अΣOאن冬宮 Introduction To Manuscript
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1
During my 2nd
semester in business school, I make my 1st trip off the continent to
conduct a study abroad programme in Manchester, England. Through that programme, I build friendships
with people from Brasil, China, Nigeria, India, Sweden, and additional nations
throughout the Earth. It is a
life-changing awakening, and I find my home in pluralism, even before finding
the word.
Months
later, I work for Amnesty International and I learn about the suffering and
politics of the many peoples of the Earth.
I later continue unto law school, where I am severely discouraged by the
antiquated and rigid myopia of American jurisprudence, yet I am increasingly
inspired by the many friends, from many different backgrounds, that I meet in
law school. Whilst being voted President
of BLSA*
[i],
I build friendships and alliances with APALSA*, La Alianza*, JLSA*, SALSA*,
CLSA*, KLSA*, (Middle-Eastern Law Student Association), and even SBA*. I also forge friendships with FLAG*: graduate law students studying abroad from
many different nations of the Earth. So
where before I am the guest, during law school I find myself in the ironic
position of being the host of pluralism whilst also being the domestic target
of apartheid.
I fulfil my
role with extreme and surReal bliss.
Yes, I revel within the ego-boosting exclusivity of studying law at an
elite university within the nation’s capitol.
Yet I also experience the euphoria of engaging with compassionate
intellectuals who come from different cultures, traditions, and lineages. From playing football (foot + ball) to
delving into timeless Theological conversations, I again find myself at home
with this mosaic of friends and experiences.
And as I approach graduation, I consider how I may dedicate my career
towards cultivating that social atmosphere of harmony.
I work with
a few friends and we devise a scheme to start a think tank, “Asona,” dedicated
to diversity (the most up-to-date buzz term at that point). We form an organisational framework, but we
experience hesitancy from would-be backers and resource providers. And then 11 September happens. After that, there is little receptivity to
“Kum By, Yah,” and instead, the wagons and the war hawks start circling. As I graduate from law school, participation
wanes, the project gets put on hiatus, and I return home to Ohio to lick my
wounds.
But it is
appropriate to pause at this stage of the story, and provide some further
background.
My name is
Peter Frank Womack Johannessen Osisi. I
am a Mixed Ethnicity man and Mystic, born in the Cuyahoga area of Ohio. My far’s farfar, Peter Womack, is an African
Israelite born into slavery within the American state of Virginia. He develops the craft of carpentry and is
permitted to sell the works that he crafts during his leisure periods. He earns enough to buy his own freedom and he
moves to North Carolina. He marries a
Seminole woman and is subsequently severely demoted in standing within the
local community. After being murdered,
his youngest child of many (my farfar) moves to Michigan. My farfar settles in East Saint Louis,
Illinois and marries my farmor: the
descendant of African slaves and an Irish overseer. My far is born, attends university in Ohio,
and eventually settles as a pharmacist in the Cuyahoga area of Ohio.
That is
where he meets my mor. My mor’s far is a
Danish man, whose ancestry includes Swedish.
As a young man, he bicycles with a friend to India. In India, he experiences a religious
transformation and becomes a Christian missionary. That is how he meets my mormor, whose family
on both sides are Swedish immigrants living within the United States. My mor, the eldest of 3 sisters, is born in
India. After she completes preparatory
school, he family moves to the Pacific Northwest, where she attends
university. She begins her career as a
health/physical education teacher, and moves to Cuyahoga.
My parents
marry and have 3 children, me, my sister, and my brother. It is my far’s 3rd marriage and I
am his 5th child. Religiously,
my far is rather Agnostic. He is raised
Christian and has Christian sympathies, yet particularly after the
murder-suicide of his 2nd wife and son and daughter, he grows rather
ambivalent to organised religion and its proclamation. Throughout his life, he does believe in God,
but he numbs his despondency with people through daily consumption of alcohol.
At some
point during her youth, my mor begins to question her strict Christian
upbringing. Amidst her university
experience, she finds it too difficult to make the same proclamations of
Christian Faith that her parents make.
