Meditation & Interfaith

Religion is not going away. Despite predictions to the contrary, it is becoming more, not less important in the modern world. But what form of religion? Fundamentalist or contemplative? Identity-reinforcing religion or a religion of love and service? Deep changes are taking place in religious consciousness across all faiths – and beyond them – pointing perhaps to a new ‘axial age’, a turning point in human evolution. Inter-religious dialogue, especially that form conducted at a contemplative level in which practitioners from different traditions meditate together as well as converse, is the special kind that WCCM encourages and initiates.  

At the heart of every tradition there is a sense and experience of mystery which is expressed in a contemplative spirituality. Meditation opens us to the common ground of humanity – and to the essential goodness of human nature. The differences between traditions and cultures are as important and enlightening as their similarities. Meditation does not affect a forced uniformity. Instead it establishes a spiritual friendship between the members and practitioners of all faiths ensuring that differences do not become divisions or justification for intolerance or violence.

WCCM initiates and participates in many interfaith endeavours at both the local and global level. Meditators are encouraged to build bridges with neighbouring faith communities.

The Good Heart Seminar of 1994 in which the Dalai Lama commented on the Gospels and dialogued with Christian and Buddhist participants, was a ground-breaking model of contemplative interfaith dialogue. 

For the full content of the Dalai Lama’s commentary on each of the four Gospels, followed by a dialogue with Laurence Freeman and questions from a mixed panel, click here.

The Seminar produced a major book published in many languages (see here). The Way of Peace initiative subsequently led by the Dalai Lama and Laurence Freeman grew from the Good Heart Seminar and has continued to highlight the different forms of dialogue that a contemplative consciousness can produce: pilgrimage to each other’s sacred sites, meditative practice together, shared action for peace and justice and religious scholarship.