New Thought News Service

"Respect all religions and no preference ..."

2009-12-29T10:04:00.000-08:00

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."

The challenge to Parliament participants: "Pay more attention"

2009-12-10T14:37:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-10T13:31:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-10T12:53:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-10T12:32:00.000-08:00

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.

Dalai Lama calls for action at Parliament's close

2009-12-09T03:27:00.000-08:00

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.

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

2009-12-08T18:11:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-08T17:52:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-08T13:49:00.000-08:00

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.

"Eating for the YouTube generation" cooks up an alternative

2009-12-07T22:31:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-07T18:33:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-07T18:04:00.000-08:00

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 ...

2009-12-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

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!

Scientology 101

2009-12-06T20:46:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-06T20:19:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-06T17:28:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-06T16:30:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-06T00:51:00.000-08:00

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.

Divine Entertainment: Le Carnaval Spirituel

2009-12-05T19:41:00.000-08:00

Photo essay by Susana Wolds

Reflecting the ancient wisdom practices of Indian Vedic culture, dozens of performers shared their gifts with Parliament delegates yesterday at Le Carnaval Spirituel. Dancers, musicians, yogis and masters of martial arts contributed to a devotional offering of sight and sound. Each element of the kaleidoscopic presentation was meant to lift the consciousness of the audience. "This is an offering of love to everyone," Krishna devotee Vraja Krishna Das said. "And to God, of course."

For more images from the Carnaval performances, click on our "Photos from the Parliament" link in the left column of this page.

The only way to God?

2009-12-05T19:20:00.000-08:00

By Bree Alten

New Thought News Service

In the cool of the Melbourne morning, as thousands of Parliament participants rush off to morning devotions and meditations, a different point of view is on display outside the convention center's glass wall.

Dr. Dallas Clarnette and Peter Stokes are two of the handful of Christians inspired to voice their opinions through large bold banners, one of which reads, "Don't trust religions, Trust Jesus Christ only."

Stokes is troubled by the interfaith dialogue aspect of the Parliament.

"The interfaith movements are dummying down all religions into one, when Jesus Christ is the only way to God," he said.

He believes the Parliament is a pretense for salesmanship.
"People keep saying they're coming together for peace and unity, but let's get real here," Stokes said. This is the perfect place to solicit your religion."
Clarnette's view is that there are many false gods, and that participants in the Parliament are calling Jesus a liar. Jesus, he contends, is the only true way to God; Parliament delegates often are entertaining other ideas.
"Jesus plainly said, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by Me," Clarnette said. "We're not trying to beat people over the head here, but it is our duty to introduce Jesus to the world. We must earn our salvation."
A brochure produced by the group explains their concerns with the approach taken by the Parliament (PWR) as they see it:

The PWR reduces all religions to the same level, but Christianity says Jesus is Lord of All.
The PWR says all religions share in the truth, while Christianity says it is the truth.
The PWR is polytheistic, which means it believes there are many gods. Christianity says there is only one God, the Creator of all things. Jews, Muslims and Christians all believe in only one God, however Jews do not believe Jesus is their Messiah and Muslims do not believe Jesus is God.
The PWR denies Jesus is either Messiah or God.

This perspective seemed of little relevance to Christians gathered inside. Delegate Catherine Roberts voiced her opinion above the happy din gathered for an interfaith youth dialogue.
"I'm keen to come learn, meet, expand, and share," she said. "We have to, don't we?"

Grains at a time, a work of art

2009-12-05T14:49:00.000-08:00

Gyuto monks from Tibet work on a sand

mandala this weekend at the Parliament.

The five-day project started Saturday.

For a video clip of the monks' work and chanting, go to the "Videos from the
Parliament" link in the column to the left
and look for the video near the bottom.

For popular singer, creativity's the ticket up and out

2009-12-05T14:32:00.000-08:00

By Roya Camp
New Thought News Service

Self-expression was Zain Bhikha's way out of apartheid South Africa and into a life of music. He spent the weekend at the Parliament, talking about how important it is for young people to tap their creativity – and modeling the results of his own lifelong experiment in just how far personal creativity can reach.
Bhikha was 19 when a childhood friend was shot and killed. And while he'd always had a passion for singing, he hadn't tapped into music as a vehicle through which to explore emotions and feelings.
He'd never had musical training but decided to enter a song competition. He won, and went on to record a first album, of Islamic songs.
That album caught the attention of Yusuf Islam, known more commonly to the non-Muslim world as Cat Stevens. Bhikha has since recorded other albums, and travels widely to perform his Islamic pop and nasheed music.
In his weekend Parliament youth workshop, "The Art of Creative Expression," Bhikha spoke about the importance of letting young people have the latitude to do the sort of exploring he'd done.
"They're so afraid of being judged. Unfortunately, we judge our young people all too quickly," he said.
His advice for youths?
• Take a chance.
• Have passion and belief.
• Respect all people.
Bhikha chose to channel complex feelings about apartheid and the death of his friend in constructive, creative ways. This weekend, he said, and showed, that response is an individual decision.
"Sink or swim? Become bitter or better?" Those, for him, are the questions. It's up to us to know the answers.
"You decide," he said. "Don't blame anyone else for who you are."

