The Dalai Lama leaves after inaugurating the Buddhist Community Centre United Kingdom in Aldershot, southern England, Monday, June 29, 2015.
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The real meaning of ‘jihad’ was not harming others, but to use “constructive emotion” to combat destructive emotions, the Dalai Lama today said as he used his appearance at famed Glastonbury music festival to describe Islamic State’s violence as “unthinkable”. Afterward, he took in the sights and scenes of Glastonbury, first crashing an economic forum hosted by the Guardian, and later joining Patti Smith on-stage to celebrate his birthday. The crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to mark his 80th birthday next week.
China had condemned Europe’s biggest pop festival for hosting the spiritual leader after it announced his attendance.
Communist China has criticized Glastonbury organizers for inviting the Dalai Lama to speak, saying they were offering him a platform for what it calls his “separatist activities”.
“Humans killing each other in the name of religious faith; unthinkable”, he continued.
Addressing a crowd in Glastonbury’s Sacred Space, he said the very objective of existence was “a happy life”, and spoke of the importance of love, tolerance and forgiveness in resolving conflicts such as those in Syria and Iraq. “That very factor is now becoming the source of violence, it’s unthinkable”, he said.
“There is nothing wrong with religious beliefs but some supporters of religions have a lack of moral principle and conviction”, the Dalai Lama explained. “Yes, I’m Buddhist and Asian, and I am his holiness the Dalai Lama, but we are the same human being”.
Talking about the “man-made” problems across the world, he added: “Existing education systems are often orientated by the material value, external values”.
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“These things won’t be achieved in my lifetime, perhaps not yours either, but the younger generation of the 21st century could make this a more peaceful world”.
