Ajahn Brahm discusses the Buddhist perspective on fundamentalism and its negative effects on religion and society. The Buddha's teaching states that true religion and spirituality will lead to peace and harmony, not create more problems. Ultimately, the goal is to promote harmony and peace. The problem with fundamentalism in our world is that it is based on faulty reasoning and limited experience, and it often creates an "us vs. them" mentality. One way to combat fundamentalism is to share truths and show kindness to those who hold different beliefs, as this can be disarming and can present a different perspective. Buddhists, in particular, should focus on
actively helping others and publicizing their good deeds to counter the misconception that they are only concerned with their own enlightenment.
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This dhamma talk was originally recorded using a low quality MP3 to save on file size on 7th December 2007. It has now been remastered and published by the Everyday Dhamma Network, and will be of interest to his many fans.
These talks by Ajahn Brahm have been recorded and made available for free distribution by the Buddhist Society of Western Australia under the Creative Commons licence. You can support the Buddhist Society of Western Australia by pledging your support via their Ko-fi page.