Session Two

Namaste. Your Excellencies on the dais and off the dais, [Aadarniya Mohan Ji] and blessed [Bawa Ji], thank you for this session.

As in the introduction [Bawa Ji] mentioned, today the world is full of wars; [it] can be finished like that, in a flash. But I feel that with the advent of social media, war is always going on, especially in the religious field.

Ignorance always divides. Ignorance always creates hatred and contempt, which sometimes results in killings and in war. That’s what we find, and therefore it is not late that we need to sit together rather than fighting with each other. And as they say in our vernacular language, the pot which is half full will always spill more water. Ignorant people are spreading, especially on social media, more confusion, more misunderstanding, more hatred, and to some extent more contempt for each other. So it is time - it is a responsibility of we the religious leaders - that we spread the proper message.

Not only that. The topic is how leaders can bridge the divides across traditions and communities. I represent a tradition, the Hindu tradition. I happen to represent a body called Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha. Unfortunately, our Chairman has fallen severely ill because of some gastric issues and has been hospitalized, and I am the Secretary General of the body.

In our tradition, both religious and cultural, we are taught to expand our conscience to the extent that we look upon the whole universe - not [only] humanity, beginning from ants and animal kingdoms and plant kingdoms - as one family. So let us sit together in a spirit of family. In a family there can be differences, but we can still work together, live together, and that is the spirit in which I expect the discussions.

And as it is said by all: how can we bring about peace? I think we should not work for peace. Peace is always there. We should work to avoid disturbances that are often self-created. It is exactly like cleanliness. You don’t have to work for cleanliness. You just don’t create dirt. You remove the dirt, cleanliness is there. So let us, at our level, not create hatred, not create contempt for other religions, work in the spirit of one family with mutual respect, and proceed - take the discussion to bridge the so-called divide created by ignorance, created by half-knowledgeable people through social media and other media.

With this spirit, I would like to introduce our honourable speakers on the dais. Please pardon me if I don’t spell your names properly.

We have Reverend [Adriene] Thorne, Senior Minister of The Riverside Church, New York. We also have His Excellency [Dr.] Khalifa Mubarak [Al Dhaheri] Ji, Chancellor, Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities, UAE. We also have [Ervad Kobad Zarolia], Founding President, North American [Mobeds] Council, Toronto, Canada. We also have His Grace Bishop [Nektarios of Diokleia], National Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. We also have Elder [Matthew] S. Holland, General Authority Seventy, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And Most Venerable [Shi Ming Yi], the Buddhist representative.

We unfortunately are left with only fifty minutes. In the previous session the moderator gave you seven minutes. I leave it up to Your Excellencies. Should you want to leave some time for interaction and questions and answers, please confine to five minutes. Otherwise it’s your choice.

And as I said, I represent the collective Hindu voice, a collective of all Hindu traditions, which are more than two hundred years old. We represent a country where in spite of so many religious diversities and differences, we live as one family. I have 147 members and traditions - I would repeat, 147 traditions, which are minimum two hundred years old. Forget about the new gurus and the new ones that we have. So we live in that spirit, and we want that we may go forward with the spirit of one family. Namaste. Thank you.

We can start with our leader from the Parsi tradition. Should you have a mic, you can continue. You have the mic there with you, I guess. It’s your choice. You can come here also.

How many of you know Raj Kapoor? Yes. Everybody knows? How many know [Bawa]? He stole our name. Okay? We are called [Bawas] in India. Okay.

Honoured leaders, respected guardians of faith, and dear friends: we gather today as representatives of many traditions, but we share one responsibility - to guide our communities towards compassion, understanding, and peace.

At a time when divisions can grow quickly through misunderstanding, fear, [and] isolation, the world is looking towards a leadership that heals rather than separates. No group is better positioned than religious leaders to bridge the divide across religions and communities. But keep in mind, they also can be the ones who divide. Okay? So what you preach to your audience always makes a difference between either you bridge the divide or you divide the communities.

