Samvaad Handbook

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Contents

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

i.

Acknowledgements

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ii.

About Seeds of Peace

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iii.

The Samvaad Project

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iv.

The Samvaad Project Team

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v.

Samvaad Participants

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vi.

The Samvaad Project Highlights & Participant Testimonials

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vii.

Introduction and Intention of The Handbook

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viii.

Learning Design for The Samvaad Project

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ix.

Sample Session Plans

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x.

Resources to Create Interfaith Exploration Spaces

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xi.

The Samvaad National Interfaith Summit 2021 Publications

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xii.

How can you engage in interfaith exploration?

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xiii.

Contact details

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Acknowledgements

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

The Samvaad Project has been a special journey for Seeds of Peace India for many reasons.Not only has it been the first grants-based program for us, but also the first program for working with adults in the Seeds of Peace universe! We are grateful to the US Consulate Mumbai for awarding us the grant without which this first step towards contributing to interfaith harmony in India would not have been possible. We thank the Consul General, David Ranz, and Koyel Sen, Public Engagement Specialist, for sharing our vision to create the first cohort of interfaith dialogue facilitators in India.

We owe huge gratitude to our mentors and facilitators, including Mansi Arun Panjwani, founder, The Peace Collective; Rukmini Iyer, founder, Exult! Solutions, and Fr. Joshua Thomas, Executive Director, Seeds of Peace. It is their expertise and effort that has helped this program take shape and evolve into a wonderful national-level initiative.

Our deepest thanks to the professors/ educators from several colleges and universities who took a leap of faith committed to this intensive training program, and stuck with it despite the challenges of the pandemic.

We are grateful to the continuing support of the Seeds of Peace India trustees, Vinod Shetty and Shashi Mehta, and other volunteers and well-wishers.

And finally, to the outreach and design teams behind the scenes, who brought together the people and created a larger, prettier and memorable picture – THANK YOU!

Seeds of Peace India Team December 2021

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About Seeds of Peace

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Founded in 1993 by journalist John Wallach, Seeds of Peace inspires and cultivates new generations of global leaders in communities divided by conflict. We equip exceptional youth and educators with the skills and relationships to work in solidarity across lines of difference to create more just and inclusive societies.

Over the last 28 years, Seeds of Peace has intensified its impact, dramatically increasing the number of participants, represented nations, and programs.

From 46 American, Egyptian, Israeli and Palestinian teenagers in 1993, our network now includes 7300 alumni throughout the Middle East, South Asia, Europe and the United States who are uniquely positioned to lead change.

Seeds of Peace’s approach focuses on three types of change: personal, interpersonal transformation, and wider societal change. Our leadership development model begins with a transformational camp session in Maine for exceptional young people and educators living in conflict. The program shifts attitudes and perceptions and builds respect and empathy. Our approach continues through year-round local programs that strengthen relationships and leadership capacities.

We then accelerate the impact of our alumni who are challenging the ideologies, policies, and practices that perpetuate conflict. www.seedsofpeace.org

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About The Samvaad Project

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Seeds of Peace, with the grant support of the US Consulate, Mumbai, undertook The Samvaad Project – a 10-month long program cycle to train educators as Interfaith Dialogue Facilitators in Western India. Between March 2021 and January 2022, the program trained over 30 university-level educators from Western India to lead and facilitate interfaith dialogue activities with their students and in their communities.

The Seeds of Peace facilitators trained the selected candidates in interfaith dialogue facilitation, through two extensive online training phases. In these phases, they learned about the theoretical and practical aspects of “Interfaith Dialogue Facilitation” and strategized on how to put their new dialogue skills into practice in their classrooms and communities. They also received post-program support in phase three to sustain the dialogue program in their respective communities.

Phase three of the program also featured the first virtual Samvaad National Interfaith Summit, a day-long program that brought

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together educators, students, peacebuilders, community and faith leaders, legal and policy professionals, journalists, artists, and other civil society stakeholders.

The conference was focussed on interfaith work, with a special emphasis on dialogue.

With the core theme being interfaith explorations, the sub-themes included: • • •

Need for dialogue in the current context Relevance of interfaith content in mainstream education Bridge-builders in the history of the subcontinent

Speakers at the summit included eminent personalities like Padmashri Syeda Hameed, Faisal Khan, Bhanwar Meghwanshi, Dr. Kaushikee, and Sushobha Barve among others.

Seeds of Peace India has synthesized the learnings of the program and the summit into this interfaith dialogue facilitation handbook that will be circulated among its 7,300+ member network and to its peer interfaith organizations.

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Introduction

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Why this handbook?

The Samvaad Handbook has been especially curated for educators and facilitators interested in promoting interfaith dialogue among young adults.

Process behind the handbook

We were inspired by the motivation levels of our fellow educators who were our participants in this program and wanted to share useful resources with our peers around the world who are committed to promoting interfaith dialogue.

This handbook contains a multitude of educational activities and resources that can be used in varying contexts with educators and young adults. It has been developed for beginners and intermediate facilitators in the field of interfaith dialogue using non-formal education.

It is our hope that you can use this handbook to find activities suitable for your context and design a safe space for engaging young adults in interfaith dialogue, thereby promoting a culture of peace.

Based on our experience of designing and facilitating activities for educators and young adults internationally, we have curated this handbook which also represents the voices of 20 educators across West India.

This handbook contains additional resources that you might find helpful in deepening your discussions. In addition, we have also included a selection of papers especially authored for our National Interfaith Summit held online in India.

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The Team

Sagar Gangurde Director of Programs

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Sagar Gangurde presently works as the Director of Indian Programs for Seeds of Peace. He is a former Teach For India Fellow and a Caux Scholar with over 14 years of international work experience. He was awarded with “The Peace Award” by Welingkar’s Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai in 2016. In 2017, he was selected for the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program in the USA. Very recently he was selected for the prestigious ‘Rotary Peace Fellowship Program” at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. He is also a certified NLP Master Coach and Master Practitioner approved by the International Coach Federation (ICF), USA and a Certified Comprehensive Sexuality Educator from TISS, Mumbai. His passion lies in leadership coaching, youth development and Interfaith Harmony.

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Urmi Chanda Sr. Program Coordinator

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Urmi Chanda straddles many domains, including journalism, academia, and recently, non-profit.

She trained to be a clinical psychologist, before moving on to make a career in journalism. After a decade in different media organisations, she went on to study Indology and then got into independent research and writing. Currently, she is pursuing her professional doctorate as a Harmony Scholar from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and is also associated with two non-profit organisations, Seeds of Peace (India) and the Indian Documentary Foundation in consultative capacities. In her spare time, she moonlights as a podcaster, being the voice of the Dr. Happy Podcast.

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Rukmini Iyer Facilitator & Trainer

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Rukmini Iyer, Samvaad Facilitator & Trainer - Rukmini is a leadership and organization development consultant and a peacebuilder. She runs a consulting practice called Exult! Solutions based in Mumbai, India and has been working with clients around the world for over two decades.

While her work straddles the corporate, educational and development spaces, she finds the idea of eco-centric living a common thread that binds them all. Facilitation, coaching and dialogue are the core modalities she works with and she is trained in a variety of approaches including human process work, trauma science, non-violent communication, appreciative inquiry, neuro linguistic programming, etc. In the peacebuilding space, interfaith work, peace education and dialogue are her main areas of focus. Rukmini has a Professional Development Certificate in Peace and Conflict Resolution from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand and Master’s degrees in Organizational Psychology and Management. Her publications include ‘A Culturally Sensitive Approach to Engage Contemporary Corporate India in Peacebuilding’ and ‘An Inner Journey of Casteism’. She can be reached at rukmini@exult-solutions.com.

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Mansi Arun Panjwani Facilitator & Trainer

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Mansi is a peace educator and an international consultant on peacebuilding. She recently founded The Peace Collective- a global community of facilitators committed to fostering a culture of peace around the world. Mansi has a Masters in Peace Education from the UN mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica and a Masters in Conflict Analysis and Peacebuilding from Jamia Millia Islamia in India. She is actively engaged in designing and facilitating programs that empower peacebuilders, educators and young leaders to be change-agents within their communities. Her work is rooted in peace education and human rights education methodologies that are inclusive, joyful, self-reflective and interactive. Some of her thematic areas of work include compassionate and humanistic leadership, fostering organizational culture of empowerment and inclusion, self-care and team-care, women and youth leadership, conflict transformation, peacebuilding, among others. Mansi has worked with participants from over 60 countries and is also an on-going consultant with the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Countering Violent Extremism Unit. You can reach her at mansi@thepeacecollective.co

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Stephania Menezes Sr. Outreach Coordinator

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Stephania believes In Being in each moment, it has not always been easy but she strives towards that.

Choosing to work from an early age has given her exposure to different industries. After almost a decade in the corporate sector, she started exploring living a life of service. Now, working with people, especially children is where her heart lies. Being able to sense people’s deep need and being present to listen has been her gift. Stephania Menezes is the co-founder of WeavingLives, a startup which creates spaces for couples to engage with each other to deepen partnerships.

As a facilitator, she has worked with people from all walks of life.

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Pallavi Wali

Pallavi is a part-time non-profit consultant and a full-time believer in peace. She founded the South Asian Peace Project (SAPP) to bring to the fore regional peacebuilding initiatives that have remained dwarfed and isolated before the meta narrative of conflict and vengeance.

Sr. Outreach Associate

She is also currently serving as the State President for Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (WICCI) Diversity & Inclusion Council and co-curating the Global Women Economic Forum (WEF).

Her experience ranges from non-profit strategizing, project development under CSR and communication to inclusive education and rural development. She can be reached at pallaviwali.12@gmail.com .

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Samvaad Participants

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01

Elvis Fernandes

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Fatima Rashid

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Gandha Sahu Expert Visiting faculty, Mediation and Negotiation

ILS Law College - Pune, Symbiosis Law School - Pune, Pravin Gandhi College of Law - Mumbai, Maharashtra National Law School University - Mumbai

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Ghansham Darne

Savitri Jotirao College of Social Work, Yavatmal, Maharashtra

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Kishu Daswani

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Koshy Tharakan

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Krushna Chetty

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Nagalingam M

Fr. Agnel College of Arts and Commerce, Pilar, Goa

Educator

Universal Education, Mumbai, Maharashtra

Counselor

Assistant professor

Government Law College, Mumbai

Adjunct Professor of Law

Department of Philosophy, Goa University, Goa

Professor and Head

Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor

Sociology Department, School of Humanities & Social Science, Sabarmati University, Ahmedabad

Department of Social Work, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak, Lalpur, Anuppur, Madhya Pradesh

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Omkar Bhatkar

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Payal Gupta

Department of Mass Media Studies, St. Andrews College, Mumbai

Visiting Lecturer NMIMS, Mumbai

Counselor Anjuman-I-Islam’s Allana Institute of Management & Research (AIAIMS)

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Poonam Chaudhari

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Sabir Syed Director

Hazrat Bibi Fatima Computer Education and Training Institute c/o Pir Makhdum Saheb Charitable Trust, Mahim Dargah, Mumbai

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Sandeep Sharma

Innovation and Continuing Education Centre, Auro University, Surat

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Savio Fernandes

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Sidranaaz Qazi

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Sumeet Singh Arora

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Tanu Mehta

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Upamanyu Sengupta

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Zaibunnisa Malik

Assistant Professor

Head

Council for Social Justice and Peace Office, Piedade Institute, Goa

Consultant

Sophia College For Women, Mumbai

Assistant Professor

Dhanwantari Ayurved Medical College and Charitable Hospital, Udir, Maharashtra

Consultant

Centre for Mediation and Research at the Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Mumbai

Honorary Director

Maharashtra National Law University ( MNLU), Mumbai

Assistant Professor of English

Unaided Section, M. H. Saboo Siddik Polytechnic, Mumbai

Principal Incharge

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Project Highlights 5

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Number of participating Indian states

Total number. of sessions conducted

by Samvaad participants

33

160

350

5207

Number of participants who were chosen for the program

Number of universities reached in outreach efforts

Total number of contact hours (Number. of Students x Number. of sessions x duration of each session)

Total number of facilitation hours conducted by Samvaad participants

322

Total number of students engaged

by Samvaad participants

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Participant Testimonials “Beautiful (program). I have experienced the stretch zone and am back to my comfort zone by the end. Excellent time management.

(I loved the) Flexibility, freedom and space for creativity within the structure.”

Gandha Sahu,Visiting Lecturer, several law institutes, Pune “I felt safe to be spontaneous in sharing my reflections; I could interact with participants especially in the breakout rooms and know them a little more.”

Dr. [Fr.] Elvis Fernandes, Fr. Agnel College of Arts and Commerce, Pilar, Goa “Samvaad was a well-designed module, and though online, gave sufficient consideration to physical fatigue, content, and modes of delivery. The best thing was that it offered plenty of opportunities for self-examination.”

“My key takeaways from Samvaad were: (i) Relearning techniques largely pertaining to dialogue and conflict resolution; (ii) meeting people from different religious backgrounds and learning about their approach to interfaith; (iii) Seeing how different academicians adopt different styles of facilitation; (iv) Learning different styles and input in the process of designing a unique course for training in interfaith facilitation.”

Prof. Kishu Daswani, Adjunct Professor of Law, Government Law College, Mumbai “The (best thing about Samvaad were the) discussions, and the learnings that came from it. But most importantly, the facilitators’ conduct. That was a great learning!”

Dr. Tanu Mehta, Honorary Director, Centre for Mediation and Research at the Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Mumbai

Fatima Rashid, Counselor, Universal Education

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Introduction In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on the Declaration on a Culture of Peace stating that “progress in the fuller development of a culture of peace comes about through values, attitudes, modes of behavior and ways of life conducive to the promotion of peace among individuals, groups and nations”. It is by upholding “respect for life, ending of violence and promotion and practice of non-violence through education, dialogue and cooperation” that we can begin moving towards a sustainable culture of peace in society.1

understanding and interreligious dialogue in promoting a culture of peace and thus ‘established World Interfaith Harmony Week (February 1-7) as a way to promote harmony between all people regardless of their faith’.2 Using education, dialogue and cooperation as foundations to foster a culture of peace, Seeds of Peace India undertook ‘The Samvaad Project’ with university professors to train them in interfaith dialogue facilitation which would further enable them to work with the youth of their educational institutions, thus creating a ripple effect of change for social action.

In 2010, the UN General Assembly further proclaimed the importance of mutual

1 2

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https://ifyc.org/interfaith https://paperzz.com/doc/8542727/interfaith-dialogue-in-india

THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

The Need for Interfaith Cooperation

Interfaith cooperation plays a crucial role in promoting a culture of peace. Diversity is a reality and it is neither good or bad in itself.

Nature is full of examples of diversity. Take for example, the flora and fauna around us. Not all flowers are the same colour, not all trees grow in the same way. Human beings are diverse too, in more ways than one. However, the way we view diversity could either lead to tensions, conflicts and violence or could lead to pluralism. Meaningful interfaith cooperation, as suggested by Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), can lead to lesser polarization and more resilient communities. Interfaith cooperation does not mean that people agree with what others believe in. It goes beyond that. Instead, it is an opportunity to learn about each other, build relationships and bridges across differences and can also lead to taking common action despite differences. 3 India is a diverse nation. The number of languages, cultures and faith traditions that exist in its fold is breathtaking. With religions like Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism and many more being actively practiced, India has been called the ‘cradle of religions’. A.Suresh argues that religious fanaticism and hateful intolerance are contrary to the very nature and purpose of religions. Religion could easily be used either

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as a means to promote a harmonious society or to promote hatred and unjust aggression. 4 According to several global reports, the problem of communal strife and religion-based conflicts has been steadily rising over the past decade in India. Religious identity and differences have played a large role in the nation’s political and social dynamics, at times fueling communal conflict that has periodically disrupted the peace, stability, and growth of the country. At the heart of the issue could be a lack of understanding of different faiths and lack of empathy toward people of different faiths which contributes to in-group/out-group dynamics, which in turn fuels xenophobia and communal conflict. It is with the aim of allaying this pain point that ‘The Samvaad Project’ was initiated.

The lack of opportunities for interreligious and cross-cultural dialogue in communities is a major driver of isolation and violent conflict.

For an atmosphere riddled with communal tension and frequent conflict between interfaith groups, it is vital that there are mediators and facilitators trained in interfaith dialogue.

It is time to create such opportunities for community interaction and rebuild burnt bridges.

http://www.un-documents.net/a53r243a.htm https://www.un.org/en/observances/interfaith-harmony-week

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While dialogue has been a major facet of Indic philosophy and hence been practiced in the subcontinent from ancient times, modern times have seen us engage in much debate whether political, social, economic, and even personal. Even in schools and universities, one

will find debate teams but one would rarely encounter a dialogue club where the essence of dialogues are upheld and practiced. It is our belief that the ability to dialogue needs to be reclaimed for us to engage in everyday peacebuilding.

What is ‘Interfaith’?

Eboo Patel, in his book Interfaith Leadership, highlights how interfaith work is not limited to people with formal religious authority such as a theologian, a priest, pastor or an Imam.

Interfaith work can be done by anyone.

Imagine a young female social worker for instance or a university professor. While people of the clergy are definitely included in interfaith work, the field can also be embraced by anyone who is interested.

Patel breaks up the term “interfaith” into its component parts, “inter” and “faith.” “Inter” is defined as the relationships between people who orient around religion differently. “Faith” is defined as the relationship between an individual and what we commonly understand as a religious or philosophical tradition (such as Christianity, Hinduism, or humanism). The term “interfaith,” therefore, has two profound implications: how do our relationships with those who are different affect our relationships 5 6

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with our religious or philosophical traditions, and how do relationships with our traditions affect how we interact with people who are different from us?”5 United Religions Initiative (URI) defines interfaith cooperation as not being about “renouncing religions, or combining all religions into one. In fact, many people find that their friendships with people in other traditions strengthen their understanding and respect for their own tradition. Interfaith friendships reach out across the stereotypes and misunderstandings that lead to religiouslymotivated violence. They reinforce the idea that, regardless of religion or belief tradition, every human deserves respect. Interfaith interactions live out the core values that are shared by all religions - values like compassion, respect, love, hope and peace, which are necessary for sustaining life in all communities.”6

https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/what-interfaith-leadership-eboo-patel https://www.uri.org/node/3729

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What is Dialogue?

Leonard Swidler, founder of the Dialogue Institute, defines dialogue as “a two-way communication between persons who hold significantly differing views on a subject, with the purpose of learning more truth about the subject from the other.” 7 Dialogue is very different from debates, discussions, negotiations, mediations, and other forms of communication. Instead of convincing each other, or brainstorming and finding the ‘best answer’, the process of dialogue engages participants in sharing their experiences and lived realities in a safe space.

Without looking for agreements or solutions, dialogues are a way to connect people, and in the process of this connection, grow ourselves.8 Swidler goes on to explain how our understanding of truth statements are not ‘absolute’ but a perspective of the speaker.

Since one shares their perspective and their ‘truth’ from their limited worldview, if one wishes to grasp an expanded understanding of reality, they need to learn from others a different perception of reality which one may not otherwise have access to. That, Swidler

argues, can happen only through dialogue.9 Louise Diamond explained beautifully that “dialogue means we sit and talk with each other, especially those with whom we may think we have the greatest differences. However, talking together all too often means debating, discussing with a view to convincing the other, arguing for our point of view, examining pros and cons. In dialogue, the intention is not to advocate but to inquire; not to argue but to explore; not to convince but to discover.”10 The goals of dialogue generally include learning from each other, being open to grow in one’s own understanding. Through the process of dialogue, we often understand the misinformation we had about ‘the other’ and are able to let go of stereotypes.

Dialogue leads to an expanded knowledge of ourselves and the other, as well as a better understanding of ourselves and the people in our dialogue group. Swidler argues that such awareness and understanding also then leads to an attitude shift towards ourselves and others, which thus results in changed behavior.11

https://dialogueinstitute.org/what-is-dialogue https://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/dialogue 9 https://dialogueinstitute.org/what-is-dialogue 10 https://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/dialogue 11 https://dialogueinstitute.org/what-is-dialogue 7 8

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Facilitating a Dialogue

While the broad aim of dialogue is to promote respectful inquiry and to stimulate conversation to allow for important issues to surface, there is no predetermined agenda or fixed goal. Some aspects of setting the right stage for a dialogue include participants sitting in a circle to avoid any hierarchy and so that everyone has an opportunity to talk directly to each other.

An interfaith dialogue facilitator is not expected to ‘check-out’ from their own identity when facilitating a group. Our identities and worldviews inform the work that we do and also colour our work. An interfaith dialogue facilitator is not expected to be ‘neutral’ but to be aware of how their views and positions might affect their engagement in a particular situation. At the same time, a facilitator needs to uphold a safe environment for people of different faiths to share their perspectives with each other.

A dialogue space is a safe space that encourages everyone to speak and be heard. Participants are encouraged to speak openly, authentically and respectfully.

Listening is an important skill in dialogue and enables participants to be fully present, not just physically, but also emotionally. One

best practice in dialogue settings includes encouraging participants to use the ‘I’ language. For instance, if a participant shares ‘my family did not allow me to participate in a religious ceremony when I was menstruating’ has a different impact than if she would have said, ‘girls are always discriminated against.’ This norm allows for statements to be rooted in participants’ realities and their lived experiences instead of sharing generalized statements. This is also helpful in reducing assumptions by participants. Another best practice in a dialogue setting is for questions to emerge out of curiosity to understand more instead of ‘attacking’.

By listening and sharing with one another, new meanings often emerge for participants and they begin uncovering and examining their judgements, assumptions, beliefs and feelings. As participants continue dialoguing, and as listening deepens, reflections and sharings also deepen. In turn, the speed of conversation may reduce, because now the group is not just sharing their realities, they are engaging with the lived realities of their peers.

Dialogues are best done in smaller groups of 15-20 where everyone has the opportunity to share and a one and a half to two hours session is a good time to get the conversation flowing.15

7 https://dialogueinstitute.org/what-is-dialogue 8 https://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/dialogue 9 https://dialogueinstitute.org/what-is-dialogue 10 https://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/dialogue 11 https://dialogueinstitute.org/what-is-dialogue 12 https://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/dialogue 13 https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/what-interfaith-leadership-eboo-patel

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

He suggests that in a country as multi religious as India, the mission of dialogue could be the total wellbeing of all people. Moving beyond dialogue being used for self-defense or an abstract reflection, when we understand and explore the impact on human life and all its

dimensions, dialogue would lead to action.

Cooperative action could then be initiated irrespective of religious differences.16

Conclusion

We sincerely hope that through this handbook, you too, can begin your journey in interfaith dialogue as a facilitator. Our wish is for you to grow alongside your participants as you explore interfaith dialogue together. This handbook contains a multitude of resources that can serve as a starting point and we look

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forward to hearing about your experiences as you engage with them. Do reach out to the Seeds of Peace Team and the Samvaad facilitators if there is any way in which we can support your journey.

Warmest of wishes!

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Learning Design for The Samvaad Project Created by the Samvaad Facilitators

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Introduction

SEEDS OF PEACE

The intention of The Samvaad Project was to create a pool of interfaith dialogue facilitators among university educators in western India. We share the broad design of the program here with a hope that it may help those of you who are educators, to enhance your own learning around interfaith work. If you are an institution working on interfaith dialogues, this may also support you in terms of ideas to develop your own facilitator training curriculum. Having said that, we must articulate the context that we held in mind in the process of designing this, so that you understand why some elements are incorporated in a certain way. If you plan to use this as a reference document, we highly encourage you to ground this in your specific context and change the design and content accordingly.

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The Context

The demographic context for this program was a group of educators, most of whom had doctorates, or at least Masters degrees, and were English speakers. They taught under-graduate and graduate level courses in universities in six states in Western India. Their age range was between 30-60 years and they represented the Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Sikh faiths. They were internet-savvy and could participate in online sessions without challenges, though some of them were located in areas where connectivity was sometimes a challenge.

Besides teaching their designated courses at their universities, each of them were curious about interfaith work and engaged with it in their personal and/or professional capacities in various ways. None of them had been trained to be interfaith dialogue facilitators before.

The external context of this program was that it was the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic (2021) and the participants were engaged in teaching their students online. Some of them were also involved in Covid-relief efforts.

If you are using this resource, it may help for you to articulate your own context clearly so that you can notice the relevance or limitations of certain ideas and resources accordingly.

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The Phases

The learning process was broken up into two phases, with a gap of two months in between the two phases. The third phase involved implementation, where the participants facilitated interfaith dialogues among their students, while occasionally engaging in one-to-one coaching conversations with the Samvaad facilitators when they needed support with design and/or facilitation.

Phase One The first phase of learning involved eight online sessions of two hours each. These were spaced out over a month, with two sessions every week, three days apart. Therefore, each session entailed some pre-work assigned to the participants which allowed for engagement and connection with the process in between sessions. The time between sessions also enabled personal reflection and a deeper dive into the content of the previous sessions.

Participants were encouraged to engage in some form of journaling as per their preference, during this process.

The intention of Phase One was to support the participants to engage with their own relationship with faith. As an interfaith dialogue facilitator, this is critical because it allows one to hold space for participants with integrity when one engages with faith and its implications in a deep, consistent manner. The sessions were also meant to challenge them to think about aspects of faith they may not have delved into. Elements of dialogue in the sessions also enabled them to experience what it is like to be a participant in an interfaith dialogue, and therefore develop empathy towards the struggles of a participant in such a space.

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The Interim

Phase Three

Between the first and the second phases, participants were encouraged to attend weekly sessions of 90 minutes each (optional), which were dialogue spaces anchored on films or essays they would have to read/watch before the sessions. The anchoring content was related to interfaith work and the intention of these sessions was to continue and deepen the engagement that began in Phase One and maintain connection with the Samvaad community before the next phase began.

After completing the training in the first two phases, the participants engaged in organizing and facilitating interfaith dialogue among their students. In a way, this was the output phase of The Samvaad Project, with the educators creating a ripple effect of interfaith dialogue after being trained. They were supported as and when needed, in terms of ideation, design and reflection on facilitation, by the Samvaad facilitators through one-to-one coaching conversations. They designed these dialogues in order to suit their students in terms of sociopolitical contexts of the region, the courses being taken by the students, the predominant language used in the educational institution and so on. For example, students in a medical institution engaged in dialogues related to faith and the healthcare system, students in a law college dialogues about the impact of faith in legal decisions, etc.

Phase Two The learning in this phase was focussed on dialogue facilitation skills, given that the content inputs related to interfaith work had been given in Phase One and the Interim sessions. Of course, there is never an end to learning about faith and we encourage anyone engaged in this work to continue learning through dialogue, reading, films, conversations, participation in rituals, and many such other ways.

This phase was initially meant to be conducted as a residential retreat. However, the pandemic situation did not allow for that and hence it was conducted online as sessions spread over six days, for six hours a day. The intention of this phase was to equip participants with frameworks and techniques related to dialogue facilitation, and also to have space to practice dialogue facilitation within the learning environment.

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

The Design Framework

All through The Samvaad Project, we have been conscious of engaging with faith through the lens of a lay person, because that will make it possible to mainstream interfaith dialogue. When faith-based discourses are led by theologians, it narrows the scope and practice of dialogue. However, the impact of faith is universal, well beyond the realms of theology and religious institutions. It impacts all human beings regardless of our personal beliefs and preferences, and also impacts other species on the planet, given the inclusion/utilization of animals, planets and other natural resources in faith-based practices. Therefore, everyone needs a voice in interfaith dialogue.

Consequently, we have used an intersectional approach to guide the learning design of The Samvaad Project, instead of a theological approach.

Please note that this is guided by the educational focus of the program and does not in any way undermine any other approaches to interfaith work.

The intersectional framework allows for facilitators and participants alike to ground faith in day-today experiences including one’s gender, religious identity, socio-economic status, etc. It also gives them permission to analyse and articulate ideas about faith without it being an area of scholastic expertise. This is critical, because ultimately, the impact of faith is felt through lived experience and dialogues are a way to honour that, as one can be moved and transformed by another’s lived experience, or simply feel listened to in a relatively safe space. Thus, this approach democratizes the access to faith.

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The Design for Phase One

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Shared are detailed session plans of each two-hour session. Note that the mode of delivery was synchronous online sessions using the Zoom platform, which informed the choice of certain approaches and exercises. Each session explores a certain intersection of faith while the last two sessions move the conversation towards the need for facilitating interfaith dialogue in the current context.

THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Session 1 My Relationship with Faith

Duration: 120 min.

Delivery Method: Online*

Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will be able: • To get to know each other • To begin identifying one’s own definition of faith • To notice one’s predominant identities • To articulate the connection between faith and identities

Resources: Pre-work: Essay: Conversation between Gandhi and Osama Bin Laden Post-work: Watch the Hindi film ‘Road to Sangam’ (2009)

*Given are detailed session plans of each two-hour session. Note that the mode of delivery was synchronous online sessions using the Zoom platform, which informed the choice of certain approaches and

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exercises. Each session explores a certain intersection of faith while the last two sessions move the conversation towards the need for facilitating interfaith dialogue in the current context.

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Activities: Introduction:

Introduction to the program and the facilitators

Duration: 10 min.

Participant Introduction:

Introduction of participants: • Names •

Location

Duration: 30 min.

•

Professional background

•

Association with interfaith work

Set Up:

Setting up group norms for Phase One

Duration: 10 min.

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Activities: What is Faith?

Duration: 15 min.

• • • •

Faith and practices that create identities

Use Mentimeter to evoke responses to the question ‘What is Faith?’

Allow participants to go through the collective responses and share what evokes their curiosity Make, allow and hold spaces for differences Use ‘I’ language (this avoids generalised statements)

Opening conversation on faith-related practices that contribute to identities (such as being a Muslim may encourage the practice of zakat, being a Hindu woman may lead to the practice of lighting a lamp in the evening, etc.)

Duration: 10 min.

Identities Duration: 25 min.

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•

•

Ask participants to reflect and list the various identities they hold and how faith may inform some of these identities.

In breakout rooms, encourage sharing in smaller groups on some identities that lead to the expression of faith, such as a Christian attending mass on Sundays, a Hindu teaching their children about the epic Ramayan, etc.

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Activities: Reflection: Duration: 15 min.

Closing: Duration: 5 min.

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What reflections do you have based on the breakout room exercise and the first session today: • Is there something new I learnt?

• Is there a new insight I have?

• Was something reinforced?

• Was something in me challenged today?

Ask participants to express through body posture and expressions, their response to the question: What thought/ question is alive for me now?

THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Session 2 My understanding of religion from my identity

Objectives:

Duration: 120 min.

•

Delivery Method: Online

By the end of the session, participants will be able: •

•

To articulate one’s religious identity (including atheism/agnosticism) To articulate one’s asks from others, as someone practicing/upholding religion/faithbased identity To articulate how one is willing to hold others who have different religious/faith-based identities

Resources: Pre-work: Watch the Hindi film ‘Road to Sangam’ (2009) Post-work: Watch the Tamil short film ‘Chicken @ Swami’s Kitchen’ (2017)

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Activities: Introduction:

Welcome and grounding practice using mindfulness

Duration: 10 min.

Reflections on the pre-work:

In breakout rooms, ask participants to share about the film ‘Road to Sangam’ using the following prompts: •

What did this film invoke in you?

Duration: 20 min.

•

How has religious identity played out in your life?

Religion: Origins and current reality

Facilitator-led conversation around: • •

Origins of various religions and their changing contexts Politicisation of religious identities

Duration: 15 min.

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Activities: My religious identity

Set up participants in break-out rooms based on their religious identities and ask them to collate collective responses to the following:

Duration: 30 min.

