More recently, I have had the fortune to serve His Holiness the Dalai Lama for many decades, hearing his consistent calls for interfaith dialogues and urging for harmony among the world¹s religious traditions.

I definitely believe that a Christian, Muslim, Jew or even atheist can draw on the profound teachings of the Buddha, especially with regards to meditation practices and the contemplative practices of training the mind in compassion.

Neuroscientists are now affirming what the Buddha taught more than 2,500 years ago, that not only can the mind¹s power be harnessed and then directed, but even parts of the brain which are responsible for empathy, love, and joy can be developed, even grown, through Buddhist contemplative practices.

The late Father Thomas Merton, who I met in India in 1968, as well as my good friend, the late Brother Wayne Teasdale, both are shining examples of devote Christian monks who effectively brought elements of the Buddha’s teachings onto their own spiritual path. One time when Brother Wayne was staying in my home I had him instruct my children on Christian contemplative practice.

It is when one is confident in his own faith and devotion that an appreciation, and even incorporation of other faiths’ methods of meditation and contemplation, can be effectively utilized.

Lodi G. Gyari was born in Nyarong, Eastern Tibet. He is founder of the Tibetan Review, the first English language journal published by Tibetans in-exile. He was elected to the Assembly of Tibetan People's Deputies, the Tibetan Parliament in exile, and subsequently became its Chairman. Currently he is the Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He lives in McLean, Va.