Some hope for Bamiyan
The sacred Buddha before the destruction. See the multitudes of Buddhist caves that surround the Buddha. In former times, Buddhist monk would meditate in these caves.
Dear friends,
I saw something on my facebook newsfeed. It caught my eye and rightly so. After so much destruction and bad news that comes out of Afghanistan, finally, something that gives hope. As I watched the first part of the video I was very sad to see so much unnecessary destruction that accomplished nothing. But as the short video continued I felt hope. I felt the majority of the innocent Afghan people have suffered so much and were brutalized due to the civil war. I felt so much pity and compassion for them.
Bamiyan was green and thriving area with healthy tourism before the civil wars. After the wars, everything was destroyed and the tourists stopped coming. The people suffered so much and they deserve better. The holy Bamiyan Buddha was destroyed in an act of desecration that shocked the civilized world. It was the biggest tourist attraction for the country bringing so many revenues to the much-needed populace. The local Bamiyan people were very sad at this destruction as they respected and cherished their national and ancient heritage embodied by the Buddha carved into the mountain centuries ago by their ancestors. The Bamiyan Buddha represented their cultured and civilized past as they said in the video. It was something they were proud to show the world.
The beautiful people of Bamiyan are considered descendants of the Mongolian invasion centuries ago. When Genghis Khan and his army invaded and controlled the area, much population mingling occurred. If you look at the features of the Bamiyan people, it is definitely Mongolian in appearance. Very exotic.
They have much hope and enthusiasm to rebuild the destroyed Bamiyan Buddha to its former glory along with the thousands of Buddhist frescoes that was painted on the walls of hundreds of surrounding Buddhist caves. In former times, these caves were occupied by Buddhist monks of the region for meditation and solitary practice. This whole Bamiyan area attests to Afghanistan rich Buddhist heritage and culture of their past and they are very proud of it. They are confident of who they are now in order to be proud of who their glorious past. They wish to resurrect their heritage by repairing this sacred area.
I wish so much luck and prayers the sacred Bamiyan Buddha will be reconstructed and restored. Do view this short video to feel hope and renewed as I did for the Afghan people of Bamiyan.
Tsem Rinpoche
Watch: Rebuilding Bamiyan
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/BamiyanAfghanistan.mp4
Richly painted frescoes within the caves depicting Buddhas,
Saints, Bodhisttvas, Arhats and so on.
An oil painting of a Buddhist image, discovered in a cave in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan.
One of the Bamiyan Buddhas before it was destroyed in 2001
Buddha in Bamiyan in 1969
Before and after the unnecessary destruction
After the destruction
World-famous Buddhas of Bamiyan resurrect in Afghanistan
The project was undertaken by a Chinese couple who used 3D laser light projection technology to fill the empty cavities in the cliff in the Bamiyan Valley in Hazarajat with Buddha’s virtual images, 230 km northwest of Kabul.
PTI | Kabul | June 14, 2015 | UPDATED: June 14, 2015 19:57 IST
Afghan women walk in front of a niche that once held a giant Buddha, in Bamiyan province. (Photo: Reuters)
Fourteen years after the Taliban dynamited the world-famous Buddhas of Bamiyan, the giant statues were resurrected with 3D light projection technology in the empty cavities where they once stood in Afghanistan.
The project was undertaken by a Chinese couple who used 3D laser light projection technology to fill the empty cavities in the cliff in the Bamiyan Valley in Hazarajat with Buddha’s virtual images, 230 km northwest of Kabul.
The couple – Janson Yu and Liyan Hu – were saddened by the destruction of the two statues which were carved during the 6th century and decided to undertake the project.
They took permission both from the Afghan government and UNESCO to bring the statues back for one night only in the empty cavities in the cliff.
The event on June 7 saw projectors displaying huge holographic statues of the exact size of the precious cultural monuments that were lost, accompanied by music.
“The projections were not widely publicised, but over 150 people came to see the spectacle. Crowds remained well into the night and some people played music while others looked on,” a journalist, who witnessed the show, was quoted as saying by The Atlanic.
Both Standing Buddhas – 115 ft and 174 ft tall – were carved out of sandstone cliffs and stood at one point painted and gilded. They managed to survive for more than 1500 years.
But the Taliban dynamited and destroyed them in March 2001 as part of a campaign to remove all non-Islamic art from Afghanistan.
