About Interfaith Dialogue

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Interfaith dialogue and interreligious harmony are an important aspect of Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa's vision. Through understanding each other's traditions and history, and making pilgrimage to each other's holy places, we develop a more profound understanding of each other's religions. This in turn creates mutual respect, understanding and positive energy, leading to greater world peace.

Since the 1980s onwards, Palpung Munishasan Dharmachakra Sangh Foundation and Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa have been involved in interfaith activities both in India and abroad. In 1989 Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa led an Active Peace Pilgrimage and organized an Interfaith Symposium, visiting holy sites around the world and meeting the leaders of different religious traditions, including Pope John Paul II. Meeting at the most sacred Catholic seat, the Vatican, they discussed the vision of Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa, which is how to inspire people to take an active involvement in world peace.

Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa has also made pilgrimage to sacred places from the world's different religious and indigenous traditions in many countries, including: Rome, Assisi and the Holy Hermitage of Camaldoli in Italy, the Golden Temple at Amritsar in India, St Paul's Cathedral in the United Kingdom, and Haleakala on Maui and Mount Shasta in the USA. He has also met with Hinduism's four highest spiritual leaders at Mathura in India, and attended the Kumbh Mela festival at Allahabad, an important gathering of millions of Hindus. His interfaith activities have also spanned Europe and Southeast Asia, and include meeting with practitioners and leaders from many of the world's different spiritual traditions.

Making pilgrimage to holy places from both one's own and other sacred traditions forms a core part of Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa's advice, as this creates much positive energy and benefit. Moreover, visiting holy places also leads to greater devotion, and deepens one's own understanding. Developing mutual respect, understanding, and interreligious harmony are some of the most important ways we can work towards achieving lasting world peace for humanity. In many of the world's traditions, including the Buddhist traditions, many of the holy sites are natural features, e.g. Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar or a tree and while interfaith dialogue is an important element in developing world peace it is also crucial in developing environmental peace.

In addition to interfaith exchanges with the world's other religious and spiritual traditions, Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa also actively engages with all the various Buddhist lineages, including Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana. Palpung Munishasan Dharmachakra Sangh Foundation and Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa are committed to further developing these interfaith activities.

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