• • •

Presentation:

What do I want other people to know about my Faith?

As someone practicing/upholding religion/faith-based identity, what are my asks from others?

As someone practicing/upholding religion/faith-based identity, what am I willing to give to others?

Group presentations based on the break-out room exercise

Duration: 30 min.

Closing:

Ask participants to respond to the question: What insights and/or questions am I carrying back today?

Duration: 15 min.

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Session 3 Caste and its influence on faith Duration: 120 min.

Delivery Method: Online*

Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will be able: • To notice the role of caste in one’s life • To articulate the relationship between caste and faith

Resources: Pre-work: Watch the Tamil short film ‘Chicken @ Swami’s Kitchen’ (2017) Post-work: Watch the TED Talks: ‘How to make peace? Get angry’ by Kailash Satyarthi ‘How to let go of being a “good” person and become a better person’ by Dolly Chugh

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Activities: Check in Duration: 10 min.

Reflections on pre-work

Show a picture slide with images/short text related to current interfaith issues around the world.

Then, display Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions to help participants respond to the question: How do you feel about the state of the world today?

Ask participants to respond to the question: How do you see caste playing out in the short film Chicken @ Swami’s Kitchen?

Duration: 10 min.

Caste and faith

Facilitator(s) share their personal stories/reflections related to the intersection of caste and faith

Duration: 10 min.

Caste, faith and privilege

In breakout rooms, invite participants to respond to the prompts:

Duration: 30 min.

•

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•

What is it to be from the ‘upper caste’ today? What privileges has one had/continue to have?

Are there privileges that come from not being from certain castes (including ‘upper castes’)?

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Activities: Reflections on breakout exercise

Invite participants to step into the role of an interfaith dialogue facilitator and share what the breakout exercise evoked for them.

Duration: 15 min.

Caste and intergenerational trauma

Facilitator led presentation on caste-related trauma and ways to handle participants in a trauma-informed manner.

Duration: 30 min.

Closing: Duration: 15 min.

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Invite participants to draw, using paper, pens/pencils and colouring material, if available, in response to the question: How do you embody your caste?

THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Session 4 Caste and socio-economic privileges Duration: 120 min.

Delivery Method: Online

Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will be able: • • •

To name privileges (if any) experienced owing to caste To name challenges (if any) encountered owing to caste To notice systemic phenomena relating casteism to socio-economics

Resources: Pre-work: Watch the TED Talks: ‘How to make peace? Get angry’ by Kailash

Satyarthi ‘How to let go of being a “good” person by

and become a better person’ Dolly Chugh

Post-work: Watch the Hindi film ‘Road to Sangam’ (2009)

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Activities: Check-in:

Movement exercise based on Social Presencing Theater, contextualised to interfaith work

Duration: 10 min.

Reflections on pre-work: Duration: 15 min.

In breakout rooms, ask participants to respond to the prompts related to the TED Talks: • ‘How to make peace? Get angry’ by Kailash Satyarthi: What is your relationship with anger? How can it serve you in the role of a facilitator?

•

Privilege exercise: Duration: 40 min.

‘How to let go of being a “good” person and become a better person’ by Dolly Chugh: How can moving to be a ‘better person’ instead of a ‘good person’ help me in my role as a facilitator?

Preparation: In order to simulate a privilege walk online, create a worksheet on a cloud drive that can be accessed and edited by all participants, listing every participant’s name on the left-most column and give each person a colour code by changing the font colour of their names.

Instructions: Share the link to the worksheet so that everyone has access to it simultaneously. In order to simulate a ‘walk’, participants will copy-paste their names onto the cell to the right of the current one, if they are to take a step forward. If they need to take a step back, they will need to delete their names on the last cell their names are on.

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Statements: 1. If you speak English most of the time at your work, take one step forward.

2. If one or both of your parents have a college degree, take one step forward.

3. If you use your own vehicle to travel, take one step forward.

4. If you feel comfortable walking home alone at night, take one step forward.

5. If your household employs help as servants, gardeners, etc., take one step forward.

6. If you would never think twice about calling the police when trouble occurs, take one step forward.

7. If you own a computer/laptop, take one step forward.

8. If you can show affection for your romantic partner in public without fear of ridicule or violence, take one step forward.

9. If you always had enough money to buy/eat all your meals, take one step forward.

10. If you have no major illness or disability, take one step forward.

11. If you were never discouraged from an activity because of your religion, class, gender, disability, or sexual orientation, take one step forward.

12. If you never tried to change your appearance, mannerisms, or behavior to fit in more, take one step forward.

13. If you have never been profiled by someone else using stereotypes, take one step forward.

14. If you feel good about how your identities are portrayed by the media, take one step forward.

15. If you were ever accepted for something you applied to because of your association with a religion or faith-based group, take one step forward.

16. If you always assumed that you’ll go to college, take one step forward.

17. If you came from a supportive family environment, take one step forward.

18. If you are reasonably sure you would be hired for a job based on your ability and qualifications, take one step forward.

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19. If you can make mistakes and not have people attribute your behavior to flaws in your religious or gender group, take one step forward.

20. If you get time off for your religious holidays, take one step forward.

21. If you have mostly belonged to the majority group of religion/gender/socio-economic status/ sexual orientation in a classroom or workplace setting, take one step forward.

22. If you have always been able to speak for yourself safely without hesitation in a public setting, take one step forward.

23. If you live in an area that is relatively safe from crime or illegal activities, take one step forward.

24. If you have never been sexually harassed, take one step forward.

25. If you are never asked to speak on behalf of a group of people who share an identity with you, take one step forward.

Reflections on the exercise:

Invite participants to notice their final positions on the sheet after the privilege exercise and respond to the following prompts: •

Duration: 15 min.

• • •

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Looking at the sheet, what do you see/what stands out for you?

How do you feel being in front of the group/back of the group?

Are there any insights that you have not thought of before?

How can your understanding of your privileges or marginalizations improve your existing relationships with yourself and others?

THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Activities: Group discussion: Duration: 20 min.

In breakout rooms, ask participants to discuss and document their responses to the following questions: •

•

Plenary Reflection

Having reflected in the last four sessions on faith, identity, caste and privilege, in the role of an educator now, what can I be mindful of?

Is there anything I wish to change in my interaction with my students/participants?

Presentations by the groups on their discussions in the plenary session

Duration: 15 min.

Closing

Remind participants that they are half-way through the Phase One of The Samvaad Project and ask them to share their experience so far.

Duration: 5 min.

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Session 5 Gender and faith

Objectives:

Duration: 120 min.

Delivery Method: Online

By the end of the session, participants will be able: • • •

To compare the role of genders in religious ceremonies in various faiths To notice the differences in impact/ expectations of faith on different genders To identify the opportunities afforded (or not) to different genders by different faiths

Resources: Pre-work: Watch the Marathi/Hindi film ‘Kastoori’ (2019) Post-work: Watch the Tibetan/Ladakhi film ‘Samsara’ (2001)

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Activities: Check in: Duration: 10 min.

Use Mentimeter to invite responses to the questions: 1. How do I identify in terms of gender and sexuality?

2. Do I feel my faith/religion allows and embraces my gender and sexual orientation?

Reflections on the pre-work:

In breakout rooms, ask participants to reflect on the prompts: •

How does your gender influence your relationship with religion (including being non-religious)?

Duration: 15 min.

•

What is the role of your gender in your religion?

The intersection of gender and faith

Divide participants into breakout groups based on their religious identities. Ask them to discuss and document responses based on the following:

Duration: 30 min.

• •

• •

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Are all genders able to exercise religious leadership?

Are there things I am not allowed to do because of my gender? Am I really ‘not allowed’ or is it preferred that I do not do it?

What aspect of faith in relation to gender empowers you?

What is disempowering?

Are there any demands on my physical body from my religion?

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Activities: Presentation: Duration: 30 min.

Each group makes a short presentation in the plenary session to share the gist of their breakout room discussion.

Discussion based on the presentations Ask participants to respond to any/all of the following prompts: • • •

Journaling and closing: Duration: 25 min.

What would you like to have from another faith for your gender?

How do you notice your partner/spouse or family members of other genders expressing their faiths?

What expectation does your faith have from your gender (attire, roles in rituals, participation in ceremonies, etc.)?

Invite participants to journal verbally/visually on the following: •

Having heard from this group, what thoughts and feelings are emerging for me?

•

What do I want to explore/understand more of?

•

Is there anyone in this community I want to connect with in this context?

After a few minutes of silent journaling, invite them to share with the group what they feel called to share as the session comes to a close.

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Session 6 Faith and sexuality Duration: 120 min.

Delivery Method: Online

Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will be able: • To notice connections/dissociations with one’s faith because of one’s sexuality • To notice the possibility of faith as a ground for sexual abuse

Resources: Pre-work: Watch the Tibetan/Ladakhi film ‘Samsara’ (2001) Post-work: Read ‘Voices of Dissent: An Essay’ by Romila Thapar Watch the TEDx Talk ‘True Essence of Religion’ by Urmi Chanda

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Activities: Discussion on Faith and sexuality: Duration: 30 min.

The role of mythology Duration: 20 min.

Presentation

Facilitator makes a short data-based presentation related to faith and sexuality including aspects such as female genital mutilation, no choice of abortions, expectation of certain genders to dress and accessorise in a certain manner etc.

Based on the presentation, invite participants to respond to the data they saw and add to it based on their own experience and knowledge.

In breakout rooms based on religious identities, ask participants to discuss examples from mythology that relate to and influence the idea of sexuality in their religion. Examples such as the myth of Lilith in Christianity, or the notion of Draupadi’s recurring virginity in the epic Mahabharata in Hinduism, etc. may be used to orient the participants.

Presentations by groups on the breakout room discussions.

Duration: 15 min.

The changing stances on sexuality

Facilitator-led presentation on recent changes in various religious institutions on their stances on sexuality.

Duration: 10 min.

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Activities: Reflections:

In breakout rooms, invite participants to reflect with each other based on the following prompts:

Duration: 15 min.

•

How has my faith impacted my sexual agency?

•

Is there anything about my religion that I wish could change, with regard to sexuality?

Closing:

Moving away from the single story

Duration: 30 min.

Facilitator-led presentation on historical and current references to religious/institutional recognition and celebration of sexuality, as a counter to the mainstream narrative that says that religion often clamps down on sexuality.

Discussion and check-out Ask participants to respond to the presentation in terms of voicing their agreements, disagreements, hopes and fears related to faith and sexuality.

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Session 7 Role of faith-based dialogue in the Indian context Duration: 120 min.

Delivery Method: Online

Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will be able: • •

To assess the need for faith-based dialogues in educational institutions To evaluate the role of young people/youth in sustaining democratic processes and the role of inter-faith dialogue in the future we envision

Resources: Pre-work: Watch the TEDx Talk ‘True Essence of Religion’ by Urmi Chanda Post-work: Watch the Bengali film ‘Ghare Baire’ (1984)

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Activities: Affinity bias Duration: 30 min.

Invite participants to create a table with several rows and columns in a notebook or on a document in their devices where they note down the following, as per instructions from the facilitator (let participants know that the content of this exercise is private and need not be shared with anyone): •

On the left-most column of the table, list the names of ten people you trust the most.

• In the next column, against each name, list their religion.

• In the next columns, (give instructions for each column only after the participants have finished noting the responses for the previous one), note down the corresponding gender, age range, caste, sexual orientation, primary language spoken, level of education and political beliefs of the people listed.

Once the exercise is complete, ask participants to don the hat of an interfaith dialogue facilitator and an educator and invite them to reflect on the following: • What do you notice when you see your table?

• Would you like more diversity or are you okay with it as it is?

Invite them to share their reflections and close the conversation by articulating the concept of affinity bias.

Reflections on the pre-work: Duration: 35 min.

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In breakout rooms, ask participants to reflect on the TEDx Talk ‘True Essence of Religion’ by Urmi Chanda and also think about the current context of religion in the country and bring back key points to share in the plenary group.

Once the breakout exercise ends, ask for each group representative to present a short summary of their group’s thoughts.

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Activities: The Allegory of the Cave

Allegory of the Cave in Facilitator shares the story of Plato’s order to explain the true meaning of education, religion and politics.

Duration: 10 min.

Ways to organize interfaith dialogues

Ask participants to work in breakout rooms for part of the time left to ideate on the following: •

What are a few different spaces/ways in which you could organise and facilitate interfaith dialogue? (For example, in your classrooms, as a summer/weekend course, in your apartment complexes, Sunday brunch, etc.)

•

To foster creativity, ask participants to choose ideas that:

Duration: 25 min.

»

Requires no external permission (within your locus of control)

»

Low/ no monetary/infrastructural resources

»

Can start immediately/soon

Reconvene in the plenary session and have each group share their ideas and also encourage them to build on or contribute to each other’s ideas. Encourage each participant to think about which of these ideas they feel motivated to implement and ask them to share it as the session comes to a close.

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Session 8 Holding space as an interfaith dialogue facilitator Duration: 120 min.

Delivery Method: Online

Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will be able: • •

To reflect on how one has held/not held space for different faiths in the different roles they play To articulate internal shifts (if any) noticed in the process of going through The Samvaad Project

Resources: Pre-work: Watch the Bengali film ‘Ghare Baire’ (1984) Post-work: Refer to resources fromInterfaith Youth Core Scarboro Missions

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Activities: Reconnection and reflection

Through a guided visualisation exercise, the facilitator leads participants to reflect on the previous seven sessions and the journey so far. Invite participants to notice their personal journeys along with the collective one with the community.

Duration: 10 min.

Reflection on pre-work Duration: 15 min.

Reflection on the journey Duration: 50 min.

(Individual 10 mins + 5 groups for 20 mins)

In breakout groups, ask participants to reflect on the film ‘Ghare Baire’ using the following prompt: How does the film speak to you in the role of an interfaith dialogue facilitator?

Facilitator leads the group through a silent reflective exercise for around 10 minutes, where participants make a note, against the various roles they play in life, of the following: • How have I held/not held space for different faiths in different roles (educator, son/daughter, friend, colleague, etc.) I play? Please bring in concrete examples of situations.

• Has anything shifted after The Samvaad Project began?

(In what way/how) Use the next 20 minutes to let participants work in small breakout groups to share their reflections with each other.

Once they have reconvened, use the next 20 minutes to have participants respond to the question: •

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What have I heard in my smaller group that inspired me/ moved me/ made me think more?

THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Activities: Reflections on interfaith dialogue facilitation

In breakout groups, use around 15 minutes to have participants reflect on the following:

Duration: 30 min.

Once reconvened, ask each group to make a brief presentation to capture the learnings.

Closing:

As Phase One comes to an end, invite each participant to reflect and share on the following prompt:

•

• Duration: 20 min.

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As a participant in the last seven sessions, what elements of facilitation did I learn?

Given that I am on a journey to be an interfaith dialogue facilitator, what do I celebrate about myself and what am I looking forward to becoming better at?

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The Design for Phase Two Phase Two of The Samvaad Project, as mentioned earlier, focussed on enabling participants build their dialogue facilitation skills, to be utilized in the context of interfaith work. While Phase One focused on managing content, Phase Two focused on managing context. Designed originally to be a residential retreat, it was adapted and modified to suit an online format given challenges related to the pandemic.

The summary schedule of Phase Two below will help you understand the general flow of program. Each day (except the last) consisted of four sessions of 90 minutes each, interspersed by breaks, so as to allow adequate time for self-care.

The first session everyday was dedicated for conceptual inputs facilitated by the Samvaad facilitators in order to build facilitation skills. This was followed by the

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next session where participants worked with each other in designated groups to co-create session plans that they could use for Phase Three, where they had to facilitate interfaith dialogues among their university students. The third session of the day was dedicated to facilitation practice, where each participant had an opportunity to lead a dialogue with other participants on a theme related to faith, and receive feedback on their skills. The closing plenary session consisted of a faith-based service led by participants from a different religion every day, so as to create an experience and conversation around rituals and expressions of faith. This session also included space for reflections that allowed participants to integrate the experiences from the day.

THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Day 1 Session 1

• •

Reconnection with Phase One and the interim before Phase Two, Setting group norms for Phase Two

Session 2

Co-creation of session plans for Phase Three of The Samvaad Project, in designated participant groups, with guidance from the Samvaad facilitators

Session 3

Interfaith dialogue facilitation demonstration sessions by participants, followed by feedback from other participants as well as Samvaad facilitators.

Session 4

• • •

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Christian prayer service Q&A related to the service Reflections

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Day 2

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Session 1

• •

Session 2

Co-creation of session plans for Phase Three of The Samvaad Project, in designated participant groups, with guidance from the Samvaad facilitators

Session 3

Interfaith dialogue facilitation demonstration sessions by participants, followed by feedback from other participants as well as Samvaad facilitators.

Session 4

• • •

Zones of Proximal Development Social Styles

Sikh prayer service Q&A related to the service Reflections

THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Day 3 Session 1

•

Session 2

Co-creation of session plans for Phase Three of The Samvaad Project, in designated participant groups, with guidance from the Samvaad facilitators

Session 3

Interfaith dialogue facilitation demonstration sessions by participants, followed by feedback from other participants as well as Samvaad facilitators.

Session 4

• • •

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Unconscious biases

Non-denominational service Q&A related to the service Reflections

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Day 4

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Session 1

•

Session 2

Co-creation of session plans for Phase Three of The Samvaad Project, in designated participant groups, with guidance from the Samvaad facilitators

Session 3

Interfaith dialogue facilitation demonstration sessions by participants, followed by feedback from other participants as well as Samvaad facilitators.

Session 4

• • •

Non-violent communication

Hindu prayer service Q&A related to the service Reflections

THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Day 5 Session 1

•

Session 2

Co-creation of session plans for Phase Three of The Samvaad Project, in designated participant groups, with guidance from the Samvaad facilitators

Session 3

Interfaith dialogue facilitation demonstration sessions by participants, followed by feedback from other participants as well as Samvaad facilitators.

Session 4

• • •

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Transtheoretical Model

Islamic prayer service Q&A related to the service Reflections

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Day 6

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Session 1

•

Session 2

Closing Plenary

Reflective exercise: difference between content facilitation and process facilitation

THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

The choice of topics for the first session each day was based on our understanding of the needs of the Samvaad participants after our interaction with them during Phase One. There are, of course, several other areas of knowledge and skill that are useful and important for facilitators. Therefore, if you are running a similar program to train interfaith dialogue facilitators, you may wish to choose frameworks and skills that are most appropriate for them. Our choice of the

Session 1 topics was also informed by the fact that the Samvaad facilitators were adequately trained in and were practitioners of these skills.

Given the specialized nature of these topics, they should not be facilitated by someone who is not appropriately qualified.

Therefore, we will present to you a broad overview of the contents in these sessions instead of detailed session plan for each day.

Day 1: Setting Group Norms • • • •

Exploring needs of the group Proposing norms to meet the needs and create psychological safety Exploring resistance to norms, if any Importance of norms as a facilitation tool

Day 2: Zones of proximal development and social styles • • • •

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Exploring needs of the group Proposing norms to meet the needs and create psychological safety Exploring resistance to norms, if any Importance of norms as a facilitation tool

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Day 3: Unconscious biases •

• • •

Confirmation bias and its impact • Attitude polarization • Belief perseverance • Illusory correlation • Irrational primacy effect Impact of biases on non-dominant groups in any setting Role of consciousness of a facilitator of their own biases Managing internal and external biases as a facilitator

Day 4: • • • • •

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The language of needs The OFNR model (Observation, Feelings, Needs, Requests) Building a vocabulary of feelings and needs Using requests effectively as a facilitator Using non-violent communication to mitigate conflicts in a dialogue

THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Day 5: Transtheoretical model •

• •

Six stages of the transtheoretical model • Pre-contemplation • Contemplation • Preparation • Action • Maintenance • Termination Stages of competence corresponding to the transtheoretical model Using the transtheoretical model to locate needs of participants and demonstrate empathy

Day 6: Content facilitation and process facilitation • • •

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Distinction between teaching, training and facilitation Skills for content facilitation Facilitating conscious and unconscious human processes

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Samvaad Sample Sessions: Facilitating Interfaith Dialogue witYoung Adults

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

This section is a compilation of plans developed by the participants of The Samvaad Project i.e. university professors from Western India.

Unlike the session plans in the previous section, which were intended for professors, the session plans in this section is aimed at students and young adults. These plans were used by the Samvaad-trained facilitators in their respective student groups in Phase 3 of the program.

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Session 1 This first session focuses on enabling participants to get to know each other and clarifying one’s expectations from the program. The facilitator aims to create a safe space where participants co-create group norms that would enable them to

Introduction, setting group norms and expectations Duration: 90 min.

Delivery Method: Online*

work together through the program. Content wise, the sessions starts by exploring what the participants’ understanding of faith and dialogue is, as well as who is considered a global citizen.

Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will be able to: • • • • •

learn about each other within a group setting co-create norms/agreements towards their learning together align on expectations from the programme recognize the different ways faith is perceived by people define who is a global citizen

Resources: During SessionRead opinion compilation: Who is a Global citizen? Youth Voices Youth Voices: Who is a Global Citizen?

Post-work: Watch the film: ‘Incendies’ by Denis Villeneuve (2010) (French/Arabic/ English)

*Note: These sessions have been designed for an online program, specifically using the Zoom platform (for the breakout room options).

Facilitators are encouraged to modify the activities to suit their participants’ needs best.

The sessions also include online tools such as Jamboard and Mentimeter for participants to engage in creative ways with the content.

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Finally, we believe that you know your participants the best.

So, while you prepare to work with your participants, feel free to modify some resources/activities in a way that would best serve the needs of the learners.

THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Activities: Check-in: Duration: 15 min.

Facilitator creates a list of questions and participants respond through Mentimeter (an interactive web tool for presentations).

The participants will introduce themselves by answering the following questions • • • • •

What brings you here?

Tell us about what you love the most in the world?

What makes you happy?

What do you fear?

What are your expectations from this workshop?

Facilitator shows group responses through a word cloud and can use this opportunity to create connections, similarities, differences within the group.

Faith and Dialogue: Setting the context

Facilitator asks the group-

Duration: 20 min.

•

•

‘What comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘faith’? ‘ (type in mentimeter) ‘What do you think is the difference between debate and dialogue?’

Facilitator takes responses for each question through the chat box as well as verbal comments.

Facilitator weaves a tapestry of the thoughts and answers participants’ questions, if any.

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Activities: Group Norms/ Agreements

Facilitator asks participants what their relationship with ‘rules’ is. How do they feel when rules are imposed? When are they more willing to work with rules?

Duration: 25 min.

After a short discussion, Facilitator suggests that participants can create their own set of agreements/norms for this program.

Facilitator reminds participants to also keep in mind what agreements could enable more ‘dialogue’ in the group.

Facilitator creates groups of 4-5 participants and asks them to come up with the 2 most important norms/agreements that will enable them to make the most out of this program. In an online setting, this group activity takes place in Zoom breakout rooms.

Some sample norms that could come up: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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Be an active, empathic listener Be on time Respect each others’ spaces Make, allow and hold spaces for differences Use ‘I’ language (this avoids generalised statements)

THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Group Activities: Reflect and Share: Duration: 20 min.

Participants are asked to reflect and share individually on the following: According to you, what makes one a global citizen?

Facilitator takes a few responses in the whole group.

The facilitator then divides the group into pairs and asks the group to reflect on aspects of global citizenship their response didn’t cover but they agree on- Youth Voices: who is a Global Citizen?

Participants discuss and share aspects in the whole group that made them think more or helped them expand their view on the topic.

Facilitator shares how diversity of people, ideas and worldviews will add richness to the program and encourages participants to share their opinions and be open to what emerges as learnings for them through the realities and stories of other participants.

Closing: Duration: 10 min.

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Participants get to type out one takeaway from today and share it as a sticky note on the Jamboard (a Google tool).

Facilitator encourages participants to watch the movie ‘Incendies’ as they would have a discussion in the next session.

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Session 2 In this session, participants explore the various identities they hold and also begin to see what identities are important for different people in the same group. Sharing their identities with each other also enables

Faith and My Identity Duration: 90 min.

Delivery Method: Online

them to ask questions about ‘which identity is important to me? ’The session also engages participants in a movie debrief to discuss the complexities of national, religious and cultural identities.

Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will be able to: • • •

identify the various identities they hold see the interconnectedness and uniqueness in the identities of each other evaluate the simultaneous visibility and invisibility of faith and identity markers

Resources: Pre-work: Watch the film: ‘Incendies’ by Denis Villeneuve (2010) (French/Arabic/ English) Post-work:

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•

Read the following essay and come for the session (‘Man’s Universe’ Ch 1: The Religion of Man) by Rabindranath Tagore

•

Watch the film and come to the session Firaaq by Nandita Das (2009)

THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Activities: Check-in: Duration: 15 min.

Facilitator welcomes participants and asks them to show their responses with their hands. (For instance, 8 out out 10 times can be shown with 8 fingers held up to the screen)1. Out of 10 times, how often would you introduce yourself to a new person/group with your full name?

2. Out of 10 times, how often does the new person/group insist on getting your full name?

3. How often do you feel a bit uncomfortable about sharing your full name with a new person/group?

The Facilitator then asks: If you had to answer the questionwho are you, what would you write?

Participants individually reflect on their identities and answer the question in their notebooks.

They are encouraged to write down as many identities as they have. (E.g. female, Indian, daughter, sister, Buddhist etc.)

After 20 seconds, Facilitator asks again- And who else are you?

After 20 seconds, Facilitator asks again- And who else are you?

Facilitator repeats this process 3-4 times and then encourages participants to write down as many identities as they hold.

Group Activities: Movie debrief: ‘Incendies’

Movie debrief in whole group: ‘Incendies’ Participants will be asked to reflect on the following questions.

Duration: 20 min.

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Please Note: The questions serve as a guide and it’s not necessary to use all of them. Facilitator is encouraged to choose depending on the flow of the discussion.

1. Why do you think people were fighting in the film ?

2. How does the film ‘Incendies’ deal with the notion of multiculturalism?

3. What do you think is the message conveyed in the last 10 minutes of the film? What is it that we can learn from the climax?

4. What is your inference on the matrix of culture, religion and national identity? Is it fixed or malleable or anything else you would like to add?

Activity:

The facilitator creates breakout rooms with participants in pairs, each from a different faith/ religious beliefs as far as possible.

Duration: 25 min.

Participants are asked to draw two overlapping circles with the help of Zoom whiteboard / Jamboard.

Participants write their faith based identities on the outside portion of the two circles.

Hindu

Female Student Human Indian etc.

Christian

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In the overlapping portion, they write all the shared identities they have with each other.

An example is shared to the left, which the Facilitator can use while explaining.

Participants are then encouraged to have a discussion on the following1. How strong is my religious identity and how does it influence or show up in my other identities?

2. Which identities do we share with each other and how do those identities play out in our respective lives?

THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Plenary Reflection:

Facilitator asks the participants-

Duration: 20 min.

Are there any insights you would like to share after your discussion with your partner? Is there anything new you realised? (Facilitator takes a few responses) Do you think that you have a fixed identity or that identity is constantly in flux? Write down your thoughts in a diary/ notepad. (Facilitator takes a few responses after everyone has had a chance to reflect individually)

Closing: Duration: 10 min.

Based on the session, participants are encouraged to share one question they are carrying and going back with. (This could be something that they have started thinking about, something they want to explore or understand more etc.)

Facilitator encourages participants to read the essay and watch a movie before the next session.

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Session 3 This session encourages participants to think deeply between the interrelation of faith and religion through various reflective questions.

Participants have an opportunity to reflect on their own practices and experiences in how

they express and practice their religion. The session uses Rabindranath Tagore’s essay and a film by Nandita Das as modalities for discussion.

Faith and Religion

Objectives:

Duration: 90 min.

Delivery Method: Online

By the end of the session, participants will be able to: • • •

Listen to the diverse perceptions of religion Articulate differences and similarities between faith and religion Share their personal beliefs, values and experiences in relation to faith and their religion

Resources: Pre work: •

Read the following essay and come for the session Man’s Universe (Ch 1: The Religion of Man) by Rabindranath Tagore

•

Watch the following the film and come to the session Firaaq by Nandita Das

Post-work: Read the following essay and come for the session Annihilation of Caste - by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Watch the short film: Caste on the Menu Card (2015)

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Activities: Check-in: Duration: 15 min.

As participants settle in, the Facilitator plays this Music Meditation for them. Participants are encouraged to bring their attention to the present moment and are welcomed to close their eyes to relax. (5 mins) Participants will be asked to answer the following: (10 mins) 1. What comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘religion’?

2. What are some of the ways that you express your ‘religion’?

Facilitator takes responses verbally and in the chatbox.

Group Activities: Group Discussion: Duration: 20 min.

Participants will discuss the following questions as directed by the facilitator: • • • •

How does Tagore understand religion?

How does Tagore explain faith and science?

What do you think of Tagore’s understanding of humanity?

What did you discover in this essay that stood out for you?

Reflection:

On the Jamboard, participants will be asked to respond to this question:- What practices do you perform which you think come under ‘religion’?

Duration: 15 min.

Similarly, on the Jamboard, participants will be asked to respond to this question: - What practices do you perform that you think come under ‘faith’?

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Discussing views on the film Firaaq Duration: 30 min.

Facilitator divides the participants into mixed groups of 3-4 participants to discuss their views on the film Firaaq.

Participants will discuss the following questions as directed by the facilitator (20 mins): 1. What do you think can be considered as religion when it comes to the characters in the film and what they do that can be considered as their faith?

2. What would you have done if you were in Aarti’s place?

3. What do you think this film can teach us about faith and religion?

Plenary: Each group shares 1-2 major takeaways from their discussion with the larger group. (10 mins)

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Closing:

What are the insights that have emerged from the session?

Duration: 10 min.

Concluding remarks by the Facilitator

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Session 4 Participants engage with the concept of caste and faith in this session. A pre-read for this session is Dr. Ambedkar’s thought-provoking essay, ‘Annihilation of Caste’.

Faith and Caste Duration: 90 min.

Delivery Method: Online

Participants share their reflections and insights from their discussion with each other after hearing each other’s experiences with caste in its various forms.

Objectives: By the end of the session, participants would be able to: • •

Identify various caste systems and share their experiences with caste Dialogue around the relationship between faith and caste

Resources: Pre-work: Read the following essay and come for the session Annihilation of Caste (Pg. 23-96) - by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Watch the short film: Caste on the Menu Post-work: Read the story: “ Kabuliwala” by Rabindranath Tagore.

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Activities: Check-in: Duration: 15 min.

As participants settle in, the Facilitator plays this prayer/ bhajan Vaishnav Jan To for them. Participants are encouraged to bring their attention to the present moment and read through the lyrics. (5 Mins) Participants will be asked to reflect on their feelings upon listening to the prayer/bhajan.

1. How do you feel after listening to this prayer/bhajan?

2. What comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘caste’?

3. What are some of your observations related to caste?

Group Activities: Group Discussion Duration: 20 min.

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Facilitator discusses the film ‘Caste on the Menu Card’ as a whole group.

Based on the film, 1. What was something new you learnt which you did not know before?

2. Was there anything that shocked or surprised you? Why was it shocking/surprising?

THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Essay Reading and Discussion

Facilitator divides the group into smaller groups of 4-5 participants to discuss the essay by Dr. Ambedkar Participants discuss the following questions:

Duration: 30 min.

Plenary Reflection:

1. What kind of discomfort did you notice around the caste system in the essay by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar?

2. What is your spontaneous response towards your caste identity and faith?

3. How does Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar explain the relationship between castes?

4. According to Ambedkar, what are some suggestions to

Q. What insights regarding faith and caste emerge for you?

Duration: 15 min.

