Interfaith Symbols

I was so excited today, to receive my interfaith necklace in my mail box. I found this necklace while doing a search for interfaith symbols around a year ago. I think this necklace is such a great idea. I hope thousands more people will order one as a sign of tolerance, friendship and interfaith solidarity. I also hope it affords me an opportunity to discuss interfaith issues with those who ask, "Ooo, what does your necklace mean?"
The necklaces are produced by interfaithing.com. This website is a great interfaith resource with interesting articles and useful links. Check it out!

Namaste

Images of the Divine

We seem to be seeking a new image of the divine. For many people I talk to the old man with the white beard sitting on the cloud just doesn't make sense. Our modern logic and lifestyle, our desire for personal choice and our exposure to eastern religions such as Buddhism, have all impacted our ideas about "God" or "The Divine."
 
So, considering this philosophical climate, does it matter what name or face we put on the Divine? Well yes and no.
First the yes. The presence of the Divine is something that cannot be described in words. But that is all we have to describe it, we are human and crave distinction. We want to say, "It is like this but not like that."
So in this way I think putting a name or face on the Divine is important. It is a symbolic claiming of the Presence for ourselves; naming helps us to pray, to have trust in and to relate to God.
This is one reason for the pantheon of gods we find in Hinduism. Brahman, the supreme spirit is "the all," without shape, distinction, personality etc. Brahman is everything and nothing, impossible to describe and harder to understand. Thus we see the development of thousands of Gods with human and animal features, representing nature, weather, beauty, knowledge, justice. This creates a human face for the divine and a grand history/mythology we can relate to.

And now for the no. For the exact same reasons I have mentioned, I don't feel we need to decide on one definition of God. For me God is sometimes a mother and father, sometimes a benevolent energetic force.
Sometimes God looks like the Buddha, sometimes Jesus and often like the Virgin Mary. Sometimes the Divine Presence is a deep feeling in the pit of my chest that tells me I am not alone, or the selflessness and compassion of a friend.
Sometimes I see God in the intricate perfection of nature, in awe of the natural balance of all things.
Sometimes I imagine myself as a small boat on a rough sea and God is a steadying hand, a soft breeze that keeps me afloat.
And sometimes, just for fun, God is that all powerful old man figure on the cloud, watching me when I am sneaking an extra  large piece of chocolate cake!

The most powerful lesson I have learned from my interfaith journey is that nobody has the answer, but we all have truth. So I say trust your image of God, if it brings you joy. But if not, allow the possibility of a new image that does. Allow the Divine to be Divine.

Namaste

Salvation

Salvation is a difficult concept that can be interpreted in so many ways depending on your religious bent.
The word salvation literally means "to save". Other meanings attributed to this word are, to sooth, to heal, to protect from suffering and in a theological sense, deliverance from hell and redemption from sin. Most of us will be familiar with the traditional Christian notion idea of "being saved" - if you are good and believe in Jesus you won't go to hell.
More progressive Christians would say that the kingdom of heaven and hell are here on earth now and that salvation can be achieved in this life. The notion of salvation in the now rather than the afterlife means we must focus our attention and intention on being compassionate and of service to those around us.
What about other faith traditions?

When the Buddha achieved enlightenment he returned to the world and began teaching. His first teaching, which deals directly with suffering and salvation, was The Four Noble Truths. Today this teaching is considered the foundation of Buddhism.The Four Noble Truths are:

1. Life is suffering: we get sick, we age, we die, our material wealth is impermanent, we cannot control everything.
2. The cause or origin of this suffering is our attachment to these things, (health, life, wealth etc).
3. Liberation from suffering is possible (i.e. Salvation)
4. The way to end this suffering is to follow the Eightfold Noble Path.