As an act of quasi-rebellion, she moves 1,000s of kilometres away from
her parents and settles in the urban setting of Cuyahoga, whose residents
increasingly resemble the Native Indians of her childhood rather than the
conservative environment of her parents.
Generations
of Freudian speculation can be spent on the how and why my parents
connect. At the end of the day, the 1
like each other and have strong personalities that complement each other. And my parents share a convenient ambivalence
towards religion. And that is how my
parents raise me and my siblings.
We have a
strong belief in God and a strong belief in the Golden Rule. And though difficult at points to practise,
this general Theology serves me well throughout my 1st quarter
century of life. Living outside an
organised religion provides an open channel to connect with other people from
any and all religions. And that is what
I do. From my small, private school
education to my large, public school education, I am able to build friendships
with people from many different religious, ethnic, and socioeconomic
backgrounds. Along with being Mixed,
this experience inspires me to participate in that 1st study abroad
programme, and to continue on this path of pluralism.
When I reach
the point of graduating from law school, I find myself wanting for a tangible
construct of principles and ethics through which to live. Having studied the classism and racism of
American law, I grow disgusted and indignant.
Indeed, I protest the US Constitution and I refuse to take any state bar
examination. But I am unsatisfied with
the prospect of being an antagonist for the rest of my life. I want to be a protagonist. I want to find a cannon of law in which I do
believe and that I can readily practise.
After
lengthy and arduous deliberation, I consider transcending the Realm of Secular
law, even the burgeoning construct of international law, and to study
religion. But what religion? Amidst my areligious upbringing, both at home
and in school, I find myself rather ignorant about religions and religion. Amidst all the diversity outreach throughout
my life up to that point, I have friends from many different religious
heritages; however, much of our
conversations are rather Secular.
Religion is often the unaddressed elephant in the room. Even our Theological conversations previously
assume a Secular framework and verbage, rather than delving into Holy
Scriptures or narratives.
I consider
Christianity. Whilst I fundamentally
disagree with much of the violent and coercive proselytising, I do find
Transcendent teachings of compassion and righteousness within its preaching. And during that period, the need for
structured guidance is urgent. So I give
it a try. I meet some very kind
friends. Yet, I experience a threshold I
am unwilling to cross, so I walk away.
That
experience strengthens my already robust leeriness towards conventional
authority. From that point, I decide
that I would personally take on the responsibility of learning the religions of
humanity, and allowing my practice and allegiance to evolve organically. At that point, I am aware tha the 5
predominant religions of humanity are:
Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. So, I venture to identify and study the
respective Holy Scriptures from each of these traditions. Drawing from my Westernised legal background,
I consider the approach of going to the source:
studying the texts, studying the rules.
Particularly, I am interested in learning the general rules that each
religion proscribes for being a “righteous man.” What would it take to be accepted by
everyone?
Gradually, I
discover the Torah of Judaism, the Bhagavad Gita of Hinduism, the Digha Nikaya
and the Dhammapada of Buddhism, the Gospels of Christianity, and the Koran of
Islam. Reading each 1 is an awesome,
transformative experience. It is an
experiential journey that influences how an individual sees and proceeds
through the Universe. The narratives and
teachings take tangible form in the daily endeavours of the student and
adherent. After reading each 1 from
cover to cover, I initially find myself sorrowful. Yet informed and strengthened by my
complementary studies in comparative religion,
I am comforted by the prospect of returning to the beginning of each 1 and
revisiting the process. And in the
decade + since the initial readings, I continue to complete an annual cycle of
reading the entirety of each Holy Scripture.
This process
of religious studies and spiritual development continues intensely for several
years, and even through today. I
experience a spiritual awakening. And
particularly during the 1st few years, I find myself dealing with
many of the same dilemmas that confront the respective Prophets within these
Holy Scriptures; namely: how does 1 reconcile the Transcendent nature
of 1’s spiritual awakening with the temporal politics and economics required to
provide for 1’s material needs. I
abstain from equating myself to these Prophets, but I indentify with the
Prophetic experience.
