Applauding Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan D. Williams for organizing a Christian-Muslim dialogue, Hindus have urged him to have a similar conversation with Hindus also. Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that it was wonderful to watch the world’s two major religions meeting together to “grow in mutual understanding, trust and friendship.†It was remarkable to see them talking about “interdependence†and urgency of “the need to understand and respect one anotherâ€. Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that Archbishop Williams should invite world Hindu leaders for a similar dialogue, as Hinduism was the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about one billion followers.
Rajan Zed pointed out that serious and honest interfaith dialogue was the need of the hour. Religion was the most powerful, complex and far-reaching force in our society, so we must take it seriously.. And we all knew that religion comprised much more than our own particular tradition/experience, Zed stressed. After intensive deliberations, this meeting of Christian-Hindu leaders should come up with a concrete plan about the common religious concerns like human improvement, peace, ecological responsibility, social & economic development, etc. Maybe this gathering could become an annual feature after that, he added.
Rajan Zed further says that in our shared pursuit for the truth, we can learn from one another and thus can arrive nearer to the truth. This dialogue may help us vanquish the stereotypes, prejudices, caricatures, etc., passed on to us from previous generations. As dialogue brings us reciprocal enrichment, we shall be spiritually richer than before the contact. Archbishop Williams is the senior bishop of the worldwide Anglicans, a Christian denomination, who number around 77 million. Moksha (liberation) is the ultimate goal of Hinduism.
–(SAMPURN)
