By Samir Selmanovic and Bowie Snodgrass
From Huffington Post

We are coming to a realization that religious zealots cannot be fought with indifference. Extremists of all nationalities and religious persuasion feeding on prejudice, legislating exclusion, and resorting to violence cannot be prevailed upon by people with less passion. Telling them to “cool down” and to “be moderate” will not do it. We must allow fires greater than theirs to arise. Our passion for a whole and interdependent word must rise above their passion for a segregated and zero-sum world.

In Faith House Manhattan, a non-profit inter-religious “community of communities,” we believe that the time of isolated faith is over. We believe that to know who I am, I must also know who you are. For three years now we have hosted more than 60 Living Room gatherings where people can experiences the practices of another religion (or path, including atheism). We invite all to join our “co-laboratory” of interdependence: “Experience your neighbor’s faith, deepen your own.”

Our call is to get radical. Very radical. We hold that in today’s world, religious people have to remap their reality to include — in tension and in gratitude — ‘the other.’ While our ancestors may have fought for independence, ours is the great struggle for interdependence. ‘The other’ is not over there, but all around us. While we have been conceiving of the world in vertical terms (whose party is better, whose institution is larger, whose nation is stronger, whose god is bigger), the world is becoming increasingly horizontal, and wonderfully so. Can we learn to be a part of the whole?

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The movement does need public space

by Donna Schaper
from Religion Dispatches

Last week I argued in these pages that the Occupy movement might be diverted by its focus on getting physical outdoor space. I felt that the movement had gone viral—we were everywhere, and didn’t need a particular space any more. I was wrong.

We do need physical outdoor space. Trinity Church in Manhattan, sometimes meanly—and unfairly—referred to as a real estate corporation with an altar, could even give it. They own an empty downtown space at Sixth Avenue and Canal Street that is gated (providing security for occupiers) and accessible to public transportation so that allies, visitors, and media could join them. I really thought this demand was a sideshow until Thursday. Then I changed my mind.

That morning a dozen occupiers addressed forty or so clergy. We clergy were all somewhat skeptical of the demand for public space. You could hear the ministerial, rabbinical hrumph,hrumph in the room. (Most of us had never occupied Zucotti Park and a downward trend in temperature wasn’t going to improve on that.) But the occupiers edged toward the theological as they articulated a need for communal, inspirational, face-to-face contact in which they could “appear” to one another.

Secondly, they talked about the nearly complete privatization of municipal public space in a way that made a deep and tragic sense. Where can you go if you don’t own something? Does a public even exist if it has no space? The great irony is that they have been called the virtual demonstration, and here they were talking about old-fashioned, in-person, human interaction.

Third, they talked about the increasing surveillance of most space, private or public—the self-surveillance on Facebook, the constant camera, and the ask-no-questions “security” cordons. They reminded me of one of my first posts on this whole matter: we no longer march and the police pen us for “our own good.” What nonsense. A completely nonviolent movement does not need to be penned up for its own good.

And finally, they spoke of a new monasticism, in which people have given up everything to jump to a future they can only imagine. In the most recent newsletter posted by Occupy Theory [as of this posting, the site is down —Eds.], occupiers describe how sad they were about their lives, both present and future, until they found each other. If you were worried about “young people today” before, you will be terrified after you read about the emptiness, the bought-and-soldness, the futility, the lack of any place to be or person to be.

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By Yaira Robinson
From State of Formation

I was on a chartered bus with about 40 other people—Christians, Jews, Muslims, Unitarian Universalists, one Buddhist, and one Wiccan priest. We were united in being people of faith, in being mostly white and middle class, and in touring part of Newark, New Jersey as part of the Environmental Justice retreat of GreenFaith’s Fellowship Program.

I already knew that low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation; if there are toxic emissions or pollution to be found in a community, it’s most likely on the “other side of the tracks,” where poverty and the legacy of racism and discrimination combine to form communities that have little leverage in the fight against larger corporate interests. And so it is in the Ironbound, a historically immigrant community in Newark, so-named because it is bounded on three sides by railroad tracks—and on the fourth side, by Newark Airport.

Today, the Ironbound is home to more than 50,000 people, mostly Portuguese and Spanish speakers, a majority of them foreign-born. The community struggles with chronic poverty and unemployment, and residents’ average income is a meager $16,000 per year. Our tour guide, Dr. Ana Baptista of the Ironbound Community Corporation, pointed out the great irony of the situation: here we were, right next to the third largest seaport in the U.S., a port that brings goods from around the globe to the largest consumer market in the world… and local residents are left out, saddled instead with an excess of pollution—a good portion of it diesel exhaust from trucks transporting those goods, and bunker fuel exhaust from the ships in port.

We drove by the port and then made our way through the “Chemical Corridor,” a narrow strip of land lined with dozens of chemical manufacturing plants. There was a fat-rendering plant, some metal plants, a sewage treatment plant, one that made “natural flavors” (what is that, anyway?), and more. And then, in the midst of all this, the Essex County Correctional Facility. And a proposed immigration detention facility to be used to house families. I started to feel sick to my stomach.