The first step, according to me at least, is called intentional encounter. Too often, communities remain distanced simply because the leaders have never met. When we sit together, not to debate doctrines but to share human experience, trust begins to form. A shared meal or a drink, a visit to each other’s place of worship, or a simple conversation can soften boundaries that once felt immovable. This encounter [reminds us that] behind every tradition is a human story: a family, a hope, a desire, a belief.

Now, I’ll just give you one example of a failed encounter too, because it’s intentional. When I was a young man, I went to a party in India. Saw a nice lady, I wanted to know her better. Nobody gave me the details of this lady, because we didn’t have phones at the time in India, everybody. So I was trying to - I knew which area she stayed in. So after work, I had a motorcycle, I used to go around in that area. It was intentional encounter, but never happened. So it could be a failed thing too. So we have to, as leaders of the communities, of the religion, we have to make an effort to have these encounters done [more] often.

Let me share an example. In one city, leaders of several faiths began meeting monthly, not for formal dialogue, but simply to talk about their families, their childhood, the hope of the next generation. Over time, those informal gatherings transformed into relations between the communities. Suspicion faded, cooperation grew. When crisis struck - a natural disaster - those leaders already had trust in each [other]. They could respond together, and very fast.

Second, we must model our humanity and respect. Every faith carries profound wisdom, but [none] carries all wisdom. When leaders publicly acknowledge the beauty [and] dignity of other traditions, our communities learn to do the same. And the other side of the coin: when leaders publicly find fault with other traditions, then the community accepts [it] and they become separated. So the responsibility is always on the religious leaders.

[Humility] is not a surrender of identity. It is a recognition that truth can be reflected in many ways. When we speak with respect, we teach our followers that difference is not threat, but an invitation to learn. Humility also means being willing to listen. Many conflicts arise not from malice, but from misunderstanding. When leaders demonstrate the courage to listen deeply, even when it is uncomfortable, they show their communities that listening is not weakness, but leadership.

[Third,] bridging divides requires moving from symbolism to action. Interfaith harmony cannot live only in statements or photographs. It also works together when religious leaders unite to address the shared challenges of poverty, youth isolation, mental health, environmental stewardship, and care for the elderly. People witness faith working side by side in the common good. Consider the impact of a joint food drive, a shared youth mentorship program, or a collaborative community festival. These actions speak louder than any sermon. They show that compassion is not owned by any one tradition. It is a universal calling. When communities see their leaders working together, they begin to imagine a future where cooperation is normal, not exceptional.

Four, we must teach our communities to see difference without fear. Fear grows in silence. Prejudice grows in ignorance. And when [we] encourage our followers to learn [about] others, to visit, to listen, to ask questions, it reduces [the] space [for] suspicion [at] the root. Interfaith education, even at the simplest level, builds resilience against division. Imagine a young person who grows up never meeting somebody [of any faith] other than their own. Their understanding is shaped and distanced by [hearsay] and stereotype. But imagine the same person attending an interfaith youth event, sharing a meal, hearing another’s traditional music, participating in a service project. That experience can reshape a lifetime. As leaders, we have the power to create those moments. We should create that, and that’s what will happen.

Finally, we must remember that bridging divides is a shared responsibility. Governments can legislate tolerance, but only spiritual leaders can cultivate genuine respect. We are the stewards of conscience, compassion, and hope. We lead [and] encourage humanity, shape purpose. Our traditions will not stand apart; they will stand together.

My friends, the world does not need uniformity, it needs unity. It needs leaders who can honour their faith while embracing the humanity of others. [If] we choose to walk this path, we will show our communities that peace is not an ideal, it’s a practice. And [in] practice, we fulfil the highest calling of every tradition. One world, one humanity, many paths. Walking forward with harmony. Thank you.

Distinguished leaders, dear friends, good morning. It’s a great honour and joy to address you.

We gather as representatives of many faiths, cultures, nations, and traditions. We do not believe all the same things. Indeed, on issues of ultimate importance, some of our convictions differ profoundly. But that is precisely why gatherings such as this matter. Genuine faith flourishes best when freely pursued in peace.

