Inter-religious meeting at the Abbey of Chiaravalle, Italy

Peace Times 11

A day dedicated to monastic inter-religious dialogue was held at the Abbey of Chiaravalle, in the hall blessed with centuries of religious study, prayer and meditation, in the presence of the Abbot of the ancient Cistercian Monastery. Among those invited, the Tibetan monk Geshe Jangchub Gyaltsen, who represented the Lama Gangchen World Peace Foundation.

Geshe Jangchub spoke of the lifestyle and vows of Buddhist monks, emphasising the importance of moral discipline as a fundamental base for all other qualities. He explained: «In the Gelugpa Mahayana Buddhist tradition of Lama TsongKhapa, it says that it is not possible to develop positive qualities and wisdom without moral discipline».

The Abbot of Chiaravalle recited a passage from Christian scriptures underlining the universal value of ecumenism, and Brother Roberto Bozzola read the prayer «War and Peace» of Pope Paolo VI. The meeting was closed with the reading of the proposal of Lama Gangchen for the forming of a Permanent United Nations Spiritual Forum for World Peace, open to representatives of all religious traditions.

All participants at the meeting, whether Christian or Buddhist, departed with the commitment to continue along the path of ecumenical dialogue, a path upon which true human values can be practised by each and everyone in accordance with their own faith.

Tashi Gyatso