Tuesday, December 29, 2009

"Respect all religions and no preference ..."


New Thought News Service photographers Ariane Davis and Wes Yarborough photographed His Holiness the Dalai Lama from their front-row seats at the closing ceremony. At right, Joy Wandin Murphy, a senior Aboriginal woman of the Wurundjeri people, greets the Dalai Lama following chanting by the Gyuto monks. At lower right, the  
Dalai Lama takes in cellist Michael Fitzpatrick's solo, "Invocation for World Peace." At left, His Holiness reminds a rapt audience of the call to honor all spiritual paths. "All carry the same message, same sort of practices," he said. "We practice same sort of idea." Contradictions within and between the religious traditions, the Dalai Lama said, meet the needs of people with different dispositions. "It is necessary to have a variety of different religious traditions."
   

Thursday, December 10, 2009

The challenge to Parliament participants: "Pay more attention"

New Thought News Service


Climate change, discrimination, the protection of sacred places, cultures, languages, human remains and artifacts, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the doctrine of Christian discovery.
These were top concerns among leaders of the world's indigenous people, who gathered for a first-ever, day-long international indigenous assembly held as part of the Parliament activities this week.
Nearly two dozen of the leaders appeared on stage during the closing ceremony to present a statement regarding their role as traditional stewards of land and resources and to support action out of the Copenhagen climate change summit.

Issues facing indigenous people were a strong and consistent theme throughout Parliament talks and presentations this week. Aboriginal, Native American and other indigenous populations were represented in workshops, performances and the large ceremonies that took place each evening.
"They have gained energy" by coming together, Joy Murphy Wandin, a Wurundjeri elder, told attendees at the closing ceremony Wednesday afternoon.
Bob Randall, an Aboriginal elder taken from his parents during a period of Australia's heaviest discriminatory action against its indigenous population, advised attendees at the closing ceremony to practice right and environmentally sound living.
"You are walking the wrong way" otherwise, he said. "I'm asking you to reassess."
The note sounded by the indigenous leaders was echoed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
"If we are relying for some answer on material things ... you can't solve these problems," he said. "We are facing some moral crisis."
All of the spiritual traditions represented at the Parliament have answers for the world, he said, drawing laughs when he noted that his Christian friends consider him a good Christian while he thinks of them as good Buddhists.

And the issues raised by the indigenous leaders want attention, he said.
"Now, I have some small feeling you should take a more active role ... You should pay more attention after this meeting."
Here's the Parliament by the numbers drawn from the closing ceremony talks:

  • More than 16,000: years the Aboriginal people have lived in the area of what is now known as Melbourne
  • 2014: the year of the next Parliament; the location hasn't yet been determined
  • More than 1,500: number of presenters at the Parliament
  • 662: programs presented
  • 550: volunteers who staffed booths, answered questions and helped with workshops and programs
  • 248: nations represented among Melbourne's residents
  • 235: languages among the city's residents

"Let there be peace behind you, peace before you, peace all around you," Wandin said, blessing Parliament attendees at the close of the event. "May we walk in peace."


Samoan dancers take part in a workshop during the Parliament. New Thought News Service photos.

Living sacraments: a conversation with Lisa Ferraro and Erika Luckett

By Katie Dutcher
New Thought News Service


The minute Erika Luckett steps up to the microphone, you can tell that something magical is about to happen. 
She pauses for a moment, eyes closed, and you get the impression that she's listening for something. 
Then all of a sudden, the hands that have been frozen on the guitar come to life, and the music that pours forth has a spark and an energy to it that is absolutely unmistakable. A moment later, Erika's deep, rich alto voice is joined by Lisa Ferarro's almost ephemeral mezzo-soprano; the voices blend together so beautifully that at first you might not realize that a second voice has come in.
The sound they create is rich, textured, and complex, and more than any other duo I have ever heard, they sound and sing as one.
 Erika and Lisa have been writing and performing together for a little over three years. They met as solo artists in 2006, but it wasn't until the 2007 United Centers for Spiritual Gathering that they first created music together. The chant they sang together awakened something in both of them; they realized right away that "something was wanting to come through." 
As a duo, they are recognized for their presence, inspiring songs and musical renditions of the poetry of Rumi, sacred, powerful chants and songs that bring the words of one of Sufism's most beloved mystics to life. Below, their thoughts on their music and the human sacrament – which a talk with them reveals are two sides of the same coin.




