On 27 October 1986, the then Pope John Paul II hosted an unprecedented gathering of leaders of all Christian denominations and religious faiths in the Italian city of Assisi to pray for peace. Buddhist participants included His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and Phra Maha Ghosananda, who later became the Buddhist Patriarch of Cambodia.
The 25th anniversary of the historic Assisi meeting has been commemorated around the world, including in Assisi where the present Pope held a day of reflection, dialogue and prayer for peace and justice in the world with representatives of different religious traditions. There were a large number of Buddhist participants from many countries, including Korean Buddhist Ja-Seung who told the gathering:
“Just as there are varieties of flowers that blossom and wither away, you and I will also blossom and wither. But each of our lives is precious, a beautiful flower that turns the world into a single flower and makes it a glorious and magnificent place. Just like these flowers, every sentient being is beautiful and must be respected. There is no place for violence and terrorism in religion, which insists that every life is precious and must be cherished”.
Here in Melbourne, the Catholic Ecumenical and Interfaith Commission and the Faith Communities Council of Victoria hosted “Faith in Service for Peace” at the St Paul’s Cathedral Chapter House on October 23rd. Representatives of eight major religions read from their sacred texts on the subject of peace. The Buddhist presenter was Venerable Sathindriya Thera from the Samadhi Buddhist Vihara in Campbellfield, who read an excerpt from the Metta Sutta in Pali and English.