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Buddha, the Vatican and Vesak
karasti
BreathingMinnesota Moderator
Thought this was interesting, a letter from the Vatican in recognition of upcoming Vesak.
http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2017/04/22/170422c.html
6
Comments
Separatism - 0 Unification and Harmony - 1.
Best team wins.
'Dear friends, may we actively dedicate ourselves to promoting within our families, and social, political, civil and religious institutions a new style of living where violence is rejected and the human person is respected. It is in this spirit that we wish you once again a peaceful and joyful feast of Vesakh.'
I'll amen to that
Nice of them to say... but honestly this kind of thing should be embedded in the bones of every religion, not just mentioned in a letter. Religions and believers still clash too often, while in fact they are all "fingers pointing to the moon".
Religions actually have much in common, and should be acknowledging that they all represent aspects of a universal wisdom, rather than emphasising the differences and saying, my god is the only god, as do the Christians, Jews and Muslims. I'm personally rather a fan of the philosophia perennis.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perennial_philosophy
Bridging gaps is a start. One cannot go from "you are my enemy because you are different" to love, light and perfection overnight. Recognizing other religions as valid is a huge step for the Church.
This pope is different from the previous popes. He has spoken about charity, helping refugees, ending poverty, etc. No pope before him has done that, especially so consistently. It looks like he really cares. But it doesn't mean the official position of the church itself has changed. The next pope may be entirely different.
@techie no, but if his influence has affected others within the Church then that influence spreads. It's not a magic button to change of course, but a declaration to the church the other people, other religions etc are not threats is a good thing, I think.