Some might think that such a society requires us to ignore or simply look past our differences. But for believers, faith is more than a personal preference. It reflects our deepest understanding of who we are, why we are here, how we should live, and what we owe to God and to one another. And so, in a fallen world of inevitable human and religious diversity, if we would create the conditions ideal for our own faith to flourish, we must show profound respect for and solidarity with those whose deeply held religious convictions depart from our own.

The late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks beautifully described this task as learning to honour the dignity of difference. Such a sense of dignity grows when we refuse two temptations: one, the temptation to abandon conviction for the sake of harmony; and two, the temptation to abandon charity for the sake of conviction.

Jesus Christ, the centre of my faith and the namesake of the church to which I belong, taught, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” But peacemaking is not just about the absence of conflict. It is an act of discipline. It requires listening and understanding before judging, and searching patiently for areas of agreement without insisting that all disagreement disappear.

It is in the spirit of all this that we speak today of bridging power. The metaphor here seems exactly right, for bridging divides does not mean building a world which erases our distinctive beliefs. A bridge is useful precisely because two distinct sides remain intact. Our task, then, is not to make the two sides similar, but to make passage between them possible, peaceful, and pleasant.

As religious leaders, we possess a special influence and responsibility in this regard. Recent interfaith outreach by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has taught us much in this regard and offers some concrete ideas on how this might be done. We have discovered that there is tremendous power in preceding honest and respectful theological exchange with pursuing and showcasing collaborative activity in four particular areas of shared concern.

Those areas are, number one, protecting religious liberty. Typically, what protects the sacred practice of one tradition protects it for all.

Two, fostering faith-friendly images in popular culture. One of the great threats to the free and full practice of religion today is the way that religious people are regularly mischaracterized or lampooned in Western entertainment media. Diminishing one person’s tradition with unfair stereotypes is to diminish and dehumanize, in some degree, every person of faith.

Three, making educational spaces, both public and private, more faith-friendly. If we would rear a generation to be a force of light and good and lead our congregations and communities in the days and years ahead, we all have a vested interest that religiously respectful dialogue and inquiry be fostered across all levels of education.

Four, jointly caring for those in need wherever the need exists. This is something that tends to unite almost all of our communities, whatever else we believe. Engaging in this work shoulder to shoulder engenders the respect and goodwill of the religious and the non-religious alike, breaking down barriers as effectively as anything I know.

Recently we put this model to the test with another group of faith leaders. Given our histories, many on both sides were gripped with some initial reservation or suspicion about the other, but it culminated in as rich and moving an interfaith moment as I have ever experienced. As we described what we had concretely achieved or planned to achieve together across these four shared areas of significance, hearts changed, minds opened, and the spirit of the room changed. The doctrinal discussion that followed was transformed. Sincere, even emotional offers of greater reconciliation tumbled out, and did so without a single insistence that one side or the other give up a deeply held belief.

Such an effort did not erase all issues and challenges, but it built bridges - and not just between our two communities, but also with important government, media, educational, and humanitarian organizations, and many individuals in need. In [sum], it served as a catalyst for the compounding effort of good people of faith working together for a world where broad human justice and deeply divine faith do indeed flourish.

That is the work of peacemaking. It is the work our world needs today more than ever, and the work this summit rightly calls us to engage in more energetically than ever. With God’s help, we can do so. With God’s help, we must do so. Thank you very much.

Good morning, everyone. Wonderful to see all this diversity in this room, all of us coming together.

Dear Mr. [Bawa] Jain, Founding Secretary General of the World Council of Religious Leaders; Your Eminences, Your Excellencies, Your Graces, distinguished interfaith leaders, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends: it is with great joy and gladness that I convey to you all the well wishes and heartfelt greetings from His Eminence Archbishop [Antonios] of America, as we come together as religious leaders from a plethora of faith traditions to encounter one another and discern how we may work to uphold human dignity and promote human flourishing at this One World, One Humanity conference. I would be remiss if I did not express our gratitude to the World Council of Religious Leaders, particularly Mr. [Bawa] Jain, for convening a most timely meeting.

