Vatican
City, 2 May 2013
(VIS) – Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and Fr. Miguel Angel Ayuso
Guixot M.C.C.I., respectively president and secretary of the
Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, signed the message
that, on the occasion of the feast of Vesakh, that dicastery annually
sends to the followers of Buddhism.
Vesakh
is a major Buddhist holy day that commemorates the birth,
enlightenment, and death of Gautama Buddha. According to tradition,
the historical Buddha was born, achieved enlightenment and passed
away during the full moon of the month of May, thus
Vesakh is a mobile feast, which this year falls on 24 or 25 May,
depending on the country it is celebrated in. On those days,
Buddhists visit local temples to offer the monks food and to hear the
teachings of the Buddha, taking special care to meditate and to
observe the eight precepts of Buddhism.
This
year's message is entitled: “Christians and Buddhists: Loving,
Defending, and Promoting Human Life”. Following is the letter in
its entirety.
“On
behalf of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, I would
like to extend my heartfelt greetings and good wishes to all of you,
as you celebrate the feast of Vesakh which offers us Christians an
occasion to renew our friendly dialogue and close collaboration with
the different traditions that you represent.”
“Pope
Francis, at the very beginning of his ministry, has reaffirmed the
necessity of dialogue of friendship among followers of different
religions. He noted that: 'The Church is
[…] conscious of the responsibility which all of us have for our
world, for the whole of creation, which we must love and protect.
There is much that we can do to benefit the poor, the needy, and
those who suffer, and to favour justice, promote reconciliation, and
build peace' ('Audience
with Representatives of the Churches and Ecclesial Communities and of
the Different Religions', 20 March 2013).
The Message of the World Day of Peace in 2013 entitled 'Blessed
are the Peacemakers', notes that: 'The
path to the attainment of the common good and to peace is above all
that of respect for human life in all its many aspects, beginning
with its conception, through its development and up to its natural
end. True peacemakers, then, are those who love, defend, and promote
human life in all its dimensions—personal, communitarian, and
transcendent. Life in its fullness is the height of peace. Anyone who
loves peace cannot tolerate attacks and crimes against life'
('Message for the World Day of Peace'
in 2013, n. 4).”
“I
wish to voice that the Catholic Church has sincere respect for your
noble religious tradition. Frequently we note a consonance with
values expressed also in your religious books: respect for life,
contemplation, silence, simplicity (cf. 'Verbum
Domini', no. 119). Our genuine fraternal
dialogue needs to foster what we Buddhists and Christians have in
common especially a shared profound reverence for life.”
“Dear
Buddhist friends, your first precept teaches you to abstain from
destroying the life of any sentient being and it thus prohibits
killing oneself and others. The cornerstone of your ethics lies in
loving kindness to all beings. We Christians believe that the core of
Jesus’ moral teaching is twofold; love of God and love of
neighbour. Jesus says: 'As the Father has
loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love'.
And again: 'This is my commandment, that
you love one another as I have loved you'
('Catechism of the Catholic Church, n.
1823).The fifth Christian Commandment, 'You
shall not kill' harmonizes so well with
your first precept. 'Nostra Aetate'
teaches that: 'the Catholic Church rejects
nothing of what is true and holy in these religions'
(NA 2). I think, therefore, that it is urgent for both Buddhists and
Christians on the basis of the genuine patrimony of our religious
traditions to create a climate of peace to love, defend, and promote
human life.”
“As
we all know, in spite of these noble teachings on the sanctity of
human life, evil in different forms contributes to the dehumanization
of the person by mitigating the sense of humanity in individuals and
communities. This tragic situation calls upon us, Buddhists and
Christians, to join hands to unmask the threats to human life and to
awaken the ethical consciousness of our respective followers to
generate a spiritual and moral rebirth of individuals and societies
in order to be true peacemakers who love, defend and promote human
life in all its dimensions.”
“Dear
Buddhist friends, let us continue to collaborate with a renewed
compassion and fraternity to alleviate the suffering of the human
family by fostering the sacredness of human life. It is in this
spirit that I wish you once again a peaceful and joyful feast of
Vesakh.”
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