Closing Duration: 10 min.

Facilitator asks participants to write a 20-word summary/ takeaway of the session and post on Jamboard. Participants read each other’s take-aways.

Facilitator announces pre-work for the next session.

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Session 5 Participants are at the midpoint of the program with this session. This session focuses on the relationship between faith and other privileges that participants experience in their lives. Participants reflect

Faith and Class

(Including Privileges) Duration: 90 min.

Delivery Method: Online

on their privileges and the lack thereof because of a given identity they are born with. Participants also share how these privileges may play out in their lives in the context of their faith.

Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will be able to: • •

see “privileges” in their lives: whether socioeconomic class, linguistic, caste, religious or community background, gender consciously reflect on the correlation between faith and privilege.

Resources: Pre-work: Read the story: Kabuliwala by Rabindranath Tagore.

Post session practice: Identify with another Class/Faith other than yours and try to live one full day as a member of that group. Observe your experiences and write about it.

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Activities: Check-in:

Facilitator divides the group into pairs and asks them to discuss the following in two rounds:

Duration: 15 min.

Round One: What are one or more ways in which you have had an unearned disadvantage in your life?

Round Two: What are one or more ways in which you have had an unearned advantage in your life?

Note: Facilitator explains ‘unearned’ (e.g. gender, religion, class which is given to us just on the basis of being born in a certain family). The Facilitator also shares their own story and examples of unearned advantage and disadvantage by virtue of class/religion/gender etc.

Group Activities: Group Discussion

Facilitator divides the participants into small groups of 3-4 to reflect on the story ‘Kabuliwala’

Duration: 15 min.

Participants discuss: 1. Share with the group about 1-2 friendships you have with people who are very different from you? (Just like Mini and the Kabuliwala. E.g. class, age, gender, religion, nationality) 2. What role did your ‘faith’ play in your friendship?

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Put one finger down if you have ever…

Facilitator asks participants to put up their 10 fingers on the screen. As the Facilitator shares each statement, the participants are requested to put one finger down everytime they hear a statement they identify with/is true for them.

Duration: 30 min.

Put one finger down if you have ever…

• Been followed or watched in a shop because they thought you might be going to steal something • Rarely seen movies with lead characters who looked like you • Had either of your parents not able to attend college • Had someone insult you or tease you because of your religion • Had to think a few times before calling the police when trouble occurs • Not felt safe walking home alone at night • Had someone refuse to play with you because of the colour of your skin • Felt frightened for the safety of someone in your family because of their religion • Had to celebrate your religious holidays (Christmas, Easter, Eid) outside of regular school holidays • Not been able to afford a laptop for your family • Had the fear of being ridiculed or attacked for showing affection to your romantic partner in public • Not had enough money to buy/eat all your meals • Been discriminated against because you have an illness or disability (seen/unseen) • Been discouraged from an activity because of your religion, class, gender, disability, or sexual orientation • Tried to change your appearance, mannerisms, or behavior to fit in more • Mostly belonged to the minority group of religion/gender/ socio-economic status/ sexual orientation in a classroom or workplace setting • Hesitated to speak/ stand up for yourself safely in a public setting • Been sexually harassed

Facilitator slowly reads each statement:

THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Whole Group Debrief Duration: 25 min.

1. Looking at who is left with how many fingers raised, what do you see/what stands out for you?

2. How do you feel having more/less fingers raised compared to the group?

3. Any insights which you have not thought of before?

4. How can your understanding of your privileges or marginalizations improve your existing relationships with yourself and others?

5. What role does your faith have with the privilege you may have or not have?

Closing

Facilitator shares that participants are halfway through their online journey.

Duration: 5 min.

If you had to choose one word or phrase to describe your experience so far, what would it be? (in the chat box)

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Session 6 From exploring examples of breaking gender stereotypes in the realm of faith to sharing their own lived experiences on how their gender plays a role in the practice of their

faith, participants use this session to explore how gender and faith are connected in their own lives.

Faith and Gender

Objectives:

Duration: 90 min.

Delivery Method: Online

By the end of the session, participants will be able to: • To reflect on the concepts of Faith, Religion and Gender.

• To observe the influence of gender in the practise of Faith.

• To reflect on how practise of Faith depends on the Gender practising it.

• To draw attention to the difference between Faith and Religion.

Resources: Pre-work: Watch the film: Dor by Nagesh Kukunoor (2006) Post session practice: Write a brief note on how your gender has enabled or constrained your involvement in practising your faith.

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Activities: Check-in: Duration: 10 min.

Facilitator invites participants to state to the group, if they are comfortable, what their gender identity is.

Alternatively, if possible, the Facilitator can share screen and using a Zoom Whiteboard, draw a gender spectrum and allow participants to anonymously annotate to indicate where they are on the spectrum.

The intention of the exercise is to sense into the sociometry of the group in terms of gender.

Group Activities: Group Activity 1 Duration: 30 min.

Facilitator sends the group into breakout rooms based on faith-based groups, and asks them to document different gender-based roles related to the practice of their faith.

Each group nominates one person who will report on behalf of their group in the plenary session.

Group Activity 2 Duration: 20 min.

Use a presentation to share examples of gender stereotypes being broken across faiths. The content could include, for example: 1. Women imams leading Islamic prayers in various countries 2. Transgender congregation in the Kumbh Mela in India in 2018 3. LGBT clergy in Christianity

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After a short presentation, leave room for the participants to respond to it with prompts such as: 1. What feelings does this information evoke in you?

2. Are there any lived experiences around gender and faith that you would like to share with the group?

Plenary Reflection

Facilitator invites participants to journal for 5 minutes around the following prompt:

Duration: 20 min.

Q. How does gender affect our faith?

Facilitator uses the rest of the time to let participants share anything evoked for them through the reflection.

Facilitator may also integrate reflections from the film watched as pre-work during this time.

Closing Duration: 10 min.

Facilitator invites each participant to share one question they wish to reflect on, or explore deeper, related to gender and faith.

Facilitator also asks participants to do the following exercise post the session: Q. Write a brief note on how your gender has enabled or constrained your involvement in practicing your faith.

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Session 7 Using multiple visual prompts, this session is particularly relevant to Indian politics and faith. Participants delve into understanding the impact a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) might have on the practice of their faith and

Faith and Politics Duration: 90 min.

Delivery Method: Online

on the faith of others. While this session allows for individual reflections, it also encourages participants of different faiths to draw out a collective response on faithbased politics in India.

Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will be able to: • Recognize the role that politics plays in the practice of faith • Exemplify the need and impact of the Uniform Civil Code (in the Indian context) as a proposed

Resources: Pre-work: • •

1. Read the article: Making the Case for Uniform Civil Code a Secular Proposition 2. Watch the video: Should India have a Uniform Civil Code?

Post session practice: Invest some time in understanding the local politics where you reside. What is the religious constitution of the population? How does it impact local politics? If you wish, speak to others who may be willing to share their perspectives around this.

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Activities: Check-in: Duration: 10 min.

Facilitator uses a Mentimeter poll or Annotations on a Zoom Whiteboard to get participants to respond to the question: ‘What is politics?’

After a few minutes to collate the responses, Facilitator summarises the collective views and invites participants to stay open to exploring definitions and perspectives other than their own.

Group Activities: Group Activity 1

Facilitator puts up these questions on the screen and invites participants to journal for 5 minutes:

Duration: 15 min.

• • •

Identify your faith Are there material practices of your faith which are not permitted under the law of the land?

Is it easy to practice your faith in the country/state/region that you live in?

Facilitator uses the remaining time to steer a conversation based on the responses.

Facilitator can also weave in the idea of privilege into the conversation as the discussion builds up.

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Group Activity 2

Facilitator shares screen and shows participants this short video on the Uniform Civil Code (this is relevant to India):

Duration: 15 min.

Participants then answer the following questions: 1. How will the UCC change the way you practice your faith?

2. What will you do if an essential practice of your faith is not encapsulated in the UCC?

THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Group Activity 3 Duration: 20 min.

Facilitator shows the participants this video clip relating to Cow Politics in India: Participants are then sent into breakout rooms in groups of 5-6 to work on the following: 1. Discuss the thoughts and feelings that this clip invoked in you.

2. Draft a collective response of no more than 100 words on your opinion related to the video.

One participant will report back from each group to share the collective response within the larger group in the plenary section.

Plenary Reflection Duration: 20 min.

Closing Duration: 10 min.

Facilitator asks each group representative to share the collective response of the group.

Facilitator allows groups to respond to each other’s perspectives.

Using Mentimeter or a Zoom Whiteboard with annotation feature, Facilitator presents a spectrum of politics being a connector on one end, and a divider on another, in the context of faith.

Facilitator asks participants to place their point of view on the spectrum with the question: Where could you place politics in the context of faith? Is it a connector or a divider? Or a bit of both?

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Session 8 This session highlights the role media can play in either promoting faith-based violence or interfaith harmony. Participants share their own experience with the media and how it has impacted their worldviews

about their own faith and that of others.

Participants also create a potential list of actions that they could take to foster interfaith harmony through engaging with the media.

Faith and Media

Objectives:

Duration: 90 min.

Delivery Method: Online

By the end of the session, participants will be able to: • Assess how media (including social media) can have a strong impact on the way we view our faith and the faith of others • Evaluate social media as a tool to support and promote interfaith harmony • Consider implementing an action plan to use media as a connector

Resources: Pre-work: Read the blog post: The conflict between religion and media has deep roots Post session practice: Participants maintain a daily journal for a week, based on the reflections in the second group activity, and notice how their observations have an impact on their relationship with their own faith, and that of others.

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THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

Activities:

Check-in: Duration: 10 min.

Facilitator welcomes the participants and runs a Zoom Poll with the question: Q. What is the media that you are most exposed to?

Print media Broadcast media Social media Facilitator summarises the responses as indicative of the sociometry of the group and reflects on this data in the context of the demographics of the participant group.

Group Activities: Group Activity 1

Facilitator shows this video titled ‘India’s Greatness by Dalai Lama’:

Duration: 20 min.

With that as a prelude, Facilitator sends participants into breakout rooms to share: Q. What have I read/seen/heard on media/social media that changed my perspective on religion (my own or any other as well)?

When the participants are back, they have a quick sharing to capture major insights.

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Group Activity 2

Duration: 20 min.

Plenary Reflection Duration: 20 min.

Facilitator divides the participants into small breakout groups of 4-5 (these can be faith-based groups if there is sufficient diversity in the group).

1. Participants explore the following questions and as an output of their discussion, create a list of do’s and don’ts for action: • Do you come across any divisive or inflammatory material related to religion/faith on any forms of media that you use? Name some examples.

• List ways in which such material could be responded to, in order to alleviate conflict and foster harmony. Create a list of do’s and don’ts to capture your strategies.

Facilitator creates a document on a shared cloud drive where each group could add their do’s and don’ts strategies, to create a master document that could act as a tool kit.

Facilitator encourages participants to discuss the various ideas that have emerged.

Closing Duration: 10 min.

Facilitator asks participants to share how they could potentially use the tool kit they co-created in the second group activity.

Participants maintain a daily journal for a week, based on the reflections in the second group activity, and notice how their observations/ behaviour have an impact on their relationship with their own faith, and that of others.

Facilitator also encourages participants to actively reflect on the existing list in the next week and maintain notes. If they are willing, participants may wish to revisit the toolkit after a week to edit and create a final document that may perhaps be circulated to their wider communities as well.

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Session 9 This session encourages participants to think of various ways in which they could put their learnings from this program into action to foster interfaith harmony.

Participants are encouraged to think of

Role of Youth in Interfaith work Duration: 90 min.

Delivery Method: Online

actions that they can take personally and as a small group to further interfaith harmony in their lives, as well as within their communities/universities and so on.

Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will be able to: • Explore ways to volunteer in interfaith community work (of any scale) • Appreciate and engage in interfaith dialogue

Resources: Pre-work Watch the TEDx video: The Interfaith Amigos -Breaking the taboos of interfaith dialogue Post session reflection: Based on your interfaith learnings and exploration so far, think about at least one concrete way in which you could actively engage/facilitate work in your family, community, friends’ circle, etc. around this. It could be as simple as having a dinner table conversation with family around their views on faith and how they could contribute to harmony, to organising a formal dialogue based intervention for a certain group.

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Activities: Check-in: Duration: 10 min.

Facilitator leads the participants through a short exercise using the following instructions: • • •

List down the names of at least five of your closest friends you have had since childhood.

Once the listing is complete, list the faith that each of them practice.

When you look at this list, what does it tell you about conscious/unconscious choices related to faith?

Participants share quick, short reflections about what the exercise brought up for them.

Activities: Group Activity 1

The Facilitator plays the short film ‘The Laundromat’ by Emanuele Sesta (2019)

Duration: 20 min.

Reflection Question: Q. Do you see similar opportunities in your lives/communities?

How would you like to utilise such opportunities?

Group Activity 2 Duration: 30 min.

Facilitator sends participants into breakout rooms to ideate on a possible community-based interfaith activity they could initiate as a group.

Facilitator shows participants a template such as the one that follows document, but lets them know that they can modify the template to suit the needs of their project plan.

The intention is to move towards concrete action around interfaith work, as youth.

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Project/Activity Name Objective: Activity Details: Roles

Responsibilities

Skills Required

Facilitator of Dialogue Subject Matter Expert Observer Organizer / Manager Communication Participant Some ideas that could be shared with participants could include: 1. Arrange a shared meal with dishes representing cuisines from various faiths and bond over food and culture 2. Organise an online quiz for your friends or classmates to test their knowledge about various faiths. Use the opportunity to initiate a conversation around interfaith work.

3. Organise a multi faith exhibition of art or photography highlighting the importance of interfaith harmony.

4. Organise or join visits to places of worship of different faiths.

5. Organise a multi faith social action project based on the needs of your community.

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Plenary Reflection

Facilitator asks a representative from each group to briefly share the project idea created by their group.

Duration: 20 min.

They may also name the potential challenges or support they need from the larger group, to execute the idea.

Closing

Each participant names what interfaith action they are inspired to work towards in their personal lives.

Duration: 10 min.

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Session 10 This final session is one where participants reflect on their learnings and take-aways through their interfaith journey. Participants are encouraged to share one commitment they are willing to make to further

Closing, Integration, Learnings, Next Steps Duration: 90 min.

Delivery Method: Online

contribute to interfaith harmony. They also reflect on what challenges they could come across on this journey as their colleagues offer them support.

Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will be able to: • integrate learnings and move towards action and practice towards fostering interfaith harmony.

Resources: Pre-work: •

Participants spend 30 minutes reflecting on their learnings from the previous 9 sessions.

Participants come to the session having expressed their core learnings in the form of a short essay, a doodle, poetry, or any other artistic expression.

Post session practice: •

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Participants begin planning their group projects for execution.

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Activities: Check-in: Duration: 10 min.

Facilitator asks each participant to share in one sentence: Q. What is your core learning from this journey around interfaith work?

Group Activities: Group Activity 1 Duration: 25 min.

Group Activity 2 Duration: 25 min.

Facilitator sends participants into breakout groups of 3-4 participants.

Based on the pre-work for this session, participants share or summarise what emerged for them as reflections when they worked on creative expression of learnings.

The intention is to share insights that may be of benefit to others as well.

Facilitator uses Mentimeter to collate responses on the following questions: 1. What is the one commitment (in terms of practical action) I am willing to make around interfaith engagement?

2. What is the one challenge that I anticipate as I work on my interfaith work commitment?

After displaying the collective responses, Facilitator initiates a discussion around what commitments are inspiring for participants, and what they could offer as perspectives/ support towards the challenges listed by other participants.

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Plenary Reflection Duration: 20 min.

Closing Duration: 10 min.

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Each participant shares one perceptible shift they feel in themselves around the idea of faith, based on the entire interfaith program they have completed.

Facilitator can record these responses on Google Jamboard.

As the journey is coming to a close, the Facilitator invites participants to check-out of the journey by expressing any feelings they may have about the journey, or each other, in brief, so as to allow space for everyone to express.

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Additional Resources:

Session Name:

Introduction, setting group norms and expectations Resources: Three examples of Max Frieder’s art installations on the theme of global citizenship: Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 (Source: https://bit.ly/2TX2Ueo)

Potential Reflection Questions: 1. How can art help create global citizens?

2. How might a global citizen respond to art forms that are rooted and speak to their local contexts?

3. In what ways are art forms that take up the public space different from the ones you might have to catch up at a gallery? How can each of these forms nudge one towards global citizenship?

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Session Name:

Faith and Identity Resources: Pre-work: Watch the following video on the Threat of Stereotypes https://youtu.be/FTYMSulvnyw Watch the film ‘Ida’ (Polish/ French/ Latin 2013) Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski 1. What is ‘Ida’ as a character all about? What are her identity or rather are identities?

2. If you were Ida and you discovered your identities that you were unaware of, how would you react to the situation?

3. How do you perceive the coming together of Wanda and Ida on journey despite their axiomatic identities?

4. What do you think of the choices that Ida made on her journey? Do you think it would have been difficult? Elaborate.

5. What is your interpretation of the climax of the film?

6. How do you look at Faith and Religion when you look at a film like ‘Ida’? How are they distinct from each other? How does Ida negotiate her way through it?

7. Themes that could also be discussed: • • • • • • • •

Ida as a Christian novice nun Ida as a Christian novice nun who is Jew Ida as a Chrsitian novice nun in love with a man Ida as a Christian novice nun in love with a man and god Ida as a Christian novice nun and will she take her vows after discovering her Jewish roots?

Ida as a Christian novice nun and will she take her vows after discovering her love for a Polish man?

Ida as a Christian novice nun who discovers her aunt is alive and she is a Jewish communist.

Ida as a Christian novice nun who is about to take her vows and discovers that her parents were killed by Christian poles. Will she still take her vows to the same faith?

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Session Name:

Faith and Religion

Pre-read: Essay- A Good Life is the Only True Religion by Khushwant Singh [Ch. 2 in Khuhwant Singh’s book, ‘On Religion’] Participants will discuss the following questions by the facilitator: • What do you think of the concept of God as discussed in the essay?

• What new religion does Khuswant Singh propose for India and what is your take on it?

• Do you think that all religious systems have failed us?

• What did you discover in this essay that you really liked?

Session Name:

Faith and Caste Resources: Read the essay: Hinduism as Brahman Exploitation By Jotiba Phule [Ch. 4 in Gail Omvedt’s book,‘ Understanding Caste ’]

Potential Reflection Questions: Participants will discuss the following questions as directed by the facilitator: 1.

2.

3.

4.

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What is Jyotiba’s theory of caste?

How does Jyotiba talk about violence and caste? What do you feel about his ideas?

How does Phule bring the congruence of Gender and Caste?

What would be you suggestions to tackle caste discrimination?

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Read the ‘Introduction’ to Yashica Dutt’s Coming Out as Dalit

Potential Reflection Questions: Reflect on what Dutt’s ‘confession’ of her coming out experience serves to tell us about how we gaze at ourselves and imagine this gaze’s link with our surrounding society/community.

Also, please think about how this gaze can both set us apart from those around us while also helping forge new solidarities.

1. How pervasive is caste as an identity marker in your part of the country?

2. Do you observe any differences in the ways caste and other similar markers of identity play out in other parts of the country v/s the place you are from?

3. In what ways does caste/other identity markers draw/dissolve boundaries around people?

4. How do caste/other identities straddle the urban/rural divide in India?

5. How prevalent is caste/other identity based discrimination in our corporate spaces?

Watch the film:“ Diksha” by Arun Kaul (1991) Participants discuss the following questions: 1. What would you have done if you were in the role of Khoga and the role of Pandit?

2. What are the scenes that you liked in the film and why?

3. What do you think this film can teach us?

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Session Name:

Faith and Class (including privileges) Resources: Film Options: 1. Sairat 2. Fandry 3. Pahada Ra Luha 4. The Party (Peter Sellers)

Readings: 1.

2.

N.J. Demereth III, Surinder S Jodhka, and Loren R Demereth: “Interrogating Caste and Religion in India’s Emerging Middle Class,” Economic and Political Weekly, September 2, 2006, pp: 3813-3818.

T.K. Oommen: “Civil Society: Religion, Caste and Language in India,” Sociological Bulletin, Vol. 50, No. 2, 2001, pp. 219-235

Session Name:

Faith and Gender Resources: Film options: Chicken @ Swami’s Kitchen God Exists, Her Name is Petrunija (2019)

Readings: 1.

2.

3.

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Adair T. Lummis “ Gender and Religion ” in Handbook of the Sociology of Gender, Janet Saltzman Chafetz (ed.) New York: Kluwer Academic/ Plenum Publishers,1999, pp: 601-618.

Zoya Hassan: “ Gender, Religion and Democratic Politics in India ”, Third World Quarterly, Vol. 31, No. 6, 2010, pp: 939-954.

Govindasamy Agoramoorthy and Minna J Hsu: “ Living on the Societal Edge: India’s Transgender Realities ”, Journal of Religion and Health, Vol. 54, No. 4, 2015, pp: 1451-1459.

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Session Name:

Faith and Politics Resources: Reading: A Century of Giving up Beef

Session Name:

Faith and Media Resources: Reading:

Reading (Articles):

1. Representation of Faith Using Social Media 2. How smartphones and social media are changing Christianity 3. Talk of ‘UPSC Jihad’ a Baseless Attempt to Delegitimise Muslim Participation in Governance 4. Digital hatred, real violence: Majoritarian radicalisation and social media in India.

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Session Name:

Role of Youth in Interfaith work Potential Reflection Questions: What faith-based (my own or that of others) rituals am I: 1. Aware of 2. Annoyed by 3. Participate in, wholeheartedly 4. Do not mind

Resources: • •

•

Organizations that work in interfaith dialogue Roles in Interfaith work: 1. https://www.rfp.org/careers/ 2. http://www.peacebuildinginitiative.org/index5d00.html?pageId=1828 3. https://www.kaiciid.org/recruitment 4. https://ifyc.org/ 5. https://www.icermediation.org/ What is Interfaith dialogue? Goals, Principles, Levels, Types, Rules, Rights, responsibilities, Skills

Session Name:

Closing, integration, learnings, next steps Potential Reflection Questions: 1.

2.

3.

4.

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What did I enjoy about the process of undergoing this interfaith training?

What were the mental and emotional challenges I faced in the process?

What were my learnings about other faiths?

What are my learnings about my own faith?

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Resources to create interfaith exploration spaces

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If you and/or your institution wish to establish spaces for interfaith engagement in the form of dialogue clubs, circles, learning sessions, etc. here are some resources that may be helpful.

Please note that Seeds of Peace does not endorse these resources. However, they are presented here as some of the easily accessible material related to interfaith work that can be used and adapted in any part of the world.

•

• •

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Paper on ‘Debate as an instructional approach to Peace Building’ Dialogue clubs by Institute of Research and Dialogue for Peace (IRDP) Rwanda.

Contact them at info@irdp.rw for more information and resources.

•

Planetary emergency plan by the Club of Rome

•

Resource archives of the Notre Dame de Sion

•

Interfaith Toolkit to End Trafficking from

UNICEF USA •

Interfaith Resource Kit from The Canadian Council of Churches

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Resources on interfaith dialogue from The Inter Faith Network

•

Compilation of interfaith resources from CryPeace

•

COVID-19 Interfaith Guide from KAICIID

• •

Guide to Interreligious Dialogue: Bridging Differences and Building Sustainable Societies, by KAICIID

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Essay on Hindu-Christian Dialogue in India in Fuller Magazine

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The Samvaad National Interfaith Summit 2021 publications

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About the Samvaad National Interfaith Summit

Under the aegis of the US State Department and the US Consulate General, Mumbai, Seeds of Peace India had the opportunity to offer a virtual interfaith conference as an open, free-ofcost opportunity for civil society participants to attend. Called The Samvaad National Interfaith Summit, it was a day-long virtual conference on interfaith work, held on December 11, 2021, with a special emphasis on dialogue. With the core theme being interfaith explorations, the subthemes that the Summit explored included: • • •

Need for dialogue in the current context Relevance of interfaith content in mainstream education Bridge-builders in the history of the sub-continent

While The Samvaad Project itself aimed at a select few institutions from Western India, the Samvaad National Interfaith Summit had a wider reach, with participants joining from all over India. Delegates and speakers from across states and professional spectrums joined in for this day-long convention. Participants include educators, students, peace activists, non-profit organisations, faith leaders, legal professionals, policymakers, and citizens interested in interfaith dialogue and harmony.

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Throughout the day, delegates were able to listen to two keynote addresses, and choose between attending paper presentations, workshops, or short format talks. There were musical interludes and a concert by musicians Vedanth Bharadwaj, Bindhumalini Narayanswamy, Isheeta Chakrvarty and Girija Venkatesh to underline the artistic face of interfaith engagement.

Some of the most prominent speakers included Dr. Kaushikee, Honorary Director and Professor, Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Jamia Millia Islamia; Syeda Hameed, Padma Shri awardee and Women’s Rights Activist, New Delhi; Sushobha Barve, Executive Director at Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation, New Delhi; Dr. Syed Zafar Mahmood, President, Zakat Foundation of India, God’s Grace Foundation and Interfaith Coalition for Peace, New Delhi; Faisal Khan, Peace Activist and Leader, Khudai Khidmatgar, New Delhi; Arun Wakhlu, Founder Director and Chief Mentor of Pragati Leadership Institute, Pune; and Bhanwar Meghwanshi, award-winning writer and peace activist, Bhilwara to name a few.

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Contents PAPERS i.

Bridging the Old, Modern and Post Modernity Bhagwad Gita’s Relevance for all Times - Past, Present and Future by Dr. Sangeeta Srivastava

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ii.

Dialogue of Life - A starting point for dialogue between faith communities in Asia: A Christian Perspective by Dr. (Father) Elvis Hilton Fernandes

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iii.

Interfaith Dialogue by Stuti Malhotra

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iv.

The productive inclusive eras of a decolonizing gender-sensitized, secular-friendly Islam: Integrating inclusion of Muslim women with cross-cultural dialogue towards seeds of secularism by Hussain Ebrahim

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SHORT TALKS

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i.

Architecture for Dialogue by Alexandra Foster

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ii.

Indic Centrism: A Pathway to Peace by Abhishek Thakore

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iii.

Interfaith Dialogue and Climate Change by Siddhartha

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iv.

purnam: An Experiment in Fostering Dialogic Spaces

by Naveen Vasudevan

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v.

Science catching up to the need of dialogue, community, and faith by Jayesh Jain

vi.

The Contribution of Sufi Saint Ram Dev Pir in creating Interreligious Harmony in Rajasthan

by Bhanwar Meghwanshi

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vii.

The Preserved Tablet: The Islamic view on Interfaith Affection by Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood

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viii.

Uniting Faiths: Respecting the Difference - From the Teachings of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

by Dr. Jayanti Ranganathan Chavan

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Bridging the Old, Modern and Post Modernity Bhagwad Gita’s Relevance for all Times - Past, Present and Future

Dr. Sangeeta Srivastava Associated as a Principal with institutions affiliated to the Kandivli Education Society in Mumbai, India. She can be reached at sangeeta2764@gmail.com.

Abstract The Bhagwad Gita has been a bridge connecting the past with the present and can be used for developing values as an emancipatory education of future. The paper will help to instill a deep-rooted pride in our rich cultural heritage, not only in thought, but also in spirit, intellect and deeds, and develop knowledge, skills, values, and dispositions that support responsible commitment to human rights, sustainable development and living and global well-being, thereby reflecting a truly global citizen; (National Education Policy 2020). Bhagwad Gita awakens humanity within us, shows the right path in life, instills honesty, hard work, courage, and removes violence from society, establishes peace, and removes religious bigotry. It makes us understand use of Metacognition and basic

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philosophy of life to make the world a better place to live in, to know whether to love what we do or do what we love and execute change by design or by default.

The intention is to build awareness about lessons from the Bhagwad Gita and how relevant it is today for all age groups and for all the sections of society, peacebuilding through meditation, importance of controlling senses to control our mind, seeing lust, anger and greed as root causes for all the problems, how to be a true devotee, to apply the change in oneself, beginning from food to innermost soul, moving towards positivity.

Keywords- education, emancipation, metacognition, values, peace.

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Introduction Is the Bhagwad Gita still relevant?

For all the stages of life, the Bhagwad Gita is a great teacher. Young people learn how to live while the old learn how to die peacefully; the ignorant attains wisdom and the wise or learned finds humility; the rich learn to be compassionate, the weak gets strength; strong people get direction and the tired gets rest; troubled finds peace and those in doubt, get assurance; sinner gets salvation and the seeker gets moksha (liberation).

The Bhagwad Gita has influenced many thinkers, philosophers, scientists, physicists, writers, leaders, artists, writers, poets across the world. To name a few, what these illustrated people have to say about their own experience: Henry D. Thoreau, American Poet, Author & Philosopher, (book-Walden) “How much more admirable the Gita than all the ruins of the East. In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogony philosophy of the Bhagwad Gita, in comparison of which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial.”

T.S. Eliot, American Poet who studied Sanskrit, in his poem ‘The Dry Salvages’, mentions conversation between Krishna & Arjunaa “Not farewell, But fare forward, Voyagers”.

Sunita Williams, American /Indian born

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Astronaut, carried a Ganesh idol and a copy of the Bhagwad Gita with her in space; “Those are spiritual things to reflect upon yourself, life, the world around you and see things the other way. I thought it was quite appropriate.”

Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Nation: “I turn to the Bhagwad Gita and find a verse to comfort me, and I begin to smile.”

Albert Einstein, German Theoretical Physicist (Relativity): “When I read the Bhagwad Gita and reflect about how God created this universe, everything else seems so superfluous.”

Aldous Huxley, English Writer/Philosopher: “The Bhagwad Gita is the most systematic statement of spiritual evolution of endowing value to mankind. It is the most clear and comprehensive summaries of perennial philosophy ever revealed; hence its enduring value is subject not only to India but to all of humanity”.

J. Robert Oppenheimer, American Physicist, Father of the Atomic Bomb during World War-II, on seeing the explosion during experimentation quoted the Vishwaroop Darshan: “Now I become Death, the destroyer of the worlds.”

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Annie Besant, The Irish socialist, Theosophist and women’s right activist, translated the Gita titled ‘The Lord’s Song’ and said, “That the spiritual man need not be a recluse, that union with the divine life may be achieved and maintained in the midst of worldly affairs, that the obstacle to that union lie not outside us but within us - such is the central lesson of the Bhagwad Gita.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson, American Poet, Lecturer from the 19th century: “The voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us.”

Carl Jung, Swiss Psychiatrist/ Psychoanalyst/ Philosopher: “The idea that man is like an inverted tree, is also provided by Plato in his Timaeus, “Behold we are not an earthly but heavenly plant.”

Hermann Hesse, German Poet/ Novelist/ Painter: “The marvel of the Bhagwad Gita is its truly beautiful revelation of life wisdom which enables philosophy to blossom into religion.”

Dr. Albert Schweitzer, Alsatian Polymath, Physician/Philosopher/Humanitarian/ Theologian/Writer: “The Bhagwad Gita has a profound influence on the spirit of mankind by its devotion to God which is manifested by actions.”

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Warren Hastings, First Governor General of India, supported Charles Wilkins who translated the Bhagwad Gita in English. He gifted an English version to the chairman of the East India Company: “A performance of great originality…single exception among all the known religions of mankind.”

Sri Aurobindo, Saint and Philosopher: “The Bhagwad Gita always had a new message for people of any age, from any part of civilization.”

