Opening of the Parliament

I never imagined how difficult it would be to "blog" at the end of a really long, active and exhausting day! It requires a bit of distance and silence, to stand back and see the reflections and hear the echoes of experiences which emerge over time, through sharing and conversations.

So for this first entry for you at home, I am sharing a blog entry about the opening plenary from a colleague from Minnesota--Paul Strickland, who will present on a panel on Monday about a special model of interfaith community organizing they are doing in Minneapolis:

"The Council of the Parliament of the World’s Religions opened last night with sitars, didgeridoo, dance and song. Delegates were blessed by Zoroastrians, Jains, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Baha’is, Aborigines and Shintos. The Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra provided music and song. More than 200 faith traditions were represented at the opening clothed in a multitude of ritual vestments. There were white robes, brilliant golds, blues and scarlet’s, vibrant African patterns, the black hats of Orthodox Rabbis and the purple of Anglican and Catholic bishops. A sand animation artist drew sand paintings of religious signs and symbols as the various clergy and religious representatives prayed and performed.

Parliament Chairman William Lesher said the world faced daunting problems, but the solution was spiritual. He spoke of a tidal wave of compassion sweeping the world. “We are becoming an interfaith community. Martin Luther King Jr. and others envisioned a gathering like this where people gather to build a new, just, peaceful and sustainable world, “ he said.

Keynote speaker, Rabbi David Saperstein, nominated by Newsweek magazine this year as America’s most influential rabbi, spoke passionately of living in extraordinary times.

“We are the first generation that grows enough food to feed every human on earth. Our failure to do so is a failure of moral vision and political will,” Rabbi Saperstein said.

“We are the first generation that can educate every child, that can speed freedom across the globe. Our failure to do so is a failure of moral vision and political will. But we are not prisoners of a bitter and unremitting past.”

Other speakers included Dr. Sakena Yacoobi, an Afghan woman who founded 80 underground schools for girls and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a Hindu spiritual leader whose Art of Living Foundation is active in 140 countries.

Each of the speakers honored the Aboriginal peoples who had been custodians of this land for thousands of years before the “white fella” showed up. It made me wonder if we don’t have an opportunity in the US and in Minnesota in particular to recognize those people whose blood, tears and ashes are in the soil we walk on every day. Indigenous people don’t see themselves as separate from the Earth and other beings. In their eyes, they are one and the same. I believe the Earth-wisdom that native people carry is something we all knew at some point but have since forgotten. They have much to teach us in remembering who we are and where we come from. Yesterday I attended a presentation by three Aboriginal healers. Through an interpreter, they said that to be truly healthy we had to be spiritual and to be truly spiritual we had to be healthy. They sang healing songs for us that transported the audience to an ancient time, to dream time. They said to lead a good life we needed to do two things: follow the medicine of the ancestors and to listen to the elders."

Many thanks, Paul, for your vivid description. I hope to share some of my own thoughts soon.

Helen