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.

Chant and dance lend lyrical layers to conference schedule

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

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"

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 ..."

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."