Some of you will recall my struggles with centering prayer a few weeks ago. I haven’t tried since, but perhaps I will try and find a regular routine of getting a few minutes in every day as classes start up in a few weeks.
However, on the last day of my summer Clinical Pastoral Education at the hospital, our group had a chance to meet with a swami. A swami 1 (the word is derived from Sanskrit and means, “owner of oneself”) is a Hindu honorific title usually reserved learned priest and the most senior Hindu clergy. The swami we met with was Bhagawan Sri Sri Sri Viswayogi Viswamji Maharaj (photo on the right). This is an excerpt from his bio:
“Twenty one years of penance, sadhana, devoted meditation, practice of celibacy, enabled, evolved, Sri Viswanatha Sastry into saint, sai, a towering cosmic source of divine energy…He is recognized and worshipped as Bhagawan Sri Sri Sri Viswayogi Viswamjee Maharaj…Sri Viswamjee enjoins on us the practice of all the four great values, truth, character, purity and unity as our sacred ideals.”
I came into the meeting a few minutes late, but when I walked in, a Christian pastor was opening with a prayer, and then he asked the swami if he might lead us in prayers. The swami, who came with an entourage of assistants, began to lead us in some Hindu chants and prayers, some in Hindi and others in English. It was a very interesting experience, and I think that the general feeling of the group was one of honor that we were able to witness a form of prayer that was new to many, if not all, of us. Some of us even joined in with the English chants (my favorite had a repeating stanza that said, “God is here – God is there – God, God – everywhere”). Another English chant had a few lines that included something to the effect of “God is Jesus, God is Krishna, God is Buddha, God is Allah.”
I know that some of you will have some serious problems with this – but I always enjoy the chance to experience the worship and prayers of another’s religion. It reminded me somewhat of my experience of praying with Muslims at Princeton a few years ago. And I think it is these interactions with other faiths that are incredibly more helpful for our world today, than say these interactions (please watch, it’s short). I don’t know if those comments actually came from US Senators or from people sitting in, but that is reprehensible. That is one of the reasons I believe it is important for me to take part in interfaith dialogues and interfaith activities to try and help people realize that not all Christians are like the ones you hear in that video clip.
Footnotes- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swami ↩
Related posts:
- The Pig of Truth: Experiencing God’s Presence
- Group Discernment: Watch the Spirit Show Up!
- Why I Wasn’t At the Pole
Share This Post:
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey man-
That’s a wild clip that doesn’t have very much “gentleness or respect” that Peter urges us toward!
Let me ask a serious question, though, that I hope doesn’t sound smart-assed…
Is there a point when we’ve moved from sitting at the table of friendship with someone from a different religion into actually worshiping false gods? I mean, is there a line there at at all?
And if so, how does one know when one has crossed it?
Hey Bob-
A dilemma, to be sure. I’ve thought of it in a number of interfaith settings. For me, guidance comes from the Great Commandment, and Sermon on the Mount.
A line is crossed if I lie–attest to something I know isn’t true, such as chanting “I believe there is more than one God,” when I believe there is no God but God. God knows my heart, so I want my mouth to speak from my heart, as an expression of my love for God.
Respectful silence is never a lie. I can always be silent instead of speaking or chanting what isn’t true for me. If I’m humble and authentic (not barely masking disapproval, commentary, etc.) in my silence, it need not communicate disrespect. Respect is an expression of love. God commands me to love above all else, so I serve my religion by respecting that of my neighbor. We may disagree about points of theology, but can agree that worship and consciousness of God are good things, that love would respect.
To worry about just how different my neighbor’s theology has to be from mine, in order to qualify them as actually worshipping “false gods” seems a waste of energy. If there were a “line there,” the lumber in my eyes would keep me from knowing that my neighbor’s theology is on the other side. I’d sooner put energy into making my own worship true.
“I don’t know if those comments actually came from US Senators or from people sitting in, but that is reprehensible.”
Then look it up. Of course US Senators didn’t disrupt the opening prayer like that.
“Police identified the protesters as Ante Nedlko Pavkovic, Katherine Lynn Pavkovic and Christan Renee Sugar.” link
Paul said, “Respectful silence is never a lie.”
I think I understand what you’re getting at here, but I’m not sure that silence, even if it’s “respectful [?]” is never a lie.
A wonderful blogpost – the whole blog is worth bookmarking.