Being a door: a conversation with Jeremy Donovan

2009-12-04T19:04:00.000-08:00

By Katie Dutcher

New Thought News Service

Jeremy Donovan is an indigenous Australian who bears many titles: didgeridoo player, international speaker, traditional healer, youth worker.

His business card, however, reads simply "Jeremy Donovan – Keeper of Wisdom."

New Thought delegates at the Parliament this week were treated to a special visit by Donovan; following are excerpts of an interview I conducted with this inspired and inspiring man.

On his grandfather

I met my grandfather when I was 16, and he died when I was 22. I only had six years with him. And people ask me, "How could you have learned everything you learned from him (in such a short time)?" And I say, you know what, I learned more from my grandfather when he passed away than in the six years I sat with him. Because now I feel him, and I smell him, and I recognize him everywhere I go …

No matter where I am, even if I'm sitting in the desert by myself, I'm not alone. Because this is a living place. The spirit of the people is still living. I want people to realize that we can still learn from our ancestors' hearts, even though they're not here to teach us. The spirit of them is still there. And you just have to go internally to find that spirit ...

Knowing the history and knowing what my grandfather was forced to live through (as an indigenous Australian) inspired me. (I realized) that I'm indigenous in this day and age. So I have the opportunity for a voice, where my grandfather didn't. If I've been given that opportunity, I need to use it to create change, so our next generation doesn't have to live through what my grandfather's generation lived through.

On his past

In the presentations that I have, I (always) talk about the troubles that I went through. I don't pretend that I wasn't involved in criminal activity at one time. I'll never hide that. I'll always let people know that … Because if I hadn't gone to jail, I wouldn't be the person that I am today. And it's because sitting in jail taught me to sit in darkness. If you've never seen light before, how do you know what it looks like? The only way to understand what light looks like is to sit in darkness ... My grandfather, being a traditional person, never talked about light, but he talked about the moon, because that's the brightest thing you can see in the midst of the night. He would say to me, "Son, if you can sit in this (dark) room and still find the moon, then you'll find yourself." ... (It became) about embracing the shadows. Embracing everything that was painful in my life, and really loving it. Learning to love everything that hurt you the most. And then being good with it, and accepting that that is not who you are. The pain you've experienced, it's not who you are. But it's part of your journey – your book.

My grandfather used to say "Son, you're a book. And if you don't like a chapter, you can't just tear it out. That's all you. That's always going to be there – otherwise there would be a broken binding."

On shoes and the land

I can't wear shoes. I don't like wearing shoes. When I have to do that, I'm uncomfortable. For me, these flip flops, that's the closest you're going to get me to shoes without me being uncomfortable, and even then I'll usually be carrying them ...I like to be able to feel the land I'm walking on – even if it is blanketed by concrete, it's still land. Beneath this, is land. And that's what I want to feel …

When I go to a new location, the first thing I do is often just walk around and touch everything that's living. So I'll touch the trees, or sit on the grass. Because that's stuff that is deeply connected to the earth, and that's what I'm connected to.

I really know that I will never have ownership of land, that the land will always have ownership of me, and that I'm just part of it. In the great cycle of things, the physicalness of me will eventually end up back in the land. When I die, it's not like I'm just going to spontaneously combust. Eventually, there's going to come a time when I die, and then I will turn to ashes, and my ashes will go back into the land.

On God

You know, I wasn't good with the word "God," because it was too Biblical for me … So I asked my granddad, "What is God?" And my grandfather said, "I'll have to show you what God is." So one night, late at night, my grandfather woke me up and he said, "I'm going to take you and show you God." And so my grandfather walked me, in the midst of the darkness, to the top of a cliff. And we stood there, and the sky was littered with stars, and the wind was blowing, and there was so much noise from different things, and my grandfather said, "Look out there." And I looked. And he said, "That's it." And I said, "What?" And he said, "This is God. What is God? God is everything. That's (Yurra Binna) – Our Creator"…

Our traditional wisdom, it's so true to everything that's ever been argued about in biblical religions, or even in the New Thought religions. Yesterday, I was listening to the "founders of New Thought" speak, and I thought ... "Wait a minute! We're the founders of New Thought! Our paintings are 40,000 years old!"

