“Fundamentally, if we seek to build harmonious religious relations and establish peace in the world, we need to cultivate and nurture the power of goodness within all human beings. Whether people are religious or non-religious, that goodness is inherent within their lives. And we can only succeed if we, as common man and woman, take this task as our personal responsibility to achieve,” shared SSA Study Department Adviser Chan Heng Yuen during the “Question and Answer session” at a forum on “Religion in Conflict and Cooperation”.
Mr Chan was among the four speakers from various religious backgrounds, who were invited to speak on their faith from a historical perspective with regards to inter-religious relations. The theme of his talk was “Buddhism and its relations to other religions, with examples from history.”
Held on June 21, 2008 at the Harmony Centre@ Masjid An-Nahdhah with some 90 persons in attendance, including the Turkish Ambassador to Singapore HE Mr A Bulent Meric, religious representatives and students from NUS. The forum was organized by the University Scholars Programme and Department of Malay Studies from the National University of Singapore, Harmony Centre and the Turkish Culture Centre.
