Dalai Lama: Stop praying for Paris — humans created this problem and humans must solve it

[kpete]

Last edited Tue Nov 17, 2015, 10:39 PM - Edit history (1)

Dalai Lama on Paris attacks: 'Work for peace, and don't expect help from God and governments'

..........

“We cannot solve this problem only through prayers,” the spiritual leader said. “I am a Buddhist and I believe in praying. But humans have created this problem, and now we are asking God to solve it. It is illogical. God would say, solve it yourself because you created it in the first place.”

He added his hopes that the record violence of the 20th Century doesn’t continue to bleed into the current one.

“We need a systematic approach to foster humanistic values, of oneness and harmony,” he said. “If we start doing it now, there is hope that this century will be different from the previous one. It is in everybody’s interest. So let us work for peace within our families and society, and not expect help from God, Buddha or the governments.”

In what the Friendly Atheist described as sounding like Humanism, the Dalai Lama also said that much of the violence is over superficial matters.

“Furthermore, the problems that we are facing today are the result of superficial differences over religious faiths and nationalities,” he told DW. “We are one people.”


http://www.rawstory.com/2015/11/dalai-lama-stop-praying-for-paris-humans-created-this-problem-and-humans-must-solve-it/
http://www.dw.com/en/dalai-lama-on-paris-attacks-work-for-peace-and-dont-expect-help-from-god-and-governments/a-18852858

[Warren Stupidity]

1. no shit.

good for him.

[Rex]

2. Since God has never answered a single prayer on the record

Actually why does anyone assume God is in this part of the Universe? Like he wants to hang out and watch the humans destroy their planet. And before someone asks, which God...take your pick from the thousands out there.

[Hydra]

3. The problems are not superficial unfortunately

But good on him for putting it out there that we need to grow up as a species and quit treating each other like we do.

[TDale313]

4. To be fair, it appears he said the differences were superficial,

Not the problems. You may still disagree, but it's not exactly the same point.

[Hydra]

5. Actually, direct quote:

"The problems that we are facing today are the result of superficial differences over religious faiths and nationalities"

IMO, that's just window dressing. Our problems mostly stem from the greed and lust for control of the people in power, and too many people cheering that on or being silent.

I hope we can find a solution.

[justiceischeap]

6. I agree with his point though

When you have fundamentalists (whether they be Islamic, Buddhist or Christian, etc.) proclaiming that their religion is the one true religion, then there will be clashes, often times violent. We see this in the USA, the extreme GOP politicians that one some sort of religious purity test, which isn't much different from what ISIL wants.

However, if one believes in a god of any kind, the Dalai Lama's point is that they're all worshipping the same god but in a different form. At least that's what I took away from Buddhist teachings when I studied them in my comparative religion course. So I'm assuming that's what he meant by "superficial differences over religious faiths and nationalities."

[hifiguy]

22. That's the way I read it as well.

It's an appeal to the common humanity of all people.

[valerief]

7. If prayer worked, everyone would do it. nt

[sakabatou]

8. And amputees would have their limbs back

[valerief]

9. Bingo!

[Lithos]

10. To be honest

Almost all real problems are human caused...

L-

[Spitfire of ATJ]

11. "superficial differences over religious faiths"

Time for this again:

[kpete]

18. perfect

going to steal this from you!


peace,
kp

[Spitfire of ATJ]

19. That's why I make them.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

12. K&R nt

[Orrex]

13. Maybe he could use some of that gold he's sitting on to help the refugees,

In addition to spouting the same platitudes I've been reading on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

[Hoppy]

14. If prayer worked, we'd all be dead.

Nobody would be alive.

[karynnj]

15. Sort of like "God helps those who help themselves" - a common 1950s comment nt

[Feeling the Bern]

16. His holiness is right: when someones says "I'll pray for you," what they are saying is

"I am not lifting one finger to do help you, so here are some empty platitudes."

[hifiguy]

21. + one brazilian

That is EXACTLY what it means.

[LanternWaste]

23. Also accurate when applied to "I wish you well,"

Also accurate when applied to "I wish you well," "I hope you get better" and "my best thoughts coming your way..."

[Scuba]

17. The faithful have been praying for peace for a couple thousand years. How's that working out?

[hifiguy]

20. Wish I could rec this post a thousand times.

[Cal Carpenter]

24. He lost me here: ".. superficial differences over religious faiths and nationalities..."

No. This is about a neverending quest for control of resources and labor. It is about economic hegemony. It is about ill-defined borders created by outsiders, it is about decades of meddling in middle eastern leadership by the west, it is about a decades-long, ongoing war.

What happened in Paris, and the current group called 'ISIS' is a tiny piece of a giant puzzle. Or rather, it is one or two dominos falling in a long chain.

To claim this is fundamentally about religion and nationalism is to AVOID the systemic approach he mentions earlier in this statement.

[FLPanhandle]

25. People saying they are praying always reminds me of this