On his identity and message

What I really want to do is change the perceptions of people (about indigenous Australians). I don't have to look like what the stereotype says I'm supposed to look like to hold that (indigenous) wisdom, that message. I don't have to wear a little loincloth and be covered in paint to still be aboriginal. When I wear a Ralph Lauren shirt, and a bright pink one at that, it doesn't make me not aboriginal … The clothes, the paint, that's not what creates my identity. It's what's within, and the words that I have to share. That's when you'll really get to understand my identity – when you feel my words or you listen to the words that I have to share …

For me, (my work) is about getting people to see indigenous culture in a way that's not fairy-tale-based or mystical-based, just as a real culture. It's living – it's always going to be living. Even if we come to the sad place where there's not a single indigenous person left in this country, it's still here and it's still living. And that's what I want people to see …

When people hear me speak, they hear an indigenous man speak about indigenous life and how he resurrected his life with culture. And they see someone that's full of pride. Nothing makes me more proud than performing or speaking or sharing my story with people. Because I know where I've come from. There's never a moment in my life when I paint my body, or stand up onstage in regular clothes and speak, that I'm not drawn to tears …

My grandfather used to say, "Son, you are a door. It is up to the people to choose to walk through that door." We have no idea the effect we have on people. All we can do is just become that door. You can't force people to walk through your door … not everyone is going to want to come through it. But you can be that door. And if people want to knock on it and come through, they're the ones that you can touch. You just have to be present and allow people the opportunity – to just ensure that the door is there.

Krishnas share their enviro-ethic

2009-12-04T17:58:00.000-08:00

By Wes Yarborough

New Thought News Service

When the typical American thinks of the Hare Krishna movement, they likely think of bald men and women in robes, chanting in airports and handing out trinkets.

Not many people appear to understand the depth of the faith and its connection to the environment. The Krishna philosophy is one of the more environmentally connected religious practices that I've come across so far at the Parliament.

"Many people think that humans are the center of God's focus, but in reality we are just one unit of his infinite creation," His Holiness Dr. Yaduandana Swami explained during a Friday morning workshop on the faith.

He discussed how the basis of the Krishna doctrine, the Bhagavad Gita and the Srimad Bhagavataman, explain the essence of God in nature. The belief is that unless the focus is on God, humans won't have the integrity to uphold, sustain and properly nurture the divine and our planet.

The Krishnas believe the world is tarnished because of something they call "consciousness pollution," caused by being out of touch with one's God-consciousness. Being in touch with the God-consciousness within is the way to reverse that pollution, they feel.

And for the Krishnas, eating patterns are one way to be in touch.

The meat industry contributes a vast majority of the world's pollution for a vast number of reasons, they believe. The Krishnas' spiritual connection to all living things is one reason they promote a vegetarian lifestyle.

The Krishnas' way of thinking mirrors and parallels New Thought principles, and may merit renewed consideration as people worldwide focus on the Earth we walk, run, eat, sleep, pray and love on.

New Thought leaders share "a religion of healthy mindedness"

2009-12-04T16:21:00.000-08:00

By Alexis Yancey Jaami
New Thought News Service

New Thought sent a clear message in Melbourne about how intention and inclusion can change the world.

"There are two key New Thought teachings," Dr. Kenn Gordon, president of Religious Science International, told a receptive Friday morning audience. "One, we must know we live in a field of abundance, and two, there are no problems."

The session, A Religion of Healthy Mindedness – New Thought's Uniquely American Contribution to the Arena of New Religious Community, focused on the spiritual principles and wisdom that drive transformation.

Gordon's message brought loud applause, with some standing to cheer him, as he told how he has reconciled what he first considered a discrepancy in New Thought teaching that there are no problems, such as poverty and hunger.

Formerly a farmer, Gordon saw how other growers would plow under their crops when market prices were down.

"The issue's not food, it's money," he concluded. "Then, when I realized every little war costs a trillion dollars, I knew the issue's not money, either.

"We need a bigger idea. We live in a field of abundance. In a democratic society, we have a small idea. We need to have will and intention for the way we want to live in the world … that is evolution!"

Attendees listened intently as Michael Bernard Beckwith, spiritual director of the Agape International Spiritual Center, told how as a young revolutionary he went to a lecture on the benefits of slavery by Dr. Howard Thurman.

All set to protest, he learned that the slave trade actually created a dynamic in the world; Africans had a mindset for deep forgiveness, and slavery ended up scattering that dynamic all over the world.

"We live in a realm of plentitude," Beckwith said. "When we speak and think creatively from spontaneous goodness, we allow a revolutionary impulse to spread throughout the planet."

"People want you to believe that Jesus is coming back in violence. That was not his message," noted Dr. Barbara King, minister and founder of Hillside Chapel and Truth Center in Atlanta. "In our metaphysical approach to Jesus the Christ, we all have the Christ consciousness, inherent in our minds. New Thought is about inclusion. We want all people."

Dr. Kathy Hearn, community spiritual leader of the United Centers for Spiritual Living, echoed that inclusiveness.

"Honoring all paths to God is deeply important to us," she said. "You are here honoring that deep sense of love. There is no one religion that can contain all the revelations of God. It takes all of the world's religions to begin to know all the revelations of God. There's divinity beyond the divinity we know. There's love beyond the love we know. Let's go over the falls together, to get the wisdom that is to come."