On songwriting


(Songwriting) is about being open. When you're open, thoughts will come together in ways they normally wouldn't. For us, writing is a process of deep listening – listening with our entire body. Feeling what wisdom is trying to come through us. Ideas, they're not something that you create. They're already there, all around you, all the time – you just need to listen and pick up on them. When we write songs, we sometimes feel like we're walking into ideas … When we're open to what ideas are trying to emerge, whether it's the key, the beat, the rhythm, the lyrics, things just arrange themselves. Music has been our greatest teacher in the lesson of surrendering. To think that we are conjuring this music, that it's coming from us, is absurd – and the quick path to writer's block. The music comes through us. We're just vessels.


On the human sacrament


What we try to do with our music, and in our lives, is to be an awake citizen on the planet in the highest capacity we can. Just to embody living in a place of connection with everyone else. Transmitting that (sense of) connection is a human sacrament. We see our role as reminding everybody of that sacrament. The radio of God is on all the time. It's up to us to keep our connection to it clear … It's about being willing. That word, willing – it concerns the will. Where are we directing our will? We're always directing it somewhere, even if we're not aware of it. We're using our will in every moment. Where do we choose to direct our will?... We can be so asleep to our magnificence sometimes. We are the Creator. We are masterfully creating a work of art that is our life. We are reflections of the Divine – it's just about how much we step into that. It's our choice to imbue our lives with divinity, and become magnifiers of the divine.


On their music


Music (is something that) speaks to our heart and to both sides of our mind. With music, sometimes people can't handle it, because they feel something. Music can make you feel out of control. It opens you up in ways that other things can't … We try to keep subtlety in our music and work. We try not to tell you what we're doing. What we like to do is create the opportunity for (someone to have) an experience. We want to meet you where you are; we have no attachment to how (our music) is supposed to be experienced. Our highest intention is to create a space for someone to wake up to something … Music is the way God speaks to us most clearly. It's such a blessing to be here, to do this work with each other, and become co-creators with the Divine. It's such a blessing. We're so grateful.


Rastafari's ancient future, foretold by a believer



By Susana Wolds
New Thought News Service


Rastafari made an appearance on the world's stage this week.  
In the spotlight was Yasus Afari, the Rasta ambassador to the Melbourne Parliament. Emphasizing the individual's connection to all of creation and to Jah, the divine, in a workshop on the philosophy, Afari explained how the human family must usher in the future by honoring the past.
"Humanity is the temple of the most high," Afari said in discussing human spiritual identity. "We say 'I and I' to invoke our oneness with God as our true essence.
"This reminds us who we are," he said, pointing to the bundle of locks atop his head.  
Afari explained family as a sacred expression as well. 
"If we are the children of Jah, then Jah must have a wife."  Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, the representation of God for Rastafari believers, desired that the empress be recognized with the same pageantry as he was, Afari noted, which reminded Selassie's people that God is both masculine and feminine.
"Religions are fingers on the hand of the Almighty," Afari said. "Our spirituality is to be used as a tool for liberation and enlightenment."
Alluding to holy scripture, Afari said humanity will witness the Genesis of a new era when "international morality and the rule of conscience" cure the shared plagues of hunger, war, disease and ignorance.  
Rastafari envisions a future in which we blend the best of ancient traditions with the best of contemporary reality.
"Don't forget your roots," Afari advised his audience. "Don't lose your knowledge of the land, of food and of the herbs. We need this knowledge for the future." 

In the photo above, Afari gives his audience a moment to take it all in. "Let's take a breather," he says, and plays Bob Marley's "Exodus" as people relax and begin to move to the rhythm. Marley's music carries the vision of Rastafari: one human family marching towards an ancient future, a movement of the people. Photo by Susana Wolds.

