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I am extremely delighted to attend this inter faith
seminar on the Preservation of Religious Harmony, Coexistence and Universal Peace
organised by the International
Association for Religious Freedom (IARF), Ladakh group. Thank you very much for
the detailed explanation of the association's history, activities, objectives
and their relevance in the present century. I have nothing to add on what the
speakers said earlier. But I would like to say a few things.
We are now in the twenty first
century. The quality of research on both the inner and physical world has
reached quite high-thanks to the tremendous stride in technological advancement
and human intelligence. However, as some of the speakers said before, the world
is also facing a lot of new problems, most of which are manmade. The root
cause of these manmade problems is the inability of human beings to control
their agitated minds. How to control such a state of mind is taught by the
various religions of this world.
I am a religious practitioner, who follows Buddhism.
More than a thousand years have passed since the great religions of the world
flourished, including Buddhism. During those years, the world had witnessed a
lot of conflicts, in which followers of different religions were also involved.
As a religious practitioner, I acknowledge the fact that different religions of
the world have provided many solutions about how to control an agitated mind.
In spite of this, I still feel we have not been able to realise our full
potential.
I always say that every person on
this earth has the freedom to practice or not practice religion. It is all
right to do both. But once you accept religion, it is extremely important to be
able to focus your mind on it and sincerely practice the teachings in your
daily life. All of us can see that we tend to indulge in religious favouritism
by saying, "1 belong to this or that religion", rather than making
effort to control our agitated minds, This misuse of religion, due to our
disturbed minds, also creates problems sometimes.
I know a physicist from Chile who told me that it is not
appropriate for a scientist to be biased towards science because of his love
and passion for it. I am a Buddhist practitioner and have a lot of faith and
respect in the teachings of the Buddha. However, if I mix up my love for and
attachment to Buddhism, then my mind shall be biased towards it. A biased mind,
which never sees the complete picture, cannot grasp the reality. And any action
that results from such a state of mind will not be in rune with reality. As
such it causes a lot of problems.
According
to Buddhist philosophy, happiness is the result of an enlightened mind whereas
suffering is caused by a distorted mind. This is very important. A distorted
mind, in contrast to an enlightened mind, is one that is not in tune with
reality.
Any issue, including political, economic and
religious activities human beings pursue in this world, should be fully
understood before we pass our judgement. Anyhow, the worldly things are the
results of so many cause and conditions. Therefore, if is very important to
know them. Whatever the issue, we should be able to see the complete picture.
This will enable us to comprehend the whole story. The teachings offered in
Buddhism are based on rationality, and I think are very fruitful.
Today, a lot of people from
different religious backgrounds have made their presence here. You all might
have a question mark in your mind: anything, which can be
felt and is possible, should be a question of whether we can realise it by our mind or
not. It is not easy to answer this question. In every religion, there are
transcendent things that are beyond the grasp of our mind and speech. For
example, the concept of God in Christianity and Islam and that of wisdom truth
body in Buddhism are metaphysical, which is not possible for an ordinary person
like us to realise. This is a common difficulty faced by every religion. It is
taught in every religion, including Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and
Islam, that the ultimate truth is driven by faith.
I want to emphasise that it is
extremely important for practitioners to sincerely believe in their respective
religions. Usually, I say that it is very important to distinguish between
"belief in one religion" and "belief in many religions".
The former directly contradicts the latter. Therefore, we should resolutely
resolve these contradictions. This is possible only by thinking in contextual
terms. A contradiction in one context might not be the same in the other. In
the context of one person, a single truth is closely associated with a single
source of refuge. This is of extreme necessity. However, in the context of
society or more than one person it is necessary to have different sources of
refuge, religions and truths.
In
the past it was not a major problem because nations remained aloof from each other
with their own distinct
religion. However, in today's close and inter-connected world there are so many
differences amongst various religions. We must obviously resolve these
problems. For example, there have been a lot of religions in India for the past
thousand years. Some of them were imported from outside whereas some have grown
in India itself. Despite this, the fact is that these religions have been able
to coexist with each other, and the principle of Ahimsa has really flourished in this
country. Even today, this principle has a strong bearing on every religion.
This is very precious and India should really take pride in it.
Ladakh has been a predominantly
Buddhist area 'for so many centuries. But other religions such as Islam,
Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism have also flourished here. Although it is natural
for the people of Ladakh to have attachment to and love for their own religions, yet this
place has a very peaceful environment with no major problems of religious
intolerance. During my maiden visit to Ladakh, I heard elderly Muslims using
the phrase "community of sangha" in their speeches. Although such
phrases are not found in Islam, yet a reference of this kind invokes a lot of
trust amongst the Buddhists. Therefore, people from different religious
background in Ladakh are very close to each other and live in harmony.
As far as the Muslims are concerned
it is appropriate for them to have complete devotion to Allah while praying in
the mosques. This is also the same with Buddhists who are completely devoted to
the Buddha when they pray in Buddhist temples. A society, which has many
religions should also have many prophets and sources of refuge. In such a
society it is very important to have harmony and respect amongst the different
religions and their practitioners. We must distinguish between belief and
respect. Belief refers to total faith, which you must have in your own
religion. At the same time you should have respect for all other religions.
This tradition of believing in one's own religion and having respect for others
is in existence in Ladakh since your forefathers. Therefore you do not have to
invent it. The most important thing at the moment is to preserve and promote
this tradition. I would like to thank all of you for working hard regarding
this and request you to continue to do so in the future.
If a harmonious relationship is
established amongst societies and religious beliefs in today's multi-ethnic,
multi-religious and multi-cultural world, then it will surely set a very good
example for others. However, if all the sides become careless, then there is a
danger of imminent problems. In a multiethnic society the biggest problem is
that of between the majority and the minority. For 'instance, in the capital
Leh, Buddhists constitute the majority of the population whereas Muslims
belong to the minority
community. The majority must consider the minority as their invited guests.
The minority, on the other hand, should be able to sensitise with the II1ajority.
In other words, both sides should live in harmony. In order to sustain this
harmony, both sides should not take lightly the sensitive issues between
themselves. Indeed, the majority should I pay attention to and appreciate the
views and opinion of the minority. Both sides should discuss and clearly
express what they think about the other's view and opinion. The minority, on
the other hand, should be careful about where the sensitive issues of the
majority lies and express whatever doubts they have in their minds. If problems
are resolved in such a friendly manner; then both sides will gain. Suspicion of
each other will only harm both communities. Therefore, it is very important to
live in harmony and analyse where the opinion of the other lies. The best way
to do this is to engage in dialogue, dialogue and dialogue.
(Source: www.dalailama.com)
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