<p>According to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, a biased mind cannot grasp reality. He says, "How to control such a state of mind is taught by the various religions of this world. <br />I am a religious practitioner, who follows Buddhism. More than a thousand years have passed since the great religions of the world flourished, including Buddhism. During those years, the world had witnessed a lot of conflicts, in which followers of different religions were also involved. As a religious practitioner, I acknowledge the fact that different religions of the world have provided many solutions about how to control an agitated mind. In spite of this, I still feel we have not been able to realize our full potential."<br /><br /> It is difficult for me to calm my agitated mind. Just today, for instance, a beggar stood at my office window shouting so loudly I could not concentrate. I closed the curtain; but she strolled over to another window and began her racket again. Finally, I got furious. <br /><br />According to His Holiness my mind was definitely biased-against the beggar. The living <br />Buddha reiterates, "A biased mind, which never sees the complete picture, cannot grasp the reality. And any action that results from such a state of mind will not be in tune with reality. As such it causes a lot of problems."<br /><br />So what is the complete picture? The woman is begging because she believes she must. She has just as much a right to be begging as I do to object, perhaps. What would the Dalai Lama do, I wonder? He explains, "In every religion, there are transcendent things that are beyond the grasp of our mind and speech. It is taught in every religion, including Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam, that the ultimate truth is driven by faith."<br /> What if I were the beggar? My faith teaches me that we are all one, yet I am acting against my own truth. Now I feel ashamed.<br /><br />We are no longer isolated from each other so we come face-to-face with opposites. His Holiness, embodiment of Avilokiteswara, compassion personified, says, "In the past it was not a major problem because nations remained aloof from each other with their own distinct religion. However, in today's close and inter-connected world there are so many differences amongst various religions. We must obviously resolve these problems. <br /><br />“For example, there have been a lot of religions in India for the past thousand years. Despite this, the fact is that these religions have been able to coexist with each other, and the principle of Ahimsa has really flourished in this country. Even today, this principle has a strong bearing on every religion. This is very precious."</p>
<p>According to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, a biased mind cannot grasp reality. He says, "How to control such a state of mind is taught by the various religions of this world. <br />I am a religious practitioner, who follows Buddhism. More than a thousand years have passed since the great religions of the world flourished, including Buddhism. During those years, the world had witnessed a lot of conflicts, in which followers of different religions were also involved. As a religious practitioner, I acknowledge the fact that different religions of the world have provided many solutions about how to control an agitated mind. In spite of this, I still feel we have not been able to realize our full potential."<br /><br /> It is difficult for me to calm my agitated mind. Just today, for instance, a beggar stood at my office window shouting so loudly I could not concentrate. I closed the curtain; but she strolled over to another window and began her racket again. Finally, I got furious. <br /><br />According to His Holiness my mind was definitely biased-against the beggar. The living <br />Buddha reiterates, "A biased mind, which never sees the complete picture, cannot grasp the reality. And any action that results from such a state of mind will not be in tune with reality. As such it causes a lot of problems."<br /><br />So what is the complete picture? The woman is begging because she believes she must. She has just as much a right to be begging as I do to object, perhaps. What would the Dalai Lama do, I wonder? He explains, "In every religion, there are transcendent things that are beyond the grasp of our mind and speech. It is taught in every religion, including Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam, that the ultimate truth is driven by faith."<br /> What if I were the beggar? My faith teaches me that we are all one, yet I am acting against my own truth. Now I feel ashamed.<br /><br />We are no longer isolated from each other so we come face-to-face with opposites. His Holiness, embodiment of Avilokiteswara, compassion personified, says, "In the past it was not a major problem because nations remained aloof from each other with their own distinct religion. However, in today's close and inter-connected world there are so many differences amongst various religions. We must obviously resolve these problems. <br /><br />“For example, there have been a lot of religions in India for the past thousand years. Despite this, the fact is that these religions have been able to coexist with each other, and the principle of Ahimsa has really flourished in this country. Even today, this principle has a strong bearing on every religion. This is very precious."</p>