And what is
a Prophetic experience without its drama.
Immediately after graduating from law school, I move back into my mor’s
house. I try to find appropriate
employment within the field of international humanitarianism, but I find the
hostile political climate of the United States too severe and
uncompromising. I become increasingly
infuriated by “the system” and my envelopment within it. I am determined to be an agent of
enlightenment, but I have difficulty finding allies. Instead, during that period, I only see
transgressors and those acquiescing to transgressors. And that angers me further.
Even whilst
providing me shelter and support, I perceive my mor as 1 of the self-denying acquiescing
1’s. She and I become enveloped within
increasingly hostile arguments. It gets
so serious that, unbeknownst to met at that point, she begins to make
arrangements for me to be forcefully detained within a psych ward. So, after a few months of trying to right
myself within my childhood home, 1 day I open the front door to have a squad of
police officers wrestle me to the ground, place on handcuffs, and transport me
to a psych ward.
I abstain
from delving into the specific unpleasantries of my mental and physical
violation at the hands of the psychiatric industry. I do observe that it is a method for
circumnavigating customary human rights law by calling into question a
political dissident’s mental fitness, and employing seemingly innocuous methods
of violence to coerce a political dissident into compliance. This 1st detainment sets the stage
for subsequent engagement between society and myself. I am diagnosed with a stigmatising
phsychiatric disorder. And although I
fundamentally disagree with the diagnosis, I acquiesce into accepting public
assistance predicated upon that diagnosis.
And in the decade proceeding that initial detainment, I am forcefully
detained on multiple occasions, essentially for Ahimsic-based Civil
Transcendence.
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2
In those
early years, my anger and hostility increase, though it is suppressed deep
within my conscience. I experience
paralysing furiousness at the hypocritical irrationality of elitist
intellectuals professing an attainment of exclusive civilisation whilst
brutally punishing me for refusing to acquiesce to these proclamations. This includes the psychiatrists. This includes the police. This includes my family. And this includes my friends who scurry for
comfort and standing within a convention and “system” that causes so much harm.
Yet, even
during that period, I believe that everything happens for a reason. I believe that, ultimately, God is
benevolent. And I believe there is
Divine Purpose for the suffering that we experience. I actually think, during that period that my
death is imminent; I believe I am in
hell, being tested. But during that same
period, I am also able to witness the proverbial silver lining. Even amidst our hostile disagreements, my mor
and my family provide me with shelter and support so that I can pursue my
studies of the Holy Scriptures, comparative religion, and the InterFaith
Movement. Even whilst being detained
within psych wards, I am provided with my Holy Scriptures and texts, and I
experience a quiet and a remoteness that lends itself to profound study. As I progress within my studies and within my
spiritual journey, I am able to cultivate an understanding, an empathy, and a
compassion for all beings, even for those who do me wrong.
It is other
than easy. And occasionally there are
lapses of dedication. But there is also
forgiveness. There is rededication. And there is reconciliation.
As the years
progress, I become increasingly aware of the global InterFaith Movement. Initially I still experience considerable
hostility amidst Americans, so I concentrate my research on international
endeavours. I initiate email
correspondences and phone conversations, I participate in online fora, and I
begin to devise initiatives and projects.
Amidst the Parliament Of The World’s Religions held in Barcelona (2
years after I graduate from law school), I participate in the coinciding online
forum. And again, it is another
beautiful experience of friends from around the Earth, from many different
religious traditions, coming together and engaging within conversation. Yet for me, the distinction of this
conversation is that we intentionally discuss the experience of religion.
Obviously
there are differences, and occasionally there are arguments, but overwhelmingly
there is a respect, there is a camaraderie, and there is even a love that is
shared amongst the participants. At some
point, the question is posed: what if we
are able to have these conversations with each other as actual neighbours: living together and building community with
each other. From that proposition, I
take on the responsibility of forming an actual community based upon this
experience of pluralism. This initiative
takes the form of the “InterFaith Settlement.”
