9/11 - A response

Today's date has gone down in our recent history as one that marked a turning point for the world. Acts of terror that had been fed on an uncaring attitude and lack of compassion, have been followed by even greater numbers of dead, more terror around the whole world and higher levels of political and religious extremism.

Karen Armstrong has written in the Huffington Post today:

9/11 and Compassion: We Need It Now More Than Ever

"The anniversary of 9/11 reminds us why we need the Charter for Compassion. It should be an annual summons to compassionate action. The need is especially apparent this year. In the United States, we have witnessed an upsurge of anti-Muslim feeling that violates the core values of that nation. The controversy surrounding the community centre near Ground Zero, planned by our dear friends Imam Feisal Rauf and Daisy Khan (who were among the earliest supporters and partners of the Charter) has inspired rhetoric that shames us all. And now we have the prospect of the Quran burning proposed by a Christian pastor, who seems to have forgotten that Jesus taught his followers to love those they regard as enemies, to respond to evil with good, and to turn the other cheek when attacked, and who died forgiving his executioners.

If we want to preserve our humanity, we must make the compassionate voice of religion and morality a vibrant and dynamic force in our polarised world. We can no longer afford the barbarism of hatred, contempt and disgust. At the same time as we are so perilously divided, we are drawn together electronically, economically and politically more closely than ever before. A Quran burning, whenever it is held (it appears to have been delayed for questionable reasons by the pastor behind it), would endanger American troops in Afghanistan and send shock waves of distress throughout the Muslim world. In an age when, increasingly, small groups will have powers of destruction that were previously the preserve only of the nation-state, respect and compassion are now crucial for our very survival. We have to learn to make a place for the other in our minds and hearts; any ideology that inspires hatred, exclusion and division is failing the test of our time. Hatred breeds more hatred, violence more violence. It is time to break this vicious cycle.

courtesy of bbcimages

In response to the prospect of a Quran burning, some people planned readings of the sacred Quran. Others are organizing interfaith gatherings on September 11. Each person who has affirmed the Charter, each one of our partners and associates, will know how best to respond in his or her own community. It is an opportunity to protest against the hatred that is damaging us all; to sit and do nothing is not an option. Instead of looking at one another with hostility, let us look at the suffering that we are seeing in so many parts of the world -- not least in Pakistan, where millions of people have been victims of the flooding. On September 11, let us all try to find something practical to do that can, in however small a way, bring help and relief to all those in pain, even -- and perhaps especially -- those we may regard as enemies. We are all neighbours in the global village and must learn to live together in harmony, compassion and mutual respect.

Imam Feisal Rauf is a Sufi. Over the centuries, Sufis, the mystics of Islam, have developed an outstanding appreciation of other faith traditions. It is quite common for a Sufi poet to cry in ecstasy that he is no longer a Muslim, a Christian or a Jew and that he is at home equally in a synagogue, mosque, temple or church, because once you have glimpsed the immensity of the divine, these limited, human distinctions fall away into insignificance. We need that spirit today -- perhaps especially near Ground Zero. Here I would like to add some words of the great thirteenth-century Sufi philosopher Muid ad-Din ibn al-Arabi, which I have found personally inspiring:

Do not attach yourself in an exclusive manner to any one creed, so that you disbelieve all the rest: if you do this, you will miss much good; nay, you will fail to realize the real truth of the matter. God, the omnipresent and omnipotent, is not limited by any one creed, for He says, "Wheresoever ye turn, there is the face of Allah" (Quran 2.109). Everyone praises what he believes; his god is his own creature, and in praising it he praises himself. Consequently he blames the beliefs of others, which he would not do if he were just but his dislike is based on ignorance.

It is time to combat the ignorance that inspires hatred and fear. We have seen the harm religious chauvinism can do; now let us bear witness to the power of compassion."

Former Roman Catholic nun; Author, 'Through the Narrow Gate'

Posted: September 10, 2010 08:24 PM

Today of all days, we need to stop awhile, and take stock, lest we pass yet another golden opportunity to stop the carnage.

Bring a still, calm voice, to the Garden . . .

“And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake;

12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-18 (New King James Version)

Last year we visited Venice. It is a deeply spiritual place – not just because of the intensely atmospheric architecture and juxtaposition of buildings and sky with the lapping waters of the canals and sea, but also the sheer scale and number of churches. In one such church I was deeply moved by the singing of a catholic priest as he started an afternoon service for visitors with a rendition of “All people that on earth do dwell” (the Old One Hundredth in Anglican parlance).

A few weeks ago we had the privilege of observing Buddhist monks leading congregations in prayer in Kyoto, and again, it was the singing from the front – the person leading the service – that captured my spirit and sent me soaring on a spiritual high!

Since then I have been exploring the internet for more evidence of what Thomas Moore has described as “Zen Catholicism” (see Writing in the Sand). There is plenty, and all of a sudden my fascination with the symbolism and purpose of the Zen Gardens of Kyoto, the role that they play and why they are suddenly so attractive to an enquiring western mind such as my own, has come crashing together in a noisy cacophony of thoughts and ideas much as poor old Elijah must have had to deal with in his mountain side cave. (Did Elijah exist? I don’t care – if he did, that’s great; if not, his story is suitably apocryphal to explain to what I am currently experiencing: oh for a still, quiet voice, and calm!)

In my recent, limited, readings on Zen and Christianity, I am starting to recognise a universality in their paths, their messages of love and peace, their explanations on where to find the Kingdom of God and so on. It does not matter one iota whether we are brought up as Buddhists, or Christians, or Muslims or Shintoists! All seek the same relationship with God, all seek to better Mankind and, if Zen is about thinking deeply about religion and the nature of all things (quite apart from just Man), then we can all can learn from it!

In the bustle of everyday life we never seem to find the time, or the place, to sit and be quiet, to listen to the still calm voice from within: and if we do, the noise from our own minds comes crashing in with everyday concerns and worries. Zen Buddhists use devices such as “koans” (answerless questions – “mu” - and intensely deep ideas to ponder) and gardens on which to focus their minds as they practice the emptying of trite and everyday concerns from their minds as they perform “zazen”.

Jesus said, "If your leaders say to you, 'Look, the (Father's) kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the (Father's) kingdom is within you and it is outside you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty." The Gospel of Thomas.

What am I doing here?

How poor, am I!