Dalai Lama visits Japanese Shrine, lectures on religious harmony

Noticed today on the Phayul.com web site

His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Japan’s holiest Shinto Shrine in Ise City, Mie Prefecture this morning as part of his commitment to promote religious harmony by paying respect to religious holy places around the world.

The Tibetan spiritual leader bowed at the main shrine and offered prayer.

His Holiness on Saturday said “promotion of religious harmony” was one of his key commitments in his life during a press briefing ahead of attending a religious forum at Kogakkan University here.

"Wherever I go, if time permits, I always pay my respect or pilgrimage to all different religious temples," His Holiness said.

Stressing on the need of religious harmony, the Dalai Lama today said promotion of unity and closer understanding among different religious faiths is extremely important.

"Religious faith can sometimes create problems and divisions due to lack of understanding. But all religions carry potentially same universal message of love and compassion,” the Dalai Lama told the gathering.

Taking his own case, the Dalai Lama said, “If humanity is happy, I get maximum benefit. If humanity (is) not happy, then I also suffer”. “The responsibility for our future lives lies on our own shoulder. That is clear,” His Holiness said. “So we must think, (and) think on this,” His Holiness added.

Read the entire article at the Phayul.com web site