Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama warned on March 31 that violence only results in more conflict, urging peace as conflict rages in the Middle East and Ukraine.
“History has shown us time and again that violence only begets more violence and is never a lasting foundation for peace,” he wrote in a letter on March 31.
“An enduring resolution to conflict, including the ones we see in the Middle East or between Russia and Ukraine, must be rooted in dialogue, diplomacy and mutual respect – approached with the understanding that, at the deepest level, we are all brothers and sisters,” the Nobel Peace Prize laureate added.
“I urge for and pray that the violence and conflicts may soon come to an end.”
The charismatic 90-year-old, who lives in exile in India, said he backed the message of peace that Pope Leo XIV gave during his Palm Sunday address.
“His call for the laying down of arms and the renunciation of violence resonated profoundly with me, as it speaks to the very essence of what all major religions teach,” the Dalai Lama added.
“Whether we look to Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism or any of the world’s great spiritual traditions, the message is fundamentally the same: love, compassion, tolerance and self-discipline,” he said.
“Violence finds no true home in any of these teachings.”
AFP