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By Sai Kolluru
From State of Formation

“Know thyself.” -Aristotle

“Meditating on the lotus of your heart, in the center is the untainted; the exquisitely pure, clear, and sorrowless; the inconceivable; the unmanifest, of infinite form; blissful, tranquil, immortal; the womb of Brahma.” -Kaivalyopanishad

“Who am I? What is this body I am in? Where do my thoughts come from? What is the mind? Why do I feel something in my heart? What attracts me to things and creates emotions of like and dislike? What is the very essence of my existence?” -The Human Mind

A curious start. The search for the Self.

These are all the questions I have asked myself since I took my first plane ride from India to the United States at the age of eight. I was so astonished by the Boeing jet. My face was plastered to the windows as I saw constellation Orion from 30,000 feet. I was amazed by the tranquility of our Earth. Every night I looked through my telescope, my mind was in awe constantly asking, “How can this universe be so vast? So beautiful? So perfect in order? I mean, this Earth itself is unfathomably incredible in creation but the universe?”

Emotions would run through me and I would get goosebumps at the thought of the creation of the Universe. Reminiscing over the past twenty one years of my life: I grew up in a traditional, orthodox Brahmin Hindu family. When my family bought our first home, my mother made sure to refer to the “Vaastu Shastra”-an ancient Hindu doctrine that has an archaic view on how the laws of nature affect human dwellings. She would set down the compass as we entered our future home and say “Ha ha, it’s facing North-Northeast, this is a good front entrance for the house.” This showed me how holistic my mother’s approach to living was.

As for myself, I just looked at how big the house was and made sure that I had my own big room. As I grew up, my mother would teach me many rituals and ceremonies followed in the Hindu tradition. “After all, you are a Brahmin [a person of spiritual knowledge in a community],” she would insist.

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By Aparna Nair
from The Times of India

NAGPUR: Prasanna Kaimal stands precariously on her terrace, helping her brother hang up the lights for Diwali. People doing all kinds of stunts for Diwali decorations is not a new thing. What sets Prasanna apart is that her community does not traditionally celebrate Diwali. She belongs to the Malayalee community, which is one of the few Hindu communities that doesn’t celebrate Diwali.

However, today Diwali is a time when all thoughts of community or creed are kept aside and everybody is in a festive mood. Most cities have some representation of all communities, and everyone celebrates every festival. This confluence of culture results in more beautiful celebrations.

The Kaimals have been living in Maharashtra for more than four decades. Now, they celebrate Diwali with the same gusto and fervour as the local residents. Prasanna says, “I love making the rangolis and so do the kids. We make a rangoli every morning and evening on all five days of Diwali. It has become the biggest festival of the year for us too.”

Some members of the Parsee community celebrate the festival by lighting diyas. Ruby Karbhari, a resident of Tata Baug says, “We celebrate all five days of Diwali. We buy new things on Dhanteras, perform Laxmi Puja and so on.” She has also added some Parsee details to the Diwali rituals.

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Members of Midwest Buddhist Temple host neighboring communities on a tour of their facility.

Midwest Buddhist Temple

by Susan Schwendener

Chicago-area religious and spiritual communities are gathering this fall through May 2012 in eight downtown places of worship. The program is intended to foster a better understanding of each others’ traditions and to begin to build a larger sense of community.

“Sharing Sacred Spaces” is a project of the Sacred Space dimension of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions, a group focused on building harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities in order to create a more just, peaceful and sustainable world.

Suzanne Morgan, a retired architect with expertise in religious architecture, is the force behind this project. She believes that a space becomes sacred through the meaning it has for its community. Sharing that meaning can reduce social tension and cultural misunderstanding and build bridges of trust and hope.

The Sacred Spaces design team hopes participants will begin to build a greater sense of community together by listening, learning and cultivating friendships.

The first event was held October 2nd at the Midwest Buddhist Temple, 435 W. Menomonee, with over 100 participants attending.

“There was such a beautiful, peaceful energy at the Midwest Buddhist Temple, and I particularly remember gasps of astonishment from people sitting near me,” said Gale Kryzak of Fourth Presbyterian Church. “Our Buddhist brothers and sisters blended their Buddhist principles, respect for nature and their building’s design into an organically insightful experience. Visiting the Temple with diverse faith communities was bridge-building at its best.”

Other participants also noted that the afternoon was both an introduction to Buddhism and the beginnings of a sense of community.

“I had never been inside the Midwest Buddhist Temple before, so I was very excited about going,” said Peter Rubnitz of Chicago Sinai Congregation. “We first had a tour of the facility. We all then met up in the main sanctuary where Rev. Ron Miyamura welcomed us and gave us a history of the Temple and answered questions about Shin Buddhism. I knew very little about it going in and came away with a much clearer understanding about the basic precepts of the religion.

“After going outdoors and listening to a member speak about the Temple’s architecture, we reconvened in the lower level for refreshments and socializing,” Rubnitz said. “I’m looking forward to the next experience. The more we get together, the more comfortable we will get and the easier it will be to discuss issues of mutual importance.”