A Jain's life of service, on display at the Parliament

By Olivia Ware
New Thought News Service



Jainism is a faith deeply rooted in nonviolence. Followers of the Jain faith take care in the simple act of breathing so as not to harm bacteria or the most miniscule insect. For Jain adherent Asha Mehendra Mehta, "healing the earth means nonviolence." Compassion is at the center of everything that is Jainism. 
Asha Mehta wants to show the world what Jainism is through good acts and the "art of enlightenment," and participated in the Parliament with that in mind. A collection of her paintings, embodying Jainist tenets, was on exhibition throughout the event. In addition to her art, Asha Mehta is immersed in numerous goodwill efforts, including a project that has supplied more than 25,000 disabled and hearing-impaired people with wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs, crutches, hearing machines and more for free. The group is funded by friends and corporations devoted to causes aligned with Jain principles. 
She is also involved with Food for Education, an organization that feeds children who attend school and helps those affected by disasters.
Why has Asha Mehta done all of this?
"Service to humanity is service to God," she explained simply.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Dalai Lama calls for action at Parliament's close


By Olivia Ware
New Thought News Service


Words are inadequate to describe experiencing His Holiness the Dalai Lama speak at the Parliament of the World's Religions. At age 16, I was in the front row for the closing ceremony, in the midst of dozens of flashing cameras!
The
Dalai Lama
charmed his audience from the moment he stepped on stage.
"Oh, living! Quite warm!" he said as Joy Wandin Murphy, a senior Aboriginal woman of the Wurundjeri people, presented him with an animal skin and a eucalyptus branch. His Holiness laughed and smiled broadly during the performances that followed, and went out of his way to thank the Aboriginal musicians and other artists that took part in the Wednesday afternoon culmination of the weeklong Parliament.
The Dalai Lama commended the work that was done at the Parliament, but reminded us that action is necessary as participants return home. He smiled while saying that sometimes big gatherings can simply be social events, and it is what takes place afterward that truly makes a difference. 
If nothing is done in the next five years, the Dalai Lama said, the 2009 Parliament may be regarded as a "sleepy" group by the world.
Parliament organizers took the occasion of the closing ceremony to publicize a new way for attendees to stay connected until the 2014 gathering. A new social network called PeaceNext.org will let people keep in contact, share ideas and expand Parliament-related activities.


Photos, at top, Parliament delegates sign a banner meant for the Copenhagen climate change summit, and above, attendees share an embrace as the last day comes to a close. Photos by Ariane Davis and Wes Yarborough. Wes Yarborough contributed to this report.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

New Thought youths' optimism on tap, on tape for PBS documentary

New Thought News Service


How do New Thought youths view spiritual tradition and its role in the world?
Millions may have the chance to get a sense of that when a PBS documentary about the Parliament airs, likely in late 2010.
Kell Kearns and Cynthia Lukas of Heaven on Earth Creations from New Mexico taped New Thought News Service team members Joe Murray, Katie Dutcher, Bree Alten, Wes Yarborough and Susana Wolds Tuesday as they took part in a free-form discussion with Jewish youth Benji Holzman and Baha’i youth Gulriz Locina.
Kearns and Lukas, who have been filming participants daily throughout the Parliament, may include the youths’ talk in the Parliament-approved program.
“We ended up talking about how we feel about where society is going,” said Joe Murray, a member of the Hilltop Center for Spiritual Living in Fallbrook, Calif. “We generally agreed that there is a shift that is taking place toward a more socially, environmentally, spiritually conscious community.”
Alten, a member of the Lakeside Community Church in Reno, Nev., flew in from Nepal, where she traveled and volunteered to work in an orphanage for a month, to take part in the Parliament.
The back-to-back experiences have been overwhelming, and have given her a unique vantage point from which to view the spiritual relationships among the world’s faith traditions.
“I was so, not shocked, but impressed with us,” she said of the New Thought youths’ participation in the taped talk. “We knew exactly what to say and it flowed unbelievably well. We’re so on it. It was so professional-sounding.”
Alten credited the group’s shared background in a tradition that values learning and youth participation for the success of the discussion.
“It’s how we were raised,” she said. “When you have a deep practice and a community that supports youth, it’s what happens. I was just really proud of us.”
Participants agreed that the talk reflected youths’ sense that there is positive change afoot.
“There was a definitely positive tone to our conversation,” Murray said. “We’re all very optimistic.
“And we realize that we are the next evolution of society. We are the next leaders. We are the people who will inherit the roles of leadership.”

