His Holiness the Dalai Lama joined a number of spiritual leaders from Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Jain and Christian traditions at the Gandhi Ashram in Delhi, called for religious harmony and environment protection. Each of the spiritual leaders spoke about the importance of cultivating religious harmony, upholding India’s ancient traditions of non-violence and compassion, in addition to taking care of our planet.
During the address, the Tibetan spiritual leader began saying, “Not only do all the major world religious traditions convey a message of love and peace, but they also teach how to increase these qualities. One of human beings’ best qualities is their ability to see other people as brothers and sisters. And it is on such a basis that we can live in harmony with each other.”
In addition to speaking about the sense of religious harmony, all the world’s major religions have flourished in India in peace and free from fear for hundreds of years. The different philosophical views they propound are all focused on extending compassion, which is their common message. His Holiness said that the leaders must take the responsibility of protecting the environment to tackle the climate crisis.
“Something else we have to consider is that at the present time, when population growth and the climate crisis present a challenge to the whole of humanity, we need to take steps to protect the environment. This planet is our only home and if it becomes too hot for us to survive, there is nowhere else we can escape to. Therefore, we must try to protect our sources of water and restore forests by planting trees.” said the Buddhist spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the gathering.
While speaking to the media after the interfaith meet, His Holiness said that all of us as individuals must be concerned about the environment. He added that we should plant trees as the cutting of trees is a serious problem, should also pay attention to water bodies unless we do it water bodies in India may dry. Because of global warming Glacier snow in Tibet is depleting and there is a threat to rivers like Brahmaputra and Ganga.
Leave a Reply