REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE ON HER VISIT TO THE BUDDHIST CENTRE, KILMAINHAM
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE ON HER VISIT TO THE BUDDHIST CENTRE, KILMAINHAM, DUBLIN ON TUESDAY 30 JUNE, 1998
I would like to thank you Donal for your words of welcome – and to thank Lama Yeshe and Briona Nic Dhiarmada for greeting me on my arrival at the Buddhist Centre. It is a particular pleasure and honour for me to join with you - the members of the Buddhist community at Kilmainham - for your liturgy, the ‘Shower of Blessings’- which is in a way evocative of an earlier age at Kilmainham – an age when the Christian community at the ‘Church of Maignenn’ – celebrated a liturgy in prayer and chant just as you have done today. This is a special year for you – your twenty first year in Dublin – and I am happy to celebrate that achievement with you today.
- Since my inauguration last November, I have joined with many of the religious communities in Ireland – each of whom have shown their own hospitality in their own unique way. The welcome I have received today in Kilmainham has been a personally enriching and moving experience – and one that I will treasure. When I spoke at my inauguration, I said that the theme of my Presidency would be to build bridges – to establish connections between separate and distinct groups and communities – between people who by virtue of class, creed or conviction, were different – but who could, through contact and dialogue, promote mutual understanding and respect - and, in the process, learn to accept and appreciate the others with whom they share the same piece of earth. I will pursue that theme throughout my term as President and beyond – because it is a constant process of learning and unlearning – of taking different perspectives from the new vantage points that emerge on the voyage of discovery.
- My coming here to the Buddhist Centre today establishes a personal connection with Buddhism – which has parallels with my own Catholic faith in meditation and contemplative practice - and retreat. The location of the Buddhist Centre at Kilmainham itself re-establishes a link with an era that has long since gone – an era that saw Christian monasteries and abbeys flourish in Ireland – an age when many Irish monks brought their message and liturgy to communities throughout the world as it was then. Saint Maignenn, the founder of Kilmainham, was a part of that golden epoch - as was Molaise, his contemporary and friend – and the saint of Holy Island, off the coast of Arran in Scotland - where the Buddhist ‘mother house’ in Scotland is establishing a centre for Peace, Reconciliation and Retreat. The Buddhist presence at Holy Island and here at Kilmainham, has in a sense re-awakened that era – and embraced that deep link with the past in your recognition of the tremendous significance that these holy places have for the Christian communities with whom you live. In adopting the ‘Kilmainham Bell’ – a replica of the original bell – and in ‘re-discovering’ the source of the holy well of Kilmainham – you have built an important bridge with that religious tradition – a bridge by which we can reach new horizons – and across which we can exchange the gifts of faith and tradition – allowing us to share and celebrate the wealth of diversity that makes up this world.
- In a world where there is a trend towards globalisation – where there can be a tendency to promote sameness and to exclude those who are ‘different’ – it is important that we can each maintain our identity – and yet at the same time be prepared to open our minds to others – to their cultures and traditions – and to their beliefs. That willingness to look for common ground – and to exploit diversity and difference – enriches our lives. Nobody has a monopoly on wisdom – and each of us is influenced by the circumstances of our birth, our childhood and our community. The world has many races – and many communities. Each has a right to its own existence and identity. Each represents a piece of the colourful tapestry of modern civilisation in which they compliment and contrast with each other.
- In Ireland at this point in our history, there are many bridges to be built – and many pathways to be opened. We are on the threshold of a new set of relationships that will see a greater acceptance of diversity. In the approaching millennium, we all look forward to a changed Ireland and a changed world – a world where there will be greater understanding and tolerance. Part of that process is the dialogue and interaction between religions and faiths. The parallels that I mentioned between Buddhism and Christianity can also be developed and built upon - so that we can each draw on the wisdom and philosophies of the other – and, as you have done here at Kilmainham – celebrate the links that bind us together.
- It is fitting on my visit to Kilmainham that I should be asked to launch the book by Colum Kenny on Molaise – the saint of Holy Island – the friend of Maignenn. Molaise and Maignenn symbolise the ancient Christian link between Holy Island and Kilmainham – a link that has been re-established by the Buddhists of today. Colum has already written about Kilmainham – and of the significance of Maignenn. This new book on Molaise – recalls the link between Co. Carlow – where he is known as ‘Laisren’ - and Holy Island – and celebrates that era of Christian learning and practice – when many Irish monks established centres in the Western Isles of Scotland. Through his research, Colum has given us an excellent insight into the society that existed on these islands in the middle of the first millennium – and the influences of the monks and monasteries on the communities in which they lived. It is a fascinating account of a fascinating time. As we approach the third millennium, the places are still there but the societies have changed. Part of that change is the arrival of the Buddhist influence – an influence that connects with that earlier age which you recognise and embrace today.