Above left, producers Cynthia Lukas and Kell Kearns explain the PBS documentary project. Above from left, Bree Alten, Wes Yarborough, Gulriz Locina, Joe Murray, Katie Dutcher, Benji Holzman and Susana Wolds prepare for filming. Photos by Ariane Davis.

New Thought finding its voice in the global family


New Thought News Service


The “10 families” of New Thought traveled to Melbourne as a delegation. 
On Wednesday, as Parliament attendees rushed between meeting rooms to last workshops, films and lectures, New Thought participants expressed the idea that not only are they leaving as one family, but that they feel like increasingly visible members of a global family of faith.
“I really feel like the New Thought communities were extremely unified, extremely connected,” said Rev. Dr. Michelle Medrano, Core Council chairperson for the United Centers for Spiritual Living and spiritual director of the New Vision Spiritual Growth Center in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Medrano was one of the handful of New Thought representatives who attended the first “modern” Parliament, held in 1993 in Chicago. From that half-dozen or so people, the New Thought delegation grew this year to about 250, including roughly a dozen program presenters.
“It says not only that New Thought is more interested in the Parliament, but that the Parliament is more interested in  New Thought,” Medrano said.
It was the first Parliament for Joe Murray, Youth Community Leader for the United Centers for Spiritual Living and a member of the Hilltop Center for Spiritual Living in Fallbrook, Calif. It was a first for Murray in other ways as well.
“This is the first time I’ve seen my faith, my philosophical background, co-mingling on such a big scale with other faith communities,” he said. “I’ve had an opportunity to see so many different people from all over the world representing all different religions and in many ways, it feels like a New Thought gathering.”
If it felt like a New Thought gathering, it may be because so many of the spiritual threads that run through New Thought stem from many of the traditions represented in Melbourne.
“It’s funny how I kept thinking in these workshops, ‘I’m a Hindu, I’m a Sikh, I’m a Muslim,’” Medrano said. “There’s more that unites us than separates us.
“This is a model for how the world could be.”
Murray and other delegates have been struck by the environment of interest and warm regard created and sustained throughout the weeklong event. 
“The undercurrent of interaction, love and friendliness that I feel at a New Thought gathering, I feel here,” Murray said. “I share a smile with everyone that passes, and I feel that mutual respect and acceptance, even if I don’t interact with that person for more than 10 seconds.”
New Thought leaders have hoped to take the opportunity of the Parliament to raise the movement’s profile. On Wednesday, several delegates expressed satisfaction that the aim had been achieved. And it was the small, spontaneous chats that often made the strongest impressions.
“In terms of the (Friday New Thought) presentation, I expected people to have more curiosity,” Medrano said. “But then I reflected back on how often I’d had talks with people.Often that’s the importance of conferences, one on one.”
“I’ve been more inclined to stay out of the sessions and absorb the experiences between sessions, in passing,” Murray said. “It’s these interpersonal interactions that have been most rewarding for me, as well as being able to explore Melbourne.”
Murray expressed the view of many in summing up the week.
"I'm grateful for this opportunity. I really am."



At left, Rev. Dr. Kathy Hearn, community spiritual leader of the United Centers for Spiritual Living, Frank zumMallen, president of the Affiliated New Thought Network, and Rev. Dr. Kenn Gordon, president of the International Centers for Spiritual Living talk about New Thought's presence at the Parliament. Above, Rev. Keith Cox of ICSL, Katie Dutcher of the New Thought News Service and Rev. Jacqueline Triche Atkins, executive minister of the Power Circle Congregation in Chicago. Photos by Ariane Davis.

Here's what interfaith dialogue looks like



Parliament delegates and workshop 
presenters have come from all over the
world to meet with others of their own
faith traditions and to learn about
other philosophies and beliefs. Here, 
a glimpse of some of the ways 
those conversations have taken 
form as the Parliament has
proceeded. Photos by Wes
Yarborough.