The statues were among the most famous cultural landmarks of the region, and the site was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site along with the surrounding cultural landscape and archaeological remains of the Bamiyan Valley.
Japan and Switzerland, among others, have pledged support for the rebuilding of the statues.
Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/afghanistan-buddhas-of-bamiyan-giant-statues-unesco-257487-2015-06-14
Latest Update (29/11/2017)
Should Afghanistan’s Bamiyan Buddhas be rebuilt?
Nov. 29, 2017, 5:56 PM GMT+8 / Updated Nov. 29, 2017, 8:42 PM GMT+8 | By Kiko Itasaka
BAMIYAN, Afghanistan — Sayed Mirza Hussain faced a wrenching dilemma: commit a shocking act of cultural destruction or be shot by the Taliban.
It was just months before the 9/11 attacks, and Hussain was being held prisoner by the fundamentalist group which controlled most of Afghanistan. The Taliban was at the height of its power and on a mission to destroy all pre-Islamic icons.
At up to 190 feet high, the Bamiyan Buddhas towered over the valley below. The statues dated to the sixth century when the area was a holy site for Buddhists on the Silk Road, the ancient trading route between China and Europe.
Their destruction took place over 25 days in early 2001. Huge cavities in the spectacular sandstone cliffs now mark the spot where the giant Buddhas once stood. But some now want to rebuild them using their shattered remains, with three countries offering Afghanistan their expertise.
Hussain, 45, recounted his ordeal and admitted he remained haunted by his actions, however forced.
“I feel regret and distress all the time,” he told NBC News, adding that he felt like he had “destruction” on his hands. “It was a symbol not only for Afghanistan but the world.”
The Taliban had already killed thousands of opponents when Hussain was taken prisoner along with many other Hazaras, a long-oppressed group.
He vividly remembers his role in toppling the relics.
“We were taken by truck to the base and they told us to carry the dynamite, but it was not easy because our feet were chained,” Hussain said. “When we faltered, they hit us with their guns.”
A map showing the location of Bamiyan, Afghanistan.
Initially, the Taliban tried to use antiaircraft guns and antitank mines to destroy the Buddhas.
When this did not work, they drilled holes in the giant statues and ordered Hazara prisoners including Hussain to plant the explosives.
“We thought we would die, and anyone who refused to help was shot dead,” he recalled. “When the first bomb went off, we thought all the mountain would fall down.”
They eventually succeeded with Hussain remembering “parts of the Buddha” raining down on the area.
“I will never forget,” Hussain said. “I walk past every day and see. Sometimes I lose my bearings as I walk past. It is too much to take in.”
After the fall of the Taliban, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2003 declared the entire Bamiyan Valley a world heritage site. But the damage had been done, with centuries of history erased from the cliffs.
Women walk past the cliffs that once held the giant Bamiyan Buddhas. They were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.
Abdul Hamid Jalia has devoted his life to preserving the Buddhas. As Bamiyan’s director of monuments, he remains optimistic that the icons will one day be rebuilt.
He will never forget the day the Buddhas fell. “People and children were crying,” Jalia said. “We lost our identity.”
Standing by a cage filled with numbered remaining fragments, he said: “We can do this with these pieces. We must rebuild, and then the tourists will come.”
Abdul Hamid Jalia looks at a once-ornate cave ceiling in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, that is marked by the shoes Taliban fighters threw after burning it.
However, reconstruction would cost millions of dollars that Afghanistan doesn’t have, and some experts believe there are not enough original pieces to allow such a project to be completed authentically.
At a symposium in September, three countries — Italy, Germany and Japan — submitted technical proposals for what UNESCO called “an important first step” in potential reconstruction.
French archaeologist Thomas Loren says too much money and time is being spent on an unrealistic ambition.
“If you ask people in Bamiyan, they want the Buddhas rebuilt because they are sure that this would bring tourists back,” he said. “People don’t want to see fake Buddhas. It is destroyed. What is done is done, and let’s move on.”
Loren, who specializes in the Islamic period from the eighth to the 12th century, recently started digging a test trench just in front of where the Bamiyan Buddhas once stood. He hopes to unearth evidence of an ancient royal city there.
“There are so many other places to restore, and instead of spending money on conferences debating whether or not to rebuild the Buddhas, they could use the money to restore other places,” Loren added.
