Commonalities in All Religions

Commonalities in All Religions

COMPASSION

In his book, the Dalai Lama describes how he has

encountered practitioners of other religions,

including Christians, Muslims, Jains, and Jews,

and how he has participated in non-Buddhist

religious rituals. All his experiences left him

with a growing sense of a common thread running

through all great religions.

What is this common thread? He came to believe

it is compassion:

" It is my fundamental conviction that compassion-

the natural capacity of the human heart to feel

concern for and connection with another being—

constitutes a basic aspect of our nature shared by

all human beings, as well as being the foundation

of our happiness."

While religions may differ in their metaphysical views,

the Dalai Lama says that religious and secular views

converge in the realm of ethics. He believes compassion is central to the ethical systems of all religious approaches, including theistic approaches like Christianity, non-theistic approaches like Buddhism, as well as non-religious secular ethical systems.

DESIRE TO ELIMINATE SUFFERING

We all want to live in peace and happiness. The reason people practice a religion is to better their lives and reduce the amount of suffering they are experiencing.

BELIEF IN SOMETHING THAT CONNECTS US ALL

Some religions call it god, some call it the universal life force energy, buddha-nature, or the great spirit but what ever name that is used, it is interpreted as a connection among all living things.

OUR SPIRITUAL BELIEFS, IF ADHERED TO, WILL CREATE A BETTER WORLD

If we all believe that a better world will be created by practicing compassion, then why not begin now and do it all together. Surely if we acknowledge that we all have the right to exist and practice that which is most important to us, live in peace without suffering in a compassionate way towards our fellow beings, peace will follow.