Information and commentary on interreligious issues and events in Silicon Valley, the San Francisco Bay Area, Nationally, and worldwide.

The Buddha. Photo: Benjamin Krause

I had the opportunity this weekend to attend two different versions of the “bathing the Buddha” ceremony on Saturday, one at the Chung Tai Zen Center of Sunnyvale and the other sponsored by the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation. Both groups are local expressions of global organizations that began in Taiwan.

Buddhists celebrate the birth of the Buddha on different dates depending on their local traditions. Wesak or Vesakh is often honored as not only the birthday of the Buddha, but also the day on which he became enlightened and the day on which he died.

At the Chung Tai Zen Center in Sunnyvale the day’s observances began with a meditation on the Sutra concerning the deep kindness of parents and the difficulty of repaying it. This ceremony involved over 100 prostrations by the participants (I’m glad I wasn’t required to attend- I can get down once, and then getting back up is iffy!)

This was followed by the ritual of the bathing of the Buddha. In the main Zen Hall,  members of the community were joined by representatives of many other faiths. To the sound of drum and gong and chanting led by the monks of the Center, those present came forward to offer a flower on the altar.

Words of greeting were offered from local religious groups. I spoke on behalf of the Silicon Valley Interreligious Council, of which the Zen Center is an Inaugural Affiliate. Rev. Nancy Palmer Jones, Pastor of the First Unitarian Church, shared a story about her own personal encounter with the Buddha as “a friend,” and Dr. Sullochina Lulla of the Chinmaya Hindu community read a story illustrating the Buddha nature. The Venerable JianYing, Abbot of the Sunnyvale Zen Center, spoke about the meaning of the day. Bathing the Buddha, he noted, is not about washing the exterior, but about honoring the Buddha nature within and seeking to purify one’s own spirit.

Again to the sound of chanting, participants filed out of the hall to two locations where small statues of the Buddha stood in the center of a basin of water. Each individual took a long-handled dipper and poured the sweet-scented water over the statue. After everyone present had the opportunity to bathe the Buddha, the ceremony ended with prayers that all the benefits that had been gained by participation in the ritual might be shared throughout the whole world, bringing peace to all.

The Sunnyvale Zen Center is a place for teaching and meditation. Established in 2004 as a mission of the Chung Tai Zen Center in Taiwan, it houses a group of Dharma masters and an active community of devotees who participate in classes, meditation, and rituals. The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, on the other hand, is focused on service projects. The name Tzu Chi means “compassion and service,” and Tzu Chi members donate their time, skills, and resources to aid others in need.

The Tzu Chi observance of the Bathing of the Buddha took place at Orchard School in San Jose. Along one side of a large open area in the school yard was a row of booths which included displays about the history and principles of Tzu Chi, examples of relief projects around the world, various publications, and invitations to change one’s lifestyle to be more sustainable and protective of the earth. In the center of the area were tables beautifully decorated with flowers and representations of the Buddha standing with his hand outstretched above a world globe. Set before the statues were large flat bowls filled with water.

As the ritual was about to begin, people lined up in rows facing the tables. Chalk marks on the ground indicated where people should stand, and organized a crowd of hundreds of people into a coherent whole. Again there were greetings from religious leaders, including an old friend Rev. Heng Sure, Director of the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery,  and I again brought greetings from SiVIC. Local governmental officials included Mayor Jose Esteves of Milpitas, who gave Tzu Chi a commendation, and San Jose City Councilmember Kansen Chu, speaking in Chinese.

Large speakers broadcast sounds of chanting, and many of those present joined in. Solemnly men and women dressed in uniforms of dark blue walked slowly in and took their places at the tables. in turn, they brought candles, small water bowls, and flowers and placed them on the tables. Then, line by line, the people would step forward, bow to the Buddha, dip their hands in the water and take a flower before filing out to the right and lining up again at the rear of the section. After everyone had taken a turn, again the group prayed that the blessings of this time would be shared by the whole world.

One of the Tzu Chi members explained that their founder, Dharma Master Cheng Yen, had challenged each chapter to find their own way to observe the bathing of the Buddha ritual, and that they had chosen this form to accommodate the hundreds of people who wished to participate.

Tzu Chi was founded in Taiwan in 1966 and in the U.S. in 1984. The Northwest Region was begun in 1993, and focuses on charity, medicine, education, humanitarian culture, environmental protection, and emergency relief. Tzu Chi was involved in relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina and the earthquakes in Haiti and Japan. Locally, they provide food and medical care to the homeless in San Jose and operate schools in Cupertino, San Jose, San Mateo and Pleasanton.

