Prayer alone will not be enough to stem terroristattacks like the shootings and bombings last week that devastated Paris and
shocked the world, the Dalai Lama said.
The Buddhist spiritual leader from Tibet said in an
interview with German media outlet Deutsche Welle on Monday that terrorism is aproblem caused by humans and, thus, must be fixed by mankind without God’s
intervention.
“People want to lead peaceful lives. The terrorists
are short-sighted, and this is one of the causes of rampant suicide bombings.
We cannot solve this problem only through prayers,” the Dalai Lama said as part
of a response to a question about how he viewed the attacks.
“I am a Buddhist and I believe in praying. But humans
have created this problem, and now we are asking God to solve it,” the Nobel
Peace Prize winner said. “It is illogical. God would say, solve it yourself
because you created it in the first place.”
Other religious leaders, like Pope Francis, have
encouraged followers to join him in prayer after Friday’s series of shootings
and bombings that killed at least 129 people and injured more than 300.
I am deeply saddened by the terrorist attacks in Paris. Please join
me in prayer for the victims and their families. #PrayersForParis
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) November 14, 2015
It would also be unwise to expect politicians to
devise solutions too, the Dalai Lama said.
“So let us work for peace within our families and
society, and not expect help from God, Buddha or the governments,” he said.
Though the conflict between Western secular countries
and radicalized Islamist terrorists is often depicted as a clash of
civilizations with irreconcilable differences, the Dalai Lama said the struggle
is not nearly as stark.
“The problems that we are facing today are the result
of superficial differences over religious faiths and nationalities. We are one
people.”
The Dalai Lama’s comments echo remarks he made in New
York on his first visit to the city after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
During that trip, The New York Times reported that he
said “compassion, dialogue — peaceful means” are the “real antidote” toterrorism.
“‘Terrorism comes out of hatred, and also
short-sightedness,” he said.
Source : huffingtonpost.com