During a meeting with a Buddhist group from Thailand on Friday, Pope Francis discussed the teachings of Jesus and the Buddha.
“Sadly, on all sides, we hear the cry of a wounded humanity and a broken earth. The Buddha and Jesus understood the need to overcome the egoism that gives rise to conflict and violence,” the pope said at the Vatican on June 17.
He added: “The Dhammapada sums up the Buddha’s teachings thus: ‘To avoid evil, to cultivate good, and to cleanse one’s mind — this is the teaching of the Buddha.’”
“Jesus told his disciples: ‘I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another,’” Francis said, quoting from John 13:34.
“Our task today,” he went on, “is to guide our respective followers to a more vivid sense of the truth that we are all brothers and sisters. It follows that we should work together to cultivate compassion and hospitality for all human beings, especially the poor and marginalized.”
The meeting between Pope Francis and the Thai delegation honored the 50th anniversary of Pope Saint Paul VI’s historic meeting with the Most Venerable Somdej Phra Wannarat, Thailand’s 17th Supreme Buddhist Patriarch, on June 5, 1972.
Pope Francis praised the 50 years of steady progress in conversation and partnership between Thai Buddhists and Catholics in his speech.
He also renewed the words of Pope Paul VI 50 years ago to the Thai delegation, that “we have a profound regard for the spiritual, moral, and socio-cultural treasures that have been bestowed on you through your precious traditions.”
“We recognize the values of which you are the custodians, and we share the desire that they should be preserved and fostered,” Francis continued to quote. “We hope there will be increasing friendly dialogue and close collaboration between the traditions that you represent and the Catholic Church.”
Three famous Buddhist monks from both the Theravada and Mahayana schools, 60 lay Buddhists, and numerous representatives from the Thai Catholic Church made up the Thai Buddhist delegation.
“And the wonderful welcome and hospitality I received,” Pope Francis said of his travel to Thailand from Nov. 20 to Nov. 23, 2019.
The Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue co-hosted a seminar on “Friendship between Buddhists and Christians for a Culture of Encounter” with Rome’s Pontifical Urban University on Friday afternoon.