Posted on 01/16/2010 6:46:41 AM PST by cold start
Vadodara: His Holiness the Dalai Lama is known for his wisdom and witty remarks so no one was surprised when he declared on Friday that he cannot say that Buddhism is the best religion.
Speaking at International Convention on Buddhism in Vadodara, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet said, “We cannot say that one religion is best. I am a Buddhist but I can’t say Buddhism is the best religion. It depends on a person’s perception that what is best for him.”
He further added that, “We should respect all religions. India is a secular country where all the religions are equally respected.”
In a very witty remark, Dalai Lama said, “Mr Modi (Mahabodhi Society of India Patron Dr. Bhupendra Kumar Modi) told me that Indians consider me a fellow Indian. I must tell you, I am India’s son. My knowledge and my wisdom come from India and I am really proud of it.”
Adding another tongue in cheek remark, Dalai Lama said, “Though I have Tibetan parents so my flesh and blood is Tibetan. But, as a matter of fact, spiritually I am an Indian and physically I am a Tibetan.”
Praising India’s unique culture and communal harmony, Dalai Lama said, “India is unique because it follows a culture of non-violence accepted across religions coexisting in the country. There is not much difference in the cultures of Buddhists and Muslims in India as they both follow the tradition of truth and non-violence.”
He went on to add that, “Indians are ‘Guru’ and we (Tibetans) are ‘Chelas’ because Buddhism originated from India. So, when I travel to different parts of the world, I introduce myself as an Indian messenger. I propagate ‘Ahimsa’ so now my guru India, should start promoting non-violence again.
Continuing his refreshingly witty speech, Dalai Lama further added, “Chinese are the senior students of Buddhism while Tibetans are the junior students. So, whenever I give teachings to Chinese Buddhists, I jokingly tell them that the knowledge of ‘junior students’ is not bad.”
Launching a veiled attack on the Chinese atrocities in Tibet, Dalai Lama said, “The condition of Tibet is in turmoil. I want the heritage of Tibet to be given back to India as it is the only place where they will be in safe hands.”
Dalai Lama was at his spiritual best at the function. Speaking about the importance of satisfaction in life, he said, “I had a friend who was very rich but he was not happy. This shows that money and power don’t necessarily guarantee happiness. One should seek inner peace. This inner peace and spirituality can be achieved through love, compassion and affection.
He also advocated the idea of ‘Vasudhaev Kutumbkam’, saying, “The recently concluded Coopenhagen Summit was like a ray of hope for the world affected badly by global warming. The reason for the failure of the summit was that all the world leaders considered their national interest more important than the global interest. This is a wrong approach.”
True, India has a lot more religious violence than the U.S. Just need to keep in context the size of the population (1.2 billion)and the fact that the world’s second largest population of Muslims live there. Considering that Muslim invaders and rulers are supposed to have killed millions of Hindus, the violence is both understandable and limited. Hinduism is a non proselytizing religion and doesn’t claim to be the only true religion.
In any case, I find the Dalai Lama’s views to be admirable. We could all do a lot better if more religious leaders voiced the same sentiment regardless of whether every single adherent of that religion follows it or not.
Yes, putrify the little wastrels in their very shoes!LOL.
None of those deities is considered to be self-existent. Your entire screed is in error. That is not Tibetan Buddhism.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Okay, right. Drivel.
If you say that one religion is the best - you speak for God. If you can say that a religion is best for you - God has spoken to you.
Hinduism, which is not really a religion, but rather a collection of many syncretistic religions, and Buddhism can absorb other faiths without batting an eye. They are quite willing to add Christ, for instance, to their list of deities and religious teachers.
This is very similar to the ancient classical religions. They objected not to Christians claiming that Christ was divine, but rather to the claim he was the One True God, which of course meant their gods weren’t any such thing.
If one truly believes the Christian faith, you must believe what Christ said of himself, “No one comes to the Father except through me.”
This doesn’t mean Christians are required to be harsh or intolerant of others, much less persecute of those who believe differently. But it does mean that Christ made certain claims for himself, and to deny them is to deny Christ and therefore to cease being a Christian.
A perfectly logical definition of Christian, “One who claims to believe what Christ said about himself.”
“Caring that others will miss out on that terrific gift is not a bad thing.”
Well said. One can freely disregard Buddhism and not suffer one single consequence. Disregarding Christ has eternal consequences.
Most of us don’t really pick our religions, we just get born into them. I suspect if we all had to pick, the world’s religions will be claiming far fewer adherents.
Well put.
The guy has something in common with the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. She can’t say Christianity is superior ...
I was raised Episcopalian. Ugh. Even our whole church broke away. But I argued about religion through my teens and am a Deist Christian since my late teens, not concerned with denominations, having taken a route through astronomical science. Prove all things. The heavens do declare His glory.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism
It does not for the greater part
conflict directly with any metaphysic
Let it be stated here that true Christianity is really not a “religion.” Some have made it into one, yes. But you really cannot compare Christianity with Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and the like. Are there similarities? Of course. But Christianity goes far, far beyond these religions in its world view, expectations, and spiritual, moral, and relational provisions.
Actually, I hit it right on the head.
For obvious reasons, Tibetans when talking to wooly-headed liberals (to be a little redundant) tend to emphasize their religion’s esoteric and philosophical aspect, while downplaying its earthier and more mundane ones. But it is certain that worship of actual deities is extremely common in Tibet itself, complete with sacrifices, even if the monks and lamas explain it away metaphirically.
In fact, Tibetan Buddhism is a blend of Bon, a shamanistic pre-Buddhist religion and Mahayama Buddhism. Obviously, different groups and individuals will emphasize different aspects of that blend. In fact, a good many Buddhists of SE Asia, where the more “pure” Theravada version is atill practiced, don’t consider the Tibetans to be Buddhists at all.
Were there no gods in ancient Greece or Rome, simply because some of the philosophers explained them away as metaphors or aspects of the single Divine? Is the same true today in Hinduism? Do the thousands of deities worshipped with great devotion by hundreds of millions of Hindus not exist because some Hindus who are more educated and embarassed by polytheism explain their gods away similarly?
I think not.
I would suggest your categorical statement as to what Tibetan Buddhism is, and therefore is not, is more than a little odd. As far as I’m aware, Buddhists have nothing resembling a formal statement of doctrine or dogma similar to the various Creeds of Christians. So categorical denials seem a little out of place.
Great quote for someone into self-deception.
For those who are not:
We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20)
You will see what is going on about Buddha dharma in the West, far beyond what the Dalai Lama represents.We will help defeat the Muslim Caliphate insurgency.
Above: Khandro Tseyang, and Kongma Sakyong Mipham Rimpoche, Queen and King of Shambhlala.Count on it.
ROTFLOL That is all absolute bullshit. All of it. I am not a wooly-headed liberal and neither is my teacher. You’re a great example of the old saw “a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing.” Except that you’re not really dangerous.
Thank you for that link, C7. Bookmarked for study. :-)
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