I'd say 90% of the followers of any religion are peaceful people. Not harmless, because ideas can do great harm, but not malicious or intentionally problematic. It is the institution and the fundamental beliefs that I am criticising when I speak about religion.
Discussion
Of course..Just watch the violent repression the Israely government is doing over his own people that are against this war. We are speaking in fact of those that identify primarily as their group, not people that are racially different. I do not usually introduce myself as a Christian and I often have business with people of the entire planet. Still some groups are really convinced to be better than others and Jews are on the top of the list.
So, in re-reading my original post above, you can see the message is about humanity's capacity to unite through our shared values, despite our differences. The Dalai Lama teaches how different paths - whether religious, cultural, or philosophical - can lead us to recognize our common humanity.
The world we are living in now is a world of violence. The only thing I see is a message of tolerance for us while you are invading. We do not want tolerance. We want our world back. We want the right to live with people culturally compatible and not being forced out our homes by foreigners. Want peace? Leave people alone. In not so much there will be war. The final war. When you do evil you get evil back.
So can understanding that we are all created in the image of God. We don't have to go to some far eastern religion to hear it from the Dalai Lama. We've had that truth in our grubby western hands for six thousand years.
Christianity is approximately 2,000 years old; Buddhism is approximately 2,500 years old; Judaism is approximately 4,000 years old; Hinduism is approximately 5,000 years old.
This teaching has echoed throughout human civilization for thousands of years over multiple cultures and religious and spiritual traditions.