Amidst my
continuing studies and spiritual development, I spend a few years developing
the concept and methodology of the InterFaith Settlement. I also have to progress through my tendencies
of radical politics to consider how this community can viably prosper amidst,
and even as, convention. 1 of the
primary directives is forming a genuinely pluralistic council to construct the
guiding proclamations and methodologies of the InterFaith Settlement. So whilst continuing to maintain my
international activism, I begin to direct my attention and outreach towards my
local community of Cuyahoga.
3 years
after the Barcelona Parliament, I join the local Heights InterFaith
Council. I attend my 1st
interFaith conference at the annual gathering of the InterFaith Youth
Core. I also begin my involvement with
the prominent, metro-wide interFaith organisation of Cuyahoga: InterAct Cleveland. I also begin to visit different Houses of
Worship in different religious communities:
Baha’i, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Unitarian
Universalist, and additionally. And I
initiate friendships with the clergy and lay leaders within these
communities. I experience a certain
proficiency where I am able to encourage a modest Board of Directors and
network of immediate supporters for the InterFaith Settlement.
During these
same years, I become increasingly established within my spiritual journey and
practice. I forge through the typical
exuberance of a neophyte, and I cultivate calmer, patient constancy and compassion. During that period, I still have very much to
learn, but I know enough to be a “welcomed guest” in many communities. I continue to regularly study from the same
Holy Scriptures, but I also develop regular rituals of prayer, Samadhi, Yoga,
and additionally.
Whilst
becoming increasingly knowledgeable of the customs of different religions, I
also cultivate an increasing intuitive and esoteric awareness of these same
religions. It is through this awareness
that I become proficiently cognisant of my Israeli ancestry; specifically, my familial descendancy from
Ephraim through my far’s farfar. Whilst
such a proclamation solicits a considerable explanation, given my documented
heredity, however, I essentially include this information simply to explain the
predominant impetus for my conversion into Judaism.
As I
experience this awareness of my Israeli heredity, I experience an increasing
urgency to formally affirm my Israeli identity.
I continue to study and practise elements of Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism,
Christianity, Islam, and additional traditions.
Yet, I recognise that Hinduism (in some manner), Buddhism, Christianity,
and Islam substantially require proclamations of Faith; whereas Judaism involves belonging to “the
Tribe.” So after a considerable
deliberation, I find a Conservative Shul that is supportive of my interFaith
proclivities, my traditional leanings, and even my radical politics; and I begin the formal process of conversion.
This process
involves over a year of study, services,
Holy Days and religious observances, introspection, and ritual. I complete this process and I am formally
welcomed as a member of B’nai Jeshurun.
Soon,
thereafter, I attend the Parliament in Melbourne. It is an awesome, transformative, and
overwhelming experience. I am able to
meet, in-person, international interFaith leaders and friends who “get
it.” I find home, even if only in a
seemingly temporary manner. Actually,
quite to the contrary, I find affirmation of a yearning for harmoniously living
with the “other.” There are 1,000s of
people like me. Maybe millions and
billions.
Within the 1st
few years after the Melbourne Parliament, I become increasingly established
within local and global interreligious outreach. Upon the 10th year commemoration
of the 11th of September, our Cuyahoga interFaith community is able
to organise a formidable even with the production of a promotional video. Yet paradoxically, for reasons that have yet
to be directly communicated to me, soon after this event, InterAct Cleveland
closes its doors. And soon after that,
the InterFaith Settlement Foundation reaches a level of stagnation that
warrants its placement on hiatus. And
the Heights InterFaith Council also gradually disbands.
During that
period, I am reeling. I struggle to find
a reason for the regression, and to find the motivation for proficient,
enduring engagement. By that point, I
build closer friendships with a number of the clergy and lay leaders who are
increasingly committed to interreligious engagement. And we search for an organisational approach
that can be genuinely pluralistic, relevant, and enduring. I personally consider how to continue the
“community” concept of the InterFaith Settlement. Given the challenges we experience within
Cuyahoga, I consider that it may be beneficial to scale down the concept, from
a residential community to simply a community centre where families and friends
from different religions, ethnicities, and cultures, can engage with each other
on equal footing. And that is where the
premise for अΣOאن冬宮 (Asona Ashram) begins.