Despite this, the government of Afghanistan wants the Bamiyan Buddhas back, and has lobbied UNESCO and the international community to rebuild at least one of them.
Hussain backs such a partial reconstruction.
“We must rebuild one for the people of Afghanistan. It will not have the value of the original but we must do this,” he said. “The other must remain as is, so that everyone can see the crimes of the Taliban.”
Caves line the sandstone cliffs of Bamiyan, Afghanistan.
Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/should-afghanistan-s-bamiyan-buddhas-be-rebuilt-n822781
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It is so sad to watch the video and that the Taliban destroyed such a holy place in Afghanistan. It is a pity because what was broken cannot be whole again. Even though in 2015, the restoration brought about what was deemed as the closest to the original Bamiyan Buddha statues in the forms of 3D projection. May this be bring hope to the Bamiyan people and may there be peace arise from this painful lesson. Thank you Rinpoche anc blog team for sharing this interesting article.?
In the destruction by people who did not know better, the glorious and historical Bamiyan Buddha statues were gone, and along with it, a significant part of their heritage and the livelihood of the people in that area. It is a pity because what was broken cannot be whole again. Even though in 2015, the restoration brought about what was deemed as the closest to the original Bamiyan Buddha statues in the forms of 3D projection. May this be bring hope to the Bamiyan people and may there be peace arise from this painful lesson.
Very sad to see such a beautiful holy historical heritage site been destroyed in 2001.One of the most tragic religious iconoclasm is the destruction of the two giant standing Buddha statues. They were once the world’s largest standing Buddhas famous for their beauty and craftsmanship,carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamyan valley of central Afghanistan.The Buddhas of Bamiyan were 4th- and 5th-century monumental statues.
The Afghans are proud of their heritage ,they planning to restore the giant Buddhist symbols destroyed by the Taliban.It will never be the same,but bring some hope for Bamiyan.
In 2015 the historic Buddhas of Bamiyan statues have made a return to the Afghan valley as 3D light projections. the Buddhas shine again as where they stood for centuries. Thanks to 3-D light projection,which brought hope to Bamiyan.
May the people of Afghanistan lives peacefully and hoping more tourist back to visit these beautiful site.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing.
It is so sad to watch the video and that the Taliban destroyed such a holy place in Afghanistan. This is such a cruel act by the Taliban who only want to propagate their own agenda that is all based on greed, anger, power and selfishness.
I really hope the Bamiyan Buddha that is once the wonders of the world rebuilding project will go smoothly and quickly.
謝謝仁波切與大家共享知識。一切事物依缘而立，缘散則灭，也正是這樣，缘聚则生，我希望他們能得到更多的幫助和支持重建，能盡早恢復大佛像原貌。
It is really sad to know that the Taliban group is going to such a extent to destroy a globally known and popular tourist attraction.
It just saddens me to think how disrespectful people are irregardless whether is a war against Buddhism or whether it is to stop revenue from going to the the Government of Afghanistan I hope that it will never happen again to any heritage site around the world.
One thing to be glad about is that the people of Bamiyan have not given up and they have put efforts to restore this Holy Buddhist site and may their restoration works be free of obstacles and may the much needed funds be quickly raised.
May good luck be with them all the way until the restorations are completed and may it never be attack and destroyed by terrorists again.
I am very sad to see people sending themselves to hell because they were blinded by hatred, power, desire and greed. They have such a good karma to reborn as human and so near to a holy place. Unfortunately their karma also lead them to commit themselves into a greater bad karma by destroying the holy place. I am glad that the people of Bamiyan are rebuilding the Buddha Statue. This is an offerings to the Buddha and the three jewels which will help the Afghans to collect lots of merits. The merits is huge because they are rebuilding the Buddha statue in their most poor and difficult time. Just like when the king build a monastery for his Guru and the bagger was rejoiced for the kindness of the king. The bagger that rejoiced generated much much more merits than the king because for the King to build a monastery is nothing but for the bagger to rejoice instead of jealous because he gets nothing out of this was the most precious and sincere. Hence huge amount of merits generated. Same as the situation in Bamiyan now. May the people of Afghanistan always be blessed by the three jewels.
I remember this from before I left home to be a nun. It was long ago in 2000-2001. Then after I came to California I was staying in San Francisco and I visited the Asian Art Museum. There they have a very beautiful Afghan Maitreya that is very handsome.
