MONTREAL - The Dalai Lama warns that all religions -- including his own -- have faithful who carry the seeds of destructive emotions within them.

Speaking Wednesday in Montreal, the Buddhist spiritual leader said a key to promoting religious harmony after 9-11 is to stop criticizing religions based on the actions of a handful of "mischievous" followers.

He delivered his message at a conference examining how religions can foster peace in the post-9-11 world. The event took place just days before the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

"Logically, if you criticize Islam due to a few mischievous Muslims, then you have to criticize all world religions," the Dalai Lama told the packed auditorium.

"That, I think is totally wrong to create that kind of negative impression to one particular religion -- that is totally wrong."

He said everybody -- even himself -- has the potential to develop harmful feelings and it's the job of religions to try and reduce them.

"Through awareness. . . we try to minimize these destructive emotions and try to increase these constructive emotions," he said.

The one-day conference also featured a panel discussion by prominent religious scholars and spiritual thinkers -- including Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, Oxford University Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan and author Deepak Chopra, who acknowledged there is no easy solution to end violence.

"Religion can be a force for good when religions work together. The question is when have they?" he said.

Steven T. Katz, who directs the Elie Wiesel Centre for Judaic Studies and Professor of Religion at Boston University, said the belief in the tenets of a religion should not lead to bloodshed.

"Even if you believe in the universality of your own religion it doesn't require you to murder people who don't share your views," he said.

Ramadan said unity requires bravery.

"We have to be courageous. To work for peace today is not only to be a dreamer, it's to be courageous," he said.

Conference convenor and McGill comparative religion professor Arvind Sharma is to use religion to find peace worldwide.

"If religion is a part of the problem, then perhaps it can also be part of the solution," he said.

With files from CTV Montreal