Dharamshala August 26 – His Holiness the Dalai Lama said that the various faiths have the responsibility to train the minds of the people in order to create a better world. His Holiness was speaking yesterday at an interfaith seminar in Leh, Ladakh, Voice of Tibet radio service reported. His Holiness had arrived in the predominantly Buddhist region of India after successfully completing the tour to Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
His Holiness said that the concept of “one truth one religion, several truths several religions” is very important. His Holiness said that one should respect other religions while having a strong faith and devotion to one’s own religion. “For one individual his or her religion is very precious, but when the individual exists in a community where there are many other religions then the concept of ‘several truths several religions’ applies”.
His Holiness further said that one should differentiate between devotion and respect when it comes to religion. “You should be devoted to your own religion while nurturing a deep respect for other religions”.
His Holiness also said that one may not follow any religion at all but that if one follows a religion he or she must be devoted to that religion and respect others’ religions. “In ancient periods, various religions existed separately in separate communities but now people from different religious communities live together so it is important to practice religious tolerance and respect other religions in order to create a more peaceful world.”