It is sad to me that the religions of the world cannot endure each other with peace and love. Spiritual people should love one another.
And it is sad that such a great work of art was destroyed. I dunno how I feel about it being rebuilt, it won’t be the same ancient work of art, and modern methods of construction are sure to be much different than the ancient way. Sure there will be a Buddha there, but the Bamiyan Buddha was irreplaceable. It was like the pyramids. If someone tore down the pyramids in Egypt and then put up new ones, still something ancient and sacred is lost and it can’t ever be replaced. And I fear the new one might be quite lonely as there aren’t many Buddhists living there in Afghanistan anymore. Honestly I am shocked that they got the scaffolding up without being shot at. The taliban is still a very real thing.
Sincerely hope that Bamiyan Buddha can be restored. All heritages place should be kept and pass down the value to next generations.
Thank you Rinpoche for the sharing.It is so sad to know the size of destruction in Bamiyan valley.Due to ignorance and and wrong views they would try very hard to erase their rich cultural past in an act to display power and fear for the world to witness,in the process creating massive unnecessary suffering.
As I know,all religion place an importance in inter religion tolerance. We understand that in all the different orthodox religion in the world,they would preach harmony and the correct way to live in a society and natural justice would prevail.
May the occupants of Bamiyan reclaims their past glory through the generosity of those that understand the true value of the forgotten past.As we could see that the restoration crew are not buddhist but they are doing their best to restore the past glory of the magnificent stone Buddha……
May the holy work at Bamiyan be blessed by Lord Buddha……
Dear Rinpoche,
I hope the Bamiyan Buddha can be restored soon. When I watched the destruction on TV many years ago, I was thinking how bad karma those people have accumulated and I prayed that they will be forgiven for their ignorance.
With peaceful days around the corner , I pray to see the restoration of the Buddha sculpture complete soon. And the lives of the people in the Bamiyan valley be once again, flourish and happy.
Preserving the culture and heritage is something we all can work towards, especially Buddhism 🙂
Thank you for sharing this wonderful and interesting post with us. It is so sad to see such beautiful structures be destroyed because of the insecurities of others. This is disheartening. However, it is good to see that they are learning from their mistakes and are rebuilding.
When I first saw the beginning part of the video, it really made me sad and angry to see that the people use religion for the wrong reasons. They not only destroyed a Buddha that creates the causes for them to be reborn in the lower realms, but destroy so many people’s hope, dreams, history, a “rice bowl” as the Afghan’s were dependent on Tourism which gave them their daily livelihood. It affects so many on so many level when we have “wrong thinking and wrong view” and the sad part is to see we humans use “religion” to control, force, hurt and harm others. Oh my God, if really that is what GOD wanted, then I think we better rethink what kind of GOD we’re supplicating to. It is scary because NO GOD would ever be unkind, uncompassionate and unmerciful!
Then on the later part of the documentary it was such an eye opening for me to see that the beautiful people of Afghan was actually proud of their Buddhist heritage and wanted to save it for their future generations, so that their identity is not lost and at the same time help their economy/livelihood. I happy to see that they have this level of thinking and most of them are just simple farmers…. wow. This means they are people of great values, morals and shows gratitude. Even though they are not Buddhist but they respect and treat this site as a sacred holy place show casing where they are from and who they are and wants to preserve it! Wow… beautiful to see that they wish to rebuild it. I think they should… it will make the land flourish again like the way it was before the Talibans came.
Wars is not something abstract; it can be waged between one group and another, which can manifest as unfulfilled desires for greed, power,anger,hate,pride,religion,racial or national arrogance just to name a few. Once on, wars will cause onslaught and severed sufferings, due to onset of mass expulsions, exacerbated demolitions, ailments, sickness, brutality and death. As once mentioned by H.H. The Dalai Lama,”Of the many problems we face today, some are natural calamities and must be accepted and faced with equanimity. Others however, are of our own making, created by misunderstanding and can be corrected.” Therefore, we must never lose sight of such fundamental goal, but as sagaciously advised, must always maintain the suppremacy of humanity over matter and ideology. Om mani padme hung.