Monday, December 7, 2009

"Eating for the YouTube generation" cooks up an alternative

By Bree Alten
New Thought News Service


Consume the facts, and meat becomes pretty unpalatable.
Fact: 17 percent of greenhouse gases are created by livestock; all the vehicles in the world only produce 13 percent of the greenhouse gases.
Fact: 75 percent of all antibiotics produced in the United States are consumed by the animals we eat.
These were among the distasteful tidbits offered up as part of "Compassionate Eating for the YouTube Generation," a talk that made a compelling argument for a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle.
Heng Sure, the Buddhist monk leading the lecture, sparked a powerful reaction among participants and gave 12 arguments for a vegetarian lifestyle, including ethical, health and environmental concerns.
"How much is enough?" was the first question he posed. Sure went on to talk about the emotional, social, political and cultural reasons that people don't want to look at their diets, and why they resist change.
"No one wants to say mom was wrong," he said. "But mom might not have had all the facts."
Given the facts, the question was obvious.
"What should we do about this?" one audience member asked.
Education was Heng's answer. He urged audience members to educate themselves. Among his recommendations: Jonathan Foer's "Eating Animals," Rip Esselstyn's "The Engine 2 Diet," John Robbins' "May All be Fed" and
vegsource.com.
Along with education, Sure provided inspiration, in the form of song lyrics: "May all be fed, may all things flourish, may all awaken. Bodhi Svaha."

Life in the newsroom



At right, reporter Olivia Ware 
interviews Tibetan monk 
Khentrul Rinpoche. Middle,
the staff gets organized at 
a morning news meeting. 
At bottom, the news crew 
hustles to meet deadline. 



Agape sounds a sacred note at Parliament concert


By Alexis Yancey Jaami



New Thought News Service


Wow! I sang on stage with the Agape International Choir! Twice!

Actually, it was 20 members of the choir led by Rickie Byars Beckwith, who invited New Thought delegates to be part of the group for the Parliament’s Sacred Music Concert on Sunday.
The program also featured the Tibetan Gyuto monks, Muslim singer-songwriter Zain Bhikha and a whirling prayer delivered by the Naqsbandi Sufi Order of “whirling dervishes.”
About 50 of us, including members of the news team, sang “Use Me,” “We Let the Love Wash Over Us,” “I Release and I Let Go” and other New Thought songs. What an experience, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Before the performance, we rehearsed, each singing our part, soprano, alto, tenor and bass. For the show we dressed gloriously, a rainbow of glowing hues. And at the conclusion of the music, we applauded ourselves as the audience applauded us.
Madalyn Wade, a staff minister with the Sierra Center for Spiritual Living in Nevada City, Calif., was another New Thought delegate who volunteered to take part in the Agape performance.
"It was a little scary and a little bit intimidating, but the rush of being onstage was incredible," she said. "And the choir members were so supportive."
It was an amazing experience, to stand on a stage in front of thousands of people and to see them rise to their feet to clap and sing along. It was their gift to us in response to our gift to them, proof of the law of circulation. New Thought rocks the house. And so it is!

A few of our favorite things ...

New Thought News Service


Random acts of kindness. Spontaneous sharing, of ideas, food and cultural treasures. Prayers, smiles and blessings.
Members of our news team have experienced all of this and more during the past week at the Parliament of the World's Religions.
Here are a few of the elements we've most enjoyed about taking part:





Reporter Katie Dutcher receives a blessing
and mantra from a Hindu holy woman.
  • Hearing Jeremy Donovan and others play the didgeridoo.
  • Seeing the dozens of colorful and varied traditional dress styles worn by delegates.
  • Taking part in the many daily kindnesses and graces displayed by participants.
  • Sitting in on brilliant musical performances.
  • Snacking on Tim Tams!
  • Experiencing all of the openness and willingness to learn about others' perspectives.
  • Getting a chance to meet royalty.             
  • Eating a wide variety of world cuisines.
  • Learning about a range of diverse cultures.
  • Connecting closely with each other.
  • People-watching.
  • Coming to Australia!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Scientology 101