As we come together this morning, we look out into a world suffering from innumerable afflictions and compounding crises. The chaos, destruction, and violence that pervades throughout the world is only matched by the polarization, isolation, and despair that persists among its people.

As His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew stated at another gathering of interfaith leaders in July 2025, we find ourselves in a state of globalized meaninglessness that is made normative and pervasive when, in the service of greed, pride, and hubris, man ceases to be conceived as relational, being founded on transcendent reality, and is converted into an autonomous unity that claims its well-being at the expense of others and of the natural world. Consequently, many not only have become apathetic in acknowledging humanity’s brokenness, but have forgotten humanity’s innate dignity and capacity to seek virtue and truth.

I see our gathering today as an exercise in collective recollection - collective recollection of our sanctity as human persons and our vocation as religious leaders to uphold human dignity and cultivate virtue in our world. Being made in the image and likeness of God - Genesis - the human person possesses an inviolable dignity and freedom, which we are called not to preserve [in] purity, but to cultivate in virtue.

Just as we are called to be stewards of creation on account of our divinely endowed nature, we are simultaneously called to be stewards of that very nature in ourselves and our neighbour. Such stewardship is not realized by reforming the world, but fulfilled in transformation of the heart. Thus our great form of resistance as religious leaders against the exploitative and dehumanizing forces of the world is to shepherd our faithful in cultivating lives grounded in prayer and love, so they may have life and have it abundantly, sharing the fruits of humility, endurance, charity, and hope with the entire world.

It is in the transformation of the heart that we come to encounter the face of God in the face of our neighbour and come to love one another just as God loves us. As religious leaders, let us embrace one another as brothers and sisters of the one human family, calling all people of faith to realize their dignity as image-bearers of God and discern how they are to grow in his likeness. [Let us] come together from the various faith traditions to proclaim this collective vision of hope.

Let us find inspiration again in the words of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who writes that each religious tradition is called to testify, from the heart of its own revelatory experience, against the nihilism of the age, offering as an antidote not a general spirituality, but the wealth of its own unrepeatable otherness.

Let us then, from the depths of our diverse spiritual inheritances, work with diligence and faith to transform our hearts and bring renewal to our world. May God bless and strengthen us all. Thank you all for your kind attention.

Beloved colleagues, honoured leaders, siblings in the work of healing the world: thank you. It is a profound gift to stand before this august gathering representing The Riverside Church in the City of New York, a community that has long believed that faith is not merely a set of ideas, but a public force for liberation.

So I have a question for you. Do you want power?

[Response from the room.]

Maybe not yet.

We meet at a moment when the world is aching with division and a sense of [powerlessness]. Deep fractures have been created out of the reality that basic needs are out of reach for so many of God’s people. And yet, I believe this moment is also ripe with possibility, because bridging power is not simply a political project, it is a spiritual discipline. It is the work of leaders who understand that power is nothing more than organized people and organized resources.

So, do you want power?

[“Yes.”]

Getting better.

Power begins with proximity. At Riverside Church, we know that you cannot bridge what you will not touch. You cannot heal what you refuse to name, and you cannot unite what you will not stand close enough to feel. In the United States, many faith leaders stand close to people navigating housing insecurity. We stand close to families choosing between medicine and food. We stand close to students whose futures depend on educations they cannot afford. And we stand close to workers whose wages do not sustain their lives. And when we stand close enough, we begin to see the lie - that what we are told should divide us, religion, culture, language, nation, these realities are small compared to the realities that keep people from living life with dignity.

Bridging power requires a shared moral imagination. Across our traditions, we hold different scriptures, different rituals, different names and languages for God. But we share one truth: every child of God, every human being, deserves the basic conditions that allow their lives to flourish. Housing is not a luxury. Healthcare is not a privilege. Food is not optional. Education is not negotiable. And meaningful work is not a dream. These are rights for God’s creatures. And when we name these truths together, when we stand close to one another, we bridge power across traditions. We become a chorus instead of a collection of soloists, and the world hears us differently.