The Eightfold Noble Path is an excellent set of instructions that even the most vehement atheist can incorporate into their lives as it mentions nothing of God. The basics of this teaching are as follows:

1. Right view/vision/ understanding: You must look at the world as it truly is, with all it's suffering and pain. This clarity will help you move forward.
2. Right intention: After you see the world as it is you must form in your mind the intention to change, to renounce desire and attachment to the things that cause you suffering.
3. Right speech: Your speech must be kind and helpful, you must not partake idle chatter or gossip, lie, abuse others with words or use your words to be divisive.
4. Right action/conduct: You must work had to be morally upright in all actions. No stealing, no killing, no sexual misconduct and no stealing.
5. Right livelihood: You must earn a living in a way that is compassionate and does not harm others. You must not earn money from killing (people or animals), from slavery or prostitution, through creating toxins that destroy creation (pollution), from selling drugs, alcohol or any substance that harms others.
6. Right effort: To make an effort in your thoughts, words and deeds to be compassionate to others.
7. Right mindfulness: Keeping you mind focused on the path.
8. Right concentration: Meditation and contemplation.

So if you follow this path you will achieve "Nirvana" or liberation. I find it interesting that in Buddhism they talk of liberation or freedom from suffering rather than being saved. These words can mean very similar things however what is different here is that you do not need to believe in something outside yourself in order to be saved. It is up to the individual to save themselves. Further, Buddhism focuses on liberation in this life, not only in the afterlife.
The Buddha felt it was not important to waste time trying to work out whether or not the was a God when there was so much suffering to deal with in Samasara (the endless cycle of birth-suffering-death and rebirth). This makes a lot of sense; focus on today, on what matters now. Honestly, we cannot know 100% who or what God is, nor will this knowledge or speculation help us one iota in the here and now. It won't stop us from aging or becoming ill, it won't stop us from going broke or from death.
So in Buddhism the idea of salvation is one of liberation from the suffering that exists in this life and possibly in the next, without the necessity of God.

In Islam the message is much closer to that of mainstream traditional Christianity, if you want salvation you must believe in the one God Allah, avoid sin and follow the teachings of the Prophet. It's version of salvation is based solely on the afterlife. One must promise to fulfill the five pillars of Islam and to testify that "none has the right to be worshiped but Allah."
These five Pillars of Islam are:

1. To testify that none has the right to be worshiped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Apostle.
2. To offer the (compulsory congregational) prayers five times a day.
3. To pay Zakat (alms) to poor and the needy.
4. To perform Hajj. (i.e. Pilgrimage to Mecca)
5. To observe fast during the month of Ramadhan.

 These, like the eightfold path in Buddhism, are active things a person can do to ensure they remain on the good side of Allah. More importantly I think is that if you practice these principles it not only makes you a better person, it makes your community and your world a better place.
I find the second pillar, praying five times a day, particularly interesting. While at first it may seem too rigorous or even fanatical to fit into our busy lives. But isn't that why we want a spiritual practice, to maintain a connection with the divine. It is so important to stop throughout the day and focus on God, just to be where our hands are, instead miles away mentally. The physical, emotional and spiritual nature of bowing down in complete surrender to God five times a day is to me a very beautiful idea. In this act a follower of Islam must banish their ego, their desire and focus one pointedly on the divine.

So what does it mean to be saved? For me living without anxiety, being truly happy, feeling loved and loving others and spending time in the presence of the divine - whether that means in prayer, meditation or hiking in the woods - is the closest thing to salvation I will get to in this life. 

Namaste

.

Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah

Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah

Written by Richard Bach

Published by Delta

With a title like that how can you resist? I have been a fan of Richard Bach since I was a very small child. My father gave me a copy of Johnathon Livingstone Seagull to read and I never looked back. His ideas are presented in such a subtly simple way that even a child can understand them, yet they still challenge me as an adult.

In Illusions we are introduced to seeker and biplane flier Richard Bach. He has a simple life, earning a small living traveling the country offering $3 flights in his biplane. His life is going along rather unevetfully until he meets Donald Shimoda a strange and peaceful pilot with more than a few tricks up his sleeve.

Together they embark on a journey to stretch the boudaries of rreality and the human mind. Richard's "messiah training" is fraught with doubt yet full of laughter. 

