Jerusalem Hug 2009

The next Jerusalem Hug is happening on 21st June, 2009 when people of all faiths form a human circle of love around Jerusalem. For those who are not in Jerusalem for the event there will be virtual hugs in other cities around the world. You can go to Lovers of Jerusalem for more details.

more about “Jerusalem Hug 2009“, posted with vodpod

Palestine, Israel, and the Dialogue of Love

I believe that the greatest example of how best to behave in the face of
such conflict situations as that happening in Palestine-Israel today are
the Palestinian and Israeli people themselves. Many might say, What! But
they are always fighting each other! This is the impression gained from
most main stream media. However, there are several groups in Israel,
Palestine, and around the world who are not only talking to each other
but who are actively attempting to help each other.

The following video is one example. An Israeli woman and a Palestinian
man, the immense pain they feel is palpable, but through that pain comes
a tremendous love and courage. It is only 6 minutes long and you can see
it here: http://tinyurl. com/a3vvod

This video link was sent to me by a dear friend, a young Israeli with
whom I have had many long conversations and with whom I have
participated in dhikr together with other Muslims, Jews, and Sikhs. On
the Sufi path I have learnt that love can be painful and that courage is
needed to follow the path. Often that courage fails me, it is a constant
struggle, but the two people speaking in this short video are a
wonderful example of the power of love and courage, Alhamdulillah!

When I pray, May there be peace, Inshallah! Then I also acknowledge that
there is peace already, dwelling in Israel and Palestine, among some of
the worst battlefields of the world. May it strengthen and grow and may such initiatives be reported more often in the media.

Muslims and Jews Speaking Together

Radio Salaam Shalom is a unique internet radio station that is run by Jewish and Muslim volunteers in Bristol. To listen to their podcasts just click here

They have been reported on by BBC, Channel 4, and Al-Jazeera English. You’ll find many fascinating discussions and interviews on the station.

Karen Armstrong: Charter of Compassion

Dear Friends, if you scroll down to the videos available in the sidebar you will see I have added a new video.

This is Karen Armstrongs speech when she received a TED award. It is very moving and pertinent to the global situation today. Religion can and should be a force for change today. Using the Golden Rule of every faith: Do not do unto others what you would not have them do to you. Karen Armstrong is working on creating a Charter of Compassion for the whole world.

A Video on the History of Muslim Spain

Photo I. Chatterjee

If you scroll down to the videos on the right hand side you will see I have added a video on Muslim Spain. This is an excellent documentary that recalls the 800 year history of Arab rule in Spain. The filmography is a delight with sumptious images of Muslim architecture and gardens, such as the Alhambra and the mosque of Cordoba

Eternity is Now

clipped from henrycorbinproject.blogspot.com Delighting in one of the wonderful comparisons of which he was so fond, Corbin recounts a conversation with D. T. Suzuki in Ascona in 1954: “…we asked him what homologies in structure he found between Mahayana Buddhism and the cosmology of Swedenborg in respect of the symbolism and correspondences of worlds: I can still see Suzuki suddenly brandishing a spoon and saying with a smile ‘This spoon now exists in Paradise… We are now in Heaven,’ he explained. This was an authentically Zen way of answering the question; Ibn ‘Arabi would have relished it. ” - Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn ‘Arabi, 354 Boddhisatvas in the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves in Turfan, on the Silk Road, Xinjiang, western China. I found this over at Tom Cheetham’s blog and am delighted with, ‘This spoon now exists in Paradise… We are now in Heaven’ because I have often thought that eternity can have no beginning or end by definition. Therefore, even if this planet is in some way time-bound, it can be no more than a veil, and perhaps a necessary one for our lives here, but nevertheless eternity is now and not at some future time. It also reminds me of something I read recently while studying Mahayana Buddhism for a field study. This sounds very Sufi to me, “Until you reach the path you wander in the world with the precious form of the sugata completely wrapped as in a bundle of rags” and also, “Here it is. You have this precious tathagata wrapped in rags. Unwrap it, quickly!” (1). If we understand ’sugata’ and ‘tathagata’, as Buddhists do, as Ultimate Reality, the Real, then in Sufi Muslim terms this is Al-Haqq. Under the veils (rags) that appear to separate us from Allah (swt) is our primordial nature, our fitrah, that is a manifestation of the Attributes of Allah. may we all have clean hearts that are clear mirrors reflecting the One. (1) The Arya-tathagatagarbha-sutra in The door of Liberation translated by Geshe Wangyal, p.205

Compassionate Listening

I have just added a new blog to my blogroll. It is Listening to the Tune in Dialogue by my friend Lisa Saffron. Lisa has been running dialogue sessions using the skills of compassionate listening for some time now and having attended a couple of her Jewish-Muslim sessions I can testify to how powerful these sessions can be. Compassionate communication is as much about listening to oneself as it is about listening to others and about being heard without judgement.

Lisa has also written a novel called Checkpoint which is about the meeting of a Palestinian and an Israeli family in tragic circumstances and how this experience changes lives.

Go across to Lisa’s blog and take a look.