Bridging power requires our shared action. Not shared sentiment, not shared statements: shared action. This is why Riverside Church is committing to mobilizing thousands of concrete justice actions over the next year, and it is why I am asking this council to join us in a global commitment that turns our collective moral voice into collective power. Organized people, organized resources.

Today I dare us to take one bold, measurable step together. Let us build and launch a global affordability resources hub - a digital platform created by the World Council of Religious Leaders, available to every faith community in every region of the world, that provides actionable tools to address the affordability of basic needs. Not theory, not abstraction, but action. Sermon starters that help leaders preach affordability as a spiritual mandate. Policy briefs that explain the affordability crisis in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and beyond. Advocacy scripts that equip congregations to speak to their governments with clarity and courage. Interfaith prayers and liturgies that root our justice work in the sacred.

This hub will allow a pastor in Nairobi, an imam in Jakarta, a rabbi in São Paulo, a monk in Seoul, and a minister in New York City to act with a shared purpose. It will allow us to bridge power, not only across traditions, but across continents. And it will make clear that faith communities are not simply moral commentators. We are embodied actors in the struggle for human dignity.

Bridging power requires humility and courage, yes. It also requires us to answer in the affirmative. Do you want power?

[“Yes.”]

All right. Getting better.

No single tradition has all the answers, but together I believe we have more than enough. At Riverside, we have seen what happens when communities stand close to one another and choose power. We have seen people who felt forgotten discover they are not alone. We have seen neighbours become advocates, and we’ve seen congregations become movements. And we have learned that when faith communities stand together and act together, governments listen differently, and people move differently. When faith communities stand together and act together, we can change the world.

Bridging power is ultimately about love. Not sentimental love, not quiet love, but love out loud. Love that builds structures, shifts policies, and refuses to accept a world where people cannot afford to live.

I’ll cut to the end. So to this distinguished council, I ask for the final time: do you want power?

[“Yes.”]

Then let us be the generation of leaders who do not simply talk about bridging divides, but bridging power. Let us be the leaders who build something together that made life more possible for millions of people. And let us be the leaders who believe that God’s people deserve more than survival - they deserve flourishing. May our shared work be powerful, worthy of the people we serve, and the God we follow. Amen.

Good morning. Thank you. I am very happy to be here with you today.

I come from the United Arab Emirates, and I bring you the greetings and peace of the people of the United Arab Emirates. I would like to thank my brother, [Bawa Ji], for inviting me to this important conference. I am proud to be part of this conference. It has an important role to bring religions together for peace, tolerance, and humanity.

We are here today with a clear message: peace, tolerance, and living together. We may come from different countries, cultures, and religions, but today we are here for humanity first. As a Muslim, I am very happy to be part of this gathering with religious leaders from around the world. In this place we build a true friendship based on love. I believe our meeting sends a clear message: religions can bring people together and support peace, love, respect, justice, and human dignity.

The Holy Quran teaches us that all people are equal and have human dignity, whatever their religion.

[Recitation in Arabic, 00:37:46 - 00:37:54, approximately eight seconds. Not captured by the captioning.]

The Holy Quran says:

[Recitation in Arabic, 00:37:58 - 00:38:04, approximately six seconds. Not captured by the captioning.]

The Holy Quran teaches us that all prophets share one message: faith in God, good actions, and good values.

[Recitation in Arabic, 00:38:17 - 00:38:48, approximately thirty-one seconds. Not captured by the captioning.]

You are wise leaders, and together you can bring wisdom, peace, and hope to our world. Religion is a great power for peace and love. Religious leaders have an important role against hatred and extremism. We have an important role. You must work together for humanity and for the values of our great religions.

