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University That Owns 6 Different Places of Worship

Arfi Bambani
Vihara Dhamma Sasana Pancasila University is officially open on Sunday, December 5, 2021
Vihara Dhamma Sasana Pancasila University is officially open on Sunday, December 5, 2021

TheIndonesia.id - Pancasila University (UP) Jakarta inaugurated Vihara Dhamma Sasana, a place of worship for Buddhism on the campus. The vihara completed places of worship for six official religions in Indonesia.

"Tolerance has been part of our culture since a long time ago. We hope that the construction of places of worship that are close to each other fosters mutual understanding and respect that creates a sense of religious tolerance," said Siswono Yudohusodo, Chair of the Pancasila University Education and Trustee Foundation Board during the inauguration of Vihara Dhamma Sasana in Jakarta, Sunday, December 5, 2021.

He hoped that apart from holding worship services, Pancasila University can facilitate interfaith meetings to foster mutual understanding and respect so that religious tolerance would arise. He reminded that in a diverse country like Indonesia, blind fanaticism is dangerous, especially when it is accompanied by ignorance that can lead to fundamentalism and radicalism.

"This radicalism will breed terrorism, as we can see in some places where places of worship are being destroyed. Terrorism grows from people who are ignorant and do not study their religion, because actually, all religions teach love to fellow believers and all living creatures," said Siswono Yudohusodo.

Bhante Y.M Dhammiko Thera who represented the Buddhism community felt very happy and rejoiced with the inauguration of Vihara Dhamma Sasana within the UP campus. "Hopefully other campuses can be examples of UP campus by building houses of worship for all religions in Indonesia because all students have different beliefs," he said.

He said that the diversity of places of worship reflects all religions in Indonesia. He hopes for tolerance and mutual respect between fellow religious adherents on this campus and in the wider society.

Pancasila University built six places of worship that are the mosque for Muslims that had been established, the pagoda for Confucianism, the Protestant Christian Church, the Catholic Christian Church, the Pura for Hinduism, and the Vihara for Buddhists. On Sunday, October 3, 2021, Pancasila University inaugurated the Great Virtue Temple (Da De Miao) as a place of Confucian worship. They are all located side by side in the campus vicinity.

Tag # buddhism # pancasila # pancasila university # diversity

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