Society has changed in striking ways since the Bhagwad Gita was composed centuries ago. In the 21st century, we are living in a completely transformed society. All the external ways have changed but when we compare Arjuna’s emotional breakdown with the current situations, we can see that the internal world of a person has not transformed at all. Though we made rapid strides externally, we have the same weaknesses as Arjuna in the epic Mahabharata. In fact, the stress and anxiety of the current society has reached almost pandemic levels.

It is with the intention to address this state of the world, that the rest of the paper outlines the approach for a workshop designed by the author. This workshop aims at helping to find the solutions to our day-to-day problems with the help of timeless advice given by Krishna to Arjuna in the Mahabharata.

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Objectives of the Workshop: 1. To use emancipatory education for developing values such as compassion, ethics, integrity, empathy, patriotism, truth, service, non-violence, nishkam karma, cleanliness, responsibility, patience and more.

2. To instill a deep-rooted pride in our rich cultural heritage, not only in thought, but also in spirit, intellect and deeds.

3. The National Education Policy (NEP) of India, 2020 in its vision, says, ‘To instill among the learners a deep-rooted pride in being Indian, not only in thought, but also in spirit, intellect, and deeds, as well as to develop knowledge, skills, values, and dispositions that support responsible commitment to human rights, sustainable development and living, and global wellbeing, thereby reflecting a truly global citizen’.

4. To understand that ancient scriptures like the Bhagwad Gita, awaken humanity within us, show the right path in life, instill honesty, hard work, courage, and remove violence from society, establish peace, and remove religious bigotry.

5. To understand the importance of Metacognition, the ability to examine how you process thoughts and feelings. This ability encourages students to understand how they learn best. It also helps them to develop self-awareness skills that

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become important as they get older.

The use of metacognitive thinking and strategies enables students to become flexible, creative and self-directed learners.

Metacognition particularly assists students with additional educational needs in understanding learning tasks, in selforganising and in regulating their own learning.

6. To understand the basic philosophy of life as told in Bhagwad Gita and help to make the world a better place to live in.

7. To know whether to love what we do or do what we love. Rather than loving any particular thing, one should behave lovingly with everything. If we love something there is a vested interest that causes damage. We follow our passion.

An educated person must know what is most needed now, and do it.

8. Execute change by design or by default.

Change is rapid. For example, a telephone directory or remembering phone numbers is no longer relevant today. Now our rote-learning doesn’t matter anymore.

Change is compulsory, it’s not an option, in education and everywhere. Shall we let change happen in a haphazard way, torturing people or we execute change in a designed way? We have to execute change by design not default.

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Methodology and Approach: The Workshop includes interaction through talk, presentation, video, stories, quiz, polling and discussion on responses of the participants.

This workshop has been designed based on author’s experience of 100 sessions conducted for students, parents, educators, senior citizens (over 8500 participants) over a period of one year from November 2020 to October 2021.

Subject Matter The Past: Vedic and Puranic Outlooks/Philosophies The epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata (of which the Bhagwad Gita is a part), part of the Puranas, comprise a lot of stories revolving around Vedic ideas. After the 18th century, Vedic ideas were first translated in English.

The Bhagwad Gita, which was written almost 5000 years ago, marks the transition from the old ritual-based Vedic culture into the new narrative-based Puranic culture.

The Puranas, which included the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, were also called ‘Itihasa’, stories that will always be true; it symbolises life with all its dynamic colours, emotions, violence, conflicts and desires. The Vedas

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were written by sages who were much above the average humans accomplished with their severe meditation practice, conveying ideas and philosophies through folk tales instead of rituals or hymns. Vyasa, (means compiler) gets the credit of compiling the Vedas; he is also said to have written the Puranas.

The Vedas call for a balance between the householder way of life which enjoys what life has to offer, and the saint’s life which lets go of all material things and lets the mind evolve through austerity. The ‘ideal’ Vedic world was one where there was no tussle between the householder and a saint’s way of life such as in the tales of Mithila, the kingdom of Janaka.

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The Bhagwad Gita: The Bhagwad Gita is the advice given by the charioteer Krishna to the warrior and archer Arjuna, just before the beginning of the great war of Kurukshetra between the Kaurava and Pandava brothers in the epic Mahabharata.

The Bhagwad Gita comprises 18 chapters which have a total of 700 verses, 574 spoken

by Krishna, 84 by Arjuna, 41 by Sanjaya, and 1

by Dhritarashtra, the blind king, a conversation in a span of 90 minutes, with almost four

million soldiers waiting on both the sides in the battlefield. The Bhagwad Gita is a manual of life that can bring about self-realisation.

This journey is easier as a saint who is detached from all materialistic aspects of life, that’s why many early exponents such as Shankaracharya, Ramanuja and Dnyaeshwara chose the path of sainthood.

The Present: The Bhagwad Gita was translated into English

by Charles Wilkins, further translationed

by Europeans who looked for objective explanations. It gained popularity much before the advent of the Internet and social media, it was considered as a sort of Hindu Bible. Indian nationalists and great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi to Bal Gangadhar Tilak realised that Bhagwad Gita was good to unify the Indians. They made efforts to bind people using a single narrative. After the two World Wars, J Robert Oppenheimer, father of the atomic bomb even equated Krishna’s cosmic form with the nuclear bomb. The Bhagwad Gita began to be seen as a directive from God with the goal of enlightenment. The original Gita was narrated in Sanskrit, the then prevalent Indian language. Charles Wilkins was the one to first translate this work into English in 1785. Schlegel then translated this into Latin in the year 1823, after which Von Humbolt produced a German version of the

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Gita in 1826. Lassens converted the work into French in 1846 and Galanos did a Greek translation in the year 1848. By the 1980s, there were around 3000 translations of the Bhagwad Gita in almost 50 languages. As of today, the Gita has further been translated into Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Hebrew, Dutch, Portuguese, Arabic and so on. The Gita has several interpretations.

Krishna, while advising Arjuna, has full knowledge of the metaphorical totality of his message. In the end Krishna tells Arjuna, “Yatha ichhasi tatha kuru”, now that I have told you everything, you have to do as you feel right. From Mahatma Gandhi, to BR Ambedkar, to APJ Abdul Kalam, everyone derived their own understanding of the Gita. Devdutt Pattanaik rightly says “There are as many Gitas as there are minds, because every single mind interprets the Gita in their own, individual, subjective way.”

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Bhagwad Gita Building Bridges:

The Bhagwad Gita, literally translated as the ‘Song Of God’, is a part of the Mahabharata, a story of the enmity and ensuing war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas.

The Bhagwad Gita is a part of the sixth of 18 books, the Bhishma Parva, of Mahabharata.

At Kurukshetra, Arjuna (Partha) prepares to confront the Kauravas and Krishna becomes his charioteer (hence the name Parthsaarathi).

On seeing his own family, Bhishma Pitaamah and his Guru, Acharya Drona on the other side of the battlefield, Arjuna is overcome by sadness, anxiety and emotion. He is convinced that he would be committing an unforgivable sin by slaying his own kith and kin. Arjuna suddenly feels weak and drops down on the chariot, laying down his bow and arrow. He declares to Krishna that he would not be fit to wage war against his own relatives and requests him to take him away from the battlefield. In the verses 28 and 29 of Chapter 1, Arjuna says:

standing on its end. My bow is slipping from my hand and my skin is burning like it is on fire.”

“Drishveymam Swajaanam Krishna Yuyutsum Samupasthitam Seedanti Mama Gaatraani Mukham Cha Parishushyati” (1.28)

The Gita stands out as incomparable, as it completely accepts the philosophy that God is the Universe and everything that we see in it. But it also goes one step ahead and proclaims that God is everything, plus something more that we normally do not perceive.

“Vepathushcha Sareerey Mey Romaharshascha Jaayatey Gaandeevam Sramsatey Hastaattvakchaiva Paridahyatey” (1.29) “O Krishna, seeing all my kinsmen assembled here on the battlefield, the limbs of my body are weakening and I can feel my mouth drying up. My body trembles in fear and my hair is

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Lord Krishna comes to Arjuna’s rescue and reveals to him the Ultimate Truth of Advaita (oneness with Godhead). Krishna further inspires Arjuna by telling him to go ahead, discharge his duty as a Kshatriya (warrior) and fight to destroy wrongdoers without having hatred for them in his heart. Krishna also explains about Ananta Prakriya - about how the process of creation is endless and continues as a cycle in between birth and death. The human soul (Jeevatma), which is but a part of the Universal Soul (Paramaatma), is not affected by death and so, cannot actually be killed. Hence, Krishna says, it is only right action, without concern about the result, Nishkaam Karma, which is truly important to achieve success, happiness and peace in life.

Everyone reading the Bhagwad Gita finds in it a part which he or she can completely identify with, in his or her own personal life. All of us go through a dilemma at some point of time or the

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other. This is where the Gita comes to our aid, guiding us to do what is right and prevents us from treading the path of wrong or sin.

The Gita stands out as incomparable as it completely accepts the philosophy that God is the Universe and everything that we see in it.

But it also goes one step ahead and proclaims

that God is everything, plus something more that we normally do not perceive. What is that something more? This aspect acknowledges the presence of God residing in everything and in all things and all beings, good and evil, darkness and light and so on is one of the most powerful expressions among the scriptures of the world.

The Background of the Bhagwad Gita: Dhritarashtra and Pandu were two brothers, born in the royal Kuru dynasty. The former, who was older, was visually challenged, and so Pandu was officially crowned as King of the Kuru clan. Pandu had five sons, called the Pandavas, while Dhritarashtra had a hundred sons, called the Kauravas. The Pandavas, Yudhishthir, Bhim, Arjuna, Nakul and Sahdev, were brilliant, each one possessing at least one excellent trait. The eldest son of Dhritarashtra, Duryodhan, also his dearest, held a long, deep-seated hatred for the Pandavas.

Pandu died young, after which Dhritarashtra ascended the throne. Once the princes came

of age, a dispute emerged as to who would become the next ruler - whether it should be Yudhishthir or Duryodhan. All the elders and gurus unanimously agreed that Yudhishthir, being the son of the King, was the rightful heir to the throne. But Duryodhan opposed as he was the son of the older brother and hence, solely held the right to the throne. The dispute prolonged without a solution in sight, leading to a bifurcation of the kingdom. Duryodhan tried everything to destroy the Pandavas - he even tried to kill them in the infamous wax house incident. But Krishna’s grace always prevailed over the Pandavas and they were saved each and every time.

The Supreme Message of the Bhagwad Gita: Man should never neglect his duties in the world; on the contrary, man must learn to live material life fully, while also understanding the transience of the same. A constant awareness of the Absolute and Timeless Reality would help him lead a happy and contented life,

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ultimately enlightening him, while still in this material world. It will rid one of the vicious cycle of the material world and break free from the repeated cycle of incarnation. When Arjuna loses his confidence on the battlefield, Krishna decides to make him understand the

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real meaning of life. He talks of universal harmony and strict, unflinching adherence towards duty. After having related how the soul is permanent, immortal and never dies, Krishna asks Arjuna to shed his anxiety and reticence that inhibit his duty on the battlefront and co-operate to reinstate the balance of the universe. Krishna warns him that if he were to leave the battlefield at this point of time, he would fail miserably in his duties, throwing the entire cosmos out of balance, obscuring and wiping out all good from the face of the earth. Krishna takes a Vishwaroopa (massive avatar) and reveals Himself as the Supreme Mahavishnu. He shows him the cycle of life and how souls live and die and pass through the various stages between the process, while in this mortal world. The various Yogas or yogic aspects of Bhakti (devotion), Karma (action), Gyana (knowledge) and Dhyana (meditation) that Krishna explains in the 18 chapters of the Bhagwad Gita, truly captures the essence of life itself. Sri Krishna states that one should try to go beyond the limitations of the temporal ego and identify themselves with ‘The One Self’ or the Atman, thereby attaining true enlightenment. He says that it is only through this detached attitude that can get true liberation or moksha.

Karma Yoga: Karma means ‘action’. In this sense, it implies the discharging of one’s duties, selflessly, without concentrating on the result of the action. In Chapter 3 of the Bhagwad Gita, Sri Krishna speaks entirely on the aspect of Karma Yoga.

“Karmanyeyvaadhikaarastey Maa Phaleshu Kadaachana Maa Karma Phala Hetur Bhurmatey Sangostva Akarmani” (2.47) Krishna asks one to do his duty, being

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detached about the final outcome. He says, one should enjoy the whole journey of getting to the end. Working selflessly, without expecting any outcome, purifies one’s mind, gradually changing him, making him surrender his entire work to the Lord. Krishna, in the Bhagwad Gita, reveals Himself to Arjuna, as the Supreme Being, the One who incarnated on this earth by His own will. He further clarifies that all beings He created in this universe are but parts of His own all-pervading wisdom and are the same as Himself.

Bhakti Yoga: In chapter 12, Krishna talks about the principles of Bhakti Yoga as a path to attain Him. He says:

“Mayyaveshya Manoye Maam Nityayuktaa Upaasate Shraddhayaa Parayopetaas Tey Mey Yuktamaa Mataah” (12.2) Lord Krishna says that out of all those who place firm, unflinching faith in the Ultimate, without giving in to material pitfalls, those who place their minds exclusively on Him and His worship, are deemed to be the most superior.

Gyana Yoga: In verse 5 of Chapter 4, Sri Krishna says:

“Bahuni Mey Vyateetani Janmaani TavachaArjunaa Taany Aham Veda Sarvaani Na Tvam Vettha Parantapa” (4.5) “O, Arjunaa, many births of mine and yours are over. Only, I have knowledge about them all, but you do not.”

Krishna explains to Arjuna how he is never going to actually ‘kill’ anyone in the battlefield, the soul is ‘nashwara’ or indestructible, is never affected by fire, water and the other elements and it is above all closely connected

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to the Paramatma. He also teaches about how to be a ‘Sthitpragnya’, a happy person free of desires, calm and untroubled in sorrow, never over-excited, rejoicing in triumph, nor grieving for a defeat, never fearful nor angry, treats everyone with same affection, withdraws or

controls his senses like a tortoise to control his mind, like the mighty ocean is undisturbed though countless rivers empty themselves into it, his mind is calm even as desires flow into it from all sides.

The Future: The Bhagwad Gita continues to have a great influence on different types of people from several cultures around the globe. Today’s life is extremely busy, with its hectic pace, relations getting stressed, too much violence and corruption. The youth does not seem to have time for anything at all. Working

people are constantly caught up with trying to earn more money in order to provide their family and children with more luxuries and material desirables. In this rat race, they lose themselves and their identities even as living beings, leave alone becoming higher entities!

Bhagwad Gita as a Bridge for The Present and The Future: In an age when spirituality is steadily on the decline on a global scale and materialism rules the roost, many people experience that they invariably find an answer to their particular question or issue by following the powerful lessons of the Bhagwad Gita.

The Gita has its appeal till date. Life today is filled with anxiety, uncertainty and sorrow. We have fallen out of tune both with ourselves and our surroundings. As a result, we experience disharmony, both within and without and fail to find true happiness within, also fail to make our family and friends happy. Greed to

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own more material things, unfulfilled desires and harbouring negative emotions such as jealousy and hatred are some of the reasons why we lose touch with the real us that is calm, serene and ever compassionate. Because we fail to see our basic nature, we forget the God within us. What we need at such a time is someone who can teach us train our minds, bring it under our control and get us back to our higher ‘Self’. The youth is the wealth of the nation. Shaping them properly and helping them develop their personalities will let them

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become better citizens of the world, who would go ahead and create a better tomorrow.

The present generation is currently experiencing a lot of stress, worries and tensions. They tend to age faster and fall prey to various illnesses and ailments. The teachings mentioned in the Bhagwad Gita can be used to help them view their own lives from a different perspective, enriching them spiritually, letting them lead a quality life.

The beautiful thing about the Gita is that it does not advocate the follower to sacrifice anything in this material world. It tells you to enjoy this life completely, indulge yourselves in whatever you like. The only thing the Gita asks you to do is to make a small shift in your thought process, start dedicating all your actions to God and enjoy all you do in the material world, considering your work as a

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service to the supreme power. Such actions purify hearts and destroy the negatives in the psyche, liberating it from day-to-day troubles, letting you enjoy life to the maximum and spread that happiness to everyone around, bringing in the new Golden Era for India and the rest of the world, help to remain young for life and add life to your years, without merely adding years to your life!

Our skills and expertise in this world cannot guarantee freedom from anxiety and emotional breakdowns. Under the current circumstances, the Bhagvad Gita is more than relevant. It helped Arjuna overcome his weaknesses; now it can help millions overcome their anxieties of life and build an overall value-based personality

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Dialogue of Life A starting point for dialogue between faith communities in Asia: A Christian Perspective

Dr. (Father) Elvis Hilton Fernandes Affiliated with the Pilar Theological College in Goa, India. He can be reached at elvissanguem@gmail.com

Abstract True dialogue begins with daily life. It is the first, of all human dialogue. It is learning to be side by side, to spend time with each other individually and in the family, to live together, to perform services for each other, to offer hospitality to each other, to act together, so coming to know and respect each other, while keeping a sufficiently clear and critical mind without distrust and exaggeration.

There has been a thrust on intellectual dialogue or dialogue at the level of theology and doctrine rather than dialogue at the level of encountering people in their day-to-day life situation, conceptually termed as “Dialogue of Life”.

Encountering the other person in everyday life has to become a priority because of the growing exclusivist and triumphalist mind-set that encourage notions of superiority. One’s religious tradition and culture are placed on a high pedestal while condemning that of others.

Asia’s religions have always focused on Dialogue of Life which calls for manifesting human values such as hospitality, respect, concern, love, brotherhood, fellowship, forgiveness, understanding towards followers of other religious traditions.

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The new millennium has opened before us a great challenge in the sphere of interfaith dialogue. Dialogue of Life is a way forward in strengthening human solidarity, togetherness and interrelatedness.

The paper aims to emphasize the priority of Dialogue of Life in fostering interreligious understanding and fellowship. The paper proceeds from understanding the Gospel way, with Jesus as the doer, to Dialogue of Life as envisaged by the major religious traditions of Asia.

The paper examines some of the major religious traditions of Asia that are pervaded with the spirit of Dialogue of Life.

Every religious tradition provides a framework for its adherents and explicitly teaches that faith and loyalty to the almighty consists in Dialogue of Life, a starting point for dialogue between faith communities.

Dialogue of Life will inspire the formation of wider communities transcending religious boundaries forming one universal family, protecting their roots in religious traditions.

Keywords: Interfaith, Dialogue of Life, Religion, Christian, Faith

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Introduction The 21st century is witnessing a tremendous progress in communication, making the world a large village where the encounter between people of different faiths has become an everyday phenomenon. The diverse human communities of different faiths, merged into a single community of the world-village have also its own problems. However, anyone who is dedicated to solving these problems has to take into consideration the religious outlook of his neighbour, specially in Asia and India, where religion occupies a central place in the lives of the people.

Religious tradition has to do with life and its objective is to move towards the divine through the human person. Each tradition has its own faith response concerning problems and issues that affect all and each tradition interacts with each other on a day to day basis. One may call this day-to-day rubbing of shoulders in all matters, despite one’s own religious outlook, ‘a Dialogue of Life’.

Dialogue of Life is an unexplored dimension of interfaith dialogue which each religion needs to explore anew. This will bring growth and maturity to each religious tradition

Dialogue of Life is an unexplored dimension of interfaith dialogue which each religion needs to explore anew. This will bring growth and maturity to each religious tradition. Starting from the foundational level is the need of the hour. This touches people in their deepest core and thus their religious consciousness i.e. being aware of the truth is always being reformed through encountering the other person.

There has been a thrust on intellectual dialogue or dialogue at the level of theology and doctrine rather than, dialogue at a foundational level i.e. at the level of encounter with the human person. Today, human beings look for basic human communities for human welfare and encounter with one another.

The paper begins by presenting Dialogue of Life in the life of Jesus. Jesus was a doer, a person who encountered people in day-to-day life situations. It then looks into Dialogue of Life in Asia’s religious traditions. It further dwells on the priority of dialogue of life and concludes with the practical ways for it to be a starting point for dialogue between faith communities.

Dialogue of Life, in the Life of Jesus What did this man, Jesus, do that attracted millions of people through the centuries to follow him and continue his Mission? What and how did he communicate with people that made them give up everything and follow him?

Jesus was a doer and his deeds spoke much louder than his words. He lived among men, shared their culture and above all encountered people. He gave an example of humble and non-dominating service. His deeds were characterized by a radical option for the poor

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and the marginalized, He lived a non-violent life and His death on the cross manifested his love for humanity (Fuellenbach, 1994).

The Gospel of Luke presents the inauguration of the public ministry of Jesus - a ministry of encounter with the people in a unique manner.

Jesus, in the synagogue, unrolls the scroll and reads a passage that will indicate his entire messianic mission through encounter with the people (Senior, 1989). “The Spirit of the Lord

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is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19).

His Kingdom - One of Encounter and Action The concept, “kingdom of God”, if understood clearly and uncompromisingly becomes the true symbol for encounter and action. This symbol can be a starting point for an open and creative dialogue with other religious traditions (Fuellenbach, 1994).

Jesus manifested the emergence of God’s Kingdom through his symbolic actions like eating with sinners, through healings etc.

“The ‘Kingdom is a field of God’s action and it is present wherever God is present and active. The kingdom is already present here as first fruits and is growing. And the fruits of this kingdom are precisely love, joy, peace, justice, fellowship, healing, well-being and community” (Amaladoss, 2001). There is a constant danger of exclusive understanding of the ‘ kingdom of God’ in the spiritual sense and overlooking the basic concept of kingdom of God as symbol for encounter and action (Fuellenbach, 1994).

The kingdom of God as the symbol for encounter and action makes sense when we work to make this world a better place.

Based on Jesus’ life we can see three major thrusts for the kingdom, which are relevant for Dialogue of life (Amaladoss, 2001).

Action for Justice The heart of Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom is not merely a call to follow Him in the abstract, but a call to act with justice in the concrete situation. The kingdom of God as symbol for action stresses on man’ existential situation. The kingdom of God as symbol for encounter and action is very much concerned with action for justice and the welfare of every person and everything God has made.

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Action for justice takes care of right distribution of goods and access to basic amenities for life. Therefore, action for justice calls for work of liberation through dynamism and transformation. The action for justice is demonstrated by human beings’ capacity for transforming social order and thus an active role in transforming human history through actions for justice. The followers of Jesus are called to follow in the footsteps of their master by being a community of action for justice, thus proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus through love and care especially towards the poor, the marginalized and the outcast as Jesus himself did (Fuellenbach, 1994).

Action for justice is needed at the economic, political and the social level, especially in the Pluri-faith context. Its foundational task is to construct human communities of justice, fellowship, freedom, equality. Action for justice at the economic level would include working for economic justice for everyone focusing on the preferential option for the poor. Action for justice at the political level would include collaborating with the subaltern group who are organizing themselves fighting for equality of power in a democratic set-up. Action for justice at a social level would include building a community of social equals (Constantine, 1997).

Action for justice has to involve a profound relationship with other communities and has to have consciousness of being bound intimately with communities all around. The followers of Jesus cannot go forward with an isolationist attitude. They have to commit themselves along with others to the promotion of justice, equality, and peace in the society by getting involved in protecting human rights.

In the process, they may have to confront the powerful and the dominant and opt for the poor and the oppressed. In all these actions for justice, the followers of Jesus encounter the members of other faith traditions, leading to a deeper insight of the spirit of Jesus of the Gospel - Jesus the doer. The followers of Jesus have to get involved in social movements for justice - movements for human rights, for preserving environment, emancipation of women and the Dalit, etc. (Wilfred, 2001).

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Action for Fellowship

Action for Solidarity and Togetherness

Justice leads to fellowship. The kingdom of God as a symbol for encounter and action extends towards and embraces everyone (members of all religious traditions) for fellowship. Action for fellowship is seen in humankind’s aspiration for brotherhood/ sisterhood (Fuellenbach, 1994). Action for fellowship can be based on table fellowship with the outcast and sinners. In the words of Jesus, it is a life on earth where people of diverse creed and culture eat and drink together just as the disciples had done with Jesus during his lifetime (Newbigin, 1993).

The Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament present to us counter-cultural communities of sharing and fellowship. These communities were grounded in the kingdom value of fellowship. Their action for fellowship is seen in the sharing of material possessions with those who did not have (Thomas, 1991).

The immediate effect of action for fellowship is that everyone depends on each other for each one’s well-being. In a special way, sharing of material goods becomes an expression of fellowship where there is mutualinterdependence and sharing (Fuellenbach, 1994).

The followers of Jesus have a task to evolve a new socio-political context: of solidarity and togetherness. This is very essential and primary to build a genuine relationship with other communities, where decisions concerning the rights are made; where freedom, equality, fellowship and justice are taken care of. All these things are for building a human community of solidarity and togetherness (Thomas, 1991).

The followers of Jesus have a task to be in solidarity with action and subaltern groups, and commit itself to the well-being of such marginalized groups. Solidarity and togetherness with such groups is not be construed as anti-national but as promoting a substantive nationalism, in contrast to a formal nationalism (Wilfred, 2001).

The followers of Jesus cannot search for unity through exclusivity in intellectual and theological agreement on doctrinal and dogmatic matters but have to entrust to the spirit for infinitely greater measure of solidarity and togetherness in unlimited diversity (Rogers, 2001).

Dialogue of Life in Asia’s Religions Asia is a conglomeration of rich cultures and great religions - Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Sikhism. Asia’s religions have always focused on Dialogue of Life encountering people in their day-to-day life situation. Living the values taught by their respective religion is the core of Asian religious ethos. Dharma, the Eightfold path, the Shariah and the Khalsa are the concrete ways for Dialogue of Life (Puthenpurakal, 1993).

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The Gita Paradigm of Dharma Generally, the term ‘Dharma’ is used to denote ‘religion’. However, the term also has wider connotation, as the sustaining factor of living beings for encounter and action with social, political, economic, moral and spiritual elements in the entire universe. In the Gita, Dharma is the basic character of every being, urging all to participate in promoting the wellbeing and the wholeness of the universe. In the

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Gita, the Supreme Lord invites human beings to participate in his work to establish Dharma through encounter and action. Each person has to respond to this invitation according to his or her own Dharma - Svadharma, for the welfare of all beings. Svadharma is one’s call to live and work according to the plan and the will of the supreme Lord and thus promote the well-being of the creation.

Through Svadharma the human beings bring into harmony their own action with the dharma of the cosmos. Svadharma, in the BhagavadGita is understood in the context of Arjuna’s call to fight without an attachment to the result of the battle and to destroy criminals who promote Adharma. It is a responsibility to act according to one’s personal call to bring about Dharma in the universe. The call and meaning of Svadharma is expressed and explained in the Bhagavad-Gita through the message of Niskamakarma yoga. Niskamakarma is an action, which is free from desire or attachment for the fruits of actions but the action is an imperative. Niskamakarma yoga is human response to establish Dharma, through a detached action. The Bhagavad Gita by advocating Niskamakarma on one hand allows one to perform action as Svadharma, on the other hand shows that such detached actions lead us to liberation. Niskamakarmayoga as Svadharma could be said as Dialogue of Life for encounter and action (Vempeny, 1988).

The Noble Eightfold Path The eightfold path serves as norm for encounter and action. Buddha was a practical man, concerned with life and the religion, which he taught, was concerned with humanistic problems and therefore called for encounter and action. The Noble Eightfold Path is the practical side of Buddha’s teaching.

It is a path of encounter and action to bring about a new order in today’s world, to work in building God’s Kingdom. From the standpoint

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for practical action, the Noble Eigthfold Path may be divided in three ways of practice. A) Silakkhandha - Right speech, Right action, Right livelihood. B) Samadhikkhandha - Right effort, Right mindfulness, Right concentration C) Pannakkhandha - Right Understanding, Right Thought (Perera, 2000).

The Shariah Shariah is an Arabic word, which means ‘the road to a watering place’. It is a path of conduct which is clearly marked and which all Muslims should follow. It is the one path of conduct taught by the Quran and the Sunna of the Prophet Muhammad. The Shariah includes the entire conduct and action of a person’s life, i.e., what he does at home and at business; his marriage and his rights of inheritance; his duties to the state, to his neighbours, to his relations and his family. Walking the path of the Shariah is obeying the divine will. Muslims consider the Shariah as the complete code of life for the entire human race. (Maududi, 1981).

The Shariah also includes the five Pillars of Islam for action and encounter. 1) Declaration of Islamic Creed - It is sincerely testifying to one God, 2) The Prayer-act - it purifies the heart for encounter and action in the world. The prayer-act is like a stream of sweet water flowing past the door of each person, and those who plunge into it five times a day are washed from all their uncleanness.

It ennobles the person and endows him with the noblest virtues. 3) Alms-giving - It is an action of Charity and generosity towards the economically poor in the society. 4) Fasting - It is an action for self-discipline and purification which culminates in the festivities of joy and brotherhood. 5) Pilgrimage - The annual pilgrimage to Mecca is the fulfilment of the act of prayer. It symbolizes unity just like the Hindus gathering at the Kumbh Mela. The pilgrimage is also seen as an answer to God’s personal call. It is also a sacrifice of wealth and taking up of a difficult journey (Brown, 1998).

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The Khalsa The word ‘Khalsa’ is derived from the Arabic word ‘Khalis’ meaning ‘a body of initiated Sikhs (disciples), or ‘the pure’. According to tradition, Guru Gobind Singh instituted the Khalsa on the first day of the month of Basaikh (30th March) in the year 1699 CE. He administered the double-edge sword ceremony to the five beloved (Panj Pyare) faithful followers followed by thousands more.

Most Sikh boys and girls are initiated into the Khalsa upon reaching puberty. Five members of the Khalsa symbolizing the five beloved faithful followers conduct the ceremony. They mix sweets (batashas) in a bowl containing pure and clean water and stir it with a doubleedge sword reciting hymns. The initiates drink the preparation from the same bowl, signifying putting aside of the distinction of caste between them. The male initiates are given the surname Singh (lion) and the female Kaur (lioness). This ceremony is an act of re-birth into a new family showing courage, kindness and brotherhood (Bowker, 1997).

symbols, Guru Gobind Singh also enunciated a code of discipline to which the Khalsa Sikh must adhere. They must not commit adultery and must observe rules set down in Sikh code of discipline.

They must refrain from alcohol, tobacco, and narcotics. The Khalsa Sikhs must rise early, bathe, read the prescribed hymns of the Gurus and meditate on the name of the one God. The Path of the Khalsa is of courage kindness, brotherhood, a path trod through encounter of people in everyday life situation.

It is a path, which answers the problems of existential living. The Khalsa does away with the caste system, old rituals, and beliefs and upholds the poor. It brings about equality and brotherhood (Dhillon, 2000).

Svadharma of the Gita, the Noble Eightfold Path, the Shariah and finally the Khalsa brings out the dialogue of life as envisaged by the major religious tradition of Asia. These are not contrary but all lead towards the one God, the divine, in whom we all believe.

Guru Gobind Singh’s idea of a true Khalsa was of one of a saint and a soldier. Therefore, the Khalsa Sikhs (male initiates) must wear the five symbols of purity. They are 1) Kesh: uncut hair and untrimmed beards - long hair in India is usually associated with saintliness.