Although this book was published in 1977 it is definitely far from it's expiration date.It's dreamy philosophy is so simple yet so challenging. If we were told by "a messiah" that all we need to be happy is to choose happiness, how would we respond?

A short book that you will want to read again and again. 

Noticing the Divine

Noticing the Divine - An Introduction to Interfaith Spiritual Guidance
By John Mabry
Published by Morehouse Publishing

John Mabry is a professor of comparative religions, an author and spiritual guide. He has written several books including Faith Styles: Ways People Believe and I believe in a God Who is Growing. Mabry presents this text as an introduction to the world of spiritual guidance from an interfaith perspective. He takes a fundamental principle from each major religion covered and shows the reader how this principle can be used as a counseling tool. Using this technique, we take a journey into each faith, from story telling in native spirituality to discernment in Zoroastrianism. 

The reader is not overwhelmed with historical information, nor are they overburdened with doctrine. We are given just enough information to understand where each "spriritual tool" comes from and how it is practical in a spiritual guidance setting. This is interspersed with anecdotes from real life counseling sessions, to illustrate how valuable a certain technique can be. 
Mabry emphasizes the need to use different techniques with different clients yet does not push any style or technique more than another. He truly gives a fair hearing to all faith traditions which makes this text invaluable to any spiritual practitioner. 

Jesus & Buddha

Jesus & Buddha – The Parallel Sayings

Edited by Marcus Borg

Introduced by Jack Kornfield

Published by Ulysses Press

This is a beautiful coffee table book and a great conversation starter. Editor Marcus Borg, Author of books such as The Heart of Christianity and Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, has taken much care in collecting and juxtaposing the sayings of these iconic religious figures. The book is organized into sections similar to the seminal Buddhist text The Dhammapada such as Compassion, Wisdom, and Salvation each with a short introduction by Borg.  

The Parallel Sayings is introduced by world renowned author and meditation guru Jack Kornfield. In his introduction Jack shares with us why a dialogue such as this is so important.

“What matters is not the scholarly or intellectual differences between Buddhism and Christianity, but that they both offer us direct teachings, instructions, practices, ways to conduct our lives and free our hearts,” says Kornfield. “If we could read, listen to, take to heart and enact even one verse of these teachings, it would have the power to illuminate our hearts, free us from confusion and transform our lives.”

Jesus and Buddha are spiritual brothers. Their message of compassion, humility and non-violence is common to all major religions. Like Jesus, the Buddha was a trouble maker, an outcast and rule breaker. He offered discipleship to the lowest caste members of Indian society, the Shudra (laborers) and Chandala (handlers of the dead). Like Jesus he ministered to women, people of other faiths, merchants and sinners. They both renounced material wealth and comfort to take up the nomadic life of the traveling prophet, walking the countryside sharing their message.

According to Borg, "They taught that what is inside a person matters, not his or her outward appearance, and they punctuated their beliefs with actions, revolutionizing the religions of their day." He goes on to say, "Both created religions that minimized class distinctions and eliminated animal sacrifice."

While I do not believe that either Jesus or the Buddha set out to "create" new religions, their teachings have inspired people for more than 2000 years.

This is a lovely book to have beside your bed, to read as a morning or night time meditation, as a jumping off point for journal writing or as I mentioned earlier, just a great conversation starter.

Namaste

Interfaith - a large pill to swallow

Today in a discussion regarding faith I was asked about my own journey to the present day. My rather truncated explanation sounded more like a site seeing tour from Catholicism to Wicca, to Hinduism, to the Hari Krishna's, to various types of Buddhism and back to Christianity with many stops along the way. At the conclusion of which I was asked, "Yes, but you like Christianity best, right?"
I didn't really know what to say.
I often (wrongly) assume that having an interfaith view of God and the spiritual life is a perfectly normal perspective. However, as I was reminded today, while looking into the hopeful face of this lovely woman, it is not a "normal" perspective and for many the very idea of Interfaith is too large a pill to swallow.

