interfaith peace meeting report
Last night I went to an interfaith peace meeting at Swami's request. We carpooled from Vedanta.
I enjoyed the presentations by the Jew, the Sikh, and by Swami. The rest was pretty worthless and hokey. The little songs between presentations were monotonous, and they didn't give us the words, so only the Catholics were singing, which felt uncomfortable. (It was held at a conference room of a huge Roman Catholic retreat center Christ the King.) The Christians and Catholics said only banal cliches, dumbed down--I felt really disappointed. Peace is such an important idea, and I was alarmed that it was being handled in a sentimental way. Also, I felt the event was self-congratulatory. But I feel that way about many events--so much time wasted with introductions and, "I'd like to thank"s. As far as I'm concerned, time is precious, and wasting a hundred people's time at once is a crime....
But I'm glad I went for the Jew's presentation and prayer. And I'm glad I went for the Sikh's prayer too. Swami, of course, said brilliant things and gave the most comforting, interesting prayers, in Sanskrit and then translated.
On the car ride there, we drove in near-silence through light rain. I almost started crying because I couldn't believe we could all care about one another so much yet be so isolated from one another like that. The truth is that I didn't know the customs for riding in the same car as a holy man. I think we were all wondering what behavior was appropriate, and when in doubt, stay silent.
On the drive back, the mood was lighter. We talked more. I swallowed my timidity and asked Swami questions about a few things that have been on my mind. For example, I asked about the movie Pather Panchali, if his life when he was a little boy was like the life portrayed in that movie. And I asked him about the translation of a particular Sanskrit term, and if Sikhs live in a certain area of India, and if the Sikhs are friendly with the Hindus--he said yes.
Anyway, there were eight of us from the Vedanta center, we got some cookies at the end, and I had a lot to think of it, though much of it was angry, especially considering the nature of the meeting.
I pray for peace every single day--it's my default prayer.
I enjoyed the presentations by the Jew, the Sikh, and by Swami. The rest was pretty worthless and hokey. The little songs between presentations were monotonous, and they didn't give us the words, so only the Catholics were singing, which felt uncomfortable. (It was held at a conference room of a huge Roman Catholic retreat center Christ the King.) The Christians and Catholics said only banal cliches, dumbed down--I felt really disappointed. Peace is such an important idea, and I was alarmed that it was being handled in a sentimental way. Also, I felt the event was self-congratulatory. But I feel that way about many events--so much time wasted with introductions and, "I'd like to thank"s. As far as I'm concerned, time is precious, and wasting a hundred people's time at once is a crime....
But I'm glad I went for the Jew's presentation and prayer. And I'm glad I went for the Sikh's prayer too. Swami, of course, said brilliant things and gave the most comforting, interesting prayers, in Sanskrit and then translated.
On the car ride there, we drove in near-silence through light rain. I almost started crying because I couldn't believe we could all care about one another so much yet be so isolated from one another like that. The truth is that I didn't know the customs for riding in the same car as a holy man. I think we were all wondering what behavior was appropriate, and when in doubt, stay silent.
On the drive back, the mood was lighter. We talked more. I swallowed my timidity and asked Swami questions about a few things that have been on my mind. For example, I asked about the movie Pather Panchali, if his life when he was a little boy was like the life portrayed in that movie. And I asked him about the translation of a particular Sanskrit term, and if Sikhs live in a certain area of India, and if the Sikhs are friendly with the Hindus--he said yes.
Anyway, there were eight of us from the Vedanta center, we got some cookies at the end, and I had a lot to think of it, though much of it was angry, especially considering the nature of the meeting.
I pray for peace every single day--it's my default prayer.
posted by Laura-Marie @ 8:49 AM
4 Comments:
At December 14, 2006 4:14 PM,
Anonymous said…
I don't get it. A holy man is just a man. I wouldn't show him any respect, at least not more than I'd show anybody else. I'm cynical and jaded that way. Probably why I never get invited to any peace meetings. This isn't meant to be a slam on you it's just my viewpoint.
At December 14, 2006 4:32 PM,
Laura-Marie said…
I'm much more cautious about the way I treat people than you are. I'm really careful to treat people the way they want to be treated (or, if I'm unwilling to play along, careful to leave).
Anyway, there are some weird boundaries between regular people and monastics sometimes. For example, I could never ever hug Swami. In a way these rules are stupid, but in a way, the rules are part of what makes Vedanta different from just regular life, and we're making a point to do something different for a reason. I mean, if we just wanted regular life, we could stay home.
At December 14, 2006 4:41 PM,
Anonymous said…
I can see where you're coming from. At one point I thought about becoming a Hindu so I could tell people not to hug me. They love to hug the hell out of you at 12step meetings, you know. And I'm not saying I'd be disrespectful to Swami, I'd just make every attempt to treat him like I would everyone else. One of my best friends several years ago was a Methodist minister. I could talk to him about anything because he acted just like a regular guy and not like a minister. I know that for me, if I meet a religious leader and he has an air of mystery or radiance about him, I can't talk to him on a friendly level and most likely I can't make use of whatever he has to offer. I don't know what I'm trying to say here. I'd love to talk with you more about it though.
At December 14, 2006 4:57 PM,
Laura-Marie said…
Yes, there's an inner conflict. On one hand, I want to treat him just like anyone else, which is sort of an American, egalitarian thing. On the other hand, I want to participate in his culture and maintain the boundaries as they're set forth in order to do a good job playing Vedanta.
Anyway, Erik doesn't like when people try to hug him either. Except me, and really close friends, and his dad.
I like an air of mystery--I love radiance. So I would like to preserve it, really. But it's true that we're all potentially radiant, and Vedanta admits that.
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