"The Management Committee & Members of the Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils (FABC) would like to convey our deepest condolences to family and friends of the victims of the Sydney hostage crisis. We also extend our gratitude to the NSW police and emergency services personnel who put their lives at risk in the service of others.
We look to the age old teachings of the Lord Buddha who explained; Those who inflict violence to the peaceful and harmless will eventually encounter the same in return. Buddhist believe in Karma; meaning good intent and good deeds contribute to good Karma and future happiness, while bad intent and bad deed contribute to bad Karma and eventual future suffering. Therefore those that seek to inflict pain, disaster, physical injury or the taking of another life, will at some future stage experience the same fate themselves.
The Australian people consistently shown their resilience, courage and determination when faced with such difficult and traumatic situations. Australia was ranked as the 15th most peaceful country in the world, according to the 2014 Global Peace Index. We must continue to demonstrate our capacity as law abiding citizens, in order to move on from this terrible tragedy, and trust our community will demonstrate wisdom in overcoming any desire to seek retribution from any individual of other group following this event"