"As you listen to these presenters," moderator Dr. Roger Teel, senior minister of Mile Hi Church of Religious Science, said to laughter, "remember we in New Thought are NUTS, Never Underestimating the Spirit!"

Chant and dance lend lyrical layers to conference schedule

2009-12-04T15:43:00.000-08:00

By Alexis Yancey Jaami

New Thought News Service

Naga Chants

What would make you content to fly into eternity?

That's one of thousands of Naga mystical chants, blessings by clan elders and prayers to the female God Ukepenuopfu.

Nagas make their home in Nagaland, in Burma and Northeast India. Their powerful, entrancing chants are in danger of being lost as master chanters die.

Visier Sanyu is one of the few who know the traditional chants. His brother, the late Niyiehu Sanyu, was a master chanter. Accompanied by Tom Duncan on drum and Reg Blow on didgeridoo, Visier Sanyu's chants draw listeners in with their jazz-like rhythms and deep, melodious vibe.

One chant on longing to live after death, makes this request:

"If I die, I would like to return as an eagle bird, sit on the top of a tree in my father's forest, watching the children. Then I'd be content to fly into eternity."

From left, Reg Blow, Visier Sanyu and Tom

Duncan perform Naga chants.

The Hoop Dance

Kevin Locke of the Lakota Nation promotes a world that embraces all people and all cultures through his performances of the Native American Hoop Dance. The dance expresses what Lakota Mystic Black Elk called "the great hoop of life."

Locke spreads the hoops out along his outstretched arms, transforming himself into an eagle. He bends and twists, moving through life, bringing the hoops together to represent the world.

Holding the hoops up in a circle, he explains that the hoops show an all-inclusive world.

"In this world, everyone has a place of honor," he says. "There is no exclusion, because when you exclude someone this is what happens."

Locke then takes one hoop out and the world built of hoops falls apart.

Locke concludes his presentation with a story about ancestors surrounding a mountain, trying to ascend to heaven.

"This represents the collective ascent of all people," he explains. "Until we get up to the top of the mountain, we can't see each other and we can never reach the summit until we can see we all have gifts to give each other."

Speaking in his native tongue, Locke than thanks his relatives (everyone in the audience) for participating in this wonderful experience on the shared journey of life.

Kevin Locke demonstrates Hoop Dance principles.

Communities Night a chance to sample varied traditions

2009-12-04T14:36:00.000-08:00

By Roya Camp
New Thought News Service

Dozens of Parliament participants boarded trams and buses or walked in groups to two dozen churches and meeting places Friday evening to take part in Communities Night, an event that gave visitors the opportunity to learn the traditions of various spiritual communities.
Hosts included Melbourne-area Baha'i, Jain, Brahma Kumari, Quaker, Sathya Sai and other groups.
Megan Carlisle, a youth raised in the New Thought movement, was one of about 50 guests who attended the pagan program hosted by 10 Melbourne-area residents in a space also used by an area Unity church. Other guests included pagans from the United States, England, Ireland and Scandinavia.
The group shared a potluck dinner and took part in a ritual that included the calling in of the directions, singing to the elements, a candle-lighting for the God and Goddess, the casting of a circle, singing, story-telling and dancing. Pagans from Masachusetts played a harp and sang ballads.
"The experience felt very validating of feeling the presence of us as a people at the Parliament, us as a global community at the Parliament and being on the same playing field as other major religions," Carlisle said. "There was also a sense of global community, because pagan people are very open to each other. It was like making instant friends from all over the world because of this commonality."
Rev. Keith Cox attended the Baha'i event, which highlighted the faith's presence across the globe.
"The entire evening was filled with music and dance, showcasing the heritages of Samoa and Polynesia, the Middle East, Native America and Australia," Cox said. "It was spectacular. It was a musical celebration equivalent to an inaugural ceremony."

"Breathing in life, breathing out connection"

2009-12-03T23:21:00.000-08:00

By Raine Barker
New Thought News Service

Spare and elegant pagan dances, led by T. Thorn Coyle, were among the morning choices Friday at the Parliament.
No materials were required, simply an open mind and a willing body.
Participants kicked the practice off by centering themselves with a brief meditation and focus on breathing, and then moved into the dancing. Pagan dancing 101, perfect for people who can't dance.

The element of air was the first to be represented, along with the idea of opening consciousness to the world. The dance felt like flying, and looked like it, too. Arms out and behind us like wings, and then brought back in and cupped in front of our face, we soared through the dance. It was a pleasant way to begin the morning.

Fire was next, bringing passion and intensity. The movements evoked flames; we held our arms in front of us and waved them back and forth while our bodies swayed from side to side. The invigorating motions brought fiery passion into our day.

Water flowed forth next, bringing with it tranquility. We made wave-like motions with our arms, their graceful curves arching over our heads in an alternating rhythm.

Earth, the next element to be represented, provided a grounding experience. We gathered our arms to ourselves, bent at the waist to form a cave, symbolically scooped up the power of the earth and brought it back to ourselves.

