RENO (Nevada, USA): Rajan Zed, prominent Hindu leader, was honored by Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Northern Nevada here for "his courage and his vision of world community". 

Dr. F. Kevin Murphy, one of the Fellowship leaders, presented Zed with a plaque on the occasion, which described Zed as "A voice of religious tolerance in our community." He listed various efforts of Zed to create mutual trust and mutual understanding through dialogue among various faith traditions. 

Welcoming Zed, Dr. Murphy said that we should learn from each other and appreciate each other's strivings after truth and goodness. As the fruit of our dialogue, we can come closer to truth, he added. 

Zed said that interfaith dialogue brings us mutual enrichment. We are spiritually richer than before the encounter. Dialogue helps us overcome stereotypes and prejudices handed down to us from previous generations, he added. 

Both Murphy and Zed listed various similarities between their beliefs and agreed that despite different traditions, all of us should live together in peace, mutual trust and loyalty. 

Rajan Zed read the first Hindu prayer of United States Senate in Washington DC, California State Senate, Nevada State Senate and Nevada State Assembly in the past few months and is very active in interfaith dialogue in the region. 

Zed was recently given Award of Excellence by Hindu Sangathan Committee of New York in recognition of "selfless and invaluable service". Nevada Clergy Association, drawn from various religions, recently gave a reception in honor of Zed in Reno where he was garlanded and presented a certificate. City of Reno issued him a proclamation during the City Council meeting and presented him with a plaque, while Reno Police Chief, Michael Poehlman, gave him "Chief's Certificate of Commendation" to recognize his good works in "promoting peace and tranquility for all, regardless of race or faith" and to commend him for continuing his work in promoting interfaith dialogue. Sri Siva Vishnu Temple of Lanham, Maryland, invited and honored Zed on July 12 evening after he delivered the historic first Hindu opening prayer in United States Senate in Washington DC. Unity Church of Today of Minden (Nevada) honored Zed during their Sunday service where the Minister, Larry Schneider, presented him a commendation certificate for the work Zed has done to bring various communities together. Truckee Meadows Community College of Nevada recently honored him with a plaque. Various other organizations in United States and India are planning to honor him. 

Zed recently addressed the congregation of Unity Church of Today of Minden and Annual Dialog and Friendship Dinner of Sierra Foundation. He has been invited to address Annual Diocesan Conference of Catholic Diocese of Reno in January next. 

Unitarian Universalists search for truth along many paths. Instead of centering the religion on specific beliefs, they gather around shared moral values that include the inherent worth and dignity in every person. Unitarian Universalist Association, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, was formed in 1961 and it has over 1,000 congregations, which "bring to the world a vision of religious freedom, tolerance and social justice." 

Oldest and third largest religion in the world, Hinduism dates back to around 3,000 BCE. It has no founder, no datable beginning, and no single holy book. Hindus believe what is commonly considered to be reality—the physical world—is actually temporal and illusory. The goal of existence is liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth and entrance into the indescribable state of moksha (liberation). There are about 781 million Hindus in the world.