2) Kangha: a small comb - it was to make sure that the long hair was kept neat and clean. 3) Kara - steel bracelet 4) Kripan - a sword. Both the Kara and Kripan emphasized the mental nature of the Khalsa and thus symbolized courage. The Khalsa was a soldier who defended the weak, the needy and the helpless. 5) Kachha - short, breeches like underwear - it was a symbol of cleanliness, hygiene and of restraint in sex. Besides the five

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Priority of Dialogue of Life There are four strands of the one rope of interfaith dialogue. They are dialogue of life, dialogue of deeds, dialogue of theological exchange and dialogue of religious experience. Dialogue of life calls for manifesting human values such as hospitality, respect, concern, love, brotherhood, fellowship, forgiveness, understanding towards followers of other religious tradition. Dialogue of deeds calls for common commitment to justice and liberation by members of different faith tradition. All these attitudes are inspired and fostered by their religious traditions.

Dialogue of theological exchange calls for mutual understanding and promotion of values of each other’s religious tradition. It also discusses about their respective religious legacies, with fellowship and communion as its goal. Dialogue of religious experience calls for sharing the experience of prayer, search for God, etc. Although it would be wrong to identify interfaith dialogue with one of its strands, dialogue of life and deeds are the starting point and object of inter-faith dialogue.

Discursive dialogue, be it in confessional or truth-seeking, has its own shortcomings, since there may be a feeling of superiority on one side and on the other side the fear of losing one’s own identity (Kuttianimattathil, 1994).

Dialogue of Life comes first because one encounters the other in a profound manner in their efforts towards a common goal. For instance, during the freedom movement in India people of different faith traditions worked together for the common goal of achieving freedom and in the process this personal encounter helped them to understand and appreciate the religious traditions of others.

Dialogue of life which is accessible to everyone is the starting point for interfaith dialogue. It is a foundation for theological discourse among scholars and exchange of religious experiences as other form of

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dialogue. Dialogue of life challenges members of the other religious tradition to tread the path of truth. Dialogue of life evolves a consensus around truth and justice. The object of Dialogue of life is Satya in the Gandhian sense (Kuttianimattathil, 1994).

True dialogue begins with daily life. It is first of all human dialogue. It is learning to be side by side, to spend time with each other individually and in the family, to live together, to perform services for each other, to offer hospitality to each other, to act together, so coming to know and respect each other, while keeping a sufficiently clear and critical mind, without distrust and exaggeration. Dialogue of life involves a commitment to social development and human liberation, a genuine service of humanity. This includes serving the most unfortunate, witnessing to justice, defending the integrity of creation. It also embraces the whole area of social concerns, ranging from peacebuilding, education and health services, to promoting family life and good government.

In the multi-faith context, Dialogue of Life, as concerned with justice, leads to sharing one’s values, insights which are rooted in one’s religion. These values are challenged, purified and enriched by the other partner in the group.

‘Dialogue of Life’ is not two persons speaking about their religious experiences but rather that they speak as religiously by committed persons, with their ultimate commitments and religious outlook, on subjects of common interest. People belonging to different faith traditions may not have any intention to have a dialogue at the head level, but when they are involved in the struggles for social justice to create a just society, this dialogue at the level of life may cause them to dialogue at the level of head i.e. leading them to dialogue about their motivations and convictions. Dialogue of life enriches social action and vice-versa. It insists on common commitment to justice and

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human liberation. A further level of dialogue is that of deeds and collaboration with others for goals of a humanitarian, social, economic, or political nature which are directed towards the liberation and advancement of mankind. The pluri­cultural and religious context in the society make inter-religious dialogue especially in the form of dialogue of life and action extremely necessary. In the Asian context of religious pluralism, Dialogue of Life has to emerge from one’s faith convictions. Dialogue of daily life and deeds of service takes the upper hand in inter-religious dialogue (Bricet, 1995).

Dialogue of Life in the New Millennium Dialogue of Life and Action in the new millennium would envisage a movement towards organizing nations and societies to foster human solidarity and togetherness manifested in concrete signs of democracy, equality, dignity and not a clash of civilizations.

The need of the hour is doing away of hegemonic tendencies, or/and attitude of a particular segment of humanity pretending to be everything. Human solidarity and togetherness would mean meeting of peoples and races, cultures and religions, where there would be mutual understanding and co-operation. In spite of the rapid progress of science and technology there still remains a question of inter-human relationship. Dialogue of life and action in the new millennium would mean looking out for concrete steps for the transformation and regeneration of the human family (Wilfred, 2001).

BCC’S TO BHC’S The followers of Jesus visualized the formation of Basic Christian Communities (BCC’s) to form a communion of communities. After being rooted in this new idea, it is time to move forward to form Basic Human Communities (BHC’s). It is a process of coming together of people belonging to different faith traditions with an aim of solidarity and togetherness

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to transform and regenerate the world by promoting and defending common ideals in the spheres of religious liberty, human brotherhood, education, culture social welfare and civic order, by doing away with injustice, inequality, racism and other evils which degenerate humanity. In these basic human communities, there will be no exclusive tendencies but rather openness and respect for the unique religious traditions of the other. These basic human communities will contribute towards evolving through conversation and consensus, common human and ethical values that will guide life in these communities through sharing in the festivals, participating in common cultural values, sharing of cultural programmes, and seeking help (O’Halloran, 2000).

Sharing in Each Other’s Festivals There needs to be greater collaboration and interrelatedness among members of different faith traditions taking place by sharing in the feasts of the other. This sharing could be done by visiting on their feast day and mutually realizing the meaning of the significance of the feast. This will do away prejudices and ignorance, which at times is the cause of interfaith conflict. Inter-relatedness can also be fostered through interfaith meetings where socio-economic and political issues of relevance to communities could be taken up for tackling issues of truth and justice (Massey, 2001).

Participating and Sharing in Cultural Programmes Collaboration among people of different faith traditions in forms of art like, theatre, music, dance, will strengthen the ties between them.

Getting involved in art forms makes them feel one with the other and see the other more of a human person rather than a person belonging to a particular faith tradition. The author has observed this during the annual day celebration of the seminary, where people belonging to other faith traditions form part of the cultural programme. This interaction

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establishes a relational bond with one another.

It also fosters joy of building relationships and allows opportunities to visit one another on the occasion of their festivals.

Seeking One Another’s Help Whenever there is a need for help, which can be given only with people of other faith traditions, we should immediately seek help from them. The author had such experience, when he was composing a hymn in Indian style, he took the opportunity and went to meet some Hindu musicians and learnt from them the nuances of composing the hymn.

In a similar way, he wished to depict the prayer said by Muslims for a tableau, so he immediately went to meet the Muslims living in the neighbourhood and learning the prayer from them. In these interactions, the important thing was not just meeting the need, but it created space to be with one another and experience the joy of coming together.

The new millennium has opened before us a great challenge in the sphere of inter-faith dialogue with regards to human solidarity, togetherness and interrelatedness. Only Dialogue of Life will foster greater human solidarity and togetherness.

Conclusion Religions of the world are fast moving to a crucial moment in their convergent history, when their differences will take only the second place in the dominant awareness of their common tasks, through dialogue of life.

Dialogue of Life is not possible without an inner commitment to his own faith, religious or otherwise, and to its cultural expressions.

Dialogue, though ever anxious to keep what is authentic in every culture, will not leave the same completely unaffected, but will tend to clarify its obscurities, deepen its convictions and open out new possibilities for the future.

Dialogue of Life is possible if there must be inner dialogues in each religion, by which it will with a constant reference to its own inner logic, examine each religious problem anew in the ever-changing actual situations, using also all the help provided by other religious traditions.

A true interpreter of religion has to place the accent on applying his faith to the changing situations of history and to the actual needs of the people.

The Trans-temporal is made present through dialogue of life as in the form of some values, such as love for the equality of all humankind

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or respect for human freedom, etc. Dialogue of life will bring the synthesis of Being and Truth, the secular and the sacred, the temporal and the Trans-temporal, for which man strove from the very beginning, is still at work, but now in more cosmic a dimension. Dialogue of life will help shape the religious outlook of men and women of tomorrow in order that all may live a more authentic, open and dialogical religion, seeking and realizing Truth in all its manifestations.

The 21st century will have to be of Dialogue of life through which we form wider communities transcending local and limited identities, religious boundaries, forming one universal family, protecting their roots in religious traditions.

Dialogue of life will help us face the new situations and problems that arise in the living community of today. Fidelity to the past demands at the same time attention to the present and concern for the future. Dialogue of life will explore the truth where religions will see it as the starting point and object of interfaith dialogue.

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Amaladoss, Michael: ‘Missionary Challenges in Asia’, Jeevadhara, ed. by Kuncheria Pathil, 30, (July 2000), pp. 339350.

Bowker, John: ed., The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, New York, Oxford, 1997. pp. 543-544; Bricet, Alex: ‘Christian Muslim Dialogue in France’, Dialogue with Islam, Pax Christi International, 1995, pp. 20-23.

Brown, David: A Guide to Religions, Delhi, ISPCK, 1998. Conclusions of the Research Seminar ‘A Vision of Mission for the New Millennium’ (Ishvani Kendra, Pune, 9-12 March 2000) Constantine, J. Manalel: ‘The Jesus Movement and the Asian Renaissance’, Jeevadhara, ed.

by Agustine Mullor 27, (March 1997), pp.

133-153.

Dhillon, Harish: The Lives and Teachings of the Sikh Gurus, New Delhi, UBSPD, 2000.

Fuellenbach, John: The Kingdom of God, Indore, Satprakashan Sanchar Kendra, 1994. Throw Fire, Indore, Satprakashan Sanchar Kendra, 1999.

Kuttianimattathil, Jose: Practice and Theology of Inter-Religious Dialogue, Bangalore, Kristu Jyoti Publications, 1995.

Massey, JAMES: Socio-Political Scenario: A Christian Response’, A Vision of mission in the New Millennium, ed. by Thomas Malipurathu and L. Stanislaus, Bombay, St. Paul, 2001, pp. 42-82.

Maududi, Syed Abul A’la: Towards Understanding Islam, Delhi, Markazi Maktabe Islami, 1981.

Newbigin, Lesslie: ‘The kingdom of god and our hopes for the Future’, The Kingdom

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of God and Human Society, ed. by R. S. Barbour, Edinburgh, T&T Clark Ltd., 1993. pp. 1-12.

O’halloran James: ‘Small Christian communities’.

Bangalore, Claretian Publication, 2000 Perera, Raveen: The Gospel and the Noble Eightfold Path as a search for a New World Order, Bangalore, ITS Publications, 2000.

Poovathumkudy, K.: ‘Life and works of Mother Teresa: An Inspiration to Missionaries’, Indian Missiological Review, 20, (September 1998), pp. 7-13.

Puthenpurakal, Joseph: ‘Missionary and Missiological challenges of Asian Churches Today’, Indian Missiological Review, 15, (March 1993), pp. 3-13.

Rogers, C. Murray: ‘Grounds for Mutual Growth’, Hindu-Christian Studies, 14, (2001), pp. 3-6. ‘Grounds for mutual growth’. divan, 1, (September, 2001), pp. 8-10 Senior, Donald: The Passion of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, Wilmington, Michael Glazier, 1989.

Thomas, M. M.: ‘A Plurality of spiritualities for Common Liberating Social Action in India’, Bread and Breadth, ed. by T.K. John, Anand, Gujrat Sahitya Prakash, 1991.

Vempeny, Ishanand: Krsna and Christ, Anand, Gujrat Sahitya Prakash,1988.

Wilfred, Felix ed.: ‘Christians Amidst other communities’, Jevadhara, 31, (January 2001), pp. 69-85. ‘A vision for the New century, Role of Religions and approaches to Christian Mission’. A Vision of mission in the New Millennium, ed. by Thomas Malipurathu and L. Stanislaus, Bombay, St. Paul, 2001, pp. 83-113. www journal of dharma.

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Interfaith Dialogue Stuti Malhotra A research scholar at the Department of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Studies, Punjabi University Patiala, India. She can be reached at stuti29malhotra@yahoo.com

Abstract Interfaith dialogue is a positive activity and one cannot afford to live in negativity during this process. There cannot be any hatred and a participant cannot afford to say ‘this’ or ‘that’ person is an enemy. There is no word like ‘enemy’ in the dictionary of a person doing dialogue. The aim for dialogue is not debating but rather it is to be used for mutual learning.

Therefore, the only formula which works in interfaith dialogue is mutual learning. This

paper talks about the importance of interfaith dialogue, especially from the perspective of Islam and Sikhism. There have been many incidents in the history of Islam and Sikhism pertaining to Interfaith dialogue and few have been presented in the paper.

Keywords: Interfaith, Dialogue, Peace, Mutual co- existence, Religion

Introduction The word dialogue is derived from the Greek word ‘Dia-logos’ which means ‘a word in between’ i.e. when there is discussion and conversation between two people. Today the world comprises multi- ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural societies. Every individual

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is different and has a different mind-set and this mind-set can be addressed only through dialogue. The basic motive of dialogue is to seek peaceful solutions to matters of controversy.

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Ethics of Interfaith Dialogue 1. The basic aim should be to learn from each other. The participants should follow a behaviour code of courtesy and respect.

A dialogue should be listened to and understood with an open mind without interrupting the speaker. There should be a genuine willingness to learn from various tradition, scriptures and belief system.

2. It is best to prepare oneself before getting into interfaith dialogue and interaction because faith is a matter of sensitivity and concern. Avoid hurting and asking irrelevant questions as they can hurt somebody. It is best to be prepared so that the discussion can be fruitful.

3. Before engaging in interfaith dialogue one should be aware of the religious terms and vocabulary so that specific words which have specialised meanings can be given attention to. Anything which causes confusion, misinterpretation should be avoided. There could be certain terms which vary for another religion whereas have a special meaning in another religion.

4. The dialogue should be done considering the culture and geographical situation.

When we know there is sensitivity about certain geographies those should be

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avoided as the dialogue would be hampered and would not move further.

Anything which causes a rift should be avoided.

5. When there is a misconception that one’s religion is superior, there can never be a dialogue. The dialogue should follow the process of sharing, challenging, and be challenged and it can be done only when everything is understood with an open mind. Also, integrity of another person should be well respected. There should not be any attempt of proselytization.

6. Dialogue may start from common interest and thought which inculcates a relationship and friendship amongst people participating. It can be later taken to the level of interfaith dialogue.

Interfaith dialogue is a window to transform minds and spirits which leads to mutual co-existence in society. Peace in society gets developed with love and affection amongst its fellow beings.

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Interfaith dialogue is a window to transform minds and spirits which leads to mutual coexistence in society. Peace in society gets developed with love and affection amongst its

fellow beings. Therefore, interfaith dialogue forms an imperative part of society which should not be neglected and be understood with an open mind and heart.

Formula of Mutual Learning The formula of mutual learning is applicable in all spheres of life whether education, industry, profession and even in personal life at home.

Absence of dialogue brings in vacuum and monotony in life, therefore to learn on a daily basis one needs to be engaged in dialogue. In this age of technology there are various means to know and learn about other religions. As per

this model we learn from everyone. It is based on a mutual learning process. It means that the purpose of interfaith dialogue is neither to discover uniformity among religions nor to establish one’s superiority over other religions.

All participants in the dialogue must try to learn from each other.

Follow One and Respect All Faith or religion is part of one’s conviction.

When one says ‘I believe in a certain religion’, he means that he considers it as the Truth with a capital ‘T’. Unless a person believes in it, he would not have convictions regarding the teachings and tenets of that particular religion. And in the absence of it he would not have utter faith in it. But it does not imply that if you have faith in one religion you hate or ignore the rest. American author, Walt Whitman (1819-1892) said that “man is large enough to contain all these contradictions.” So, it means that even though one has faith in one religion, one has the capabilities and capacity to respect other religions. This respect leads to learning from other religions. Like in the corporate world there is a maxim “sharing the best practices” this formula is applied to bring

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better and profitable results with minimum utilisation of resources. The same is applicable for oneself when one learns from others in a secular and professional world — it enhances his personality and intellectual development.

But the only criteria are that one should be like an empty container, ready to fill his jar with all the learnings around. When this approach is adopted, one becomes a recipient of learning from all religions. But it is only possible when one undertakes interfaith dialogue and interactions with the motive of following one and respecting all. Interfaith dialogue is a tool for mutual learning. Mutual learning leads to mutual and peaceful coexistence.

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Social Harmony and Religious Belief Man is a seeker and always has an urge to know more. The truth-seeking fire is always kindled in the heart of man. He has the desire and urge to be in communion with his creator and this is only possible when one surrenders to its creator. Learning is a continuous process. Dialogue, interaction and exchanges are part of mutual learning. But it is not for attaining superiority over others. The universe is full of facts which require constant learning.

Thus, learning is a continuous journey.

Social harmony can be achieved only with peaceful coexistence. Interfaith dialogue is part of mutual learning, exchange of thoughts and sharing. This leads to discovery of truth and bringing harmony in society. It needs to be remembered that dialogue for the sake of dialogue is not fruitful and one needs to discover the real purpose of dialogue. If the purpose is mutual learning, sharing and interaction then it would be successful but if it is for the purpose of argument or just speaking

for the sake of it then it is futile. One can never achieve social harmony by argument. Social harmony is achieved with peaceful dialogue and sharing religious belief to teach others.

The religious teachings are exchanged with others so that all are benefited from it and not to establish superiority of one’s religion.

When one has the intention of sharing the teachings of one’s religion for the well-being of others and not imposing them, others can benefit from it. But when one tries to impose the tenets of one religion then nobody can be benefited from it, rather it would lead to conflict in the followers of the religion. The goal should be mutual learning and interaction. A peaceful method should be adopted for the achievement of it. But if the method creates problems and negative thinking, then it is not a method at all.

Interfaith Dialogue and Modesty Every moment man has the opportunity to create history for himself. At the time of a crisis, only two types of people exist – those who get scared and others are those who manage and find their way out. Life is all about managing crises. One should bring to notice positive things about others; doing this makes us an efficient crisis manager. The key to developing such a nature is modesty. When there is modesty, no disputes happen and only due to lack of modesty ego clashes happen.

Modesty therefore, is such a source of wisdom that it makes one a storehouse of bravery,

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courage and most of all positive thinking.

Therefore, one should have an appreciative nature and it should become a part of us which drives our unconscious self. In other words, appreciating others and coming out of the cocoon of self-glory, is the true secret of success in life. A dialogue whether pertaining to religion or related to anything is only possible when a person is modest. When he is ready to listen and understand the thought process of others then only a dialogue is worthwhile else it is only clashes of ego.

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Personality Required for Interfaith Dialogue Interfaith dialogue is not a unilateral exercise, it is a bilateral one. It begins from seeker, that is, when a person discovers the truth with the capital T, there emerges a storm in his mind. Success is not finding a job or establishing an industry, or getting a big house or maintaining bank balance. These things are not important, because when you die you leave all these things. These things are not part of your existence. Thus, that which is not part of your personality has very less importance. What goes with you after death is your character, belief, and thinking. In short, it is your inner personality that remains with you after death. Everyone is running after acquiring jobs, setting up businesses, and hoarding up money. But, these things have no real significance. Important is what will pay you in your life after death.

When a person discovers the truth, he tries to first, prepare himself and second, become a well-wisher to all mankind. Then he wants to spread the message via dialogue and interactions. The interfaith activity becomes successful only when one tries to spread the message of one’s religion with a feeling of compassion and empathy. One who has developed themselves as peaceful personalities, possessing peaceful behaviour, adhering to a peaceful culture, and having peaceful thinking would be best suited for dialogue.

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A seeker first of all tries to make himself peaceful. If he does not develop this quality, then cannot do dialogue. Because during dialogue one meets different kinds of people.

They may provoke, abuse and even inflict hardship. All these experiences are negative in nature. But a person focusing on dialogue is a person who is peaceful in every sense of the word, who is able to save himself from reaction. He can live without reaction, even when he is provoked. If one fulfils this condition, they can do dialogue successfully.

Those people who are communal minded, political, or materialist, who have concerns other than God, cannot do interfaith dialogue.

Interfaith dialogue in the present world is very easy, because we are living in the age of the printing press. We are living in the age of communication. That is, the whole world has become a global village. So, we can reach every person through technology. In ancient times, it was not possible to reach everyone, as there was no conveyance or means of communication. But now we are living in the age of technology. Therefore, we can convey our message to all mankind without traveling or bodily reaching every person. We can also send books through the postal system.

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Dialogue in Islam “The Prophet did not hesitate to listen to others, be they idolaters, People of the Book, or fellow Muslims.”

The principles of dialogue have been demonstrated in Islam at many occasions.

The first couple Prophet Adam and Eve were sent to earth as a result of a dialogue between them and Satan. The verse “To Adam He said, ‘You and your wife, dwell in the Garden and eat and drink there from wherever you wish, but do not approach this tree, lest you become wrongdoers.’ But Satan tempted them so that he might reveal to them their nakedness which had been hidden from them. He said, ‘Your Lord has forbidden you to approach this tree lest you should become angels or become of the immortals. and he swore to them, ‘Surely, I am your well-wisher.” (7:19-21) The Quran also talks about interfaith dialogue.

There are verses in the Quran which explains this. In one of the verses, it mentions “Say: O People of Book, let us come to a word common to us and you that we will worship none but God.” (3:64) This explains that there should be a common and mutual basis for dialogue between different Abrahamic religions, this would lead to a peaceful co-existence in society. This is the age of technology where the common grounds can be easily identified or information on various religions can be found so that a point of discussion can be initiated.

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Another verse of the Quran gives a practical solution to all the problems and issues which arise in the name of religion. The verse “To you your religion and to me mine.” (109:6)” This gives a pragmatic solution to all the rifts in the name of religion. The verse explains that one should follow the faith which one believes in and simultaneously should respect others faith and religion. This formula when adopted brings in religious co-existence in society. Even if there is no common basis for discussion then also this principle should be adopted to bring in peace and harmony in society. Dialogue leads to interaction. When there is interaction and closeness amongst people it gets translated to dialogue. One becomes familiar with each other’s culture and belief system.

There are many examples where the Prophet Muhammad demonstrated interfaith dialogue to bring in peace and harmony in society.

Below are few of the incidents to explain interfaith dialogue in Islam.

The Pact of Medina (Mithaq-e Madina) This happened when Prophet Muhammad migrated to Medina. He wanted to establish peace and in order to bring stability there was a pact between Christians, Jews and Mushrikeen (idol worshippers). It is known as the Pact of Madinah. There was a dialogue and the pact was formed. This is an example

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of interfaith dialogue wherein due to politicosocio situation the dialogue happened resulting in a pact. It can be termed as trialogue in modern terms and the motive was to exchange opinion on religious issues. The charter was drawn to express Islam’s opinion on tolerance. It expressed freedom to follow one’s religion.

Hudaybiyyah Treaty (Ten Year No War Pact) Another exemplary instance of interfaith dialogue was the Hudaybiyyah Treaty, which was a dialogue between Prophet Muhammad and the Quraysh tribe. There was a dialogue between the two parties and Prophet Muhammad displayed sheer perseverance and patience. He demonstrated that if one is open minded and ready to accept any condition then there can be peace in society.

Whether they were in favour of them or not, Prophet Muhammad still agreed to all the conditions of the Quraysh which led to 10year peace pact in which there would not be any war. The terms were accepted to bring in Dialogue and exchange of thoughts and culture. It would ultimately lead to peace and harmony in society so as bring peace which would culminate to progress and development.

With this pact Prophet Muhammad entered Madinah with 10,000 companions and in the entire region teachings of Islam were propagated. Therefore, the interfaith dialogue was successful and it led to the spread of Islam.

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Farewell speech of Prophet Muhammad – (Hajjat al-Wida) This event is the most important example of interfaith dialogue in the history of Islam which is known as the ‘Farewell Address’ of the Prophet of Islam.

The Prophet of Islam performed his last Hajj which is known as Farewell Pilgrimage. There were many people gathered around and Prophet Muhammad, who gave a sermon addressing the entire humanity. The Prophet said that there was no superiority on the basis of tribe - neither an Arab nor a nonArab and neither did anybody enjoyed superiority over colour. The only superiority is over one’s religiosity and being God fearing.

This was an example of interfaith dialogue where everybody is commanded to have no distinction on the basis of any dissimilarity.

Prophet Muhammad’s address was for the entire mankind wherein it laid the basis of peaceful co-existence amongst all while promoting human values. In the Farewell speech Prophet Muhammad said “You all are brothers and all are equal.” This explained that none is superior and has no privileges. The purpose of interfaith dialogue is to establish harmony among religious groups. The spirit of interfaith dialogue is being empathetic and being human friendly. Without well-wishing, no dialogue can be done in a proper manner.

It makes one a creative thinker and the mind creates new ideas; it can discover new realities to conduct a dialogue.

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Interfaith Dialogue in Sikhism The Sikh scripture that is the Sri Guru Granth Sahib is cosmopolitan in spirit and initiates interfaith dialogue. It also incorporates compositions of Bhagats and Saints which belonged to different geographical regions, traditions and varied castes. The purpose of dialogue is to initiate a spiritual dialogue. Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikh religion states “Jab lag ḏunīā rahīai Nānak kicẖẖ suṇīai kicẖẖ kahīai.” (SGGS P 661) Meaning that as long as humans are in this world, we should listen and praise the Lord.

This is an example of interfaith dialogue wherein Guru Nanak preaches that one should interact and have dialogue with each other while praising the Lord.

Humans are ordained to have dialogue with each other. In Raga Ramkali Guru Arjan Dev mentions that though people have separate identities with different belief systems and practices but everyone can be recognised on the basis of faith. Religion becomes the basis of spiritual dialogue. An interfaith dialogue can be undertaken only when there is understanding of religious doctrines, beliefs, rituals, ceremonies of the different religious communities. The Guru Granth Sahib preaches interfaith dialogue at various levels whether it is doctrinal, social, religious or at the level of various cultures.

Interfaith dialogue has been exhorted many a times in the Guru Granth Sahib. In Siddha Gosht of Guru Nanak Dev (SGGS P 938-946) there are 73 stanzas which give a perfect

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demonstration of interfaith dialogue. It is a dialogue which emphasises on detailed spiritual discourse between ascetics (Siddhas) and Guru Nanak Dev. In this conversation Guru Nanak Dev addresses many queries of Siddhas with calmness and composure.

He addresses their queries related to life, spirituality, God etc.

The Siddha Gosht in Sri Guru Granth Sahib says “Siḏẖ sabẖā kar āsaṇ baiṯẖe sanṯ sabẖā jaikāro. Ŧis āgai rahrās hamārī sācẖā apar apāro.

Masṯak kāt ḏẖarī ṯis āgai ṯan man āgai ḏe▫o.

Nānak sanṯ milai sacẖ pā▫ī▫ai sahj bẖā▫e jas le▫o.”

(SGGS P 938) Guru Nanak explains that eternal God is attained when one is in the assembly of holy people. The yogi practices 84 postures of yoga and when he (Siddhas) acquires the power he wants to get rid of them though he has been practicing for long. The motive of the discussion is to delve deep into various practices and transform the way of thinking.

But with this Guru Nanak Dev only presented his view point and answered the queries. He did not argue or got offended. Thus, explaining the ethics of interfaith dialogue.

Guru Nanak Dev also undertook many travels (Udasis) to spread the message of oneness of God. He did not force his ideology but his approach of interfaith dialogue was so powerful that wherever he went he left indelible footprints that became the place of honour and worship. Such was the personality of Guru Nanak Dev. (Var, 1/27/4)

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There is another example of interfaith dialogue which is explained in one of the Janamsakhi (biography) Guru Nanak Dev. While on his enroute to Multan, Guru Nanak Dev wanted to meet his followers and Sufi Saints, as he wanted to spread the message of Oneness.

But on hearing of the arrival of Guru Nanak, the saints got insecure, as whereever Guru Nanak Dev went, he would leave disciples in awe behind him. So, Sufis were not much interested that Guru Nanak Dev should come to Multan and poaching their followers. Hence, the moment Nanak was about to enter Multan he was sent a of a pitcher full of milk on the outskirts of the village. The pitcher was so full that even a slight tilt would spill the milk. Guru Nanak Dev understood the allegory and on seeing it he placed a Jasmine flower on top of the milk. This signified that he had no intention of displacing anybody and there is always a scope for living in a multi religious society while engaging in interfaith dialogue. The only criteria is to spread goodness and well-wishing for others.

All the Sikh Gurus demonstrated Interfaith dialogue in one form or the other. Guru Arjan Dev also preaches

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“Nā ko bairī nahī bigānā sagal sang ham kao ban āī” (SGGS P 1299) Meaning there is no enemy or stranger. A believer gets along with everyone. This dictum interfaith dialogue is successful because one is ready to accept all faiths. The Sikh doctrine of ‘Sarbat Da Bhalla’ i.e well-wishing for all is the foundation for interfaith dialogue and on the basis of it we see that whenever there is a calamity Sikhs are the first to come forward for help.

Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikh religion, preached brotherhood of mankind, equality and respect for each other. These are the basic requirements for interfaith dialogue which was adhered to by Guru Nanak Dev himself. There are other examples as well which demonstrate that interfaith dialogue is an intrinsic part of Sikhism. Bhai Mardana as constant companion of Guru Nanak Dev. The inclusion of verses of saint-poets by Guru Arjan Dev in Sri Guru Granth Sahib , Construction of Mosque by Guru Hargobind for Muslims and not to forget sacrifice of life

by Guru Teg Bahadur for Kashmiri Hindus are witnessed in the Sikh history to inculcate interfaith dialogue.

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Conclusion Interfaith dialogue is the basis for mutual coexistence and harmony in society. Therefore, it has to be handled with a lot of patience and humility. The basis of dialogue should be based on the commonality of religion and then should focus on relationship building. Inter

faith dialogue has the potential either to build a channel of communication or create divergent factions. Therefore, Interfaith dialogue plays a crucial role in promotion of global peace and solidarity.

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Giorgio Spagnol, The Rationale Behind Interreligious Dialogue, European Institute of International Relations, Brussels, Belgium, 28/3/2018, http://www.ieri.be/ en/publications/wp/2018/mars/rationalebehind-interreligious-dialogue Finns, John. (2011) Philosophy of Law Collected Essays: Vol IV. Oxford University Press. New York. (P 330) Shawakat M. Toorawa, “Islam.” Chapter one of Islam: A Short Guide to the Faith, Roger M.A. Allen and Shawkat M. Toorawa, eds, p. 3.

Khan, Maulana Wahiduddin. Islam on Other Religions. https://cpsglobal.org/ content/islam-other-religions Khan, Maulana Wahiduddin.(2015) Islam and World Peace. Goodword Books. New Delhi. (P 89) Esposito, John L. (1999) The Oxford History of Islam. Oxford University Press.

New York (P 85)

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Virk, Harinder Singh (Ed.) (2020) Interfaith Dialogues A Sikh Perspective. Guru Nanak Foundation. New Delhi. (p 25) Singh, Kharak.(2007). Guru Nanak A Prophet with Difference. Amritsar. Guru Nanak Dev University.(P 59) Agnihotri ,Harbans Lal & Chand.R. (1996).

Guru Nanak Dev His Life and Bani. Hisar.

Gopal Prakashan (P 55) Sinha, Satya Narain. (1969). Guru Nanak.

New Delhi. Publications Division. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.(P 182) Bhai Mardana, https://www.searchgurbani. com/bhatts/mardana Singh, Devinder Pal. Interfaith Dialogue: A Perspective from Sikhism Abstracts of Sikh Studies, Vol XXII, Issue 4, Oct.-Dec. 2020, Institute of Sikh Studies, Chandigarh, India.

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The productive-inclusive eras of a decolonizing, gender-sensitized, secular-friendly Islam* Integrating inclusion of Muslim women with cross-cultural dialogue towards seeds of secularism

Hussain Ebrahim An independent researcher, educator of alternate schooling, and a recent PhD scholar at the University of TransDisciplinary Health Science and Technology in Bengaluru, India.