Lois Carlson, of 17th Church of Christ, Scientist, said that she was moved by the beautiful spirit of compassion and joy that Buddhists live. “There is a great respect for individuality, with individual values maintained in the afterlife. Buddhists are not concerned with the afterlife, but are more concerned about the spiritual life here.”

Dr. Mohammed Kaiseruddin,of the Downtown Islamic Center agreed. “The desire to do good and be caring is common among all faiths,” he said. “The openness to discuss and answer questions at the Midwest Buddhist Temple was one of the highlights of my visit. I have a lot more questions for me to understand their faith and practices.”

Seven similar events at Chicago places of worship will be held through May 12, 2012. For engaging information about each of the sacred spaces participating, go to the Sharing Sacred Spaces web page on the Council for a Parliament of World Religions website.

Sharing Sacred Spaces

Schedule: Chicago 2011-2012

October 2, 2011 Midwest Buddhist Temple 2-4 pm, 435 West Menomonee Street, Chicago, IL, 60614, midwestbuddhisttemple.org
October 23, 2011 Fourth Presbyterian Church 2-4 pm, 126 E. Chestnut Street, Chicago, 60611-2094, fourthchurch.org
November 6, 2011 Saint James Episcopal Cathedral 2-4 pm, 65 E. Huron Street, Chicago, 60611, saintjamescathedral.org
January 29, 2012 Chicago Sinai Congregation 1-3 pm,15 West Delaware Place, Chicago, 60610, chicagosinai.org
February 19, 2012 First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple 2-4 pm, 77 West Washington Street, Chicago, 60602, chicagotemple.org
March 18, 2012 Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago 2-4 pm, 55 East Wacker Drive Chicago, 60601, christiansciencechicago.org
April 22, 2012 Old St. Patrick’s Church 2-4p m, 700 West Adams St., Chicago, IL 60661, oldstpats.org
May 12, 2012 Downtown Islamic Center 1-3 pm, 231 S. State Street, Chicago, 60604, dic-chicago.org

Rabbi Michael Balinsky

by Rabbi Michael Balinsky
CPWR Trustee

“Do we have to pray together?”

I asked this to Dirk Ficca just before my first board meeting as a new trustee of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions. I was relieved with his response: Members of the CPWR do not pray together, in order to recognize the differences that exist between our traditions.

As an Orthodox rabbi, I am part of a tradition that has been wary of inter-religious dialogue. For some, the tension historically has been one of suspicion about the motives of those who sought dialogue—and the lurking question if it may simply be a subterfuge for proselytizing.

Perhaps as significantly, however, has been the concern that in the search for common ground, we might dilute the theological uniqueness of each of our individual communities. That we might ignore the specific ways a community views its sacred traditions and texts.

A recent blog I read, written by a rabbinic colleague, commented on the biblical verse “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) and pointed out the universal nature of this ethic, listing its application in a number of other religious traditions. While the point was well taken, it would probably come as a surprise to most that in the vast majority of Jewish sources, this is not a universal ethic, but one often understood by our sages to apply only within the Jewish community.

Now this is not to say that Jews (and the tradition they follow) only care about fellow Jews and not about others; obviously Jews do. But the imperative to engage others and the world emerges elsewhere in the tradition. For most classical Jewish thinkers, a “neighbor” is the one with whom I share a common religious language, practice, and destiny. What might at first seem common to all is really unique expression of a particularistic community.

My experience with the Parliament has been one in which multiple religious communities can gather together, explore the unique dimensions of each of its members’ traditions, and then seek ways to collaborate on the issues facing all of us as a global community. The Parliament does so by creating the space where open discussion can occur, where a living laboratory of religious people can ask questions and seek greater understanding—and then be called to action to help others.

As a member of the Jewish community, I experience and live my life in a covenental relationship with God that expresses itself through my fulfillment of commandments and God’s bestowal of those commandments for me to fulfill. I certainly seek to share the wisdom I get from my tradition. But I do not claim that these commandments are obligatory to those outside of my community.

It is to the credit of the Parliament that at the end of the day I am given room to seek out my own sacred space—and pray alone or with fellow members of my community, in fulfillment of the religious obligation I understand prayer to be for me as a Jew. But then I am also given room to join with others and work on sustaining the world, far beyond the bounds of my religious community alone.

Every five years, the world’s greatest interreligious event welcomes thousands of people to see the world through different eyes. People of different faiths come together to learn, grow and celebrate their diversity. They realize that despite their religious differences, they share a similar calling to build a more just, sustainable and peaceful world. Friendships are made. Wisdom is shared. Lessons are learned. Souls are touched.

Why wait another five years?

The Council of the Parliament of the World’s Religions is pleased to announce the creation of PeaceNext, our very own social network that will bring together the global interreligious community in dynamic and far-reaching ways.

Share a reflection.

Post a photograph.

Pass along a link.

Celebrate your community’s accomplishments.

Share your city’s interreligious concerns.

Find a friend you met at the Parliament on the other side of the globe.

Meet a new friend who lives on the other side of town.

PeaceNext is not the Parliament, but it’s the digital extension of the event. Friendships are made. Wisdom is shared. Lessons are learned. Souls are touched.

Not every five years, but every single day.