“Referring to himself as one of the ‘defenders of Islam,’ the Dalai Lama, the world’s most influential Buddhist leader, urged an interfaith gathering in San Francisco on Saturday to promote a pluralistic view of religion. The Nobel Peace Prize winner said that the era of ‘one truth, one religion’ was reserved for ancient times in which many of the world’s religions were founded. But not today. The Dalai Lama said all believers need to learn understanding for other faiths — particularly for Islam, because, he noted, oil from the Middle East fuels economies around the world. ‘In terms of community, in terms of humanity, the concept of several truths, several religions is very relevant,’ he said.” (04/16/06)