He can be reached at hussaineh89@gmail.com

Abstract The evolution of Islam in the light of its relationship with other sects, has diminished the interactive potency of Muslims with other cultures. Given the vulnerability in its establishment as a religion, branching out as other Abrahamic faiths, Mohammedanism needs a reformed sense of integration - both within (across genders intrinsic to believers) and beyond (across castes that may or may not share similar histories).

This paper discusses literature that attempts to bridge such intrinsic gender discords and external patriarchal divides. It argues that, if Muslim rulers of a past had secular values in conquering parts of the world - there would be no need for a radical enforcement of conversion.

Rather, a choice-based adoption of core values of the faith would sustain through milder politics across nations where Muslims were (and still are) considered minorities.

*

Disclaimer: In an attempt to write a critique of my own views of the direction in which any sect with a history of colonization must modernize, I hold all perceptions as personal to my experience being an Indian Muslim with an ancestral link to Hinduism.

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It further unravels the internal conflicts arising from a lack of communication between two genders within a household, which has resulted in laws that are patrilineal, dominated by the masculine form of leadership. If an intrinsic dialogue that is inclusive of women’s rights within communities is made to happen, it could dissolve insecurities of the male-ego in terms of redefining conquered rule, making room for expression of feminine traits within men, and grounding societies in nurturance and tolerance.

Lastly, it points out strategies for secular integration of Islamists within pluralistic and heterogeneous cultures - which we feel may negate gender stereotyping or the assumptive doubting of people of other faiths - in relating to a modern world, where there may be no room or necessity for colonizing religions to be established on multi-cultural terrains.

Keywords: Interfaith confluences, culturally pluralistic landscapes, cross-gender dialogue, secularism and peace, patriarchal colonisation, intra-familial gender oppression.

Historically, Islam has been ascribed to patriarchy, with majority of Muslim rulers viewed as colonizers. Very little documentation reveals the code of secular harmony, as showcased by a South-Indian leader, Tipu Sultan - while he preserved architectural heritage and cultural symbolism - by not razing a temple to build a mosque in the fort town of Srirangapatna - Karnataka.

Other cases include how Akbar translated the Mahabharata so Muslims could read and learn from the epics of Hinduism. Contrastingly, Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his own son,

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revealing disharmony within the caste and family - in the light of succession.

While inter-religious tolerance is preached and prescribed by Muslim men, it is rarely channelled to engage in cross-cultural dialogues in a Hindu-majority country such as India. Islam has been ostracized to the forceful return of Muslims, revoking citizenship rights, towards partitioned neighbours of post Indian independence.

Throughout the world, Arab domination and resistance by tribes until successful conversion, reveal tensions of ancestral descent in terms of being truly Muslim.

‘The overall Amazigh cultural and linguistic movement, supported by many smaller Amazigh associations scattered throughout northern Africa, stresses an indigenous African collective identity that extends beyond national borders and challenges the identification of the Maghreb with Arabs, Islam, and the Middle East. Issues of Amazigh identity and historical origins have been the subject of manipulation throughout history, as Greek and Roman scholars proclaimed that the Berbers originated in the east, migrated into North Africa, and, according to medieval Arab scholars, later joined with their Arab cousins to become part of the Islamic umma’. (Cynthia B, 2009) Beyond such conflicts, where art is finding its way into expression, there comes a need to highlight contributions from Islamic scholars - in the fields of Arts and Sciences, that need intrinsic reclaiming - in order to revisit a sense of value and service to the world-at-large.

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‘The development in Islam of a mathematical astronomy (that) was essentially Ptolemaic, but in which new parameters were introduced and new solutions to problems in spherical trigonometry derived from India tended to replace those of the Almagest.’ (David P, 2014) The vast potentials of Islamic scientists and their contributions to present-day technological applications, has been numbed over a period of constant strife with the world. While migrating Islam would have borrowed theories from the Indian subcontinent to be informed in fields such as astronomy, documenting the rich conversations that led to borrowed ideas has gone amiss - alienating the religious members from interacting beyond the immediate concerns of preserving the faith.

‘The traditional “age of decline” in Arabic science was indeed a “Golden Age” as far as astronomy was concerned’, where ‘some of the techniques and mathematical theorems developed during this period were identical to those which were employed by Copernicus in developing his own non-Ptolemaic astronomy’.

(George S, 1995) As Muslim men, from rulers to the common man, would have refrained from engaging with people from other religions - beyond housing or trade - they even subdued their women from healthy expression within the walls of their own homes. Patriarchy finds commonality across many faiths, and so did conquer and conquest hold as a valid strategy for other migratory religions. But the constant silencing of the other gender, constricted living conditions that travellers who fought wars to spread their religion - is still an imprinted cultural memory

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for faiths such as Islam to break-free from.

While other faiths employed milder political strategies to spread their ‘word of God’, Muslims must acknowledge the trauma of their own pasts - to liberate themselves from dormancies that are dysfunctional to them - in current-day interfaith living and relating to the world beyond.

Patriarchy finds commonality across many faiths, and so did conquer and conquest hold as a valid strategy for other migratory religions. But the constant silencing of the other gender, constricted living conditions that travellers who fought wars to spread their religion - is still an imprinted cultural memory for faiths such as Islam to break-free from.

Further, the respect for women by patriarchal men, their representation in a patrilineal society, and their freedom of thought and action - needs serious questioning. An intrinsic shift in the way Muslim men relate to the other gender within their own sects, in my opinion - will free Islam off its insecurities and lack of sense of internal power.

The regained faith in the potentials of the opposite gender may break limiting assumptions that currently dictate a masculine-dominant, counter-intuitive semiproductive society caught in a traumatic past of war and colonization. The humble urge here is to heal from a cultural memory of eras

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of colonial conquests, to integrate Muslims across genders and sects into more inclusive communities, enhancing their productive contributions beyond identity and rule, via secular strategies of collaborating with other cultures.

‘The historiographical evolution of female sexuality from the time of the Prophet until the Middle Ages, particularly through the development of the female gendered roles of wifehood and motherhood as found in the Qur’an, hadith and fiqh’, (where) ‘the construction of sexuality and gendering that is evident in the patriarchal society of the modern world’ (goes amiss - in terms of) alienating women’s rights while constructing a newer religious framework that imposes old texts - further subduing feminine expression in modern-day Islam. (Elizabeth S L, 2005) The masculine second-person voice narrating God’s message to a masculine prophet, also treats women as third-person in the holy texts.

This inherent gender discrimination manifests in the ways in which men relate to women in marriage, to their mothers and sisters too. For a revolution of-sorts, a recapture in first-person of the first woman to embrace the religion can offer the feminine dialogue with divinity, directing a gender-fair parity on contributing to the faith, identifying as Muslim, and engaging with other faiths in terms of gender equality.

‘The creation of “various kinds of ‘spaces’ in which Muslim women were increasingly able to participate in the public sphere, created in large part by changes emanating from the impact of the colonial state” - (has resulted from India’s feminist action pre-independence,

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and resulted in) - ‘new public spaces within which “reassessed gender relations could develop”, (which) were “central to the evolving position of Indian Muslim women from the end of the nineteenth century”. (Mahua S, 2001) In recent times, women protesting against ‘Triple Talaq’ or asserting their rights to education, over land ownership, citizenship etc are evident in terms of representing women’s choice in a society dominated by men, irrespective of religion.

‘Islamic conceptualization (of “public and private” space) affects the understanding and use of these two kinds of spaces, and how males and females experience differential levels of inclusion and exclusion in domestic “private” space and extra-domestic “public” space.’ This further highlights that ‘religion both limits the mobility of women in “male” public space and simultaneously provides the context, pretext, and opportunity for women to convene in “female” public space’. (Shampa M & Sanjoy M, 2001) Women reclaiming their voice could offer a way towards men comprehending alternate perspectives, thus Muslims overall engaging with individuals and groups of diverse castes in a just and empathetic way. This could also change attitudes of other sects, countering Islamophobia with love and compassion.

The hope is that by documenting the struggles of and contributions made by women scholars of Islamic families, it may help shed light on re-examining a passively oppressive, gender-skewed community that is superficially and subconsciously victimizing the other genders to prove the power of masculinity.

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In an attempt to modernize religious beliefs, does Islam need a reprogramming to assert inclusion of the feminine in order to neutralize certain dysfunctionals of patriarchy? While modern Islam no longer recognizes the need for imposed colonial rule, and gains secular rights in pluralistic nations, does it need to re-examine gender relations within the family unit? In order to do so, what kinds of further studies could integrate dissolution of past

stereotypes around womanhood, with an erasure of the societal memory of colonization - that has left Muslim men guarded against neighbours of another religion, and regimental towards their own community members of lower age and opposite / alternate gender?

References

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Becker, Cynthia. “Matriarchal nomads and freedom fighters: Transnational Amazigh consciousness and Moroccan, Algerian, and Nigerian artists.” Critical Interventions 3.1 (2009): 70-101.

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Pingree, David. “Islam: THE GREEK INFLUENCE ON EARLY ISLAMIC MATHEMATICAL ASTRONOMY.” Transactions of the American Philosophical Society 104.3 (2014).

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Leo, Elizabeth Shlala. “Islamic female sexuality and gender in modern feminist interpretation.” Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations 16.2 (2005): 129-140.

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Saliba, George. A history of Arabic astronomy: Planetary theories during the golden age of Islam. Vol. 2. NYU Press, 1995.

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Mazumdar, Shampa, and Sanjoy Mazumdar. “Rethinking public and private space: Religion and women in Muslim society.” Journal of Architectural and Planning Research (2001): 302-324.

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Sarkar, Mahua. “The emergence of feminism among indian muslim women, 1920-1947.” Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History 2.3 (2001).

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Short format talks Transcripts presented by speakers at the Samvaad National Interfaith Summit on December 11, 2021

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Architecture for Dialogue:

Alexandra Foster A young design professional living in Washington DC. She has worked with congregations from many faiths to consult on places of worship, including churches, synagogues, mosques, and a stupa.

She can be reached at alexf@mtfa.net

Before we begin, take a moment to remember a space that left you breathless.

An instant where your surroundings were so overwhelmingly beautiful -- that for a second, you had no words.

Now, reflect on a space where you had a particularly memorable spiritual experience.

Call to mind your surroundings. Perhaps you were in a religious building, out in nature, at a pilgrimage site, maybe even in the car, driving to work? How did your setting impact the encounter with your faith?

Finally, recall a space where you had a meaningful conversation that transformed the way you see something in your life.

When we approach a new interaction, we carry our identity and traditions, memories, and even biases. But without a safe space for authentic expression, too often, our

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interactions deteriorate into one-sided debate or trite aphorisms. As interfaith leaders, when you facilitate interfaith encounters, you can’t control the outcome of the discussion. Still, you can create opportunities and a conducive environment for meaningful experiences with lasting consequences.

Space is an enormously powerful tool. It shapes how we feel - our safety, our comfort, our familiarity - intrinsically affecting how we interact.

But this is not new information. For millennia, we have constructed buildings to frame and guide our conversations with the divine.

Churches, stupas, synagogues, mosques, each faith tradition has developed a particular building typology dedicated to worship specifically designed to enhance our spiritual encounters.

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For nearly as long, we have constructed spaces designated for people to “communicate.” Think about our government buildings, deliberative assemblies, and courtrooms, each designed to provide a platform for us to debate and argue. In a world as polarized as our own, isn’t it time for spaces designed for talking; to orient us towards interpersonal understanding and transformative discussion?

To paraphrase Eboo Patel, dialogue is any encounter in which we collectively shape another’s consciousness, and the civic landscape is any place where interpersonal interaction occurs. It follows that dialogue is not only a fundamental part of our society but also an integral element of our built environment! So as we explore the relationship between space and dialogue, we ask ourselves two questions: First, can our spaces reinforce a foundation to promote effective dialogue? And second, can architecture be a tool to mobilize peace and relationship building by framing opportunities for productive, transformative interactions?

Of course, the ways we organize our spaces affect our interactions, but we also know that successful dialogue is more than simply sharing a room with a person that holds a different view. After all, just because Republicans and Democrats share the Capitol, it doesn’t guarantee civil discourse or collaboration. Successful dialogues occur when we create an environment that is conducive to meaningful interactions. To create a supportive setting, William Isaacs explains, transformative contact presupposes that you have created an environment where several qualities can occur: respect between participants, the ability to listen, and the opportunity to suspend judgment before authentically sharing one’s experience.

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Together, let’s examine a few buildings that exemplify these attributes, providing conditions that push dialogue beyond superficial gestures to help establish a common understanding and guide preconceptions beyond argumentative or insincere stumbling blocks.

A place for dialogue must legitimize each person’s identity and experience. We make better spaces (and conversations) when we understand the people we design for, their motivation, world views, and traditions.

A place for dialogue must legitimize each person’s identity and experience. We make better spaces (and conversations) when we understand the people we design for, their motivation, world views, and traditions.

The architect, Jean Nouvel, explains “that a building always has links, roots. So it’s not just a question of how it integrates into the site. It’s an integration into a historical depth - it’s an account, at a given time, of a cultural influence that sets up a new deal. Culture is always a link between the different civilizations. It may be the first way of understanding each other through the expressions of sensitivity.”

In the Institut du Monde Arabe, built as a collaboration between the French government and the Arab League, Jean Nouvel’s design demonstrates how architecture can celebrate culture and honor tradition while making it accessible to unfamiliar audiences.

In this project, Nouvel incorporates the gridmodule traditionally found in Arab religious and civic structures as a geometric theme. This is highlighted along the iconic facade, which incorporates traditional mashrabiya screens to filter light into the library. Together, these proportions integrate the building seamlessly

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within the Parisian context, simultaneously celebrating the beauty of the cultural tradition.

The second aspect of successful dialogue is creating space where we can listen with intensity. It is a place that forces us to be present, to listen without being distracted by thinking about our next response or clever defense. It is a functional requirement of getting occupants to fully participate, enabling channels of hearing, and allowing people time to experience and, through encounters, learn to be inquisitive.

Libeskind’s extension of the Jewish Museum in Berlin uses circulation to compel people to listen to the story of German-Jewish history and experience. Visitors enter through the old building, descending a narrow staircase into a dark, linear passage, where, insulated from distractions, participants can focus on understanding a visceral recounting of the Holocaust.

By organizing exhibits along this axis, occupants slow down, taking a minute to absorb the powerful visuals in the adjacent installations. As visitors continue up three flights of stairs into a winding, narrow corridor, they are so immersed in the repetitive, almost meditative, action of walking, that when confronted with the jagged voids in the monolithic walls, people, unencumbered by preconceived inferences and generalizations, pause to look objectively, to listen intensely.

Libeskind’s addition is so successful because the procedural, guided pathway protracts the physicality of the experience, projecting people past surface-level engagement into the “here and now” of another’s story.

Finally, dialogue requires that we pause after hearing and before we authentically voice our experience. Architecture inherently has the potential to suspend our judgment and challenge our assumptions by presenting something familiar in a new way. As the poet

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Seamus Heaney explains, “Debate doesn’t really change things. It gets you bogged down.

If you can address or reopen the subject with something new, something from a different angle, then there is some hope. [...] Something that takes the eyes away from the obsession of the moment.” Architecture that reframes the way we see “reality” can have a profound effect on the way people understand the world and form opinions, even about familiar subjects.

Similarly, when David Adjaye was commissioned to replace an under-used, antiquated library in Whitechapel, London, he used the design to transform the existing expression of a library in the community.

Instead of mimicking the oppressive concrete monoliths typically found in the neighborhood, Adjaye proposed a transparent glass cube, called an “Idea Store,” invoking a new way of thinking about the institution of a library.

Instead of a dusty book warehouse, the crystalline transparency highlighted the collaborative events inside, welcoming community participation and celebrating the treasure of the knowledge within.

This rebranding and re-contextualization of a familiar model allowed the community to suspend their existing preconceptions about the “library,” allowing the community to reframe their previous conceptions and a renewed desire to engage.

Now that we’ve established the prerequisites for building the foundation for meaningful interactions, let’s address the second question: how can our spaces lead us through a productive dialogue experience?

In 2017, when we began designing a case study proposal for an interreligious dialogue center near the Washington DC mall, the initial focus was to create a worship space that supported three monotheistic, Abrahamic

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religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

However, in the wake of the recent elections, an ongoing global refugee crisis, and unresolved conflict in the Middle East, religious identity had become an increasingly polarizing topic.

So we began by researching the context in which we were designing. The results were staggering. We found that not only were religiously motivated hate crimes on the rise in DC but that many residents had alarmingly negative opinions of people that practiced faith traditions other than their own. Digging deeper, research showed a correlation between these negative perceptions and lack of encounters.

It didn’t help that the concentration of religious centers in DC is largely isolated, reducing opportunities for organic interfaith encounters.

This helped us identify the problem: we don’t talk, so we don’t get along.

At this point, we had realized that the project was about more than simply placing three disparate communities under one roof. We were going to need to be intentional about designing interactions and opportunities for effective dialogue.

We created a program by repurposing Lederach’s Peace-Building Pyramid to identify key stakeholders in the community and the types of interactions, and therefore dialogues, typical to each. We could then extrapolate a catalog of spaces strategically tailored to mobilize existing networks of communication, address various scales and types of interaction, and anticipate challenges that might inhibit participation.

With the program established, we could begin designing the structure. The proposed site, Banneker Overlook, sits at the intersection of three figurative axes: a cultural axis, aligning the structure with the national monuments and memorials representing American

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values; a political axis, creating a geographic connection to the US State Department and adjacent government buildings; and finally, a civic axis, overlooking the waterfront and invoking participation and access from members throughout the broader community.

On the site, we began by arranging the sacred spaces for each religion in a triangle to emphasize their equality. Then we adjusted the orientation of each form to support their liturgical tradition. Within this organization, the mosque orients towards Mecca to distinguish the “Qibla,” or direction of prayer. The altar of the church faces west, opposite the entrance, allowing the priest to celebrate the mass either “ad orientem” (to the east) or “ad populum” (to the people). The synagogue orients to the east, or the “Mizrah,” marking the direction of prayer for Jews outside of Jerusalem.

Finally, we elongated each structure to create shared space. The resulting forms evoke the imagery of three interlocking rings, emphasizing the independence of the three distinct religions united in a collective mission. Each ring was developed to celebrate the individual faith identity according to its respective tradition.

Inside the building, we wanted the architecture to be a guide, leading new visitors through four distinct phases of dialogue, informed

by Otto Scharmer’s theory on the “Fields of Conversation.” The result of this progression culminates in the creation of an environment for authentic dialogue, where, as Isaacs expresses, “the intensities of human activity can safely emerge.”

Let’s follow a hypothetical small group through this process. In Scharmer’s first phase, the “Space of Civility,” participants generally adhere to established social niceties. This isn’t where transformational change occurs, but it is crucial to set the stage for interactions that evolve into deeply engaged listening.

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In our case study, this is where our group enters the facility, beginning its dialogic journey. In this phase, it is essential to be transparent about the goals and the process.

As the group progresses from the entry vestibule across the open seating area, the participants get a glimpse of the atrium, establishing a visual outline of the phases to follow. Within this semi-public space, newcomers do not feel trapped or enclosed. In the open nature of the experience, participants stick to surface-level inquiries. These interactions lack deep thought or controversy, but at this stage, it is more important for the small group to bond and begin to create relationships based on their initial similarities.

In the next phase, our small group enters the “Space for Authenticity.” No holds barred; it’s time for people to share what they are thinking. Here, they process through an exhibition space dedicated to sharing the stories of others’ religious experiences. These artistic expressions and stories stimulate the discussion anonymously, breaking through the surface-level politeness, initiating a deeper conversation, and perhaps provoking people to air grievances and voice repressed biases.

As questions or tensions inevitably arise, the goal is to channel the emotion into inquiry by providing safe options for discussion.

The semi-public discussion areas, located throughout the center of the gallery, not only encourage other visitors to join conversations as they walk through, but the open setting can empower participants who might be fearful to share to engage without feeling trapped. In contrast, the private discussion rooms allow the small group to engage in more heated or emotional discussion without feeling outside judgment.

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Now, as participants have vulnerably exposed their opinions and beliefs, they progress into the third phase, the “Space for Curiosity,” where they begin to connect interpersonally.

Participating in interactive displays, they share their personal experiences, shifting the subject from religious stereotypes and preconceived notions, to an interpersonal discussion.

Interspersed in this space are areas for reflection, allowing the groups to take a pause, slowing them down, and giving them the opportunity to reflect. Finally, group members can invite others to share an experience in their religious tradition. As they progress to the third floor, individuals can participate at whatever level they feel most comfortable, either by joining the group member that is hosting them in the worship space or by observing from the other side of the glass.

At last, our group descends the stairs back into the central atrium as they reach the final phase, “Generative Space.” Our small group members now feel comfortable enough to ask difficult questions without feeling judged or pigeonholed. The challenge here is to help the group maintain the perspective they developed during this journey before they reintegrate into the patterns of their everyday lives. In this atrium, the culmination of their journey, the group members pause to take in the architecture, reflecting on their experience, each phase visible in the panoramic around them. Finally, as the group disperses, they have the opportunity to maintain their participation and interfaith interaction within the civic environment by volunteering or getting involved with existing programs - the research library, a presentation series, movie screenings, even a learning kitchen, equipped to prepare both Kosher and Halal food!

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Going from large to small, we end on a few details. We wanted to incorporate a tactile expression of the concept expressed in the interlocking geometry of the building. This element had to be something that could be appreciated both from the outside as well as

the interior - a celebration of each religious community identity, knit together within the fabric of the whole.

The following poem by Rumi inspired us to design a light filtering mesh incorporated

“Sunlight looks a little different On this wall than it does on that wall And a lot different on this other one, But it is still one light.”

Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad (Rumi)

The algorithm we developed allowed us to integrate symbols of each religious tradition across the scrim. At the most open parts of the mesh, one can pick out the figure of three interlocking rings, a traditional Christian symbol known as the Borromean Rings, representing both the trinity and strength in unity. As the weave tightens, the Star of David is visible, recognized as a symbol of the modern Jewish people and of God’s protection over them. Finally, at the tightest parts of the screen, the repetitive girah and mashrabiya patterns emerge. These symbols traditionally correspond to the boundless nature of Allah, reminding worshipers that just like in nature, one can see the presence of God in even the smallest module of the infinite whole.

A building alone might not be a solution for interreligious reconciliation, but design can mobilize peace and relationship building by facilitating and framing opportunities for productive, transformative interactions. By developing an architecture that educates, prompts joint action, and celebrates individual and cultural dignity, designers have a role in resolving both the misunderstanding that leads to suspicion and the generalization that causes fear. The issue is not that we are different; rather, it is that we do not take the time to understand our differences, forge relationships and collaborate. It’s not about all of us being the same; it’s about embracing the light of our joint humanity, which, to paraphrase Rumi, looks a little different reflected on every wall.

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Indic Centrism A pathway to peace

Abhishek Thakore The founder of The Blue Ribbon Movement which builds leadership for a better world.

He can be reached at abhishek.thakore@gmail.com

I had an early start on my journey to social change. In 1992, as a 10 year old, I got to know that the world was meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the Earth Summit. As a member of the Cub Club I knew it was something about protecting mother Nature. By 1995 I was writing against the Enron Dam and a ban on zoos, with whatever little I understood about them.

I am approaching 40 now. Over the last three decades, I have been on a quest to understand personal growth and social change. One led to the other. After bingeing on Deepak Chopra’s Seven Spiritual Laws of Success and Tony Robbins’ Awaken the Giant Within, I eventually realized that my ‘success’ would be incomplete if the world was still troubled. As a member of this larger family, my emancipation was tied with others.

At 20 I got stuck in a major political controversy in a youth organization.

Disenchanted by how self absorbed that organization was, I went ahead and started the Blue Ribbon Movement (BRM). The dream 164

was of a “Green India, Great India ‘’. At our peak we were 120 young people meeting at 3 locations in Mumbai and organizing the city’s largest inter school festival. Our motto was ‘Together we are stronger”. I felt cool doing this. I realised the power of collective action.

BRM shut within five years because of intergenerational issues. By 30 I restarted BRM, now as a social enterprise, since that was the flavour of the season. Trying to blend profit with purpose, we started with doing consulting, events and projects. Eventually our work settled in gender, civic engagement, youth leadership and peace. The possibility of making a livelihood while doing good along with friends was a driving force.

By my late 30s I realised the limits of the donor funded NGO model. Ultimately, I realised that it was citizen movements that would bring about a systemic transformation. BRM also became two organizations, one focussed on gender which runs on an NGO model, and the other a civic-focussed citizen movement.

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Over these years, I have been a part of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) where Sudarshanji the sarasanghachalak (the head of the organisation) visiting our shakha (branch) was the high point. A time in my life when I felt most alive was at the Asia Social Forum in Hyderabad as a commerce student understanding people’s struggles for the first time. At the Lalit in Delhi, I enjoyed being a part of the Asia Liberty Forum, engaging with ideas of liberty along with great food. On the Chambal yatra I saw the work Ekta Parishad did to help tribals reclaim their land and stood on that very space.

All throughout there were some simple questions - what will take humanity to its next evolutionary step. When will we start to co-exist? When will we learn to respect our differences? When will we reconcile and heal the generations of conflict? And, what is an Indian way to respond to these challenges?

After this journey, I feel I have started to find my response. I call it Indic Centrism.

To understand Indic Centrism we need to understand both these terms.

What is Indic?

Apart from being a word that is in vogue these days, Indic is a reference to language groups that trace their origin to Sanskrit. It is also a sophisticated way to push Hindutva at times.

Yet, I look at Indic in a very specific way and context.

India has been a culture of abundance. It has always had plenty of criss-crossing rivers and ideal conditions for life to thrive. We have had to fight less to survive. We have had the time to reflect, contemplate and create beauty. Our ancient past has achievements that surpassed any other civilization of that time.

More importantly, the culture learnt to co-exist.

Generations of great spirits and souls made India a fertile spiritual lab. A place where various thought streams about life could coexist. Where nature wasn’t separate from man.

Where the fundamental assumption was of oneness, Ekatva.

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Indic is an attempt to reclaim this healthy aspect of our culture. It is an embracing of the pluralism that we have a cultural memory of.

It is to act as a culture of abundance where there is enough for everyone’s needs but not anyone’s greed. It is also seeing the limits of a Cartesian system that divides everything and of scientism that has made science yet another religion.

Our orientation is innately polythestic. Life is meant to be a spiritual quest and the material world is in service of that. We are comfortable holding paradoxes and ambiguities. These are ideal conditions for co-existence.

To be Indic then is to have a healthy pride in our culture, while being aware of its many shadows, while acknowledging our collective trauma but not becoming a victim to it. It is about standing in our roots and sufficiency.

It is about valuing ourselves and getting decolonized.

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Our orientation is innately polythestic. Life is meant to be a spiritual quest and the material world is in service of that.

A few questions I would leave you with: • • • •

What is your idea of India?

How Indian are you?

How lightly or strongly do you hold your Indian-ness?

What is an Indic vision for India that you hold?

Rumi says, ‘beyond our ideas of right-doing and wrong-doing there is a field. I will meet you there’. Centre is the field beyond binaries.

It is the space where truth is contextual and in the moment. It is an acknowledgement that fossilized ideologies are inadequate to respond to the dynamic truth of reality.

Centre is a way of living where dialogue is essential and non-violence is non-negotiable.

It is about speaking truth to power. It is a way of being where ‘interface rules’ are constantly being re-written, and shared spaces are where rules are being figured out consistently. It is also a spiritual practice of being in the moment and responding from there, in a Zen Buddhist spirit.

As a political position it is not the average of left and right, but really looking at the space as a three dimensional space looking at the shared truth or the meta-perspective. However, to look at it simplistically would be to say that it is the space of moderates who need to align and be vocal about their agenda.

Now, what is the centre?

Centre, the way we are defining it comes from the combined ideas of several wisdom traditions and of philosophers like J. Krishnamurti.

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I again leave you with some questions: • • • •

What does the idea of centre evoke in you?

Is your centre inside or outside you?

Politically, are you right or left leaning?

What would the centre look like?

Who is one person you have an irreconcilable difference with? What would dialogue with them look like?

Three years ago I started with Rediscovery of India with the desire to reconnect to my roots.

The idea of Indic Centrism evolved from my experiences, reflection and dialogues. The emerging movement has three pieces to it.

One, the ecosystem of organizations that are slowly aligning to these ideas. We are naming the ecosystem as a space between spaces, a meta space where organizations can act together in a decentralized manner.

Two, the ideological piece where we are doing podcasts with thinkers and recording dialogues between them. This is an evolving conversation where nuances of this ideological space are being fleshed out.

elections. It is here that these ideas are being actualized and manifested.

It is an exciting time, and Indic Centrism is a potential response to the challenges of our times. Long term movements like the freedom struggle or the RSS have deep ideological roots. In our generation, we need to re-dig these roots and create the foundation for future generations to build on.

Rather than try band-aid solutions and knee jerk responses, rather than only focussing on self or society, Indic Centrism intends to be a holistic response and a way of life. I invite you to join this journey and co-create a possible future that our coming generations deserve.

Three is the learning journey that in my sense takes about 20 years (from age 20-40) and eventually makes a person a social artivist, someone adept at the art of social change. We are identifying what experiences, programs and insights need to be facilitated for changemakers.

As actioned, we are doing a lab in Mumbai where constructive political experiments are being done in the run up to the local municipal

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Interfaith Dialogue and Climate Change Siddhartha The founder of Pipal Tree, an organisation concerned with media, intercultural, and environment issues, and Fireflies Ashram, an international eco-spiritual centre in Bangalore. He can be reached at sidd173@gmail.com

A significant way to promote communal harmony is to work together on common themes that interest all faith traditions. One such important theme is climate change.

It is amply clear today that climate change will create millions of climate refugees in the decades to come, dramatically reduce food production and flood coastal cities. We are already witnessing these effects all over the world with forest fires, hurricanes, floods and high temperatures. All the faith traditions have expressed major concerns about this.

Therefore, coming together to deal with the climate emergency would also foster friendship, trust and harmony between the religions.

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At the time that our ancient religions emerged in history ecological threats hardly existed.

Hence, we may not find forceful statements on the environment from the various scriptures.

Nevertheless, there are significant statements strewn here and there that could provide the basis for a fresh interpretation of texts.

Here are a few responses from some major religions on how to view nature and respond to the ecological challenges we face: Many Hindus would consider protecting the environment as an integral expression of dharma. In 2015, the Hindu Declaration on Climate Change (from the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies) stated that it is a “dharmic duty [to ensure that] we have a functioning, abundant, and bountiful planet.”

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The “Hindu Declaration on Climate Change,” presented at the Parliament of the World’s Religions, Melbourne, Australia, December 8, 2009 states: “The Hindu tradition understands that man is not separate from nature, that we are linked by spiritual, psychological and physical bonds with the elements around us. Knowing that the Divine is present everywhere and in all things, Hindus strive to do no harm. We hold a deep reverence for life and an awareness that the great forces of nature—the earth, the water, the fire, the air and space—as well as all the various orders of life, including plants and trees, forests and animals, are bound to each other within life’s cosmic web...

“We cannot continue to destroy nature without also destroying ourselves.”

In May 2015 A Buddhist Declaration on Climate Change was addressed to the Paris conference on climate change , Our concern is founded on the Buddha’s realization of dependent co-arising, which interconnects all things in the universe.

Understanding this interconnected causality and the consequences of our actions are critical steps in reducing our environmental impact. Cultivating the insight of interbeing and compassion, we will be able to act out of love, not fear, to protect our planet.

