UNDERSTANDING OUR NEIGHBOURS :- The Need for Respect and Compassion

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30 YEARS IN ANOTHER TEMPLE

' His breath is the wind that blows
and the whole Universe is his heart'

Mundaka Upanishad 2/114

Today is Thursday 9th September and on Saturday the 1th a Pastor in the USA is threatening  to burn copies of the Quran , Islam's Holy Book.  He apparently attempts to justify this action with the misguided idea that somehow it is both a 'payback' for the violence of the bombing of the Twin Towers and also because  of his mistaken belief, founded on ignorance, that Islam is somehow wrong.

He seemingly  fails to understand or realise the richness of Islam and the gifts that Islamic Art and Science have given to the World. He also mistakenly assumes that because the people who committed the violent attack on 9/11 professed to be Muskims, that means that all 1 billion Muslims are to blame and that their religion is wrong. He also seems ignorant of facts that 80 years ago in Nazi Germany, a supposedly Christian Country, the pograms against the Jews started with the burning of books.

This  type of action is an extreme position that defies logic, emotions, intuition or any human understanding . It is a purely negative, ignorant and prejudiced response. that seeks to apportion 'blame' and to do so on those who are not responsible.  Evil and Violence cannot be opposed by evil and violence. History shows that any attempt to do so, merely adds fuel to the flames of intolerance.

This whole story of a small fundamental Faith Group in the USA  is a great example of the dangers of adopting a blinkered approach to life and our world. It is fuelled by ignorance and breeds prejudice. These two negative aspects narrow our vision of the world and dampen down any charity or compassion we may possess. It is based on a   failure  to understand how we are all inter-connected, with each member of our human family, with our Planet and the Cosmos.

Our Satsang Commmitment challenges each of us to oppose prejudice and ignorance but to do so with compassion and peace in our hearts. The very wory Islam comes from a root meaning PEACE. Our Satsang was founded and continues to be guided by Sister Ishpriya , or to give her the Indian title , Ishpriya Mataji.

The article ( linked to this post and whose title leads this Blog,) was written some time ago by Ishpriya, mainly for members of her own Christian Community. It records some reflections on her living as a Christian Sannyasi amongst people of a different Faith Tradition. This is an example of how when we live and work with peoples of diversity,  somehow the barriers that ignorance and prejudice erect between peoples dissolve and melt away. Our world desperately needs people who  will  face the challenge of difference, see the richness of diversity and be prepared to ' live in another temple' .

As Satsang Members we are all called to be and act in ways that  '''

'Create a Planetary Vision and a Universal Heart of Compassion'

To View the article, written by Ishpria Mataji rscj, click on the link below.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/37148897/30-Years-in-Another-Temple

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