I was sorting out some old magazines over the weekend and came across an article on European unity that I wrote in July 1996 for a Buddhist periodical, says Eddy Canfor-Dumas. It is uncomfortably prescient...

At the time the launch of the euro was two-and-a-half years away and there was intense debate in the UK about whether or not to ditch the pound and adopt the new currency.

At the heart of this article is a Buddhist principle called itai doshin, 'many in body, one in mind', which might also be loosely translated as 'unity in diversity'. A true application of this principle could help resolve numerous conflicts, so I offer the article again here in the hope that itai doshin will become much more widely known and practised.

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