Spirit was more complex; the only words used during the ritual were spoken during this part of the dance: "As above, so below. As within, so without."

We ended the morning in a communal spiral dance, while we sang a simple tune. "Air, fire, water, earth … air, fire, water, earth!" As we moved and sang, the volume increased, and we sang in harmony. The process finished on one long note, and we were energized for the day.

"You are welcome to everything ..."

2009-12-03T22:26:00.000-08:00

Professor Joy Murphy Wandin, an elder of the Wurundjeri people, delivered the following greeting as part of the opening ceremony at the Parliament of the World's Religions Thursday:

"On behalf of the spiritual ancestors and the traditional owners of Melbourne, I invite you to Melbourne ...
"It is a traditional custom of Australian Aboriginal communities to give permission to people who wish to enter the country. The Wurundjeri people are known as the Manna-Gum (eucalyptus tree) people and we invite you to share with us from a branch of Gum leaves.
"Taking a leaf means that you are welcome to everything, from the tops of the trees to the roots of the earth, on our ancestral country. It also means that you and I, we become linked symbolically and spiritually. By this action, you join with us to honor our ancestors who have nurtured our land for thousands and thousands of years."

Parliament director sees strength at the grassroots level

2009-12-03T17:59:00.000-08:00

By Olivia Ware

New Thought News Service

As I crept along a conference center wall Friday morning, looking for another glimpse of enlightenment, a gentleman asked me about my position here at the Parliament.

After initial greetings and my brief explanation of the New Thought News Service, he introduced himself as Dirk Ficca. Suddenly, I was conversing with the director of the Parliament of the World's Religions himself. And once I had gathered my thoughts, the questions began to flow.

Ficca told me that since the first modern Parliament, in Chicago in 1993, the Parliament has become more metropolitan and focuses increasingly on grassroot efforts and commitment.

He hopes participants bring their experiences of the Melbourne gathering to their "corners of the world," and that nothing will be left behind, that the learning and the love shared in Australia will transcend the Parliament.

Future Parliaments, Ficca said, will pay "more attention to linking religions" in the areas of business and communication. Speakers at the Thursday night opening ceremony noted that the faith-based communities are in a good position to help solve some of the world's pressing problems, but can't do the needed work in isolation.

Ficca agreed, saying religion has an "indispensable contribution to make, but not alone."

Dirk Ficca speaks with Sri Karunamayi, a

presenter at a Friday morning panel.

Blessings, music mark Parliament opening

2009-12-03T05:05:00.000-08:00

By Roya Camp
New Thought News Service

"You give love, compassion. You bring justice."
That's how Dr. Sakena Yacoobi, who has spent her life giving education and bringing hope to demoralized and disempowered women and children in her native country through her Afghan Institute of Learning, defined the role of religion during opening remarks at the Parliament of World Religions Thursday night.
Yacoobi was one of dozens of speakers, musicians and religious leaders who took part in the powerful, colorful, spiritual ceremony.
The hundreds of attendees packed into the Melbourne convention center auditorium received Aboriginal, Zoroastrian, Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Sikh, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Baha'i and Shinto blessings from prominent leaders in those faith traditions.
"We are grateful, we are honored, we are privileged to have you here," Wurundjeri elder Joy Murphy Wandin told audience members, many of whom attended the event in robes, turbans, saris, yarmulkes and other traditional garb.
Several speakers spoke of an increasing global interest in interfaith dialogue and activity such as occurs during the Parliament gatherings, while others noted the community feeling of the events. His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar called the Parliament "a family reunion."
Rev. Dr. William Lesher, chairman of the Parliament board of trustees, described it as "the beloved community" envisioned by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Australian religious and political leaders referenced the country's origins, history and legacy as they noted the role of the Aboriginal people as stewards of the land and environment and some of the injustices inflicted on the native people in the past.
This is the first generation that has the ability to solve the world's mounting issues, Rabbi David Saperstein told the audience.
"Tomorrow is today," he said. "We can, we must, we will be the shapers of a better, more hopeful humanity."

For photos of the opening ceremony, see the "Photos from the Parliament" link in the left column.

Youth manifesto inspires New Thought delegation

2009-12-03T04:10:00.000-08:00

What follows is the "15-minute manifesto," drafted and delivered during the New Thought pre-Parliament day by 15 youths attending the event:

