Do More Than Pray, Dalai Lama Says

In a stern message for the 21st century, the Dalai Lama said Wednesday that religious people must do more than offer prayers if the world is to become a better place to live.

“Change only takes place through action,” said the exiled Buddhist spiritual leader of Tibet. “Frankly speaking, not through prayer or meditation, but through action.”

Addressing an interfaith conference of nearly 7,000 people from around the world, the Dalai Lama urged the spiritually minded to get off their knees and become directly involved in solving conflicts. New ideas and visions, he said, will be useless in the coming millennium if they do not lead to change.

He suggested that the meeting here of the Parliament of the World’s Religions--an organization he helped rejuvenate in 1993 after a century of inactivity--send delegations to war zones to “study and try to make a contribution.”

Religious people have a particular obligation to intervene when conflicts are waged in the name of religion, he said. While they hold no monopoly on goodness, believers have a responsibility to promote human values, he said.

“The new millennium itself is nothing special; day and night, sun and moon will come just the normal way,” he said. “But if you make good preparation for the new millennium, the new millennium can be more peaceful.”

The call to action came during the closing session of the parliament’s weeklong assembly. It was the third meeting of the Chicago-based organization, which has its roots in a gathering in 1893 of the world’s major religions. The next session is scheduled for 2004.

The parliament has no legislative powers, and anyone willing to pay the registration fee could serve as a delegate. About a third of the delegates came from the United States, leading to complaints of American heavy-handedness.

“The conference seemed to be dominated by white American men,” the Rev. Cedric Mason, a South African delegate, said to a roar of approval from the audience at the closing session. “It is not a question of sincerity; it is a question of [how] thinking can be wrong.”

At a news conference, the Dalai Lama also criticized the parliament, telling reporters that it was “not very useful” and “does not have much meaning.” He reiterated his wish that delegates tackle more substantive issues.

Parliament officials said they weren’t put off by the complaints. Bawa Jain, director of international affairs at the Interfaith Center of New York, said the Dalai Lama’s remarks were more inspiring than hurtful.

“His message is taken with deep reverence,” Jain said. “He’s telling us, ‘You’ve done the talking--now go back and make a difference in your communities.’ ”

South African religious and political leaders also called for more involvement by religious people in helping turn around the world’s poorest continent. Roman Catholic Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of South Africa said religious groups had done much harm to the continent but that they have the capacity to do good as well.

Earlier, former President Nelson Mandela said that religion had played a crucial role in bringing an end to South Africa’s apartheid system of racial separation.

“My generation is the product of religious education,” he said. “Without these religious institutions, I would never have been here today.”