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3
The term,
“Asona,” is actually an English acronym that I coin with friends during law
school for our initial inter-ethnic endeavour.
It generally means, “child,” or specifically, “daughter”: “A son-a.”
The acronym, A-S-O-N-A, stands for “A Signature Of New Age.” And whilst the contemporary spirituality of
“New Age” may be vaguely applicable (again, during that period I, personally,
am comparatively oblivious to religious proclamation), our intention with “New
Age” is to emphasise the experience when ancient wisdom is held by youth
(again, during that period, we are ambitious intellects). So, the overall meaning is essentially: youthful wisdom. Even after the hiatus, the spirit of “Asona”
endures, and I honour that spirit by including it within अΣOאن冬宮.
For this
endeavour of अΣOאن冬宮, it also seems appropriate to include a “base”
noun to specify and anchor the name.
“Centre” seems like an appropriate noun, however, it is comparatively
generic, Secular, and Western. We want
to utilise a noun that has spiritual significance without being religiously
specific or exclusionary. This requirement
disqualifies “Church” or “Temple.” We
also want the entire name to draw from both Eastern and Western traditions as
an immediate example of the pluralism we cultivate. Given the comparatively Western origin of
“Asona,” we consider that it may be appropriate to utilise an Eastern term for
the “base” noun.
1 of the 1st
terms that comes to mind is, “Ashram.”
We are reminded of Gandhi’s example:
how he establishes a living community in South Africa as a pragmatic
extension and generator of the politics he espouses. And we heed his example of building an Ashram
when he returns to India. We appreciate
the idea of having a living space as the tangible embodiment of the intangible
principles of pluralism and compassion that we espouse. So we decide on, “Asona Ashram.”
Again,
rather than simply utilising the English Romanisation to describe our name, we
consider it appropriate to utilise letters and characters from a pluralism of
alphabets and languages. Amidst our very
modest immediate command of human language, we decide that each letter of
“Asona” be written in a different language, and the term, “Ashram,” be written
in Chinese (Mandarin) characters (since this language abstains from lending
itself to the representation of sounds in the same manner as many
alphabet-based languages). We select the
Sanskrit/Hindi “अ” to represent
the initial “A.” We select the Greek “Σ” (Sigma) to represent the
“S.” We select the Greco-Roman “O” to
represent the “O.” We select the Arabic
“ن”
(Nun) to represent the “N.” We select
the Hebrew “א” (Aleph) to represent the concluding “A.” And we select the Chinese “冬宮” (Dhong Gong) to represent the “Ashram.” Obviously we are precluded from including
every written language within our name (and some languages abstain from having
an original written expression).
However, we consider that this linguistic expression well represents our
endeavour of pluralism and compassion.
And when 1st communicating our name with family members and
friends, we can utilise “अΣOאن冬宮” and “Asona Ashram” interchangeably.
In addition
to my previous experiences of pluralism in law school and additionally, our अΣOאن冬宮 also draws from the experiences and
intentions of the InterFaith Settlement.
The InterFaith Settlement’s creed includes pluralism, environmentalism,
socioeconomic balance, and education;
and each of these principles is included within the ethos of अΣOאن冬宮. Yet, the
emphasis of our अΣOאن冬宮 is on its existence as a living community
space. For that reason, there is further
emphasis on the practice of hospitality with our अΣOאن冬宮 Mantra:
1.) Our Asona Ashram (अΣOאن冬宮) is a gathering place for families and friends
from our many different religious, ethnic, and cultural communities.
2.) We are inspired by the examples of Avraham,
the Benevolent Samaritan, Baha’is, the Sadhu, and the teachings of hospitality
within our respective traditions.
3.) We are guided by the Welt Ethos, the Charter
For Compassion, the United Religions Initiative Charter, the Earth Charter, and
the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights.
4.) We
are egalitarian and our decisions are made through general consensus.