Buddhist leaders have been speaking about this for decades. However, everyday life can easily lead us to forget that our lives are inextricably interwoven with the natural world through every breath we take, the water we drink, and the food we eat. Through our lack of insight, we are destroying the very life support systems hat we and all other living beings depend on for survival. Source

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A Hadīth related by Muslim from Abū Sa‘īd AlKhudrī states: “We bear in mind the words of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): The world is sweet and verdant, and verily Allah has made you stewards in it, and He sees how you acquit yourselves”.

Here are excerpts from the Islamic Declaration on Global Climate change, made in Istanbul, August 2015.

In view of these considerations we affirm that our responsibility as Muslims is to act according to the example of the Prophet Muhammad (God’s peace and blessings be upon him), who – ∙ Declared and protected the rights of all living beings, outlawed the custom of burying infant girls alive, prohibited wanton killing of living beings for sport, guided his companions to conserve water even in washing for prayer, forbade the felling of trees in the desert, ordered a man who had taken some nestlings from their nest to 6 return them to their mother, and when he came upon a man who had lit a fire on an anthill, commanded, “Put it out, put it out!”; ∙ Established inviolable zones (harams) around Makkah and Al-Madinah, within which native plants may not be felled or cut and wild animals may not be hunted or disturbed; ∙ Established protected areas (himas) for the conservation and sustainable use of rangelands, plant cover, and wildlife; ∙ Lived a frugal life, free of excess, waste, and ostentation; ∙ Renewed and recycled his meagre possessions by repairing or giving them and civil society organizations in declaring a climate emergency, which demands an urgent and unprecedented response by everyone everywhere – locally, nationally and internationally.”

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In the foreword to the five volumes of the Earth Bible Project, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel prize winner, asks if biblical texts devalue the Earth ‘by making the self-interest of humans its dominant concern” The ‘Earth Bible’ project explores the biblical texts from the perspective of the Earth, suspecting that the text and/or its interpreters may be anthropocentric and not geo-centric.

It asks whether there is a concern for Earth community in the text or whether Earth is being treated unjustly in the text. It attempts to retrieve alternative traditions that hear the voice of the earth and that value the earth more than as a human instrument.

Reference: Indigenous peoples have always lived close to nature. Here is a quote from Chief Seattle, after which the city of Seattle is named.

vibrant green walls. In the relative cool of the morning the frogs gazed at the other wells nearby. One had yellow walls, another blue and yet another, silver.

The frogs sitting on the walls seemed happy to breathe the cool fragrance of moss and herb.

By noon the weather got very hot. The frogs began to feel restless with the heat. As their irritation grew, they heard voices in their heads.

The frogs in the green well heard a voice saying, “You are right to be upset, for although your well is the best one, and the waters the purest, the frogs in the other wells do not recognise this truth.” The frogs in the saffron well also heard a voice saying that their well was the most pristine. The frogs in the yellow and blue wells also heard similar ‘truths’. Soon the frogs began to croak aggressively at the frogs on other wells, each trying to outdo the other.

We know this: the earth does not belong to man. Man belongs to the earth. Man has not woven the net of life: he is just a thread in it.

Everything he does to this net he does to himself. What befalls the earth will befall the sons of the earth. We know this. All things are bound up in each other like the blood that binds the family.

Reference Let me conclude with a story that I call the parable of the frogs: Several water wells existed in a dusty village.

One well had pleasing saffron walls. A few frogs rested tranquilly on its wall with their big, bulging, black eyes looking nowhere in particular. A gentle breeze stirred the few plants that clambered on the inside walls of the well. Life is good, the frogs thought to themselves. In a nearby well other frogs were feeling the same way about life. This well had

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This went on for a long time, till the frogs began to get tired. And then a few frogs in the saffron well, now completely exhausted, decided to swim to the depths of their own well to cool themselves. The deeper they went the cooler they felt… and calmer too. Then they noticed little crevices in the walls and went into them, and the water was even cooler.

They progressed in horizontal mode through these crevices. When they later came up, they realised, to their utter astonishment, that they were in the wrong well. The frogs from the saffron well had come up in the green well.

The frogs from the green well had the same experience, some of them coming up in the saffron well. Likewise, the frogs in the yellow and blue wells came up in other wells, not their own.

We come into the world first as human beings, and only then, without our consent, do we grow up as Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists or indigenous peoples.

Word of the discovery that all the wells were interconnected at their depths, and were nourished with the same waters, spread with the swiftness of frog-croak. The frogs realised that as long as they remained on the surface, they experienced the illusion that the waters were different. At the surface level the frogs experienced their separateness, but the deeper they swam they experienced

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the healing influence of the common waters.

The waters were after all the same, coursing through each well through subterranean passages.

The metaphor is self-explanatory. We come into the world first as human beings, and only then, without our consent, do we grow up as Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists or indigenous peoples. Or we grow up as Indians or Pakistanis, Americans or Kenyans and so on; browns, whites or blacks. Some of us grow up to suspect our neighbours because they practice a different faith, belong to a different culture or have a different skin.

And when we get restless, due to poverty and oppression in one context, or loneliness and alienation in another, we are willing to turn into aggressive demagogues. We desecrate the shrines of ‘other gods,’ even kill and rape in the name of ‘our own god,’ or watch people live in poverty, as we would watch another soap opera. The story illustrates that there is a potential for all of us to meet together in the common waters deep within ourselves and sense our oneness, our non-duality. While we see differences on the top of the wells, deep down they are all interconnected and it’s the same water that flows through all the wells.

Deep down we touch our Buddha nature, our Brahman nature, our Christ nature etc. where differences disappear, and we experience our common humanity.

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pūrṇam An experiment in fostering dialogic spaces

Naveen Vasudevan A student of Yoga, Co-founder of Ritambhara and the founder of pūrṇam. He can be reached at naveen.ritambhara@gmail.com

I have been inspired by Gandhiji’s life and worldview for a while now. In 2019 we had his 150th birth anniversary and I had asked myself what would be a good way to commemorate it.

It felt right to try and create a dialogic forum to ‘Re-Engage with Gandhi’, where we can come together and self-reflectively engage with Gandhiji and not through the usual modalities of adulation or repulsion prevalent all around.

I felt the need for this because most of our conversational spaces, especially around social and political issues, have become either debates or discussions. More the former than the latter, where we argue (or even harangue) that we are right and others are wrong. This has become the nature of public conversation, at least on TV and social media. It is very important we discover the art and science of dialogue again if we are to find healing and harmony amidst us.

My learning in this direction is quite preliminary and ongoing. But one key discovery thus far has been that dialogue is essentially selfreflective and involves the whole being and not just the realm of thought - sakala, sahrudaya samvadam. It’s very easy to analyze or opine 172

on ‘the other’, but to go within and see what’s happening and share it with simple honesty is much harder. The other important aspect of self-reflectivity that I value is that it approaches unfolding reality within and around us as a mirror unto oneself and invites us to ask the question, “In doing what I am doing, what am I really doing?”

‘Re-Engaging with Gandhi’ got a lot more response than we had imagined and we ended up having to run three batches instead of the one planned. It was surprising how many people were eager to wake up early on a weekend morning to be in a space of shared contemplation and dialogue with others. We met once every two weeks over a period of three months and for each call they were sent a set of essays on a particular aspect of Gandhiji’s worldview and a related film. But in the calls, we focussed less on the content of these and emphasized more on the below two reflective questions to share on: • •

What feelings and memories came up for me as I engaged with the film and essays?

What did I discover about myself that I wasn’t aware of before?

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We found that heartfelt sharing in a container of friendly listening can be transformational in itself and subtly add to a richer unfolding of the self. Some friends who’ve been regular in these spaces since have shared with us that this practice has helped them discover parts of themselves they weren’t as much in touch with earlier and find a fuller voice for themselves.

After the first cohort of ‘Re-Engaging with Gandhi’, some participants got back to us saying, “What’s next? Let’s continue with the process.” So we studied Hind Swaraj for another three months after that with a similar self-reflective focus. As we were just coming to a close, the pandemic hit in March 2020. As the world huddled up inside homes, uncertain and anxious about the future, we felt it might be good to watch some thought-provoking yet hope-inspiring documentaries already available in the public domain. So we curated the ‘New Emergence Film Festival’, which was quite enthusiastically received as well.

With all this experimentation, we were also getting a better understanding of these dialogic spaces and the value they offer in enabling important inquiries. Then we offered a circle to engage with Tagore’s essays on Nationalism (and subsequently his ‘The Religion of Man’), as this is an important issue faced with us in India over the last few years. So far there have been multiple cohorts of all these in the last two years. Along with this, we also opened a forum called pūrṇam Café where we featured a meaningful essay, film, and speaker each month and also online concerts of bhakti poetry as often as possible. In recent months, we’ve also added explorations on bridge-building, Nonviolence, and Decolonisation (Kabir - the Bridge-Builder, Ahimsa Film Festival, and Griots with a Film Camera).

Parallelly, I also worked with groups of children (between the ages of 7-16 years) on selfexploration through films. We’ve watched close © SEEDS OF PEACE INDIA

to 50 films in two years and engaged with similar dialogue circles after each of them.

So, often we were interacting with 7-year-olds to 70-year-olds in these circles on a regular basis.

It’s also important to note all these have been offered in the spirit of Gift Economy so as to make it possible for people from all socio-economic backgrounds to be able to participate.

So what we’ve learnt from all this so far is that: • Authentic dialogue is healing and helps build community.

• It helps people make new friends and discover fellow travelers who share their vision and values.

• Circles of meaningful connection and contemplation are needed in today’s world and there’s a deep thirst for it.

Circles of meaningful connection and contemplation are needed in today’s world and there’s a deep thirst for it.

Going forward: • Our understanding of the art of dialogue is still quite nascent. We’d like to delve into it further and embody it deeper.

• Diversity in the circle is a big gift and it makes the experience and process richer. We’d like to make space for greater diversity in our circles as it’s still a bit onesided reflecting our own biases and blind spots.

• Once the pandemic eases further and travel becomes safer, we hope to host in-person events and facilitate real-life meetings.

Thank you for the opportunity to share this story with you and you are all warmly invited to join us in the experiments at pūrṇam :)

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Science catching up to the need of dialogue, community, and faith Jayesh Jain An agriculture graduate and post graduate in rural management and a LEAD (Leadership for Environment and Development) fellow. He is currently on a career break for Income fasting for de-addiction from 3 intoxications called “Speed, measurement and beliefs”. He can be reached at jayesh.sicaf@gmail.com

I was running a race. Somehow got some rest and then I realized three things • • • •

First, though friends and family were cheering me up, I was not happy.

Second, the more I measured my performance and achievements, the more elusive was the feeling of contentment.

Last but not the least, I was also fearful. It felt like juggling too many balls, and I always feared losing some balls I love.

I wish to share with you three insights I gathered from science to solve my three fundamental problems of (1) unhappiness, (2) discontent, and (3) fear of loss.

I have organized my sharing into three parts. Diagnosis, insights, and the solution.

So, to start with diagnosis: Unhappiness, discontent, and fear symptoms, so what was the cause?

were

Cause of unhappiness was speed. Yes, the same speed which is the promise of growth and which we are co opting in all of our actions and in which we are taking so much pride. 5 G, bullet trains, highways…. and you get the drift.

We move when we have answers, we stop when

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we have questions. More answers, more speed.

But whose answers? I was running and gaining speed because I was led by the answers of others. Answers for questions which were not really my own questions. I did not question the questions posed by the world. The result – I forgot questions. I forgot why I was running.

I was so fast that I could not see anything. It started getting so blurred.

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We are fed answers even before our minds generate questions. Parenting, education, livelihood all contribute to speed. It is not that they want to harm us, it is the opposite. Parents and education want to help us; however they do not realize that they do more harm than good.

provides us a base to stand upon and to move.

However, as we have observed that our conscious mind is not really good at measurement and suffers from biases, our belief systems have a fundamental problem.

And this problem is exclusion.

As ease of living increases, so does unhappiness. Beyond a point, ease of living increases unhappiness.

Belief constructed by 10 people does not support the weight of all 10 people and has a life of its own. So, there is continuous fear and uncertainty that either I or someone I love could fall into the depth of unknowns.

Cause of discontent was intellect which was always measured. Yes, the same measurement which is the sole criteria to judge our street smartness. The same criteria for success.

Why do we need measurement? While at speed, we become partially blind and yet tasked with making sense of “elephants in the room”, our instinct chases answers in the collective.

However, everyone else in the collective is also looking for the same help. If we all need something concrete from each other then, mathematically speaking, we all are less than 1. When less than 1 multiplies with less than 1, the resultant is much less. This is a typical case of “whole being less than sum of its part”. This is depletion.

This gradual depletion of my “initial stock of happiness” was the reason for my discontent.

Cause of fear was crumbling beliefs. Yes, the same beliefs, which gives us a base to stand upon. When I looked closely, lots of my beliefs were falling under its own weight.

Why do we need beliefs? Beliefs result when the collective agrees on something as less subjective and more objective. This objectivity

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We play our part in constructing beliefs and to gain some semblance of security. However, fear arises when we are uncertain about the utility of our beliefs in the time of most need.

This year we saw that people had money in their hand and could not get hospital bed, successful people committing suicide, healthy people getting heart attack, heart break, children deserting old parents and obsessive parenting harming kids. Religion is the concept which boomeranged, and leaders are following the herd instincts.

Listing my beliefs as hypothesis and checking the research in the world to see its validity have made me pretty sure that “no single belief passes test of all time and at all places” So, I realized that the roots of my problem were speed, measurement, and beliefs. The very same things which are sold to us as “Solutions”.

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Now allow me to share some better guidance, I found in science, to find my own solutions: 1. The book ‘Thinking Fast and Slow’ helped me a lot. This book suggests that we have two minds.

One is fast, let’s call this fast mind. Fast mind is able to create any story. Story, which is coherent, which sounds true to us.

However, the fast mind does not really care about the comprehensiveness of the story and excludes many portions of the reality in front of us.

However, another mind is slow and actually cares for it comprehensively.

Fast mind is what answers 2+2 and completes the “Twinkle twinkle______”.

Slow mind is the mind, which solves 26*27 in the mind.

This distinction itself gives us a “window of opportunity” to understand our own mind.

With this background, allow me to share one of the experiments. In this experiment, researchers wanted to check what happens to our pupil of the eyes when a fast mind or slower mind is in the driver seat.

What they found was when the slow mind was busy doing mental calculation, the pupil relaxed and got wide.

Does it make sense? We believe that 26*27 should stress our mind. No? So, pupils should have reduced in size. We are better doing 2+2. No? Everyone, market, leader, parents (except boss) tell us that they are doing so much to 176

make life easy for us. So, we do not need to think, and we are co opting thinking that it will relieve our stress and give us happiness.

But this research showed me that “using mind” relaxes us. I will soon, how I used this insight to design my solution.

2. Coming to the second evidence, in the last 200-300 years. Science has made three major discoveries.

• First, that earth revolves around the sun.

And we know that this common sense took such an uncommon time to get acceptance in our society.

• Second, the theory of evolution. This theory proved that humans have evolved sequentially, and our ancestors are animals. We are not special. We qualified ourselves as “Rational Animals” • However, here comes the humiliation.

The third discovery which has gained ground in the last 100-120 years is that we are not rational animals. We are just animals.

• Sounds stupid, no? Yes, common sense takes uncommon time for common people like us to accept.

Very quickly, allow me to highlight three major defects of the brain’s way of rationality.

Rationality means measuring with perfection.

However, three terms have been accepted in science to make us doubt our rationality.

1. Unpack effect: when a group of people work together, most of us have a tendency of assessing and attributing more credit to our own work.

Example: So, who is instrumental for the stability and well-being of my family? My THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

wife estimates and takes 70% credit, and, in my mind, I also take 69% credit, (Not even in my dream, I dare taking more credit than my wife). So, it totals 139. So, when me and my wife unpack and measure our individual contribution, reality mixes with illusions. Now stretch the logic, We, as human collectives have been doing this measurement for millennia. So many illusions have got mixed with reality. Sum total of all our unfounded importance to ourselves, ego, have blinded us to reality.

2. Conjunction bias: Probability of “events with more detailed description” gets estimated more than probability of “general description event”.

So, in my mind, my son has a higher probability of being an engineer and a doctor than the reality of an economy where 95% people end up grinding the mill of capitalist monopolies as mere desktop operators.

Though they may still be branded as engineers or doctors. Since this probability bias creates more plausible stories in my mind, I do not face the problem society is facing.

3. Base-rate neglect: What more I can say about it than the famous “Yudhishthir and Yaksh” story and the paradox that we see people dying everyday for relatively insignificant reasons. Yet we never think of our end of the road and what lies ahead.

We reside in future and the past and do not really do a good job of trading the present with past and future. We end up losing our awareness and blessings.

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Combination of these three defects creates the illusion that we are street smart and gaining more in the measurement but in reality, we are fighting a losing war and that creates discontent.

Now this might surprise you. So, take a deep breath and refocus. What do you think “will power” is? Is it our power to do something?

Like dieting or jogging everyday or meditating or becoming a CEO 10 years down the line? Is will-power a powerful tiger or a weak lamb?

Research into the topic of “will-power” suggests that will-power is the guard of the “interface” between subconscious and conscious worlds. It regulates flows between the conscious and unconscious world. It might be both blackhole and singularity. This guard has a default power which is not really something we can intentionally increase.

Guards use their energy to safeguard the conscious mind from the enormity of the subconscious mind. Conversely, it safeguards the subconscious mind from bugs of the conscious mind. This guard works continuously, like heart, and like heart we can either harm it or strengthen it.

However, nowadays we are making it so overworked and now giving it rest. First, we are consuming enormous stimuli – visual, audio which further gains intensity by continuously hitting mental walls like ping-pong balls and also have uncertain trajectory that willpower, the guard is not able to stop harmful information. So, lots of bugs are entering into the subconscious mind.

And since it is overworked, lots of internal subconscious factory emissions is seeping into our conscious mind and clogging it. Which

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again creates reduces mental space.

Now since will-power is not able to keep guard, our conscious mind is let loose. It visits the future and past like a lawbreaking vagabond. Some influencers start using this vagabond for their own vested interests.

Under false propaganda, the mind becomes a suicide bomber and wants to demolish itself

(with false beliefs of some influencer) and kill other people’s will-power in the process. So, now we see that in this war zone, the prevailing emotion is always FEAR.

Moving on to the solution designed by this subjective problem and objective science: First solution. Solution for speed. Based on experiments that slow the mind needs work.

This solution is Dialogue We need a slow mind to work. And we have two options, either we solve 26*27, or we reflect on the situation. Check the reaction of our work. Reaction from people, reaction from nature. Solving 26*27 and a complicated version of this gives us income. However, reflections give us peace. We need both.

However, we are disproportionately more invested in income generation and losing track of reflections.

Also, computers, and the Internet make it easy for us. So, our fast mind is answering lots of questions, MCQ type of questions. We have many options to choose from.

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We are told, since we have been provided many options, they are helping us.

But now when we are thinking about it, how stupid it are, more options? The fast mind needs to be more alert and careful to choose among options.

Where is the guy who made the case for the Internet by saying that “it will save us time?”

I turned the approach on its head, I resisted the popular version of ease. Ease of choosing among listed options. I try to take a pause, check the validity of the question itself and if the question is valid, I try not to use other options but to solve questions myself.

In work where questions are scarce, options are enormous, we need to search for questions.

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This can only be done by frequent interaction between intellect and the world. Search questions in one world and answer in another world. Searching “questions within” and answers “outside”. And this is essentially what dialogue is. We talk to people and listen to them. We find answers and questions both. When we limit the domain of answers and questions both in outside world, we are essentially falling in our own trap. Trap of “ism”, “religion”, “cult’ etc. Dialogue with a diverse set Since we need answers, we need diversity and of people allows us better framing of questions a more comprehensive outside world. And that and broader answers. is where I learnt that between homogeneity of network and heterogeneity of community, Second solution. Solution for discontentment.

I would do well by choosing community as To take care of our defective/incomplete mind. my playground. Community provides long This solution is Community. term view and broad framing which overcome defects of unpack effect, base-rate neglect, Community, especially interfaith: Since we and conjunction fallacy. need collectives to support our speed and also help us with questions/answers, we are Third solution. Solution for fear. To take care continuously connecting with people. of my willpower. Regulator of flow between conscious and subconscious mind.

Again, we are connecting with people for gains This solution is Faith. in only one world and excluding the other world. This one-sided, single leg collective Faith: Have you watched the film, ‘The Matrix’? is called a network. In a network, a sense of Till the time Neo was seeing people, he was scarcity prevails and that makes us run and we not able to overpower secret agents but the get tunneled and exclude many variables from moment he saw patterns of numbers beneath measurement. This is a defective mind. the veil of skin, he became invincible. He was What we need is collectively to gain answers able to dodge bullets and keep the guard. for questions posed by the mental world and vice-versa. The collective of people, with this Similarly, we need to leverage the power of purpose to sort their inner world and parallelly dialogue and community to find patterns of address challenges of the outer world is called the world for ourselves. Patterns which are community. In this community, for a given as objective as “water boils at 100 degrees transaction, someone is gaining in the inner Celsius” and force is mass into acceleration. world and other is gaining in the outer world.

Once we find an inviolable pattern for the inner So, everybody gains and feels content. world, we become confident.

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And this confidence is faith. Faith cannot be wished or bought or gifted or traded; it has to be earned.

When we try to distinguish between these dualities, use this one clue – Two opposites looks alike.

We can start by just understanding that faith is inversely proportional to belief. More beliefs we carry, the less faith we have. The precondition of faith is “acceptance” of overwhelming reality and our smallness and at the same time our power to create a better present. It is so amazing that we can not face its shine. Faith is absolute. Beliefs are relative.

Photos of the rising and setting sun look exactly the same. So, let’s get rid of static photos of fixed minds and enjoy the movie called living where you do not really aim for “predictability and spoilers.”

To sum it all, • If one is anxious, try to search questions or your own answers. This will slow us down. Leverage the power of dialogue.

• If one is discontent, try community. Take a long-term view and broaden your framework.

• If one is fearful, try experiments, find subtler and macro patterns, gain “absolute knowledge” which is faith.

Always remember what I said, just know • Dialogue (संवाद) and communication (वार्तालाप) are different • Community (समुदाय) and network (संगठन) are different • Faith ( ) and beliefs ( ) are different

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The contribution of Sufi Saint Ram Dev Pir in creating inter-religious harmony in Rajasthan Bhanwar Meghwanshi An award-winning writer and activist.

Presently, he runs the web news portal, Shunyakal. He is also a National Council Member of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). He can be reached at bhanwarmeghwanshi@gmail.com

Ramdev is believed to be born in Undu Kahmir, a small village in Barmer, a sandy area of present-day ​​ Rajasthan, about six hundred years ago. While he spent his childhood in Undu Kahmir, his adolescence was spent in Adi Pokaran, where Ajmal Tanwar had a small princely state. The environment in which Ramdev was brought up was a family influenced by the Nath, Siddha and Sufi streams. His lifetime was also a turbulent period in Indian history. Spiritual conflict was at its peak, the conflict between Hindus and Muslims was also increasing, the contradictions of Nirguna (worship of the

formless) and Saguna (worship of entities/ God with form) existed among the Hindus, the rigidity of the Varnashrama (loosely translated as hierarchy of caste) system and caste discrimination were also increasing.

Peace, brotherhood and sublime human values ​​like co-existence, non-violence were getting eroded. Politically, socially and spiritually, views were changing so fast that nothing was permanent and an atmosphere of bitterness, hatred and mistrust among the people prevailed. Women were asked to be veiled, they were taken out of religious rituals and confined only to the boundaries of the

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Disclaimer: Ramdev Pir, born six hundred years ago in Rajasthan, was a Sufi and Bhakti stream saint, whom people now consider to be a folk deity. He gave the message of coexistence, peace and brotherhood to people by harmonizing Hindu and Muslim beliefs.

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household. There was an atmosphere of uncertainty and mistrust. Ramdev was born in such a transition period.

In those days Delhi was ruled by Firoz Shah Tughlaq and Jodhpur was ruled by the Rathore kings. Noblemen from the Thakur and Nawab clans, etc. used to rule in their own small territories too. The desert of India and the desert of Sindh (now in Pakistan) were accessible to everyone then, there was no restriction on movement. Spiritually, the region of Sindh was full of Nath panth, Siddhas and Sufis (various spiritual denominations).

There was also a dynamic flow of Jain and Buddhist streams over a period of time and their presence was also very deep in the psyche of the people. Thus, during the life of Ramdev, Hindu, Muslim, Jain and Buddhist religions were prevalent in some form or the other in the minds of the people, but there was no bridge between them; there was definitely bitterness. When Ramdev grew up, he was attracted to the religious streams existing in the sandy areas of Sindh region. He was never a king of any princely state, but he chose a different path of spirituality, to bring people closer to each other. He attempted to reduce the caste-based discrimination spreading in the society. He traveled on his horse from Multan in the west (now in Pakistan) to Malwa (in central India) and gave lectures on the one true religion, which he called Mahadharma.

It came to be referred to as the Sat Panth, in which doors were opened for people of Jain, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and every other faith.

Women had the right to worship too, in this religion. There was no place for caste and caste taboos.

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Ramdev, who was born in a Hindu family and who went to Multan and established a relationship with the Sufi Pirs of the Shia Nizari community and founded the Sat Panth, returned to home eventually and associated himself with the principles of Mahadharma, and brought people peace, love, brotherhood.

He taught a new way of co-existence. Later he came to be called Ramdev Pir (holy man); now he is called the Pir of Pirs. There were social restrictions in his lifetime on the access to water, based on caste. He had wells, stepwells and reservoirs built for rainwater harvesting in the desert areas. He also worked for the protection of nature, environment, animals and birds in the villages under his father’s jurisdiction. He raised his voice against religious orthodoxy, superstitions and fundamentalism. His messages have been collated into hymns called ‘the twenty four proofs’. In these proofs, Ramdev Pir gave the message to people to live with equity, without discrimination.

Ramdev Pir’s legacy is still one of the most beautiful bridges between different religious sects. The impact and inclusion of different religions in his Mahadharma is very visible.

You will find a green sheet enveloping his tomb, symbolising the Islamic flag called Neja, in which the sun, moon and icons of feet are inscribed, as well half a ‘Kalma’ (Islamic confession of faith). In the main temple at Ramdevra, there is a five-time ritual worship recitation, similar to the five calls for prayer in Islam. His temples are called Deora or Bargah and their architecture resembles the domes of mosques and dargahs. Until a few years ago, idols were not installed in

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the temples of Ramdev Pir, but only the feet were worshiped, which was called Alakh upasana. These are similar to Buddha’s feet found in some Buddhist places of worship.

The pacharangi (five-coloured) flag of Ramdev Pir bears an amazing resemblance to the flag of Panchsheel in Buddhism. In the veneration of Ramdev Pir, the urn and the Bodhi tree (the green leaves of Ficus religiosa) are used in abundance. Ramdev Pir preached nonviolence, he never fought in wars. He was a strong advocate of gender equality. He always opposed caste discrimination and untouchability, religious hypocrisy and bigotry.

He beautifully harmonised the Hindu, Muslim, Jain and Buddhist streams of thought. He also became a bridge between Brahman and Shraman streams of Sanatan Dharma. He also blended the Nath, Siddha and Sufi streams into a wonderful combination of Bhakti and Sufi thought.

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The world needs spiritual leaders like Ramdev Pir, who can reduce the increasing distance between people and can be helpful in eradicating the hatred and violence spreading on the basis of caste and religion.

Today, the world needs spiritual leaders like Ramdev Pir, who can reduce the increasing distance between people and can be helpful in eradicating the hatred and violence spreading on the basis of caste and religion. Even today, millions of people of Hindu, Muslim, Jain, Buddhist, Sikh and other faiths come to visit Ramdev Pir’s tomb in Ramdevra, near Pokharan in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan.

Visitors from Pakistan come too, in large numbers. Ramdev Pir may have lived six hundred years ago, but his thoughts, actions and teachings can prove to be very helpful in saving humanity from suffering today.

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The Preserved Tablet The Islamic view on interfaith affection

Dr. Syed Zafar Mahmood An Indian Civil-Servant and President, Zakat Foundation of India, God’s Grace Foundation and Interfaith Coalition for Peace. He can be reached at info@zakatindia.org

Poet of the East, Dr Sir Mohammad Iqbal (author of Indian national song: Saare jahaan se achha Hindostaan hamaara) who had walked on planet earth during late 19th and early 20th centuries had composed a poem in Urdu language with the title that translates as ‘Adam’s Travelogue’. The original title is Sarguzasht-e Aadam. There, he depicts the human journey from the eternity till the modern times.

The poet recalls that in different phases of human history and in various parts of the world man has been receiving divine guidance.

In the poem, speaking in first person, Man recapitulates how he had become oblivious of the First Covenant. We know about the scriptural description how, before human creation, all the billions of upcoming human souls had covenanted with God promising good deeds in the world.

Thus, from the heavens, I brought down the legacy of such a fickle temperament that in no setting under the sky could I settle peacefully.

I cleared off the Kaaba of stone idols while,

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earlier it was I who had placed these in the sanctuary.

On another occasion, to converse with Divinity, I climbed Mount Sinai. And, in turn, I unfolded the eternal light from out of my sleeve.

Later, by my own people, I was fastened on the Cross. Yet, I traveled to the heavens, leaving the earth behind.

For years I ensconced myself in the Cave of Hira and resuscitated the humanity with the eternal tonic.

Earlier, arriving in India, I had sung the divine Sarod. And, additionally I had taken a fancy to the land of Greece. Moving beyond the Indian expanse, I went on to settle in Japan and Man goes on to say, when in the Garden of China.

Heaven, I first drank the cup of awareness, I found the world composed of Atoms, felt uneasy and began searching for truth in contrary to what the men of faith then taught. the light of the celestial heights of my thoughts.

By stirring up the conflict between intellect and

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belief, I regretfully soaked so many lands in blood. When still I failed to probe the reality of the stars, I spent nights on end engrossed in thoughts.

The misconceived autocracy could not overawe me, as I taught the reality of the revolving earth. I donned the lens of far seeing and deeply analytical reason. And, I acquainted the world with the gravitational force. I captured the rays and the restless lightening, making our earth the envy of paradise.

Such of my multiple expositions did captivate the universe, yet I kept wondering about the secrets of human existence. Then, my eyes, enamored of materialism, opened at last. And, I found the ‘essence of life’ lodged there in the mansion of my heart.

Thus, Iqbal utilized his poetic talent to describe Adam’s exit from paradise and coupled it with the commonality of the divine messages sent down subsequently through multiple messengers. Such supernatural arrangement of providing uniform guidance to different races and in different lands highlights inherent human inclusiveness.

Before the world came into being, God had sent down His comprehensive message, in nascent form, from His Preserved Tablet to the worldly sky. This is indeed a strong directive

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for maintaining interfaith affection. In different parts of the world great spiritual names occur in multiple theologies. Nonetheless, all the believers are duty bound to equally respect all of them. What was sent down initially from the Preserved Tablet to the worldly sky was a Compendium of God’s Perspective Planning for the universe including the spiritual life on earth.

If God would have so willed He could have made all of us world citizens owe allegiance to one faith. But God chose not to do so. He rather shaped us into races, nations and faiths.

That way He has put us to the test during our short individual stay on earth. God evaluates us on how, despite being apparently unlike each other in more than one ways, respond to His common message and to what extent we accommodate, love and help each other.

