Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama attended the two-day inter-religious conference titled ‘Diverse Spiritual Traditions in India’ held on 21 September at the Hyatt Regency hotel in New Delhi. The event was the inaugural edition of the conference which is an initiative of the Dalai Lama. Hi Holiness stressed the importance of peace between all religions and urged the leaders of various religious traditions to move away from dogma and be inclusive with each other. The leaders of nine major religions were at the meet on its first day.
The Dalai Lama recalled Swami Vivekananda’s famous address in 1893 in Chicago at the Parliament of World Religions, and recited several of his favorite Swami Vivekananda quotes. His Holiness expressed how in his experience, India was the only country where so many religions were present within one nation. He spoke of the terrorism being purveyed under the banner of jihad and condemned how it was a holy term that denoted combating one’s limitations, but was being used by terrorists in evil ways. “Jihad combats inner destructive emotions. Everybody carries jihad in their hearts, including me,” he said.
He also spoke of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his visit to India. He said that conflict between India and China was pointless. “A lot of changes have taken place since he took charge,” he said, referring to Jinping. “Judging him by his ability of handling problems, he is more realistic and principled than his predecessors,” he said.
His Holiness spoke of how religion is a private affair and it was no one’s concern to make it public. The Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi, Najeeb Jung, presided over the event as the Chief Guest. He stressed the importance of maintaining religious harmony and also recalled Swami Vivekananda’s famous address.
The other religious leaders who were present and spoke were Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Prof Manjit Singh, His Excellency Gaden Tripa Rizong Sras-Trul Thupten Nyima, and many others.