Dear Rinpoche,
Thank you for sharing the wonderful short documentary on the Bamiyan. It was indeed inspiring and amazing that the Afghans before the invasion of the Talibans saw the Buddha images as something so significant to their culture. It proved that they were civilized men. Wow! That was an eye-opening statement because the people of Afghanistan actually equated the practice of Buddhism to a flourishing civilization.
Then, we are indeed very lucky that at Kechara, we are to be part of this highly regarded lineage. How blessed we are!
Today, many people from all over are working wholeheartedly to restore the magnificent Buddha image re-establishing the hallmark of the Buddhist empire that once stood tall but is still spreading the Dharma right until this moment.
The Triple Gems cannot be tarnished by bombs or guns nor even the hatred and bigotry of mankind. They proffer unconditional love, compassion and care for all sentient beings. Any form of sacrilege will only generate more awareness and awakening because that is Buddha nature.
I absolutely loved the video. It is a series of work that I pray those in the media line would progressively produce.
Thank you, Rinpoche.
With folded hands,
Wendy
May peace once again prevail in Afghanistan. May they never have to experience terror and war. May their attempt to rebuild the Bamiyan Buddha be a success and their heritage and culture be restored quickly.
Even behind the darkest cloud there is a silver lining. Thank you Rinpoche for this lovely post that brings a ray of hope to the dark horizon that arose with the destruction of the Baniyan Buddha in Afghanistan.
Efforts are under way to rebuild the Baniyan Buddha! Despite the colossal effort and sum of money needed,there is determination to get this off the ground soonest. This piece of news is most welcome by the people of Baniyan.For them the Baniyan Buddha stood for a rich historical and cultural legacy of over 1800 years ago!In practical terms, restoration of the Baniyan Buddha would mean a revival of the golden era of tourism of the 1960s and ’70s.
For Buddhists everywhere in the world,the restoration of the Baniyan Buddha would be a reminder of the eternal message of peace and compassion of the Buddha.The darkness of destruction and war would never ever obliterate the hope of peace.
I remembered watching in horror, the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha statue when I was studying then. The Talibans were so adamant to destroy this world icon known to the Buddhist world in central Asia, even after the world appeals to them NOT to destroy it. My heart literally ache while watching the unnecessary destruction in front of my eyes.
After watching the video on plans to rebuild the Bamiyan Buddha and now declared by UNESCO as a protected site, we hope the countries that supports the rebuilding to be successful and restore it for the world. That includes the preservation work on fresco and murals on the walls where monks used to live in.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this post and the video.
I am amazed by cliff of the Buddhas, Many statues of Buddha are carved into the sides of cliffs to preserve their heritage and culture, by rebuilding these precious images,Bamiyan sure will become
‘The Place of Shining Light’ again, may the rebuilding works successful and may all obstacles be removed.
The destruction of Afghanistan’s Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001 led to global condemnation of the Taliban regime and this destruction was a disaster for the local population because it deprived them of what little income they had from foreign visitors as the Buddha statues were once a major tourist attraction.
Rebuilding Buddha would cost millions of dollars in a region that
lacks basic infrastructure such as roads and electricity and I hope they will receive more help and support to reconstruct and restore their heritage.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing vast and diverse knowledge with all of us. It was such an interesting read!
It is sad how people can act with such ignorance and destroy a precious Buddha image that does not only depict the nation’s long standing history of awakening but also the glory of the country to be able to promote and protect spiritual practice.
As the Bamiyans rebuild their resources with dignity, it also show me the greatness of humanity to persevere through the hard times and rise more glorious if endowed with wisdom and compassion.
Fills my heart with hope and faith.
Actually I have very little knowledge about places. Thus I have googled this a bit and found some documentaries on it too. The first thing that came to my mind was Karma. The fact that the statue being dynamited (for me) likened drawing blood from Buddha himself. What will be the ripening result for them? And the environments that they are in, are clear examples of possessed results. They will further create and experience similar results again.This will go on and on…..how fortunate we are! I must thank Rinpoche for creating awareness about Bamiyans. I never knew that it is situated on the famous place named Silk Road. So close yet seemed so far away.
thank you so much rinpoche for the wisdom,
with your teachings and compassion,
even a person far from your place can feel the difference,,
thank you so much…. i cannot imagine my life without you,your teachings and the kind people there……:D
I can understand how Rinpoche felt watching the video being filled with sorrow seeing such unnecessary destruction in the beginning but later on feeling a bit of hope for the Bamiyan in rebuilding the Buddha Shrine. I was disgusted by their audacity in wiping out the Bamiyan’s Buddhist heritage. Desecrating another religions heritage and holy ground is by far one of the most negative karma accumulation possible.
