at this oldest of universities.

“I am one of you,” he continued. “Mentally, emotionally and physically we are the same. We all wish to live a happy life. In addition, we all have the same right to fulfil this goal. And we all have the potential to do so for the simple reason that future is not fixed, it can be changed. Therefore, we should live in hope that we really can overcome whatever problems we face.”

His Holiness explained that hope is fundamental to our lives. When we lose hope it can shorten our lives and in the worst case induce us to commit suicide, which is a terrible outcome. He suggested that when we face problems we should assess the situation from a wider perspective, because there is always a hopeful aspect to be found, no matter how desperate things may seem. He remarked that even religion is intended to make us happy. Nobody is religious in order to be miserable.

In the warm conditions that prevailed on the stage, His Holiness reached for the ceremonial shawl he had been offered earlier to mop his brow, observing to the audience:

“I have no interest formality!”

The hall resounded with laughter and His Holiness resumed what he was saying.

“Because we are social animals, we need affection. This begins with the unconditional love of the mother-child relationship. When there is love and respect between us it naturally reduces the suspicion that ruins our peace of mind. Today, psychologists and other scientists confirm this. They have found that constant fear and anxiety destroys our immune system. As the Vice Chancellor told you earlier, this old person studied Buddhist philosophy back in Tibet, but becoming a refugee has given me the opportunity to hold discussions with scientists over the last thirty years and more. As a result we have learned that if we can combine traditional values with scientific findings it can be of great benefit to humanity at large.”

His Holiness observed that to address the moral crises the world faces today, we cannot rely on religious tradition alone because this will not appeal to all 7 billion people alive today. We need instead an approach to moral values that appeals to believers and non-believers alike.

“For example, a religious approach to ethical values is not suitable in a secular education system. Therefore, what we need today is to adopt an approach akin to India's more than three thousand year tradition of secular practice that views those with religious faith and those with none with equal respect.”

His Holiness noted that he often refers to himself as a messenger of India because of the efforts he makes to promote inter-religious harmony and non-violence, both of which are ancient Indian traditions, in the wider world.

“Today, the world is being torn apart by religious intolerance and even people of same faith, such as Shia and Sunni Muslims or Christians of one denomination or another, attack each other in the name of religion. At such a time, India’s living tradition of religious co-existence can be a beacon to the rest of the world. As a student of the ancient Nalanda tradition, I am quite actively engaged in spreading this message. But isn’t it time for you Indians to be active too in promoting your age old traditions?”

He referred to the great Abbot Shantarakshita from the 8th century CE and Atisha Dipamkara Shrijnana from the 10th-11th centuries, both of them Bengalis who accepted the invitations of Tibetan kings to come to Tibet. His Holiness called on today’s Bengalis to emulate these ancient masters in working for the wider benefit of humanity. He suggested conducting programmes to raise awareness of the role the traditional Indian values of non-violence, religious pluralism and secular ethics can make in building a more peaceful world. Key to this is the development of compassion, which we are all shown at the start of our lives by our mother.

His Holiness elaborated on the importance of cultivating constructive emotions while reducing destructive emotions. Positive emotions are conducive to good health, while negative emotions undermine it.

“I sometimes feel my body seems to tell me ‘Because your mind is calm, I can survive longer!’ If I were full of anger, jealousy and hatred my body might complain, ‘I can’t support you because of your emotional ups and downs.’ However, unfortunately, when it comes to my knees there doesn't seem to be any link to the mind of compassion. Perhaps, I should ask scientists to seek out such a link.”

Once again, laughter filled the hall. His Holiness reiterated that peace of mind is the key to good health. And the key to peace of mind today is not necessarily religion but secular ethics. He told the audience he is looking forward to meeting scientists in the US next month to finalise a draft curriculum for introducing secular ethics into the secular school system.

When a member of the audience asked if world peace could be achieved by all human beings at the same time, His Holiness’s answer was:

“At the same time - impossible!”

He mentioned the final statement of the recent Nobel Peace Laureates' Summit he attended in Rome in which the laureates set a goal for the elimination of nuclear weapons as soon as possible. By their very existence they pose a great danger. He emphasised that mass destruction means destroying not only soldiers, but innumerable innocent people too, children among them. He repeated again that the only genuine option for creating peace is dialogue. The ground can be laid for this and for countering discrimination against women and the poor by educating the population in warm-heartedness. His Holiness encouraged the young people in the audience, who belong to the generation of the 21st century, to cultivate vision, determination and patience in resolving the problems bequeathed them by the generation that belonged to the 20th century - among whom His Holiness included himself, the Vice Chancellor and the Minister of Education.

The Vice Chancellor expressed profuse thanks to His Holiness for his talk and the event concluded with the University Choir singing ‘We shall Overcome’ in Bengali interspersed with English and Hindi.

In the afternoon, His Holiness addressed members and guests of the Merchants Chamber of Commerce and Industry, (MCC) Kolkata chapter, on the Meaning and Purpose of Education. The West Bengal Minister of State for Education, Mr Partha Chatterjee was again among the guests, who also included students from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata. His Holiness emphasised the importance of education in combining modern knowledge and understanding with traditional values to produce people who will take a responsible role in society. He again stressed the need for vision, determination and not losing sight of the goal:

“Sustaining your hope is crucial to keeping yourselves going and fulfilling the goal of your education.”

original link and photos http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1223-explaining-a-human-approach-to-world-peace-at-presidency-university