We believe in growth, and stepping into our own power.
We believe in the power of kindness in action.
We believe in co-inspiring youth raised in New Thought.
We believe in demonstrating the power of being raised in New Thought.
As a New Thought youth, my mission is to allow God to express through me in all that I do, so that I may always and continually be a radiant channel for love to manifest here on Earth.
We embrace our differences.
As evolved souls and spiritual beings living a human experience, we consciously apply spiritual principle in our relationships, in our workplace, with each other, living as our Higher Selves and inspiring the world to be and do the same.
Individually, we are being the change we wish to see in the world.
Collectively, we are the leading edge of a new paradigm that supports the evolution of a world that works for everyone.
As New Thought youth, we raise the consciousness of the planet to levels unimaginable.
We are the future of New Thought – the pulse of the Global Heart.
We see the Global New Thought movement in the future – in the now – as being a symbol of love, diversity, and peace. We've already accomplished so much, and as Erika Luckett and Lisa Ferraro sang, "If you're not in awe, you're not paying attention."
In 25 years, New Thought will be spread throughout the world as a means of peace, love and happiness.
We believe that we are one strand in an ongoing evolution, and that in 25 years, this New Thought will be old thought.
As youth of New Thought, we are not discovering the divine. We are living, breathing, knowing, active manifestations of the divine. We are grateful for the foundation our ministers and teachers have laid out in front of us. We are your offering to the future.
And in the words of my mentor, Rev. Charles Hall, "They will know us by how we love each other."

Parliament at eco-conscious venue

2009-12-02T20:34:00.000-08:00

By Susana Wolds

New Thought News Service

As Parliament attendees come together this week to honor the wisdom that each faith tradition offers, a common discussion will be how to sustain and improve life on our shared planet.

The choice of venue for the 2009 Parliament is perfectly aligned with this year's theme: Make a world of difference. Hearing each other. Healing the World.

"This is the greatest view I've ever had at a workplace," said Mellisa Mason, an usher at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, admiring the cityscape of her hometown from her vantage point in the light-filled foyer of the world's most eco-savvy convention centre.

The glass fronting her work station is only one of the scores of features that have won this beautiful structure a Six Star Green Star Rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. The building is a stimulating work of art and a premium example of architectural ingenuity. It also has enough sustainable attributes to make a tree hugger blush, including:

• Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood.

• Non-toxic building materials and paints.

• A blackwater treatment system.

• Radiant concrete heating and cooling.

• Natural light.

• Energy and water efficient fixtures.

• A solar hot water system.

• Displacement ventilation.

• Local cuisine.

The overall effect of these innovations is of an imaginative, comfortable space, "built from the ground up with the environment top of mind," as the MCEC's chief executive explained in the center's latest quarterly newsletter.

"It can't be any other way," Mason said with the sensibility of a Melbourne local. "It no longer makes sense to build something that will degrade your surroundings."

As the dialogue concerning our shared responsibility for a green future begins to unfold in Melbourne, it's difficult to imagine surroundings more suitable in which to hold such talks.

New Thought celebrates faiths' universal principles

2009-12-01T23:02:00.000-08:00

By Roya Camp
New Thought News Service

Humanity at its best.
That's the picture Dr. Michael Beckwith painted of the New Thought philosophies and supporters gathered Wednesday, one day before the historic Parliament of the World's Religions kicks off in Melbourne, Australia.
Several hundred members of Centers for Spiritual Lliving, Unity communities and other New Thought organizations spent a lyrical, joyful day, one that started with Aboriginal blessings and music and continued with sessions of prayer, education and song.
Attendees at the pre-Parliament gathering, who'd been arriving in Melbourne from all over the United States and elsehwere for the previous week, spent the day learning about commonalities between the New Thought traditions and many of the faith traditions represented at the Parliament.
Members of the Agape Choir, Erika Luckett, Lisa Ferraro and Faith Rivera were among the musicians who shared their considerable talents with the audience.
Attendees also got a preview of the hundreds of workshops, performances, films, service activities and youth programs in store for the thousands of Parliament participants starting tomorrow.

New Thought goes Down Under

2009-11-08T10:55:00.000-08:00

By Joe Murray

New Thought News Service

Some go to Australia to practice their boomerang skills, others to visit Ayer’s Rock.

Some went to the island as punishment (Britain sent criminals to Australia in the 1700s and 1800s); some go to escape.

In less than a month, more than 10,000 people from all over the world are expected to go “Down Under” to be part of the historic 2009 Parliament of the World’s Religions.

The United Centers for Spiritual Living and other organizations affiliated with the Association for Global New Thought (AGNT) will convene with representatives of the world’s faith traditions in Melbourne, Australia, in early December.

The Parliament’s theme: “Make a World of Difference: Hearing Each Other, Healing the Earth.”

This will not be the first Parliament attended by New Thought communities. But for the first time, the New Thought organizations with specifically American roots, including those of Religious Science, have formed one delegation.

They are walking their talk.

As a united New Thought delegation, 10 groups have joined under the AGNT banner and are looking forward to bringing their contribution to the international community.

Dr. Barbara Fields, AGNT executive director, will be a delegation leader. For her, the unified movement reflects themes of the Parliament and underscores the principles of New Thought itself.

“Our movement is based on inclusiveness rather than exclusiveness, the empowerment of the divine within the individual, rather than on an external power or a mediating authority,” she says.

For Rev. Dr. Kathy Hearn, Community Spiritual Leader for the United Centers for Spiritual Living, the collaboration speaks to the emerging cohesion of the New Thought movement. She attended a previous Parliament in Barcelona, Spain, in 2005.