To me it will never be a matter of which religion I like best. The fact that I choose to be a part of a Christian faith community does not mean a choice to stop learning or growing. The knowledge and peace I have gained through my own spiritual journey is the greatest reward I could ask for.
I have experienced the beauty of so many forms of liturgy and ritual, been overwhelmed with joy by singing hymns and chanting mantras in a variety of languages. Often while reading scripture of various faiths I must stop for a long period and just sit, to consider how I feel about what is written. Often I am confused, angered, challenged by what I read which forces me to consider my own cultural and religious ideals and prejudices.The more we learn about other faiths the more we understand others, thus breaking down the barriers of culture, sexuality, class, language or even simply geography. When we can open our hearts and minds enough to learn about the faith of another we inevitably learn more about our own.

For me it was by reading about the monastic life of Buddhist monks that brought me back to Christianity. I was explaining to a collegue what I was reading and he said, "Well if you are interested in monasticism you must read Thomas Merton."
So I did and what I encountered was not at all the Catholicism that I was raised with. I couldn't believe it. Here was a man talking about meditation, contemplation, austerity, compassion. So I read more and more. It was then I discovered the incredible book, Living Buddha Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh. My eyes were opened to the immeasurable similarities between the teachings of the Buddha and of Jesus and I wanted to know more. A new world was opening up in front of me, maybe I didn't need a label, maybe I could love the words of Christ and the saints as much as that of the Buddha or any Hindu sage. The more I learned, the closer to God I felt and the happier I became.

I know now I am only just scratching the surface, my journey is only just beginning. I also know that Interfaith spirituality is not for everyone. We all need boundaries, ways of identifying ourselves that allow us to feel comfortable and accepted.
My hope is that through Interfaith dialogue we will find a common voice to reach out, not only to those who suffer persecution but also to those who persecute. That we will one day see the divine in all people and maybe take a small step towards peace.

Namaste

The helpless tongue

Often when we try to express the very biggest of ideas we realize how finite language really is. The discussion spirals in on itself and eventually words render us helpless. When trying to answer these big questions; What is evil and where does it come from? What is God? What is faith? The list goes on. The conversation inevitably breaks down or we agree that in fact we cannot accurately express these things with words alone.

It is not surprising that for thousands of years monastics of all faith traditions have fled to the endless silence of the dessert, the cave, the cloister to ponder these massive questions. When we have what Japanese Buddhists call "Shinjin" true entrusting or clarity of the heart-mind we begin to experience, rather than think about God. 
It is in silence we come closer to the divine.

The tradition of silent contemplation in Christianity is an ancient one. In Jesus' most well known teaching, the Sermon on the Mount, he instructs us how to pray.

"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him," Matthew 6: 6-8.

 This is particularly interesting today, when evangelic churches all over the world are filled to the rafters with people that could only be described as engaging in delusional histrionics! 

Like Jesus sitting through the trials of the self - or "the evil one" if you are so inclined - we must sit with ourselves quietly and contemplate before acting. This instruction is common also to the Buddha, to Guru Nanak founder of the Sikh faith and to the prophet Muhammad. All retreated to a cave, a forest, a tree or the dessert to sit and contemplate god, suffering, the nature of reality before emerging enlightened and ready to teach. Most importantly, they did not stay immersed in meditation but chose to return to their communities to share what they had learned. Yes, Contemplation can be an end in itself, however, if we really want to make change in this world we must share what we have learned about the divine. Not through loud, obnoxious evangelizing but through compassionate action, nourished by silence. 

Namaste

  

Welcome to Interfaith People

Thank you for joining me online to read share and discuss interfaith spirituality. I created this blog as a place to share ideas, build community and log aspects of my own spiritual journey. In the coming weeks I will include book reviews on current and older publications dealing with interfaith dialogue or specific organized religions. My current interest is on the Buddhist Christian dialogue and the work of authors like Karen Armstrong and Thich Nhat Hanh towards a more open, inclusive and compassionate world. Bye for now.

Namaste.