Dalai Lama Asks West Not to Turn Buddhism Into a "Fashion"

[Ahimsa]

“In the United States I have seen people who embrace Buddhism and change their clothes,” he said, laughing. “Like the New Age. They take something Hindu, something Buddhist, something, something. … That is not healthy.”

The Dalai Lama also spoke about his meetings with John Paul II.

“I had a very pleasant meeting with him right at the beginning,” the Buddhist recalled. “As he is also a Communist opponent, we share this background, of having no freedom. Me too, since 1951. We had very close feelings for each other. I admire his energy, and also his feelings for humanity, and his effort to get closer at Assisi with other traditions and religions.”

However, the Dalai Lama added, there “cannot be unification” between Christianity and Buddhism. “If you mean having a closer relation, understanding, that is happening in religions,” he noted.

“For individual practitioners, having one truth, one religion, is very important. Several truths, several religions, is contradictory,” he said.

“I am Buddhist,” he added. “Therefore, Buddhism is the only truth for me, the only religion. To my Christian friend, Christianity is the only truth, the only religion. To my Muslim friend, [Islam] is the only truth, the only religion. In the meantime, I respect and admire my Christian friend and my Muslim friend. If by unifying you mean mixing, that is impossible, useless.”

 

[LDNCatholic]

The man speaks sense.

 

[Brian_C]

Amen. What a thoughtful man.