His Holiness the Dalai Lama always says, “My religion is kindness.” Actually, that is the essence of all religions. To whatever extent their teachings accomplish it, kindness is their ultimate purpose. All religions talk about ethical discipline. They all talk about being kind to others. They all talk about generosity and the lack of miserliness, the willingness to share and extend to ourselves. Because of that, it is important to respect all the different faiths and all the different people from those faiths. We can still debate philosophical issues when we talk about the nature of reality, but we can do it without criticising the religion or criticising the people who practise it, because we can see that all those faiths are designed to be of benefit to living beings. 

From a Buddhist viewpoint, it is good that there are many different religions; everybody can choose one that best suits him or her. We remember that it is quite a gradual path to awakening, so in different lives and at different times, different beliefs are more suitable to help different people develop a kind heart or to help them develop ethical conduct. Have that open mind and acceptance towards all practitioners of different faiths. 

“365 Gems of Wisdom” e-book is out now!