New Thought News Service

Mention Scientology and just see how long it takes for someone to chime in with references to well-funded cults, aliens and the mother ship and celebrities jumping on couches.
At the Parliament of World Religions this week, Scientology got equal time.
Rev. Bob Adams, vice president of the Church of Scientology International, discussed the 55-year-old tradition, which is a presence in 165 countries and operates a publishing house. Scientology also maintains several offshoot foundations that work toward a drug-free world, support a prison ministry and run educational programs that help challenged students learn.
Adams described a practical metaphysics based on the idea that each person has a primary urge to survive and will do so at the highest level he or she is capable of. Scientology rates eight levels of functioning, which range from being concerned solely with one's personal survival all the way up to the survival of consciousness as a whole.
Although people often function from the level of reactive mind, which might also be described as ego, they are actually spritual beings with much higher capabilities and levels of experience available, he told his audience. In Scientology, the ideal, or spiritual self, is the "thetan," derived from the Greek letter, theta.
L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology and the theory of dianetics in the 1950s, authored many of the textbooks used by Scientologists. Best known as a writer of science fiction, he was also an engineer, with an engineer's pragmatic outlook, Adams noted.
Adams was not at the Parliament to address Scientology's public relations questions. Instead, with humor and a definite sense of pride, he discussed a worldwide religious movement that has positioned itself as "an applied religious philosophy which offers an exact route through which anyone can regain the truth and simplicity of his spiritual self."

Religions enhance African spiritual traditions

By Alexis Yancey Jaami
New Thought News Service



The King of Benin represents the African traditional religion of Vodun (Voodoo) on Interfaith Action for Peace in Africa.

Curious about the dominance of outside religions in Africa, I went to the seminar, "Interfaith and the Future of Africa," and found only one traditional African religion represented.
That prompted me to ask the panelists how they felt about outside religions being more prominent than traditional religions in Africa. Their answers were intriguing:

Ishamael Noko, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation: "Athough we changed religions, we didn't change our culture, our relationship with spirit, nature. It's all part of the rich synergy of culture in Africa."

Lally Warren, Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'i in Botswana: "The Christianity I gained complements what I had before. I was raised in my African spiritual traditions and when I learned my new faith, I feel it added to the spiritual tradition I already had."

Margaret Lokawu, United Nations Forum on Indigenous Issues: "Africans still have strong ties to their African religions even though they may have Christian faith. Colonists thought our traditions were satanic, but they give us connection with our spirituality through Mother Earth."
   
Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi, General Secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches: "We build churches around the shrines of our old religions. You see our spiritual traditions at weddings, funerals, etc. We are Christians but in African clothing."

King Daagbo Hounon Houna II of Benin, of the Vodun or voodoo tradition: "We had to work hard and not lose faith to get our tradition recognized. Our National Day of Vodun is celebrated January 10. You don't have to be scared of this religion or Africa."

The panel members are part of Interfaith Action for Peace in Africa, established in 2002 as the result of an idea generated at the 1999 Parliament in South Africa.
Seven faith traditions are represented: Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Baha'i and the African traditional religion. The organization has helped to open churches, mosques and temples to other faiths, a first in Africa where most people have never been to other places of worship. The group is determined to bring peace to Africa.
"Our land has been troubled," Noko said. "Today we have to find again this peace.  We are born of the same sacred ancestors.  Why do we have to be separated?  We need to be together."
The organization's interfaith activities include communal prayer; the prayers come from all of the religions. And IFAPA has succeeded in preventing some discrimination; no religious tradition currently is banned from gathering in Africa.
IFAPA leaders are determined to reach ambitious goals.
"Africa is not going to be a launching pad for conflict," Noko said. "We're against using scriptures for enemy actions."
For their groundbreaking interfaith work in Africa, the Parliament honored IFAPA with the 2009 Paul Carus Award. The award is named for Dr. Paul Carus, a scholar, writer and publisher in the fields of religion, philosophy and science who was a key figure in the introduction of Buddhism to the West and a prominent organizer of the first Parliament of the World’s Religions in 1893 in Chicago.

