Dharamshala (Vijyender Sharma)
Members of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists led by Thai activist Sulak Sivaraksa met Dalai Lama at his residence in Mecleodganj near Dharamshala. They included 35 from Thailand, 41 from India, 37 from Burma, as well as people from the USA, Japan, South Korea, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Taiwan Hong Kong, Switzerland, Hungary and Sweden.
While addressing the delegation Dalai Lama said, “Each one of us earnestly wishes for a happy life yet we keep making life difficult by putting a great emphasis on ‘us’ and ‘them”. “As human beings, we all want to live a happy life,” “but we are regularly faced with problems of our own making. Many such problems arise because we persist in viewing others in terms of ‘us’ and ‘them’. In addition to this, these days, we also see conflict taking place in the name of religion.While addressing the delegation Dalai Lama said, “Each one of us earnestly wishes for a happy life yet we keep making life difficult by putting a great emphasis on ‘us’ and ‘them”. “As human beings, we all want to live a happy life,” “but we are regularly faced with problems of our own making. Many such problems arise because we persist in viewing others in terms of ‘us’ and ‘them’. In addition to this, these days, we also see conflict taking place in the name of religion.
There are differences between our religious traditions and even within them—for example the Pali tradition included 18 schools of thought, while within the Sanskrit tradition there were four. Different points of view appeal to people of different dispositions, but what is most important to remember is that all religious traditions stress the importance of cultivating loving-kindness,he added.
Dalai Lama noted that even the religious affairs are dragged into this egocentric concept designed by the man when in fact all religions are universal in their promotion of love, compassion.
“We are witness to many catastrophes caused in the name of religion,” Dalai Lama remarked. The reason why it compels Dalai Lama to commit to the promotion of religious harmony as one of his major commitments. He also asserted that more attention is needed to reviving pali tradition which is the basis of Buddha dharma and Sanskrit tradition which is heavily based on a logical approach. And accordingly, advocate Buddhist philosophy by converging it with modern science for a practical approach.
He mentioned that faith alone won’t suffice the survival of any kind of religious tradition which is why His Holiness stated that he constantly emphasise on becoming 21 century Buddhists through rigorous analyses and use of human intelligence. Amidst this difficult time, Dalai Lama maintains that all religious traditions of the world have the moral obligation to bring world peace through channelling the inner peace first. He, therefore, solidified his commitment to promoting the sense of oneness among all human beings.