People should have freedom to choose religion: Dalai Lama.
Guwahati, April 2 (IANS) Opposing religious conversion, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Sunday said forcible conversion is not good but people should have the freedom to change their religion voluntarily.
There has to be complete freedom so that he can choose his religion,” said Dalai Lama while responding to a query about forcible conversion.
“I am a Buddhist but I never propagate Buddhism in the West.
Change of religion also creates confusion sometimes.
So I do not support forcible conversion but if someone wants to change his religion voluntarily, there should be freedom,” he said.
The Tibetan spiritual leader visited the ITA centre for performing arts as part of his visit to the ongoing Namami Brahmaputra festival.
He expressed his happiness over coming to Assam and the northeast and recounted his memories when he arrived in Assam from Tibet in March 1959 fleeing a Chinese crackdown that followed a Tibetan rebellion.
This was about 58 years back.
He also expressed concern over water pollution across the world and said rivers are very sacred in Tibet.