5.) We are dedicated towards serving our local
Coventry and Cuyahoga community and our Universal community.
We earnestly
strive for our अΣOאن冬宮 to be a welcoming, living facility of
community-building, prayer, meditation, meals, celebrations, rituals,
education, and the sharing of ideas. We
want our अΣOאن冬宮 to serve as a constant presence of genuine
pluralism and compassion, and to support other interFaitih organisations and
initiatives, locally and internationally.
As the
previously referenced local interFaith organisations close a few years after
the Melbourne Parliament, I begin reaching out to friends to begin our अΣOאن冬宮. Whilst
many interreligious groups begin rather homogenously and then selectively
branch out pluralistically, my intention is for our अΣOאن冬宮 to be pluralistic from the beginning. After a few months of casually reaching out,
I am able to cultivate engaged dialogue and buy-in from 10 additional
friends: a Catholic, a Jain, a Sufi Jew,
a Muslim, a Hare Krishna, a Protestant, a Native Muskogee, a Baha’i, a
Zarathustrian, and a Hindu. With the
intention of eventually relocating into a house, I offer my publicly subsidised
apartment as the official location of our अΣOאن冬宮.
I am able to
maintain initial, 1-on-1 conversations with each of these friends. My next step during that point is to
introduce my friends to each other.
That, I find, is increasingly difficult;
and it is 1 of the challenges that I experience with the initial Asona
endeavour. As I build these
conversations, I am forcefully detained for 5 months as the result of an act of
Civil Transcendence (essentially advocating for a group of youth, of African descent,
to play basketball in the gym facilities of my alma mater, Case Western Reserve
University). When I am released, I
return to the task of building our अΣOאن冬宮. We
convene meetings. We develop a guiding
philosophy (including this manuscript), and an organisational structure. We decide upon a scope of activities to
implement in the short-term.
As this
progress is being made, and drawing from our directive for providing
hospitality, I begin to welcome new friends from around the neighbourhood to
visit. A number of these friends
communicate being without an appropriate place to sleep; so I welcome my friends to sparingly sleep
within the domicile of our अΣOאن冬宮 (the flat where I reside). This, however, seemingly contradicts the
stipulations of the publicly subsidised housing where I live. When the building management is informed, I
am threatened with eviction. Amidst a
certain amount of negotiation, I leave the flat and squat on another area of
land; again, as another act of Civil
Transcendence. As a result, I am
forcefully detained for another 6 months.
When I am
released, I return to the flat, and I return to the task of building our अΣOאن冬宮. I resume
my conversations with my 10 friends and the efforts to introduce my friends to
each other. We construct our अΣOאن冬宮 Mantra.
We convene in-person meetings and a series of conference calls. We connect with friends from URI, and our
friends held us to guide our progression.
We identify short-term goals, including the transition of our अΣOאن冬宮 from my publicly-subsidised flat to a
nearby residential house within our Coventry neighbourhood.
After a year
of development (following my most recent release), we are informed of a grant
opportunity. During the same period, we
are introduced to the concept of “hospitality houses”: offering a house as a residence to recent
university graduates in exchange for the performance of community service
projects often for a period of 1 year.
Some of us think it is a perfect opportunity for our अΣOאن冬宮 endeavour, whilst some of us think it is
too much for our अΣOאن冬宮 endeavour.
The decision is made to proceed with the “hospitality house”
opportunity. Yet whilst we make plans
for this project, as we prepare to complete requirements to become a URI Cooperation
Circle, and as we complete the application for the grant, participation wanes
within our meetings and our conference calls.
It becomes difficult to reach an effective consensus decision. After a few weeks, the difficult decision is
made to put a hold on our work with our अΣOאن冬宮.