Monks practice the presence in every sense


By Joe Murray
New Thought News Service


The Gyuto monks of Tibet are a multi-sensory experience. 
They are world-renowned for their unearthly, deep-voiced chanting, their creation of large, intricate sand mandalas and their mastery of Tantric ritual traditions.
As amazing as these practices may be, they are peripheral to the most engaging aspect of their character: their presence.
It is the monks' sense of kindness, compassion and unconditional love that permeates the Gyuto House of Australia. For Maureen Fallon, Gyuto House director, that feeling gives people the desire to want "to be around them all day."
Frog-like, entrancing and unbelievably deep, their chants blend complex harmonies; during their appearance at the Parliament, four monks in deep red robes sat cross-legged on a raised dais, chanting for 20 minutes.
The monks in Melbourne, who are visiting various venues across Australia from the Sydney Opera House to primary schools, are part of the Dalai Lama's community of Gyuto monks in exile from Tibet, and are the latest to be chosen from the monastery in Dharamsala, India, to tour Australia.
They are masters of Tantric ritual and are specifically sought-after for those skills. The personal secretary to the Dalai Lama expresses relief when the monks are present, knowing that the proper rituals, prayers and decorations will be performed.
Based in Dharamsala at the Gyuto Tantric University, the monks have been touring through Australia annually for the past 15 years. They travel to raise money, and have built a new monastery, a school, and a clinic in India with the revenue they've generated; they've also provided for solar power, refrigeration, and health services. 
The depth of their kindness is immediately apparent, and yet there is uncertainty when it comes to protocol. That's where Sonam the translator comes in.
Sonam Rigzin is the translator for the traveling group and is himself a former monk. Educated in India, Rigzin later moved to Australia, where he has lived for more than 15 years. He first encountered the Gyuto monks when his younger brother joined the community. They needed a translator, and he was uniquely suited to the job. Beyond translating, Sonam's job is to defuse the apprehension of first-time visitors and to serve as a bridge across cultures; having been born on the Tibetan-Indian border road in 1962, that seems always to have been his role. Regarding the Chinese-Tibetan situation, Sonam grew somber.                                      "China is Tibet's adversary," he said. "We are very clear that it is a fight." Yet the philosophy is to "fight with love and compassion. It is a fight of peace, love and justice." The approach of the monks is "to be themselves, practicing their religion." And so they do, throughout Australia, day in and day out.

Photographs by Ariane Davis. For more, see our "Photos from the Parliament" link in the left column.

Listening to the land

By Alexis Yancey Jaami
New Thought News Service





A Parliament participant thanks Miriam-Rose 
Ungunmerr-Baumann after her talk.


"We still wait for the white man to understand our ways. We certainly spent a lot of time learning theirs," said Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann, quietly but firmly, in discussing injustices experienced by her people, the Aboriginals of Australia.
Ungunmarr-Baumann's people find strength in Dadirri meditation; her face shows that the strength sustaining the community is alive and well.
"I was born under a tree ... and that place has very special meaning for me. We have not lost our spirit of Dadirri. It's the way we strengthen ourselves."
During a Sunday workshop at the Parliament, Ungunmerr-Baumann demonstrated the practice, which involves listening deeply to the land and connecting to the Earth, which the Aborigines consider their mother.
"There are deep springs within each of us," she explained. "These springs are the Spirit of God, the sound of deep calling to deep. This is the sound of Jesus. Faith is in the feet. We have connection to the land. If you visit my community, we mostly sit on the ground and that's our connection."
The workshop, "Maori Custom Law and Listening to the Land – Australian Aboriginal Meditation," also featured Merekaraka Caesar, a Wahine Moria of Queensland, who echoed Ungunmerr-Baumann's observations. 
"I am sitting here with my shoes removed. That's my connection to Mother Earth," Caesar said.
She told attendees about Tikanga, or Maori custom law. Handed down from her Tipuna, or ancestors, the law is a practical, vibrant, living part of Maori culture.
"Tikanga is from our God and our ancestors and gives spiritual guidelines from the beginning of time when we stood as eternal brothers and sisters," Caesar said.
It has only been 10 years, she said, that the government has allowed her native language to be taught in schools. 
"In six months, the government will give back to us land we tended for Mother Earth and they are only charging us 2 percent," she said. "Some of my people are angry about that, but I say be grateful it's only 2 percent."
A gay man from Los Angeles asked Ungunmerr-Baumann what he could do to stand up for himself when facing discrimination in America.  
"The first thing is finding out about yourself," she advised. "Find out who you are. I feel confident in who I am and where I come from. I just keep walking."
"Unite with those who think the same and then build up the numbers of those who think the same," Caesar said. "This is the right season in the world for change. It's the people's turn.  Put up your hand if you agree with me."  
The visibly moved participants raised their hands.





