ULC: My simple faith

Excerpt from "Ethics for the New Millenium" by the 14th Dalai Lama

"We can reject everything else: religion, ideology, all received wisdom. But we cannot escape the necessity of love and compassion.

This, then is my true religion, my simple faith. In this sense, there is no need for temple or church, for mosque or synagogue, no need for complicated philosophy, doctrine, or dogma. Our own heart, our own mind, is the temple. The doctrine is compassion. Love for others and respect for their rights and dignity, no matter who or what they are: ultimately, these are all we need. So long as we practice these in our daily lives, then no matter if we are learned or unlearned, whether we believe in Buddha or God, or follow some other religion or none at all, as long as we have compassion for others and conduct ourselves with restraints out of a sense of responsibility, there is no doubt we will be happy."