“There’s always been a New Thought presence, but we’ve never tried to bring the ten families of New Thought together,” she told Science of Mind magazine this summer. “It’s a higher degree of collaboration.”

The first Parliament was held in conjunction with the famed Chicago World’s Fair, or World’s Columbian Exposition, of 1893. It was at this early parliament that the philosophies of the East first met those of the West in a formal setting. The event sparked Western interest in Buddhism and Hinduism and set the stage for the introduction of the American New Thought Movement to the international community.

The Parliaments (there have been three previous such events in recent years, in Chicago in 1993; Cape Town, South Africa, in 1999; and Barcelona, Spain, in 2004) give religious leaders and spiritually active and concerned people the chance to talk and share ideas across faiths, traditions, and practices.

The role of the New Thought delegation is to be “a bridge between religious orthodoxy and the evolution of spirituality toward a socially engaged, enlightened humanity here and now,” says Fields.

By organizing with AGNT, the New Thought groups will have the chance to play larger than ever before.

“New Thought has never been understood or made visible, because no one understands that we create our own denominations,” Fields says. “This serves well within our own spiritual community, but to the outside world, it has made it difficult to be seen and understood by other religious leaders and their faiths. By coming together in Melbourne this year as a unified movement celebrating its own intra-faith diversity, we hope we will change this and shift our place in religious history.”

Agape Choir Brings New Thought to the World’s Stage

2009-11-08T09:38:00.000-08:00

By Susana Wolds

New Thought News Service

On Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m., the Agape International Choir will deliver its soul-filled lyrics and powerful harmonies at the Parliament of the World's Religions Sacred Music Festival.

It will be no ordinary performance. The choir will represent the entire New Thought Movement when it shares its musical stylings alongside musical ambassadors of the world's religious traditions.

The Parliament, to be held in Melbourne, Australia, marks an extraordinary moment for New Thought. It is the first time that 10 major New Thought organizations have united as a delegation to represent the movement as a whole.
At the most significant interfaith gathering of our time, the Agape Choir will get feet stomping and hands clapping, sharing the spiritual principles of New Thought with the world through rhythm.

Two soul-stirring choir performances will precede the Sacred Music Festival. On Dec. 2, the choir will appear as part of the New Thought Delegation Pre-Conference. And on Dec. 5 at 4:30 p.m., Parliament attendees will be treated to a 45-minute set of Agape love and sound.

The choir is the singing heartbeat of the Agape International Spiritual Center, a trans-denominational church in Los Angeles.

Led by Founder and Spiritual Director Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith, Agape is “committed to individual transformation and to being a beneficial presence on the planet.”

The New Thought-Ancient Wisdom teachings espoused by Agape are echoed in songs often co-written by Beckwith and his wife, the Agape Choir's musical director, Dr. Rickie Byars Beckwith.

Rev. Greta Sesheta, a choir member for 19 years, says the group’s songs are, in essence, spiritual principles given tune and tempo. She quotes Michael Beckwith as saying “to sing is to pray twice.”

With a roster of nearly 200, the choir’s makeup is as diverse as the metropolis it calls home.

“Nobody that has auditioned has ever been turned away,” says Sesheta. The choir’s inclusive nature mirrors the New Thought principles of universality, honoring all paths to God and encouraging one's individuality in manifesting his or her highest good.

High-profile events and international venues such as the Parliament appearances are comfortable territory for the choir, which has been a traveling ensemble since the beginning. Singers from Agape have traveled to South Africa and appeared at the United Nations, the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver and President Barack Obama's Inaugural Ball.

Many may recall watching the choir sing backup vocals for hit recording artists Will.I.Am and John Legend at the Democratic Convention. As the television cameras panned the scene, broadcasting their performance around the world, the choir reflected the vibrant and diverse crowd before them.

What makes the group so unique? What puts them in such high demand for public appearance?

According to Sesheta, “nothing separates the listener from the core of their music.” The choir’s music has grown out of the collective experiences of people from all walks of life, so that it embodies universal principles of Truth.

“The Agape Choir carries the evolutionary gene of spiritual music as New Thought carries the evolutionary gene of religious theology,” says Dr. Barbara Fields, executive director of the Association for Global New Thought.
Above, Rickie Byars Beckwith leads a rehearsal by New Thought delegates and 20 choir members before the Sunday performance at the Parliament. She invited the delegates to share the stage with choir members as a way to expand community. The Agape Choir members paid their own way to participate in the Parliament.

Bree Alten

2009-10-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

I've spent 20 years on this planet, and I am so excited to be a part of this press team! I would identify myself as a student, a passionate artist of many fields and a pilgrim. I have spent the past three months exploring the beautiful country of Nepal. It has been an incredible life-changing journey full of discovery and magic, and I am ending my sojourn in lovely Australia. Besides traveling, my passions include the youth of our world, the arts (specifically theater), poetry, good food, reading and the Science of Mind philosophy. It is such an honor to be a part of this union of faiths. I know this conference is another step toward the ultimate planetary shift to peace. I thank all participants being a part of this coming together. Blessings to all.

