THE SPIRITUAL leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, was in Lisbon last week to deliver a series of lectures on the Development of Interior Peace.
On Thursday evening he spoke at Lisbon University’s Faculty of Dental Medicine on the importance and promotion of forgiveness and religious toleration which was the basis of all religions.
On Thursday His Holiness also addressed parliamentary deputies on the autonomy of Tibet at the Assembleia da República.
On Friday the Dalai Lama met with the United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, Jorge Sampaio, as well as the President of Lisbon Câmara, António Costa.
However, due to Portugal’s ongoing economic trade negotiations with China, members of the Socrates’ government declined to meet the spiritual leader in an official capacity.
António Costa said it was “a great honour for the city to receive such an international figure who had contributed so much to inter-faith and cultural dialogue, world peace and religious and cultural toleration.”
“We are here on this, the second visit to Lisbon by His Holiness, to send out a signal of the importance we attach to values such as tolerance and understanding between the various faiths and creeds because these are values which are fundamental in the construction of modern and just societies,” said António Costa.
Same goals
The Dalai Lama thanked the President of the Câmara and said “I am Asian and you are European, we live far apart but we are working towards the same goals.”
In a leading interview with the Lisbon national daily newspaper Público published on Sunday, the Dalai Lama, who last visited Lisbon in 2001, said he was satisfied that the number of Buddhists in Portugal had risen from five million to ten million, although he stressed that it was important that the Portuguese followed their own faith.
“My conviction is that each person should keep his own tradition, but at the same time, be open to and listen to other faiths and traditions, so that we can develop mutual respect and promote harmony between religions.”
Traditions
The Nobel Peace Prize winner added that when they lived in Tibet, there had been very little contact with other religions. There had been some Muslims in the last four centuries, but no serious contact.
“The Portuguese are far from Asia. Buddhism is one of the oldest religions and today the Portuguese know more about Buddhism but I still say it is better to keep one’s own traditions, except for individuals who feel called to this faith and in that case a person should think long and hard about getting closer to Buddhism,” he said.
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