After a few
months of rest and deliberation, I inform my friends that I intend to reignite
our efforts in building our अΣOאن冬宮. During
that same period, I am able to attend the Salt Lake City Parliament. It is extremely energising and
rejuvenating. However, I temper the
enthusiasm from the Parliament with the intentionality of dutifully
strengthening the relationships of our friends with our अΣOאن冬宮 and additionally. I learn the lesson that, rather than working
to build initial consensus amongst a pluralism of friends who are just getting
to know each other (across substantial religious boundaries), it is beneficial
to simply do the work, and to welcome people to organically gravitate towards
this. Provide the meals. Make space available for prayer and
meditation. Hold conversations. Celebrate.
Teach lessons. Listen. Build community. So that is what we are doing. And we are allowing the organisation to build
around us.
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4
It is
appropriate to share, as a side note, that as part of our organisational ethos,
our अΣOאن冬宮 abstains from directly accepting or utilising money. This is based upon certain principles that
are addressed within the proceeding manuscript.
It has little effect upon our actual operations, but it does affect how
we are provided our material resources.
Our अΣOאن冬宮 is able to receive in-kind contributions and material resources. To facilitate the provision of many of these
resources, there are a number of organisations, friends, and family members who
provide us with support. 1 of these
organisations is my personal organisation, JoyFam Foundation. Individuals and groups interested in making a
contribution to our अΣOאن冬宮 are encouraged to contact JoyFam.
The following manuscript is a
treatise explaining much of the organisational philosophy of our अΣOאن冬宮. I physically write this treatise,
but it is very much the product of a cosmically cooperative effort. Admittedly, the explicit treatise is set
within the limited context of the 5 religious traditions that I previously
reference: Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism,
Christianity, and Islam; and
specifically within the passages from the respective Holy Scriptures of these
religious traditions: the Torah, the
Bhagavad Gita, the Digha Nikâya and Dhammapada, the Gospels, and the Koran.
This is the general format of
the treatise: each religious tradition
comprises a section. A section includes
specific passages and teachings from that religion (and its corresponding Holy
Scripture) which directly or esoterically pertain to the actions and/or
philosophy of our अΣOאن冬宮. After each passage/teaching, there
is a brief commentary that provides further, direct explanation of how that
passage/teaching informs our organisational philosophy and actions.
It may be rather obvious that
our अΣOאن冬宮 is inevitably an extension of my personal spiritual experience. So it is fraught with biases and
limitations. Yet, it is also the
extension of the respective spiritual experiences of many additional family
members and friends. And it may be
considered that my personal spiritual experience is an exact consequence of
pluralism. And whilst our अΣOאن冬宮 may significantly extend from my personal spiritual experience, our अΣOאن冬宮 genuinely embraces all traditions and respects all traditions, as well as
the integrity of all traditions.
During that period of local
organisational closings, I also experience a further awakening along my
spiritual path: towards Mysticism. As part of my involvement with local and
global activist initiatives, I give my car away to a friend. This significantly limits my ability to visit
different Houses of Worship and religious communities. It also limits my ability to attend services
at B’nai Jeshurun Congregation.
As a result, I fulfil my
religious obligations of ritual, prayer, meditation, study, and additionally,
through practice within my flat, effectively within our अΣOאن冬宮. I return to and strengthen my
studies in the respective Holy Scriptures, as well as my practice of prayer and
meditation. I also become increasingly
proficient in honouring religious observances and Holy Days within different
traditions. Thanks to learning
experiences such as that provided by the documentary film, “With 1 Voice,” I
become increasingly familiar with the language of “Mysticism;” increasingly intentional in practising its
discipline; and increasingly comfortable
with referring to myself in this manner:
a “Mystic.”
I find home within the Realisation
that mine is a multi-religious spirituality.
The intrinsically modest nature of my spirituality precludes me from
having conventional authority exclusively within any 1 traditional
religion. Instead, my spirituality is a
tradition that inspires and compels me to recognise the intrinsic, Divine
authority that exists within all beings.
I am like a modest lay person within multiple religious traditions,
without the recognition and without the confinement; but maintaining the obligations that come
with receiving and practising the teachings of the religions. And I maintain the continual inclination to
argue the teachings for pluralism and compassion, specifically and Universally,
through my thoughts, words, and actions.
I share this with our अΣOאن冬宮.