We need more cooperation between religions, more respect for each other, and more work for human rights, peace, and justice. In the United Arab Emirates, we welcome interfaith dialogue and tolerance. People from different religions and cultures live together in peace and respect. We also have the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi, which brings people together for peace, tolerance, [and] respect between religions.

Our faith should help us build good values, protect human dignity, and bring love between people. We are different, but we all share one humanity. When we work together, our religions can be a strong voice for peace, love, and hope. Thank you very much.

Good morning. We are gathered today under a simple yet profound theme: One World, One Humanity. At first hearing, these words may sound like an aspiration, something noble that humanity should strive for. But from the Buddhist perspective, I would suggest something different. We do not need to become one humanity. We already are one humanity. What we need is to awaken to this truth.

More than 2,500 years ago, the Buddha taught that nothing exists entirely by itself. Everything arises through causes and conditions. In Buddhism, we call this dependent origination. A flower does not bloom by itself. Within a single flower are the rain, the sunlight, the soil, the air, and the labour of countless living beings. And so it is with each of us. The food we eat, the clothes we wear, the knowledge we possess, the technology we use, and the societies in which we live - all are possible because of countless people whom we may never meet. We appear to be separate, but our lives are deeply intertwined.

This is not merely Buddhist philosophy. It is the reality of our modern world. A conflict in one country can affect families thousands of kilometres away. An economic crisis crosses borders. Climate change recognizes no nationality. A virus does not ask for our religion before entering our body. Our greatest challenges are reminding us of an ancient Buddhist truth: no one is truly separate from another.

Yet humanity has become remarkably skilled at creating divisions. We say, “my country and your country, my religion and your religion, my race and your race, my interests and your interests.” These distinctions may have practical purposes, but when we cling too strongly to them, identity becomes separation, separation becomes suspicion, suspicion becomes fear, and fear can become conflict.

The Buddha taught that much suffering begins with attachment to the idea of I, me, and mine. Today we must extend that teaching beyond the individual. Nations, too, can become attached to “mine.” Religions can become attached to “mine.” Communities can become attached to “mine.” And when “mine” becomes more important than “ours,” humanity suffers.

One World, One Humanity does not mean that we must all become the same. A garden is beautiful not because every flower has the same colour. Humanity is beautiful because we have different cultures, languages, traditions, and beliefs. Unity does not require uniformity. Buddhism teaches us to see diversity without turning differences into divisions.

The bodhisattva ideal gives us an even deeper vision. A bodhisattva does not ask, “Is this person from my country?” A bodhisattva does not ask, “Does this person share my religion?” A bodhisattva asks only, “Is there suffering here? And what can I do to relieve it?”

That question can transform our world. Imagine if political leaders asked it before making decisions. Imagine if business leaders asked it before pursuing profit. Imagine if religious leaders asked it whenever differences arose between communities. And imagine if each of us asked it in our everyday lives. Where there is suffering, let me bring compassion. Where there is misunderstanding, let me bring patience. Where there is hatred, let me refuse to add more hatred. Where there is division, let me become a bridge.

This is Buddhism not merely as philosophy, but as action. The Buddha taught that hatred is not overcome by hatred; hatred is overcome through non-hatred. This teaching is more urgent today than ever. We live in an age where a message can travel around the world in seconds. Unfortunately, anger can travel just as quickly. Technology has connected our devices, but it has not necessarily connected our hearts. We may have become a connected world without yet becoming a compassionate world.

That is why humanity’s next great advancement cannot be technological alone. It must be spiritual and ethical. We need greater wisdom to understand our interdependence. We need greater compassion to feel the sufferings of others. And we need greater courage to act for the common good. In Buddhism, wisdom and compassion are inseparable. Buddhist wisdom tells me that your suffering is connected to mine. Compassion tells me that I cannot simply turn away. When wisdom and compassion come together, One World, One Humanity ceases to be a slogan. It becomes a way of living.

Ladies and gentlemen, we share one fragile planet. We breathe the same air. We experience the same hopes and fears. We all wish for happiness. We all wish to avoid suffering. Before we are Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, or followers of any other faith, we are human beings. Before east and west, before race and nationality, there is our common humanity. The future will not be secured by asking what is best for me alone. The future depends upon our courage to ask what is good for all of us. Thank you.

