On June 25, 2016 I was given the opportunity to hear the Dalai Lama speak in Indianapolis. I might add that he speaks in broken English, so at times I could not quite understand all that was being said; however, I know he often made jokes because he would tickle himself with laughter. His laughter is the most contagious laughter I have ever heard. Anyway, my mom has seen him speak a few times in the past and invited me to go with her this time around. I have always had a keen interest in learning about different religions and their viewpoints on the world that we now live in.

I personally have no religious affiliation and so exploring new religions with an open-mind is one of the most intriguing things I enjoy doing. Buddhism has always stood out to me because of the message of compassion that it is often associated with.

The Dalai Lama spoke of a “message of love”. He spoke of the idea that many religions share similar goals, the most important being compassion. He spoke of the necessity for oneness of seven billion human beings, essentially, the idea that all humans are equal and should treat one another as such. With oneness of all human beings, there is no basis or reason to kill one another and there is no reason for discrimination.

He touched on the issue of terrorism. He spoke of his dislike for the term “Muslim terrorist”. He argued that there is no such thing as a Muslim terrorist, nor a Jewish, Christian, Buddhist terrorist, etc. When one commits an act of terror, it is not out of faith. It is simply an act of terror and that person is no longer acting from their faith. A terrorist is a terrorist, plain and simple. He explained, “it is unthinkable- killing human brothers and sisters in the name of religious faith”.

The Dalai Lama also spoke about the superiority complex many people have about their faith. When someone says “My religion…” he is saying that he is above his religion, he is superior. He adopts a God-like complex. It should not be this way. No one possesses a religion; they follow it, they have faith in it.

The most interesting thing about the Dalai Lama, in my opinion, is the fact that he does not force his religious beliefs on others. In fact, he mentioned the word Buddhism only two or three times throughout his presentation. Instead, he spoke of religious harmony. He spoke specifically about compassion and peace. He claimed that “compassion is a key factor in order to be a happy human being”. Essentially, compassion is what brings together other human beings and other religions. The want to be kind and caring towards one another. He believes that “all human beings emphasize importance of love and compassion”.

Lastly, he spoke of the idea of world peace. He spoke of the amount of violence in the world today and said, “Peace will not come from… God or Buddha- it must be created from our own action… Prayer won’t stop it. Jesus, Buddha, Mohammad would tell us we did not create this violence… If basic human nature is anger, there is no hope. But basic human nature is compassion”. And finally, he shared that “world peace must begin with inner peace”.

While I have never committed myself to a specific religion, I found the idea of simply believing in compassion towards all human beings was satisfactory for me. In the words of the Dalai Lama, “my religion is kindness”. One is able to commit to a faith and still believe in compassion towards all human beings, in fact, all religions should share this belief. If this belief was shared with all seven billion human beings on this planet, the world would surely be a better place.