The Dalai Lama said he was indebted to India for being the "source of knowledge" for the teachings of other tr... Read More

GUWAHATI: The Dalai Lama said he was indebted to India for being the "source of knowledge" for the teachings of other traditions.

" Knowledge comes from India - ancient Indian knowledge and philosophy. I feel the writings and concepts of the Nalanda masters have been very helpful," the spiritual leader said at a public interaction session at the Namami Brahmapura festival here on Sunday. He added that Nalanda scholars included all existing principles of different schools of thoughts at that time.

"In order to develop religious harmony on the basis of mutual respect, it is important to have better understanding of other traditions," he said, adding that religious conversion by force should never be done. "Religion is entirely an individual choice. Change of religion creates confusion sometimes," he said.

Rejecting religion conversion by force of coercion, he said, "Religion is entirely an individual choice. Change of religion sometimes creates more confusion. Therefore it is always better keep original faith and try to understand about the value of religious teachings for peace and happiness."

"While I was in Tibet, I thought Buddhism was the best religion. But after coming to India and interacting with people belonging to different faiths, I realized that all religions are good as all of them have emphasised human love and compassion," the Dalai Lama said.

