I would like to share a few reflections on a recent trip to Capetown, South Africa, to the Parliament of the World’s Religions to provide you with a brief flavor of a glimpse of light and life.
I am providing some of these reflections the day after Nelson Mandela, Madiba, addressed the Parliament saying “we commend the Parliament of the World’s Religions for its immense role in saying the common ground is greater and more enduring than those aspects which divide.” The same day a beautiful brother from Senegal, Moussa N’diaye, and a small group of Yankees, including Travis Binion, Marvin Gawryn and Paula Thompson spoke similar sentiments to an assembled group of interested spiritual seekers at the University of South Africa in presenting The Urantia Book. In a land where division has created immense problems a genuine spirit of dialogue has created the opportunity for immense solutions.
My experience in Capetown, and in other interfaith venues, convinces me that The Urantia Book is to serve as a leaven to the great traditions of the world; and, so it is serving. As we are witnessing firsthand at events such as this, the power of its vision is so much greater as a leaven. As a Methodist, I am able to share the great truths of the book so much more effectively. As a Muslim, my brother, Moussa from Senegal, is able to share the great truths of the book so much more effectively. Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Indigenous Traditions, and many others here have been drawn to The Urantia Book by understanding and appreciating that leavening vision. We have sold or given away every book brought to South Africa.
As we have been interfacing with these many traditions, we have been witness to the power of the holy spirit as it is moving through these brothers and sisters, in their expressions of faith, in their expressions of planetary service and in their deep sense of solidarity with members of other faith traditions. It is truly inspiring to see all of the service projects that have been undertaken by group after group after group. One such group whose outreach has been truly inspirational is the Boulder Women’s Corps who have helped to sponsor Sally Randall in her work with the Zulu people in South Africa. Sally and a number of Zulu children brought the entire audience to their feet in excitement as they danced to traditional drums with great joy and energy on the main stage the first evening of the Parliament.
There are so many gifts of service that are emanating from so many different directions. It is a time full of hope and promise. What is required during these times is that all planetary citizens have the courage to allow their commitment to dialogue and service to transcend their irritations, to see how much larger is our common ground and to be thankful for that common ground. This Parliament is witness to the power of that commitment. Madiba, Nelson Mandela, is a personification of that power to bring unity where once there was division. His inspiration for The Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa provides a model for peacemaking that all groups who find themselves divided might learn from. Though he is no longer President of South Africa, the people here still call him President; he is their spiritual leader. In his “retirement”, Madiba is quite active in bringing resolution to ongoing tensions between the indigenous people.
HH Dalai Lama XIV provides another equally compelling example of a person, of a people who were able, in truth, to separate the ideology of their “enemies” from those personalities and to love them truly as brothers and sisters. By developing a deep compassion for his “enemies” the Dalai Lama has actually been very successful in sharing the insights of Buddhism with many, many people. By blessing and engaging the “enemy” in dialogue, the Dalai Lama has helped many more people and, I’m convinced, one day will free the peoples of Tibet. One can literally feel his sense of deep compassion when in his personal presence. During his presentation at the Parliament he spoke of the need to move our inner commitments and experiences of the divine out into a world of immense need and suffering.
Another great spiritual leader, among the many in attendance at the Parliament, was Mahaghosananda, Buddhist leader of the Cambodian people. During the time of the Killing Fields, the genocidal war in Cambodia, it was Mahaghosananda and his small troupe of monks who would literally walk through the middle of a battle field, through the middle of enemies who were shooting at one another. These enemies would usually stop their shooting while the monks passed through. When the monks arrived at the far end of the battle field, they would turn around and walk back through the middle, until the two sides, exasperated, would quit the battle and return to their camps. Mahaghosananda and his troupe became known as the Third Force, a powerful force of engaged compassion. To experience Mahaghosananda’s smile is contagious in much the same way that Jesus’ smile was transformative.
In the course of the Parliament there were many wonderful seminars put on by all the faith traditions. Most interesting to me was to learn more of the deep spirituality of the indigenous peoples of Africa. As one teacher put it, “in the West you say, ‘I think therefore I am’. In Africa, we say, ‘we belong, therefore we are’”. This message and the understanding he provided of their indigenous traditions was very attractive. Many of the seminars focused on common values and themes shared by the great traditions. The great scholar of Comparative Religions, Huston Smith, was there and gave a seminar on the mystical aspect of the great traditions. He indicated that what fascinated him with respect to the great traditions was not so much their social patterns, their creeds or their rituals, as their call to transcendence, to a genuine experience of the divine mystery.
During one of our days we had an opportunity to see the townships outside of Capetown, to see some of the progress that is being made and the great needs that exist in their society. We learned about the history of apartheid, the work of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. We saw first hand how South Africa deals with its own multicultural identity.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the Parliament for me has not been so much the programs, nor the symposia, nor the plenary presentations, nor even the presence of Nelson Mandela, all wonderful, but the deep connection that I now have with two dear brothers from Senegal, Moussa and Doudou. We in America have much to learn from the deep wisdom of brothers such as Moussa and Doudou. Their gracious manner and their genuine excitement for The Urantia Book was an inspiration to all of us in attendance. I say “gracious” because they were exceedingly kind to me as I slaughtered the French language in their presence. As the Master informs us, and we know from our own experience there is no greater joy in the universe than to get to know such brothers and sisters. What a joy and inspiration South Africa has been!
Thank you, Madiba!
I close with a part of Mandela’s address to the assembled Parliament:
“The truth of the old African proverb that we are people through other people is tonight very evocatively being demonstrated by this gathering of so many people from all parts of the world. This coming together here in this southernmost city on the African continent of representatives from such a wide range of the faiths of the world symbolizes the acknowledgement of our mutual interdependence and common humanity. It is to me a humbling experience to be part of this moving expression and reaffirmation of the nobility of the human spirit.
“This century has seen enough of destruction, injustice, strife and division, suffering and pain and of our capacity to be massively inhuman the one to the other.
There is sufficient cause for being cynical about human life and about humanity. This gathering at the close of our century serves to counter despair and cynicism and calls us to a recognition and reaffirmation of that which is great and generous and caring in the human spirit…As we approach the 21st century, we cannot but be starkly aware that we stand at a crossroads in our history…The world is undergoing a profound redefinition of values and modes of perception... the common ground is greater and more enduring than the differences that divide. It is in that spirit that we can approach the dawn of the new century with some hope that it will be indeed a better one for all of the people of the world.”
By Gard Jameson