God has networked humanity in the form of communities led by different prophets many of whom were given scriptures in their respective languages. The prophets spread to mankind God’s word revealed through them. This spiritual premise is equally reflected in the philosophy of many scriptures. Like the holy Vedas say ‘Ekam sat viprah bahudah’ meaning thereby: There is only one Truth, wise men tell it differently. Many spiritually enlightened personalities of the world have been similarly spreading high unifying virtue.

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We need to put our heads together and mull over possible institutional changes to be effected in the intra-humanity universal network.

Yet, we the citizens of the world have digressed from our original promise. We need to put our heads together and mull over possible institutional changes to be effected in the intra-humanity universal network.

Proceeding on these lines, after Mr Biden took over the US presidency we, from the Zakat Foundation of India, had sent to him a letter.

In his inaugural speech the President had said that at its best America is a beacon for the globe. We presented to him inputs as to the components of this beacon-hood under his stewardship particularly when God has blessed him as the oldest person to have ever been elected to such an august office.

We wrote that the world is earmarked into eight hierarchical units commonly known as villages, towns, cities, districts, provinces, regions, nations and continents. These are essentially ‘administrative units’ meant to facilitate the universal human life. And seven of these units have been mostly fulfilling this purpose.

However, many ‘nations’ of the world seem to have deflected from such selfless role of being

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a mechanism for humanity’s benefaction.

Under Mr Biden’s co-stewardship the humanity wishes that the world’s thought process undergoes a paradigm shift. Let the ‘national interest’ be defined in such a way that it upholds and sustains the basic human interest.

Let us reminisce, that humanity was created out of one couple and, at any given point of time, the geographical boundaries should not be an impediment in the way of human development and progress. That way humanity would reaffirm its faith, as enshrined in the preamble of the UN Charter, ‘in the dignity and worth of the human person’.

With this object in view, we requested Mr Biden, to utilize his tenure in White House to, inter alia, take the comity of nations into a higher orbit of human dignity.

So, ladies & gentlemen, some of us, citizens of the world, would have to place ourselves, like Aristotle’s philosopher kings, in the skies and selflessly think how best to guide the humanity urging it to undergo the required metamorphosis in the field of interpersonal and inter-group human behaviour so that every upcoming generation gets made of better human beings. And, thus, we would be able to fruitfully contribute towards fulfilling our First Covenant by cherishing and nurturing the common thread permeating across the various prophetic communities as envisaged in the Preserved Tablet.

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Uniting Faiths: Respecting the Difference From the teachings of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

Dr. Jayanti Ranganathan Chavan The Founder President of the Institute of Science and Religion, Navi Mumbai since its inception in 2005. She can be reached at jayanti.chavan@gmail.com

The title of my talk is ‘Uniting Faiths: Respecting the Difference’.

This is based on the teachings of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura from the Gaudiya Vaishnava Vedanta (GVV) School of thought.

Firstly, I would like to briefly introduce GVV School and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

Among the six main branches of Hindu philosophy, Vedanta is accepted as the most comprehensive and universal school of thought. Vedanta is understood as the culmination of all knowledge providing guidelines to mankind on the purpose of his existence and his ultimate duty in the cosmos.

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Vedanta has two broad schools namely the monotheistic like Vaishnavism and the monistic like Advaita School. Srila Ramanujacharya, Srila Madhavacharya are proponents of Vaishnavism and Srila Adi Sankara was the chief proponent of Advaita School. These three are accepted as the authority of Vedanta with regard to philosophy and praxis. Hence their lineage of unbroken chain of guru-shishya system is also accepted as the authority for knowledge and practices.

Gaudiya Vaishnava Vedanta (GVV) is a subsect of Srila Madhavacharya’s Vaishnava Vedanta School. It was propounded by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who appeared in

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the lineage of Srila Madhavacharya during the 15th century. At that time, he brought a renaissance of prema-bhakti flooding the society with love of God. Sri Chaitanya inaugurated the universal sankirtan movement to awaken the dormant love of God and proclaimed it as the primary goal of religion for entire humanity. Its focus is to explore the inner world, toward scientific understanding of the highest knowledge of his inner spiritual nature through his natural relation with God based on acintya-bedaabeda-tattva. As per this doctrine, every living entity (soul) identified as jiva-atma is simultaneously one and different from God. They are intimately related eternally, hence the relation is permanent. This is universally applicable beyond time and space.

Within this order, during his time, when differences arose based on faith, he set an excellent precedent by initiating a friendly dialogue similar to present-day interfaith dialogues with Chand Kazi, the then Muslim ruler at the time of Mughal rule. Sri Chaitanya had complete mastery over the Quran and was well-versed with several languages like Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic and Urdu. At an occasion in Allahabad (Now Prayag), he interacted with a large number of Muslims using his in-depth knowledge of the Quran.

Subsequently all of them were transformed into good Muslims.

The true goal of religion as practically demonstrated by Sri Chaitanya and his apostles thus laid the compass to define pure religion at spiritual level and thus universally practiced religion as a way of life through responsible living.

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Later, from the 19th century, the important precepts of Sri Chaitanya have been systematically encapsulated as per time, place and circumstances by the contemporary philosopher-saints like Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, his grand disciple Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada’s scientist disciple Dr. T.D. Singh (our institute’s founder) and others who appeared in the direct lineage of Sri Chaitanya and were empowered by their predecessors.

It is a fact that it was Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura who re-established Sri Chaitanya’s bhakti movement after he appeared in the 19th century at a critical, historical juncture, when the teachings of Sri Chaitanya had been disparaged and depreciated. Though only a few hundred years had elapsed since Sri Chaitanya’s disappearance, his teachings were obscured by the cultural-religious chauvinism of the ruling British and discredited by the deviant sects/groups with concocted philosophies. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura practically re-discovered and revived Sri Chaitanya’s teachings, published the writings of his principal apostles and proved the timeless importance and relevance of these teachings to the modern world.

One such revived work was presenting true religion to the world through dialogue in order to bridge the gaps between various faiths.

He has elaborated them in his publication ‘Sri Chaitanya-Sikshamrta’ and for my talk, I have referred largely to this publication.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura identified three categories of dialogue and emphasized first-class dialogue as the way to bridge differences amongst religions. Based on his practices and complete mastery over Vedic scriptures, Koran and Bible, he highlighted THE SAMVAAD HANDBOOK

that, the differences between religions fall under secondary characteristics while thet primary level, the essence of all religion is one and pure.

His teachings convey that, a pure religion functions at spiritual plane where all the living entities share a common Father. Consequently, as children of one Father, all are closely related to one another. Naturally, we must support one another to coexist and respect each other. This religion is only one and God’s love is exclusively experienced through this pure religion as one recognizes that he or she has an intimate relationship with one Supreme Being. Hence, a man’s primary nature or dharma to serve God with love is based on this relationship. Further, a true religious principle is revealed to humanity through chosen saintly persons. It is a special gift of God to humanity to enable a sincere person to prepare himself or herself to experience God’s love.

At the same time, as part of the preparation for progressive realization of pure religion or nitya dharma, man has to follow certain secondary rules which largely comprise naimmitika dharma and these are identified with different culture and practices associated with faiths.

These are disseminated as per time, place and circumstances by empowered saints or teachers of respective faiths. The varied Secondary characteristics confirms diversity leading to cultural and religious differences.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura opines that these differences must be acknowledged and respected.

Why? He elaborates, though the principal nature of man is one, still all are individuals. © SEEDS OF PEACE INDIA

Referring to twins born from the same womb, he opines, no two people in the world will have identical secondary qualities. Therefore, one cannot expect that people born in different countries can ever have exactly the same qualities. Moreover, different countries have different water, air, mountains, forests, vegetation and clothing. As a result, the people of these places have naturally developed different physiques, complexions, customs, clothing, language and food. Similarly, the peoples’ mentality will differ. Accordingly, people’s conception of God, though being primarily similar with spiritual essence, will differ in details. This gives rise to difference in the mode of worship of God. Because of the above reasons, he says, we see the following differences amongst the religions of different countries.

1. difference of teachers or prophets 2. difference in worshipper’s mentality and consequent expression of reverence.

3. difference in procedures of worship 4. difference in conceptions of God 5. difference in God’s name and statements due to difference in language The first-class dialogue focuses on the major commonalities among all religions, like the existence of one Supreme God, existence of soul, central principles which are very much the same in all religions. These are moral principles like Truthfulness, Respect of others, Tolerance, Simplicity, Cleanliness, etc. Thus, the need to respect the differences in detailed processes, which are often based on timeplace and circumstances.

As a case for practice, he said, the people of 189

one country should give proper respect to the native saints of another country, while holding strong faith to one’s belief for one’s progress.

He should respect the teachings of saints of the country where he resides and not go to other places and preach that what his teachers have taught is superior to all other teachings.

According to language differences, different religions call God by different names and the languages used during worship are also different. Thus different religions have different rituals too. One will also have different conceptions concerning the object of worship.

It is generally observed, with devotion in one’s hearts, some establish the form in their mind and accept the same in external world and worship that form. Some give greater emphasis on logic and form a conception of God only in mind and worship rejecting the external form. In reality, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, as God manifests Himself with and without form as well as within the heart, all these conceptions are forms of the Lord. To put into practice, he advises, if one goes to someone else’s place of worship one should think, ‘The people are worshipping my Lord, but in a different way. Because of my different training, I cannot quite comprehend this system of worship. However, through this experience, I can deepen my appreciation for my own system of worship. The Lord is only one, not two. I offer respect to the form I see here and pray to the Lord in this new form that he increases my love for the Lord in His accustomed form.’

He condemned those who do not follow this procedure. He said, ‘Indulging in useless quarrelling, they betray the very goal of their

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own religion.’

However, he also said, though it is worthless to criticize a difference in religious systems, if one sees a genuine fault like blasphemy or fanatic actions then for the benefit of mankind, one must attempt to correct the fault but in the proper way. Quoting from Sri Chaitanya’s approach, he says, while discussing with Buddhists, Jains and others, Sri Chaitanya, led them to the proper path.

Faith leaders have to objectively study the primary relation of man with God as well as secondary rules prescribed in their faiths to revive the primary relation or to awaken the dormant love towards ‘One God.’ Hence, the faith leaders have to objectively study the primary relation of man with God as well as secondary rules prescribed in their faiths to revive the primary relation or to awaken the dormant love towards ‘One God’.

They should provide basic education to their followers on these five differences and that it is natural for religions to be different at the secondary level. Therefore, it is improper and detrimental to argue over these differences.

The emphasis would be on pure religion over differences due to secondary characteristics involving physical and mental planes. If the goal of a religion is pure love, then all differences can be adjusted.

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Srila Prabhupada practically applied the teachings of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and brought several faiths under one umbrella.

He conversed with many priests and parents from Christian communities who had struggled to guide their dependents towards religion or God. Without disturbing their practicing faith, he convinced them about one religion and one God and man’s relation with God and His creation.

Later Dr. T.D.Singh applied the teachings while engaging in dialogue with top scientists and peace leaders of different faiths.

These wise and holy men had the conviction that the religion of common humanity cannot be many. If all are children of one God, then the religion that upholds man’s relation with God cannot be many to the extent of opposing one another. At the core, there must be only one universal religion, a pure religion that binds God’s children together with God, a pure religion that builds an inter-dependent and

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inter-related community with God in the centre.

Today pluralism is a universal fact. Science and technology have transformed our earth planet into a global village and within this ambit it has also facilitated for several separate identities to express themselves and also live together amicably. Here we need to note that pluralism can become a concern in the long run if mankind gets stuck up with secondary characteristics without progressing towards pure religion. Faith leaders and educators have an important role here. If God is understood without knowledge (avidvat pratiti), many controversies may arise. If He is understood through true knowledge (vidvat pratiti), there is no place for disagreements.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura thus became a renowned bridge-builder between primary and secondary characteristics of a human to achieve unity in faith amongst its diversity.

He demonstrated and provided education to practice oneness in diversity through the lens of pure religion and a matured perception of God.

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Inspiration Notes and excerpts from Arun Wakhlu’s workshop on Wholeness

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Awakening to Wholeness

Different religions are like different flavours of tea.

All have the same common ingredient…water.

You can also think of the different faiths as windows of different shapes and colours, all opening out towards the same one sky. Or again, the different rituals and practices of different religions are like streams that flow into the same lake. Or are pathways leading up a mountain peak finally to the same peak.

All of us would agree that the common core of all religions is to act with love, compassion, and peace towards all.

If this is so, how can we bring more unity in diversity amongst faiths? What would it be like to awaken to wholeness, the core of all religions?

What might happen if we took the most inspiring practices from different faiths and made them our own with ease and grace?

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What is wholeness?

“The words ‘holy,’ ‘wholesome,’ ‘health,’ and ‘healing’ are all rooted in the idea of ‘wholeness.’

Wholeness involves the entirety of things which suggests inclusion and seeing the big picture.

It involves diversity, but diversity that dances with unity instead of undermining it. It involves cooperation, interaction, dialogue, compassion, and all the other things that ‘bring us together without losing our individual ‘integrity’ (another word grounded in wholeness), thus enhancing relationship and interconnectedness. Our essential unity and kinship are powerful factors in wholeness.”

~ Tom Atlee “People often mistake oneness (agreement, unity, and light) with wholeness, but wholeness is bigger than that. It necessarily includes everything — agreement and disagreement, unity and diversity, light and dark, the known and the unknown.

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“Whole people are big enough for all the parts of themselves, even the parts they disagree with.

They know such disagreement is creative power.

Whole relationships, groups, and even societies are big enough to use the disagreements of their members in creative ways. Disagreement is the stuff of which social intelligence is made.

Wholeness is developmental. We are growing into it, individually and collectively.”

~ Peter and Trudy Johnson-Lenz “Compassion is a spontaneous movement of wholeness. It is not a studied decision to help the poor, to be kind to the unfortunate.

Compassion has a tremendous momentum that naturally, choicelessly moves us to worthy action.

It has the force of intelligence, creativity, and the strength of love. This vast intelligence that orders the cosmos is available to all. The beauty of life, the wonder of living, is that we share creativity, intelligence, and unlimited potential with the rest of the cosmos. To realize that we are not simply physical beings on a material planet, but that we are whole beings, each a miniature cosmos, each related to all of life in intimate, profound ways, should radically transform how we perceive ourselves, our environments, our social problems. Nothing can ever be isolated from wholeness.”

~ Vimala Thakar

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Identification with a false notion of who we are comes in the way of wholeness The mind and its identifications makes up our false self. (The words ”a self” anagrams into “false”). When we remember, that we are not the EGO, made up of thoughts of the past or the future, and our mind, but are much more, things begin to change. We are the timeless awareness of No-Mind which is beyond the mind.

A simple thing to remember is that I am awareness. This awareness is a mystery because you can’t touch it or feel it or see it, and definitely can’t define it . And yet, this awareness is that which sees everything. It is both your innermost essence as well as the multiplicity of all things. When I am present to this mystery, and I begin to see everything as a manifestation or an expression of this all pervading awareness, I begin to see that everything is interconnected.

Everything is all related to each other, and working beautifully, in great harmony, joy and perfection.

What keeps us from seeing and being this perfection is a false notion of who we are. We call this the “ego”. If you think of the ego being like a balloon, then it is made up of memories from our past, and thoughts about our future.The PIN or ‘Presence In Now’ bursts this balloon.

When I learn the art of living totally and wholeheartedly in the present moment, I am one with the wholeness of life. There is nothing to be “got”, no magical popping of something. You already are wholeness right now! This is like a bubble of water on the surface of a lake bursting and merging back with the whole lake. This moment is the only time there is, or will ever be.

That’s where life is always dancing.

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A Simple Process of Awakening: Step 1: I am subjective awareness which sees everything and cannot be seen. All that I see is transient, impermanen.

Step 2: Awareness has no boundaries or limits because if it did, the limit would be an object. So awareness is infinite, boundaryless. The seen is therefore not different from the seer. There is no separation.

Step 3: Be still and know that I Am. Everything IS, and so it IS now.

“Wisdom is knowing I am nothing, Love is knowing I am everything. Once you realize that the road is the goal and that you are always on the road, not to reach a goal, but to enjoy its beauty and its wisdom, life ceases to be a task and becomes natural and simple, in itself.” ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj So if I am already Infinite Wholeness, then what is there to do? Nothing really! Just playfully ride the waves of life seeing all of LIFE as Love in Full Expression. Or as a LILA (Play) of Love in Loving Action.

And yet, it helps to have these little practices in your pocket till you can throw them all away.

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The Practices reclaim and remain as the Wholeness that You already are: 1. Remembering our Wholeness: Just remember “Tat twam asi” …Wholeness is the one Self. Or Allah-Hu: Allah is everything, inner, outer, beyond..the Infinite Wholeness Or Waheguru…everything is the wondrous and timeless and infinite Guru, the remover of darkness; or when we see a cross, we remember that when we cut out the “I”, only Love is there, and that Love is wholeness.

Or simply remembering that there is only Kaivalya ..pure, stainless, intelligence, and bliss free from birth, existence, destruction, recognition, and experience. And that is the real and whole Self. The Only One. 2. Gratitude: Notice all the good in life. Appreciate and thank existence for all the good things. Notice and appreciate all that is good and salutary and beautiful. Whatever we focus on will grow.

All of existence is love. So all that is happening is born of love. All the suffering that we see in the world is the creation of limited human minds, of erroneous thinking. Its consequences are meant to teach us. Thank the universe for these teachings, for the purification that is needed to awaken back to Wholeness.

3. Prayer and Affirmations: “Words make worlds”. Words carry vibrations strong enough to inspire, heal and transform the human heart as well as the realm of plants, animals and all creation. Thoughts and words are like seeds that manifest the vibration they carry. When we choose healing prayers and affirmations, we are consciously planting seeds of wholeness. Our consciously chosen thoughts and prayers forms create an energetic field strong enough to the course of planetary destiny. Here is an example of a prayer :

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May peace prevail on earth ; and an affirmation:

All is well and healthy dear life. Your perfection is boundless. All aspects of my spirit, mind, and body move in oneness with your joyous perfection.

Make up your own prayers and affirmations.

4. Courtesy: At a time when aggression, hostility, and incivility have become a common feature of public behavior and discourse, the beautiful light of courtesy can bring delight to those who witness it. Manifesting courtesy, and treating others the way you would like to be treated (The Golden Rule) is, indeed, one of the ways that we can manifest compassion toward others.

“O people of God! I admonish you to observe courtesy, for above all else it is the prince of virtues. Well is it with him who is illumined with the light of courtesy and is attired with the vesture of uprightness.

Whoso is endued with courtesy hath indeed attained a sublime station.”

~ Baha’u’llah

See how you can be courteous to all you meet today.

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5. Service: Humble service, self-forgetting and unselfish giving for others does three things: • It forms bridges of joyful connection; • It fills your heart with gratitude as you see how interdependent life is; and • It opens you up to receive the blessings of life (because giving is receiving…the more I give, the more I receive) The love and compassion that is Wholeness flow out spontaneously as service. Just as water flows naturally from a higher level to a lower level, service happens. Consciously choosing acts of service to others dissolves any sense of separation.

a helping hand, help with work.

Be loving and kind to all animals. Stop murdering animals for food. Plants will do just as well to give you all the nutrients you want. Adopt a stray dog or cat.

Today do some acts of kindness, including Random Acts of Kindness. See how happy and peaceful you feel. (Just writing all this is making me happy!).

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy.

I awoke and saw that life was service.

I acted and behold, service was joy.“

~ Rabindranath Tagore.

Look for opportunities to give and serve.

6. Compassion in Action:

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion”

~ HH The Dalai Lama

Life is an infinite ocean of joyful compassion in action. Flow with and celebrate life….love in full expression.

Be loving and grateful to your body. It is unique.

It will be totally different seven years from now.

Take great care of your body. It is miraculous and beautiful.

Be loving and kind to others, different expressions of the one wholeness. Take compassionate care of others. There are millions of ways to do this. A smile, a kind word,

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Stories for Awakening to Wholeness These four stories have made a deep impression on me. For me they are metaphors of our search for happiness and love, our own journeys of evolution. Not only do we search tirelessly in the wrong places for happiness and love (outside of us in people, places, things and achievements), but we are also searching for that which we already are! Oneness with the wholeness of life is our home. Being one with the infinite love that life is, is where we find the source of lasting happiness, fulfilment and peace.

We search for happiness and peace at the level of our senses, thinking (erroneously) that either some person, place or thing will give us lasting joy and fulfilment. But it doesn’t, because everything in the realm of the senses is temporary. Every single cookie finally crumbles!

So it can never, ever, ever give us lasting peace.

Yes. It can give us momentary thrills. It can give us temporary satisfaction, but it can never give us the lasting peace and the lasting okayness that belongs to our innermost core …..our awakened, magnificent and whole self.

May these stories remind us all that what we seek is right here. We are the source of our peace, happiness and wellbeing.

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The Salt Doll A salt doll journeyed for thousands of miles through dry and dusty lands. for longer than it could remember. It didn’t know from where it had come, nor how long it had been travelling.

It was simply alive, and walking, beneath the hot sun, in the sand-filled winds, in the icy moonlight of the night. Day after day.

Eventually, it came to the edge of the sea. It was fascinated by this moving liquid mass, so unlike anything it had seen before.

“Who are you?” asked the salt doll.

“Come in and see” replied the sea with a smile.

So the salt doll waded in.

The further it went, the more it dissolved till there was only a pinch of it left.

Before the last bit dissolved the doll exclaimed in wonder, “Now I know who the sea is. It is me.”

The Lost Needle A famous mystic, Rabiya of Basra, was looking for something beneath a lamppost on the street outside her house. The sun was setting, as a few people gathered around her. “What have you lost? What are you searching for? Perhaps we can help,” they said to Rabiya.

Rabiya said, “I have lost my needle.” One amongst the people said, “It’s getting dark now and it will be difficult to find the needle. Where has it fallen? Tell us and we can help you find it”.

Rabiya told them, “ It has fallen inside my house.” Everyone started giggling.

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Then a person said out loud, “If the needle has fallen inside your house,why are you searching for it on the road?”

“Inside the house there is no light and on the outside there is still a little light,” Rabiya replied.

The people laughed and started dispersing.

Rabiya called them back and said, “Listen! That’s exactly what you are doing: I was just following your example. You go on seeking happiness in the outside world without asking the most fundamental question: where exactly have I lost it?”

After a pause, she continued, “You have lost it inside, and yet you are looking for it on the outside for the very same reason -- your senses are outward bound, your ears hear sounds on the outside, your hands touch things on the outside. That’s the reason why you are searching outside. For a very long time, I was also just searching on the outside. But the day I searched inwards, I was surprised. That is where I lost it and that is the only place it can be found.”

The Musk Deer There once was a musk deer who at some point in his life began to notice this heavenly scent in the air. Intoxicated by its smell, he set out in search for the source of this divine aroma. He searched high and low and everywhere he went he could smell it lightly in the air, but its source always eluded him. He looked for the source through the forest, cutting through brambles, often injuring himself in the search. He searched through the depths of every forest, smelled every tree, tasted every shrub and blade of grass and still couldn’t discover where this scent

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was coming from. He remained steadfast in his search, because the scent was intoxicatingly glorious. The poor animal no longer ate, drank or slept.

Finally, starving, disappointed , exhausted and wandering about at random, he slipped from the top of a rock and fell mortally wounded. The musk deer’s last act before he died was to lick the area just below his navel. His musk pouch, ruptured when he fell from the rock, poured out its perfume. He gasped and tried to breathe in the heady perfume, but it was too late.

The perfume that the deer looked for externally, was, all the while, contained in himself. After a lifetime of searching, in the final moments of his precious life, he finally realized that the scent was coming from him the whole time.

The Precious Jewel All wisdom according to Daudzadah, is contained in the various levels of interpretation of this ancient traditional tale.

In a remote realm of perfection, there was a just monarch who had a wife and a wonderful son and daughter. They all lived together in happiness.

One day the father called his children before him and said: ‘The time has come, as it does for all. You are to go down, an infinite distance, to another land. You shall seek and find and bring back a precious jewel.’

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The travellers were conducted in disguise to a strange land, whose inhabitants almost all lived a dark existence. Such was the effect of this place that the two lost touch with each other, wandering as if asleep.

From time to time they saw phantoms, similitudes of their country and of the Jewel, but such was their condition that these things only increased the depth of their reveries, which they now began to take as reality.

When news of his children’s plight reached the King, he sent word by a trusted servant, a wise man: ‘Remember your mission, awaken from your dream, and remain together.’

With this message they roused themselves, and with the help of their rescuing guide they dared the monstrous perils which surrounded the Jewel, and by its magic aid returned to their realm of light, there to remain in increased happiness for evermore.

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Admit It and Change Everything

by Rumi Define and narrow me, you starve yourself of yourself.

Nail me down in a box of cold words, that box is your coffin.

I do not know who I am.

I am in astounded lucid confusion.

I am not a Christian, I am not a Jew, I am not a Zoroastrian, And I am not even a Muslim.

I do not belong to the land, or to any known or unknown sea.

Nature cannot own or claim me, nor can heaven, Nor can India, China, Bulgaria, My birthplace is placelessness, My sign to have and give no sign.

You say you see my mouth, ears, eyes, nose they are not mine.

I am the life of life.

I am that cat, this stone, no one.

I have thrown duality away like an old dishrag, I see and know all times and worlds, As one, one, always one.

So what do I have to do to get you to admit who is speaking?

Admit it and change everything!

This is your own voice echoing off the walls of God.

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The Mystery of Wholeness This note was inspired by “The Nature of God”

by Dr. David R Hawkins

From the totality of authentically verifiable sources of spiritual knowledge can be distilled an absolute, irreducible quintessence, a core of absolute validity that transcends all positionalities or editorializing for either advantage or gain.

From the source of the subjective reality from which these words emanate, as well as the derivation of man’s spiritual experience throughout history, the following statements can be made with absolute certainty:

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Wholeness is both manifest as the Totality and Allness of Creation and simultaneously unmanifest as the Infinite Potentiality and Source or ‘voidness’ prior to form.

Wholeness is infinite beyond time or depictions of space or locality, without beginning or end Wholeness is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient.

Wholeness is the source and substrate of consciousness, awareness, knowingness and sentience. It is also the source and substrate of unconsciousness, unawareness,unknowingness and insentience.

Wholeness is the sole source of the energy of life Wholeness is the context and source of evolution and Creation, which are one and the same.

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Wholeness is the source and presence of peace, possibility, love, stillness and beauty.

Wholeness is beyond all universes and materiality, yet is the source of All That Is. Wholeness is the sole source of existence and the potentiality of beingness.

Wholeness is the ultimate context of which the universe and all existence is the content.

Wholeness is the a priori formless source of existence within all form.

Wholeness is not within the province of the provable or the intellect.

Wholeness is the source and essence of the subjective state of ‘I-ness’ called Enlightenment.

Wholeness is the radical subjectivity and dancing objectivity of Self-realization.

Wholeness is descriptively immanent and transcendent.

The human experience of the Presence of Wholeness is the same in all ages, all cultures, and all localities.

The effect on human consciousness of the experience of the Presence of Wholeness is subjectively transformative and identical throughout human history.

It leaves a timeless mark that is verifiable as a calibration of a recorded level of consciousness.

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Just as darkness cannot exist when there is light, being whole dispels human frailties, duality, judgmentalism, wrath, righteous anger, resentment, limitation, arbitrariness, vanity, revenge, jealousy, retaliation, vulnerability, or locality. All these are born from a partial/erroneous view of oneself as a limited separate “self”. (The Ego).

The variabilities of the depictions of Wholeness as Divinity reflect the variabilities of human perception and the projections of the impediments of the ego/mind and its positionalities, its cravings, aversions and preferences The purity of the Presence of Wholeness is traditionally the essence of the ineffable quality of holiness and is the basis for the depictive term ‘sacred’. That which is devoid of content is the equivalent of Innocence.

When the obstacles of the human mind and its mentation, emotionality, and the ego’s structures from which they are derived are transcended, the Self as Immanent Wholeness shines forth of its own accord, just as the sun shines forth when the clouds are removed.

Wholeness is the context and source of the karmic unity of all Creation, beyond all perceptual descriptions or limitations, such as time or space.

The eternal Truth of Wholeness is verifiable only by dissolving into its Mystery, and not by knowing about it.

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How can YOU engage in interfaith exploration?

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There has been enough and more written and spoken about our planet being in the throes of the sixth mass extinction, which is only being accelerated with active contribution of humanity towards ecological imbalance, human-made disasters as well as socio-political strife. While it may look like a grim reality, we – each of us – have work to do. Interfaith engagement intersects with ecology and climate change, politics, public health, resource management and several other areas of life that are currently contributing to disasters of planetary proportions. It is, needless to say, time to act.

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG16) calls upon each of us to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. Engaging in interfaith engagement is one step in this direction. Wherever you are in the world, whatever you do, we welcome you to participate in this process in any manner you can. Together, let’s change our reality and nurture a sustainable planet.

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For Organizers/Institutions: If you would like to organize an event, however large or small, online or offline, connect with institutions such as Seeds of Peace, your local religious institutions, etc. to facilitate interfaith explorations for your community.

While this is a sensitive subjective, particularly in polarised communities, wherever it is possible and safe to do so, make your work public in order to encourage others to be inspired by your initiatives. Use the power of social media, blogs, podcasts, etc. for this purpose.

For Participants: If you have had the opportunity to engage in interfaith training of any kind, continue to deepen your inner work around it through reading, dialogue and reflection. Also, where it is comfortable and safe to do so, extend your learning to others by blogging, writing on media platforms, having conversations with near and dear ones, so that we can normalise safe conversations around faith.

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What you can do to engage in interfaith exploration?

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Share! If you come across any interesting content or opportunities related to interfaith work, share it so that folks in your network can benefit from it too.

Speak up. Have conversations with your family and friends on their ideas on faith and hold a safe listening space for them to voice their views.

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Observe how faith plays a role at home.

Does it impact routines, gender roles, nature of activities, etc. You may not want to change anything, but it helps to understand and observe how faith permeates our daily lives, whether or not you are religious.

If you live with others, how comfortable is everyone to speak with each other around faith your own and that of others? Work to openly discuss issues related to faith, so as to co-create a safe and inclusive world for us all.

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Bring to attention any spaces where you observe faith-based discrimination. Gently yet firmly, bring in facts to the notice of the people involved and initiate a dialogue.

Organize conversations, circles, talks and other events to get people to discuss issues related to faith. Help the world reconcile, one individual at a time.

Why engage in interfaith work?

Harmonious, long-lasting and mutually supportive communities and countries are key to our collective survival. Yet, in this time of unprecedented socio-political changes, our relationship with religion is in a state of disrepair and confusion. Yet, every religion speaks of the same message of unity at its core. What is in the way, therefore, can be the way. We need to decolonise religion from

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political, institutional and other vested interests and re-establish a direct connection with faith.

The idea is not to propagate the notion of religion; it is to reclaim and reconnect with the ideal of harmonious co-existence which is at the heart of every religion. This is not the job of institutions. It is the job of each one of us, we each owe it to the rest of humanity, and to the generations to come.

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Contact Information: Seeds Of Peace India Team Sagar Gangurde,

sgangurde@seedsofpeace.org

Director of Programs

Urmi Chanda,

uchanda@seedsofpeace.org

Senior Coordinator of Programs

Facilitators and Content Leads Mansi Arun Panjwani Rukmini Iyer

mansi@thepeacecollective.co rukmini@exult-solutions.com

Outreach Consultants Stephania Menezes Pallavi Wali

Graphic Designer Gaurav Wali

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SAMVAAD HANDBOOK BY SEEDS OF PEACE INDIA