Religious Harmony

Helping others, if possible, but at least not harming them is the way to live an ethical life.

When, through education, Buddhists and Muslims recognize and appreciate their common universal values of love, compassion, patience and forgiveness, then despite their philosophical differences, they have laid the foundation for religious harmony.

Overview of the basic principles of Buddhism and Islam, comparing the discussions of love, forgiveness and ethics in each.

The universal values of kindness and honesty transcend any religious differences.

For Buddhist education to remain effective, it needs to adapt to the present-day needs, as it has always done in the past. Gain an overview of historical precedent to demonstrate that adapting to the times accords with the Buddhist principle of using skillful means.

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 Dalai Lama looks at the major world religions, each having their own specialty. Through close contact in a globalized world, they can learn new things from each other and enrich their own traditions.

The Dalai Lama’s emphasis on reaching out to the Muslim world with respect and making correct information about each other’s beliefs widely available are the best roads for Buddhist-Muslim harmony in areas in Asia where the two cultures meet.

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.

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.