Awarding Interfaith Dialogue
On March 24th, His holiness the 14th Dalia Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was named the first recipient of the Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize, awarded by Hofstra University.
The $50,000 prize, which recognizes efforts at interfaith dialogue, will be presented to His Holiness on November 18, 2008 in India by a delegation including Hofstra officials, the family of Sardar Ishar Singh Bindra, which established the prize at Hofstra, and former Indian Prime Minister I.K. Gujral, a member of the Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize Honorary Committee. The Dalai Lama has agreed to visit Hofstra in the near future.
The $50,000 prize, which recognizes efforts at interfaith dialogue, will be presented to His Holiness on November 18, 2008 in India by a delegation including Hofstra officials, the family of Sardar Ishar Singh Bindra, which established the prize at Hofstra, and former Indian Prime Minister I.K. Gujral, a member of the Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize Honorary Committee. The Dalai Lama has agreed to visit Hofstra in the near future.The Prize:
The biennial prize for $50,000 was established at Hofstra University in 2006 by the family of Sardar Ishar Singh Bindra to encourage and award organizations and people who strive to increase dialogue amongst people of different faiths and understanding. A chair of Sikh Studies, the Sardarni Kuljit Kaur Bindra Chair, named after the family’s matriarch was also established at the same time.
As the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak taught that we discover our oneness with humanity by exploring the differences that separate us. The Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize recognizes and supports the efforts of those individuals and organizations who work to advance that vision.
The award hopes to contribute, in a small way, to decreasing inter-religious strife.
According to Guru Nanak, religions are paradoxical. They help us to discover and cultivate what is best and most hopeful about one another and the world that sustains us. And yet, they often spark conflict and violence. The Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize is based on the conviction that religious dialogue helps to minimize religious conflict by cultivating awareness that we each view the world from the limitations of our own traditions, and we have much to learn from the traditions of others.
The 2008 Winner:
The award is especially poignant since the Dalai Lama, who believes in non-violent protest, recently went so far as to threaten to resign as political leader if his constituents began an armed insurrection against China.
“If they choose violence as the means to achieve their political ends then the Dalai Lama cannot lead that movement,” says secretary Tenzin Taklha, speaking from Dharamsala in northern India where the Dalai Lama lives in exile.
The Dalai Lama has set out three main commitments in his life, to promote values such as compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline; to help bring religious harmony and understanding; and to act as spokesperson for Tibetans in their struggle for justice with China:
Firstly, “on the level of a human being”, he is committed to promoting of values such as compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline.
Secondly, on the level of a religious practitioner, he is committed to helping bring religious harmony and understanding.
“His third commitment is to the Tibetan issue. His Holiness has a responsibility to act as the free spokesperson of the Tibetans in their struggle for justice,” his office states.
“As far as this third commitment is concerned, it will cease to exist once a mutually beneficial solution is reached between the Tibetans and the Chinese.
“His Holiness will carry on with the first two commitments until his last breath.”
I cannot think of a more deserving figure for the first Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize. I wonder what His Holiness and other Tibetans will do with the $50,000?
I find His Holiness to be a very unique figure amongst the political players of this century and of our times, especially in his fulfillment of his dual- religious and political- roles. Because his religious obligations limit how he can act politically, he is either an exception to every political rule or disproves most general theories of international affairs (probably the former).
7 Responses to “Awarding Interfaith Dialogue”
This going to sound mean but why? 50K to the Dalai Lama is useless. Put that 50K towards rehablition in the Widow Colony. I have nothing against the Dalai Lama but I doubt he needs or wants the award (pure assumption since he has a lot of high profile contributors and followers). Couldn't that type of award be better suited to a cause these days. Hey I am an keyboard activist type, but I still gotta voice myself.
This going to sound mean but why? 50K to the Dalai Lama is useless. Put that 50K towards rehablition in the Widow Colony. I have nothing against the Dalai Lama but I doubt he needs or wants the award (pure assumption since he has a lot of high profile contributors and followers). Couldn’t that type of award be better suited to a cause these days. Hey I am an keyboard activist type, but I still gotta voice myself.
haha, ItsMe, you're right- the DL is a high profile person, and there are many causes that are under-recognized and under-served. But simply because one cause is more recognized than another, does it make it less deserving of aid? The Tibetan community in exile in Dharamsala subsists on income from tourism mainly (despite the high profile of the conflict), and I'm sure the community still in Tibet is greatly in need of aid.
Also, the award is less a grant for aid and more intended to promote and reward interfaith work. The post links to the award's home page which talks about the paradoxical nature of religions- how they sustain people but are also sometimes the cause of conflicts due to misunderstandings between people of different faiths. It seems the award is intended to promote dialogue or award efforts to decrease conflicts that are caused by religious misunderstandings.
I can't question the reasoning behind the award because I don't have enough money to start one of my own (sure it's possible to critique constructively, but if it's nothing that we can act on, at least we can appreciate the positive work that's being done). The Bindra family, with positive intentions, has attempted to address a large issue.
It would be a shame if working within the Sikh or Punjabi community meant that we shouldn't also work with or for other communities. That may not be what you intended to say ItsMe, but it's kind of the effect of what you're asking for…I actually think the fact that they've reached out and recognized another minority community's issue is a major strength of their choice– it works to build coalitions amongst minorities. It'll be interesting to see who future winners will be.
haha, ItsMe, you’re right- the DL is a high profile person, and there are many causes that are under-recognized and under-served. But simply because one cause is more recognized than another, does it make it less deserving of aid? The Tibetan community in exile in Dharamsala subsists on income from tourism mainly (despite the high profile of the conflict), and I’m sure the community still in Tibet is greatly in need of aid.
Also, the award is less a grant for aid and more intended to promote and reward interfaith work. The post links to the award’s home page which talks about the paradoxical nature of religions- how they sustain people but are also sometimes the cause of conflicts due to misunderstandings between people of different faiths. It seems the award is intended to promote dialogue or award efforts to decrease conflicts that are caused by religious misunderstandings.
I can’t question the reasoning behind the award because I don’t have enough money to start one of my own (sure it’s possible to critique constructively, but if it’s nothing that we can act on, at least we can appreciate the positive work that’s being done). The Bindra family, with positive intentions, has attempted to address a large issue.
It would be a shame if working within the Sikh or Punjabi community meant that we shouldn’t also work with or for other communities. That may not be what you intended to say ItsMe, but it’s kind of the effect of what you’re asking for…I actually think the fact that they’ve reached out and recognized another minority community’s issue is a major strength of their choice– it works to build coalitions amongst minorities. It’ll be interesting to see who future winners will be.
How do you define a winner of life ?
Some one who has more money more power ,more physically manifest etc etc ?
What is this coalition of minorities if the whole world is one big family as per SIKH philosophy?
How do you define a winner of life ?
Some one who has more money more power ,more physically manifest etc etc ?
What is this coalition of minorities if the whole world is one big family as per SIKH philosophy?
Indirect method of learning and education which can also be regarded as informal method of learning and education does not require going to a formal institute. It can be acquired with the experience.