Maori Merekaraka Caesar meets 
with workshop attendees.

Youths plant roots of service, community

By Olivia Ware
New Thought News Service




When presented with the opportunity to plant trees at the Quang Minh Temple in Melbourne, young people attending the Parliament jumped at the chance. 
Who wouldn't want to provide a service to a temple community, get some fresh air and have an enlightening educational experience, all at the same time?
The volunteers, one of several groups of youths who signed up to work at different community service projects Sunday, dressed in work attire and boarded a bus. Upon arriving at the monastery, we were greeted, offered hats and gloves and given a tour of the grounds.
Along with the breathtaking view, including an immense statue of Buddha looking down over a green valley that dips into a river, the environmental orientation of the temple community was awe-inspiring. The monks have been deeply involved in a 10-year upkeep project. Using soil reclaimed from a municipal construction project, they have planted native vegetation on one slope and transformed an area into a garden. They regularly plant trees to contribute to the health of the land.
The planting and land projects, however, are only a few of the environmental efforts made by the community. The temple has a worm farm that transforms waste from the kitchen into compost for the garden. Worms feed on the waste, transforming it into fertilizer. When a certain level in the worm tank is reached, the fertilizer is released into the garden. The worm farm reduces the volume of waste produced from 3 cubic tons to 1 cubic ton, and helps to reduce the monastery's garbage collection and water expenses.
Once we'd planted the trees, the monks treated us to a vegetarian meal of sushi, soup, spring rolls and fresh fruit. We left the Quang Minh Temple filled in many ways, knowing that a piece of each of us will take root and grow on the grounds of the monastery in the form of trees.







At left, New Thought News Service reporter Olivia Ware and photographer Ariane Davis prepare a tree for planting. At right, the volunteer crew works on a slope in an industrial part of Melbourne. Photos by Wes Yarborough.

Update on the hijab debate

By Alexis Yancey Jaami
New Thought News Service

"What's a mother to do? A mother in the U.S. should not have to have a stranger disrespect her daughter because she loves her faith and wears a head scarf. Or have strangers tell her, 'Your God is not our God. Go back to your country.'"
Powerful testimony at a Sunday Parliament workshop from Janaam Hashim, a Chicago attorney who runs a criminal defense and civil rights law firm with five other Muslim women lawyers. Amal Law Group is the first of its kind in the U.S.


                               Attorney Janaam Hashim explains how U.S. 
                               laws protect religious freedom such as women 
                               who wear hijab.

Hashim says that since 9/11, the U.S. Department of Justice has successfully prosecuted 42 cases of religious profiling against Muslims, Sikhs and Arabs.
The First and 14th Amendments protect religious freedom in the United States, as does the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Hashim noted that some states once banned religious garb in public schools, not due to hijab, but because some did not want nuns wearing habits to enter public schools.
"The number one reason I love my country is because I can practice my faith the way I want to," Hashim said.


                               Hijab isn't always black. More and more 
                               Muslim women are wearing bright headscarves.

"Dialogue is the key to moving forward against Islamophobic issues," Musheed Ansari of Australia emphasized in the workshop, titled, "The Headscarf Debates: Religious Dress and Secular Fundamentalism."
Ansari told how an Australian woman expected to be spit on when she wore the hijab, but found the opposite was true, and regretted she thought her people would not respect her.
Australia has made progress on the issue; Ansari showed pictures of a group of Muslim female lifeguards who wear covering from head to toe and of Muslim women wearing the Australian flag as hijab.