Harmonious Interdependency Among Differences

Nowadays, people are lost not only in a sense of spirituality. The root of international conflicts is also highlighted. Atrocities have been committed in the name of religion. To resolve the dispute and work for world peace, active dialogues are needed. A decade-long preparation prior to the commencement of the Museum of World Religions (MWR) represents a spiritual project on world peace. In 2002, we founded an NGO named “Global Family for Love and Peace (GFLP)” in New York. It is meant to encourage interfaith dialogues and exchanges. Since then, we’ve carried out fifteen Buddhist-Muslim dialogues across eleven countries on five continents. We share the consensus that every religion must take "love and compassion" as a basis. By integrating spiritual education and social services, the sustainability of mankind can carry on.

When a relationship is harmonized, life takes a step further on the path of peace. With a conflicting relationship, life falls into the cycle of suffering and destruction. Therefore, harmonizing all connections becomes our lifetime homework. “Relationships” include not only mankind but all sentient beings – the entire ecosystem. We understand others’ intentions and ideas through dialogues. Then, the consensus on creating a harmonious environment is reached. Likewise, we should take the time and put our attention to what nature has been trying to tell us. We need to interpret the message behind all the alerts with natural disasters and climate change. Mankind must recognize that we are a part of nature instead of something beyond. By listening to the message, we can engage in communication. Eventually, we can uncover the wisdom of interdependency.  

Although many religious leaders and myself are in different parts of the world, we share the same belief. It is a conviction on education and dialogues. People can learn about harmonious interdependency among differences. Together, we can create a global family of love and peace.