As It Should Be

 One of the saddest moments of 2021 will undoubtedly be the passing of Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Boxing Day at the age of 90. The late Archbishop was a champion for justice, having worked alongside Nelson Mandela during the struggle against “Apartheid” and he was also a person who worked tirelessly to unite a much-divided nation when he was Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee.  Even in retirement, the archbishop was a voice that continued to speak for those who didn’t have a voice and he drew the ire of the Zuma Administration (an administration that gave us the term “State Capture.)

I don’t think that there’s much more that I can say that hasn’t been said about Archbishop Desmond Tutu than what has already been said. However, as a student of Tibetan Buddhist student of Anglican Theology, I like to remember him for his great friendship with the Dalai Lama, whom in his letter of condolence to the Archbishop’s family talked about the spiritual bond between them. So, how did an Anglican Archbishop who promotes God and a monk from a faith that does not have a good find a “spiritual bond.”

https://www.dalailama.com/news/2021/condolences-in-response-to-the-death-of-archbishop-desmond-tutu

 

 Copyright – Tibet Sun

Well, it would appear that they found a common bond and spoke up for the common good. Both men understood that spirituality was not about promoting their “religions” but in using the platforms that their respective religions provided them in order to make life better for humanity.

Both men were famously aware of how religion could be used to do good and also to do harm. Desmond Tutu described it like a “knife” that could either feed people or harm people:

 

 The Dalai Lama was famously asked what was the best religion and he famously replied that the best one was the one that made you a better person.

 

It shouldn’t be the case but the views that these old men have are fresh air. The points on faith that these men made are guidelines of what spirituality and being close to the divine should be about. Its so sad that they are of a generation that is dying (Desmond Tutu died at 90 and the Dalai Lama is 86). Contrast this attitude to the growing religious chauvinism, whether is Evangelical White Supremacy as shown by many parts of the Republican Party, Islamic extremism in much of the Middle East, Hindutva in India or the violent version of Buddhist Dharma that encouraged the slaughtered Rohingyas in Burma.

I remember putting up my position of being a Buddhist who studied Christianity but has been blessed by Muslims and getting a few responses about being confused and to an extent, getting ready for hell. Seriously, in this day and age, why are people so keen to use their religion and relationship with the divine to kill off anyone else?

The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu understood that faith and a relationship with the Almighty was meant to unite humanity and to make life better for others rather than to impose dogma onto people. These are real men of God and as they get ready to pass on (or already have as in the case of Desmond Tutu) and the voices of extremist get louder, it feels as if humanity will get further away from the Almighty.