Raine Barker

2009-10-20T12:33:00.001-07:00

Hi! I'm currently a spectacular 17 years old and I've lived in Denver all my life. My greatest joys in life come from singing and creating works of fiction. I just love creating, doesn't matter what. Books come in a close third; I'm a junkie for a good book. I'm so excited for the Parliament in December! I can use this event to talk with other people about their homes, what they're like, etc. I've always wanted to meet people of other faiths, and this is the perfect opportunity. I hope to travel the world, and Australia is a start. I suppose you could say that the world is my home, and I'm homesick for the places I've not been to yet. This is a great chance that we're all getting, to learn about and grow into ourselves. Cheers!

Ariane Davis

2009-10-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

Hello! I am 19 years old, living in lovely Southern California, and in my second year of college at Orange Coast College. I am majoring in business with a minor in photography. Photography has been a major part of my life. When I “grow up,” I would like to own a photography studio and do on-site photography. I love to play golf (I was on my high school golf team for two years), swim, go to the beach and just hang out with my friends and family. And religion has been a subject that never ceases to amaze me. I love when you can learn something new about a subject every day, and religion does that for me. I am so grateful for the opportunity to go to the Parliament and to do something I love to give back.

Katie Dutcher

2009-10-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. I’m reporting (at the moment) from Berkeley, California. I’m 23 and was born and raised in Religious Science. I graduated from Pomona College in May with a double degree in linguistics and religious studies; while I was in college, I had the opportunity to study Tibetan Buddhism for a semester in India, Nepal and Tibet. I’m now the Northern California/Nevada regional director of International Youth and Family Ministries for United Centers for Spiritual Living. I enjoy yoga, sustainable food, and walks on the beach. I can’t tell you how excited, humbled, and honored I am to be attending the Parliament. I can’t wait tell you all about it.

Jennie Lobato

2009-10-20T12:27:00.001-07:00

I'm 31 and I've been out of school for almost 10 years. I recently started a nonprofit organization, drawchange Inc., which sends art supplies to children throughout the world, and I've been in the advertising industry as a Web designer for 10 years. I stumbled upon Atlanta Unity Church while I was on a quest to find a spiritual center that would harness my love for the world. Atlanta Unity Church was it! With the spiritual food I have received from Unity, I have embraced my interest in the arts and helping children everywhere do the same. I want to spark the energy of world peace by igniting the passion of learning in the world’s children. I’m excited to communicate to the world while at the Parliament through the Web and by serving on the graphics team.

Joe Murray

2009-10-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

I live in Southern California, in the San Diego area. I’m 20, a student of the humanities at our community college and a student of life in general. I serve as the youth community leader for the United Centers for Spiritual Living; in that capacity, I lead and learn with my community. My vision in life is to travel the world, learn as much as possible about life, educate others in what I learn and love as openly and deeply as possible. I am passionate about people, reading, writing, speaking and moving; I love to run, play Capoeira, dance, sing, rock-climb and cycle.

Olivia Ware

2009-10-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

Hello all. I am beyond excited to be a part of the news team for the Parliament. I am a 16-year-old high school student from Idaho. I definitely enjoy school and work hard at it, but I try to maintain some balance in my life. Spending time outside is a necessity and summer is my season. In annual trips to California, I have attempted to take up surfing and have fallen in love with it. Although I would love to take on a surfer girl persona, I must admit I’m not very good. I love to read. A favorite book of mine is Life of Pi by Yann Martel. This book prompted my love of theology; something about the study of religion and philosophy excites me. I simply cannot wait to begin this journey and share everything I learn with all of you.

Susana Wolds

2009-10-20T12:22:00.000-07:00

Greetings! I am 24 and live in San Diego, California. In 2007, I received an undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where I studied international Spanish for the professions with an emphasis on sustainable tourism. Over the past year, I have indulged in my passion for travel and used the powerful medium of film to convey the positive impact that conscious travelers can have on the environment, culture and economy of a country. I can hardly wait to get to Melbourne and cover this extraordinary gathering of the world’s spiritual leaders.

Wes Yarborough

2009-10-20T12:12:00.000-07:00

My name’s Wesley Adam Yarborough IV (the fourth isn’t actually a part of my name, but Wesley Adam Yarborough carries an air of royalty, so I added it for emphasis). I prefer Wes. I live in Reno, Nevada, where I was born and raised. I’m 17, an Eagle Scout and the representative of the Northern Nevada, Northern California Youth for the United Centers for Spiritual Living. My passion is art. I play eight different instruments and I’m a deep lover of all other art forms. Travel is also big for me; I’ve been to China and to Thailand, volunteering with abused elephants. My mom was a photojournalism major in college, so I suppose I get my love of photography from that. I can’t wait to begin work with everybody and share my experiences!