Alumni Bulletin - Fall 2008 - (Page 24)

lived in peace with Hindus, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, or Farsi, and Christians, largely because of India’s long tradition of religious pluralism, the Dalai Lama said. He offered four methods he has used to promote religious harmony: Meeting with scholars from different traditions. It’s important to discuss similarities and differences between religious traditions. “When you find differences, then it’s very important to research, to investi- when he visited a mosque, church, Buddhist temple, and Hindu temple all in the same day. Since then, he has twice gone on pilgrimages to Jerusalem, as well as to such revered shrines as Lourdes in southern France and Fatima in Portugal. “I visit these areas not as a tourist, but as a pilgrimage,” he said. “It’s very, very helpful.” The Dalai Lama also has hosted a group of Christians who came to visit the “most important Buddhist site in India.” amples that “humanity is becoming more mature.” “So now nonviolence is not only an idea, but also a political reality, the nonviolent method,” he said. In today’s world, issues such as economics and the environment know no geographical or political boundaries, he said. “Circumstances compel you to live together. Cooperation is the interest for everybody. More division is in nobody’s interest.” gate: What is the purpose of these differences?” One religion may be theistic, another non-theistic. But further exploration may find that they share “the same purpose”— to promote “love, compassion, forgiveness, tolerance.” Meeting with practitioners of different traditions. “For me, that is very, very helpful to develop respect of other traditions, as happened with my meeting with the late Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk,” he said. “My understanding about Christianity was then much enriched.” Group pilgrimages. The Dalai Lama encourages people of one religious tradition to go together on a pilgrimage to the holy shrines of another tradition. He began this practice himself in India in 1975, They engaged in “three days of dialogue,” he said. “Each morning, we all together spent half an hour in silent meditation in Bodh Gaya, under the Buddha tree.” Having leaders of different traditions come together to “speak the same word: peace, spirituality, like that.” He cited his pilgrimage to Ajmer as an example. “Real Hope” for Tibet In the face of ongoing violence, oppression, war, and even genocide, the Dalai Lama maintains his faith in the basic goodness and gentleness of human beings. Popular, peaceful movements have helped change the world, he said, citing the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union as ex- The issue of interdependence can be seen in his beloved Tibet, the Dalai Lama said. Most of Asia, including Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Laos, and China, depends on the major rivers that flow from Tibet, so the number one priority for his exiled homeland is to protect its environment. “Caring for the Tibetan environment is not only 6 million Tibetan people’s concern, but also I think over a billion human beings surrounding Tibet,” he said. And politically, Tibet plays an important role in relations between neighboring China and India, two countries that, combined, account for “almost a quarter of all human beings.” “Tibetan normalcy is a very important factor for development of 24 LEHIGH ALUMNI BULLETIN

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Alumni Bulletin - Fall 2008

Alumni Bulletin - Fall 2008 Contents From the President's Desk Mailbox On Campus Research Arts & Culture Sports Cover Story: The Dalai Lama at Lehigh Heart of a Champion Around the World in 80 Years Fighting for Children wth Autism Keepers of the Flame From the Publisher's Desk Alumni News The Last Word

Alumni Bulletin - Fall 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.