Today’s New York Times featured an op-ed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who has just completed a 10-day teaching tour in the US. In “Many Faiths, One Truth,” the Dalai Lama speaks of the need to find common ground among world religions in order to bridge divisions and create a peaceful and harmonious global society. His Holiness reminds us that intolerance continues to plague religious, political, and social institutions–especially as globalization beings us into contact with cultures and traditions different than our own:
Though intolerance may be as old as religion itself, we still see vigorous signs of its virulence. In Europe, there are intense debates about newcomers wearing veils or wanting to erect minarets and episodes of violence against Muslim immigrants. Radical atheists issue blanket condemnations of those who hold to religious beliefs. In the Middle East, the flames of war are fanned by hatred of those who adhere to a different faith. Such tensions are likely to increase as the world becomes more interconnected and cultures, peoples and religions become ever more entwined. The pressure this creates tests more than our tolerance — it demands that we promote peaceful coexistence and understanding across boundaries.
Read the full NYTimes piece here.
Thank you for subscribing to Tricycle! As a nonprofit, we depend on readers like you to keep Buddhist teachings and practices widely available.