Religious Harmony

Practicing modern styles of hatha yoga that emphasize asana practice can be beneficial as a supplement to Buddhist practice, as long as one remains mindful of the philosophical differences and does not mix them.

Some people have misunderstood the intent of a Kalachakra initiation and tantra practice in general, thinking it propagates Buddhist domination. To avoid interfaith suspicion and mistrust, it is important to examine the issues in light of the historical and cultural contexts...

The Dalai Lama encourages students to develop their inner values and ethics alongside their education.

With the hope of defraying some common misunderstandings and exploring resonances between Islam and Buddhism, “Inquiring Mind” set up a conversation between Dr. Alexander Berzin and Dr. Snjezana Akpinar, a Buddhist practitioner with an academic background in Islam.

Harmony in a multireligious society comes from education about each other’s beliefs and customs and, from knowledge, comes respect.

Buddhism and Islam offer different strategies for motivating people to deal with shared common problems such as environmental degradation, pollution and global warming. With more knowledge of each others’ methods comes more understanding and mutual respect.

The main aim of the Islamic-Buddhist dialogue, as experienced by Dr. Berzin, is educational, for each to learn more about the other’s beliefs and cultures. The prospects for increasing contact and cooperation are vast.

The Dalai Lama shares his conviction that in today’s interconnected world, belief in one religion and one truth can be helpful for one individual, but acceptance of multiple truths is needed for society as a whole.

Outlines of similarities between Sufism and Buddhism go in the right direction concerning generalities, but need to be supplemented with detailed analyses of specific cases in order to avoid misunderstanding.

“A Meeting of Two Oceans; Dialogue on Sufism and Buddhism”: a dialogue at the Roshan Center for Persian Studies, University of Maryland.