I have always been a fan of Al Jaazera, they always document their story objectively and unbiased giving the views a choice to make a decision on where they would stand on the controversy. Bamiyan is such a beautiful place and its incredible to see so much historial sights which were built by Buddhist. It’s amazing how deep they had dug into the mountains building caves as their monastery to reside in to practice and meditate.
I am not surprised at Afganistan being once a tourist destination because their country was once striving as a rich filled nation filled with resources and strong culture. It was sad that religious extremist struck the world that Afganistan become famous for (sad to say) Taliban and Terrorist. From the video and pictures shown, embracing different religions and different cultures has always been what made the people peaceful and happy and from there stem growth in the area. I cannot imagine for the Hazara people who had to endure the extermination of those who had opposed the Taliban and for those who were forced to take part in destroying the heritage sight. The level of fear and sadness they had to endure going down the holes in the caves is just scary to imagine.
I cannot agree with Nancy the historian, although I see where she stands in her point of view, but leaving as it is wouldn’t help anyone or repair the reputation of the Bamiyan’s and their hope for moving on from their past. By rebuilding the site and statue of the Buddha it would not only bring in more tourist but build hope for the people to grow and move on from their grief and pain. They need to take part in building what their people have done to destroy it. By doing so this would very much help their image to the world that they are trying to move on from their lives of destruction and killing.
I very much look forward to their completion of rebuilding the site, as I can understand it would not be an easy task to do so. As it not only takes money and man power but also keeping the peace and harmony between the two parties on their thoughts about the restoration. I also do hope in the process of their restoration that they keep the point of why they are doing it and not turn in into just souly for the profit of tourism, like the historians says becomes a disneyland.
Its beautiful to see all the Murals and carvings in the caves, it only makes me wish I was able to have visited the site when it was first created centuries ago. I actually wouldn’t even mind going there now at its current state.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful video Rinpoche. Without it I wouldn’t have been brought to awareness of the Bamiyans and I pray for their success in reconstructing and restoring what was once a very beautiful land.
Cliff
The destruction was truly a tragedy and I am so happy to know that it is being restored. Countries like Japan and Switzerland, among others, have pledged support for the rebuilding of the statues.
The statues were built in the 6th century and have been there for the 1200 yrs that Islam has been in Afghanistan. Then the Taliban destroyed it out of their enmity for the history of that land and they wanted to hold the international community hostage into recognising them. The destruction was a crime against the human spirit and history of this world.
Rinpoche, thank you for sharing this wonderful post with us. Those who confront issues using destructive means are, I feel, insecure about whatever they believe in because they need to stamp out any signs of dissent against their beliefs. This kind of insecurity leads people to engage in unnecessary arguments and disagreements about the most insignificant issues. It leads me to wonder, especially when religious people show how dogmatic they can be – if you’re so secure in what you believe in, and if what you believe is right and true, what do you have to be afraid of? Why shun debate? Why insist that only your way is the right way?
This post about the Bamiyan Buddha also reminds me of a previous post I researched for, on Pakistan’s Buddhist history: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/art-architecture/the-ancient-buddhist-world-of-pakistan.html It’s fascinating to know that Buddhism had such a significant role to play in these Central Asian countries where the practices are now all but gone.
Can you imagine? If Buddhism is now gone in these areas where it was formerly so powerful (inspiring people to carve the Bamiyan Buddhas), why do we think the temples, statues, monuments we build will last forever? External structures are not eternal; what IS eternal are the attainments we gain from practising and realising the teachings that these external structures represent.
As I have always understood from Rinpoche’s teachings, when we have a good understanding of our own culture, background and heritage, it helps us to develop mutual respect for the varied ways human beings live. Why? Because such an understanding shows us we are not THAT different from one another.
We all love, hate, feel anger and pain in the same way as one another. The only differences are our preferences. Therefore if we all love, hate, feel anger and pain in the same way, instead of focusing on our preferences and differences (which are always changing anyway), why not focus on removing the suffering of other people who are suffering in the same ways as us? Therefore if we want world / outer peace, we need to gain the inner peace which is mutual respect.