I’ll just give brief salient points mentioned by all of them and throw open the floor for questions.

We start with [Bawa] Ji number two - we have one [Bawa] here. So the suggestion was that we should have compassion, no religion is superior or inferior, and we have to have collective religious festivals to remove the animosity among the faithful.

Another suggestion came right [after], in order that we must have honest and theological exchanges.

His Grace Bishop said that we should maintain human dignity, lead our people into the life of love and prayers.

Then we heard that we are required to have shared action, not sentiments, not statements.

And we also came to know, through the Muslim tradition, that religion can bring people together if we look at [it] that all people are equal and can work in unity with good values and good action, [with] mutual respect for each other.

And last but not least, from the Buddhist tradition, we heard that we need not work for one world - we are one humanity. We need to have some compassion, and we should not have an attitude that ours is more important than others. Ours should be more important than mine.

Last but [not] least, I would put forward my remarks as well. It’s customary in the field of science that every year scientists sit together and they have honest discussions about their discoveries, about their findings, and they’re honest enough to correct each other. Similarly, as I mentioned, with the advent of social media lots of ideas are floating around the world by people who do not understand their own religion, and they claim an attitude of holier than thou and all kinds of hatred towards other religions. So we, the religious leaders, should sit together like scientists regularly, and may we have the intellectual honesty to accept that some changes have to be necessary. We will make that.

I come from a tradition where ahimsa is a great value. Our country got freedom by ahimsa only - you know our father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Ahimsa doesn’t mean [only not] hurting physically. Ahimsa also includes not hurting anyone emotionally as well. The maximum emotional investment of any given individual lies in his or her faith, in his or her belief system, in his or her God. So we should not have any statements publicly, as was mentioned earlier, denigrating other religions and hurting others. May we sit with mutual respect and commitment to ahimsa and discuss, and may we learn a life to live with differences. I love you not because we are similar or compatible. I can still love you, I can still respect you, with differences also.

With these remarks, I throw open the floor for questions, if any of you. We have three minutes.

Not identified on the recording

Thank you, Swamiji. I have a question. Ideally I would have loved to hear from the entire panel, but we may only have time for one.

Our brother Elder Holland spoke about the criticalness of ensuring that religion and religious leaders are not lampooned, that we don’t become caricatures, negative caricatures, in the name of entertainment. I had the great honour of being part of an initiative at the United Nations on the plan of action to end the hate speech that leads to atrocity crimes and ultimately genocide.

And a key question that I would love your thoughts on is: in cultures that hold freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom to be entertained however we’d like, almost sacrosanct, where do we draw the line? How do we draw the line? How do we protect the freedom while protecting peace? Thank you.

It’s a very thoughtful, perceptive question, because you’re right. In an effort to diminish the lampooning, to replace it with something else, we don’t - at least, certainly it’s not my view, and the view of my faith, and the view in this country, that we would want to eliminate First Amendment speech rights. But a lot of this can be done culturally. I mean, what becomes acceptable? There are these informal influences that are always at work that then can curb and shape what we think is permissible.

And so part of it is speaking up to identify when we see consistent patterns of mischaracterization, consistent patterns of lampooning, to say, “You need to create some spaces for admirable characters on television shows and admirable storylines that involve people of faith.” Let’s start at least there. That doesn’t infringe on anyone’s free speech rights, but it’s a beginning. And when we start to rise up and help people see that there are still wide swaths of profoundly religious people in this country, around the world, that deserve to be treated [well], I think there’ll be a greater awakening to the importance of that kind of activity. Thank you.

I think I’ve been told to conclude. Okay? So with a short prayer, I conclude.

May all be happy, may all be healthy, may all seek auspiciousness around, and may all be happy forever. Namaste.

We will have a short break. The program will resume promptly at 11:20 AM.

[Recording ends at 00:55:44.]