“Rescuers were great people,” said Eric Rosenblum at the County Holocaust Remembrance ceremony on Tuesday. “Although the number of rescuers may have been small, they were giants,” because they refused to be small cogs in the machine. They took responsibility for acting according to conscience, and in the midst of a horrifying time “saved literally thousands of lives.”

Rosenblum, the Chair of the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Santa Clara County, presided over the observance, an annual occasion for many years. This year’s theme was “Saved by Acts of Righteousness,” and featured the stories of rescuers and the rescued, and especially the actions of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, a Portuguese diplomat who issued over 30,000 visas that allowed people to escape from the Nazi invasion of France by traveling to Portugal. Among those saved were an estimated 10,000 Jews. He was dismissed from the diplomatic corps in disgrace and died in poverty in 1954. Yet he was quoted as saying, “I would rather stand with God against men than with men against God.”

Aristides’ story, and the stories of other rescuers were shared by students from Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose. Andrew Luong, Nick Sexton, and Prianka Giridharadas described how people had risked their lives to save others, and how that has affected people up to the current day. Rescuers came from all walks of life, and from nations around the world.

Sheila Abranches, de Sousa Mendes’ granddaughter spoke about hearing his story told in the family as she was growing up, but not appreciating how significant his contribution was until she heard from those who had been rescued.

A special musical interlude featured a song that had been written to honor another rescuer, Andree Geulen. She had been a young schoolteacher in Brussels who worked for several years to hide Jewish children from the Nazis. She not only managed to place them in families who would care for them, but kept careful records of their true identities so they might be reunited with their families some day. Geulen was recognized as a “Righteous Among the Nations” in 2007, and is now 90 years old. The Yiddish song, sung by Ora Avidan-Antonir and accompanied by Diane Fisher, celebrated “Mademoiselle” and her courage in facing down the Nazis.

In a poignant interview video, Nathaniel Deutsch, Co-Director of the Center for Jewish Studies at UC Santa Cruz, spoke of how de Sousa Mendes had saved his parents. “Because of those visas, I’m sitting here today,” he said. When asked what he would say today to the family of de Sousa Mendes, Deutsch could barely speak. “The first thing that came to my mind was `thank you,’” he said, but then went on, “He has a good name. In this life it’s very hard to get a good name, and he has a good name.”

Supervisor George Shirakawa, president of the Board of Supervisors, presented a proclamation honoring Holocaust Remembrance Day, and a commendation of local survivor Bill Rooz. Rooz was born in Hungary and eventually sent to the Mauthausen death camp. After being liberated in May 1945, he spent some time in a displaced persons camp before emigrating to the United States in 1947. Only a few months later, he was drafted into the US Army and served in the Korean War. Now, he works with other survivors to tell the stories to new generations of students.

Supervisors Ken Yeager, Mike Wasserman, and Dave Cortese were also present during the memorial, seated in their places in the chamber. Joining them was County District Attorney Jeff Rosen, who, together with his daughters, lit one of the six memorial candles (one for each of six million Jews who died) at the end of the ceremony. Each of the candles was lit by families, including second-, third-, and even fourth- generations of holocaust survivors.

After the ceremony, there was a reception for attendees, with the opportunity to view the exhibit “These Are My People,” telling the story of Aristides de Sousa Mendes.

Passover, the Jewish celebration of freedom that centers around the story of the deliverance from Egypt, begins next Friday, April 6. In preparation for Passover, Peninsula Temple Sholom in Burlingame, together with the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Peninsula and the First Presbyterian Church of Burlingame held an interfaith seder service on Thursday, March 29.

The seder, or traditional Passover meal, included reflections on the “Four Freedoms” described by President Franklin Roosevelt in his 1941 State of the Union address: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.

Over 170 people from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities in the area joined in this interfaith celebration, which was held at Peninsula Temple Sholom and featured music by the Temple Cantor Barry Reich and members of the First Presbyterian of Burlingame Choir.

The traditional seder includes several references to the number four. During the ritual meal, four glasses of wine are blessed and drunk; there are four questions asked by the youngest person present; there is a description of four kinds of children and the questions they ask. Following this pattern, four religious leaders offered reflections on each of the Four Freedoms.

Dr. Elizabeth Frykberg of the Presbyterian church spoke about freedom of speech; Rabbi Rebekah Stern of Temple Sholom addressed freedom of worship. Rev. Paul Watermulder and Rabbi Daniel Feder finished with comments on freedom from want and freedom from fear.

Three additional faith leaders added their perspectives: Maha Elgenaidi, Executive Director of Islamic Networks Group, based in San Jose; Rev. Kristi Denham of the Congregational Church of Belmont; and Rabbi Corey Helfand of Peninsula Sinai Congregation.

As those seated around the tables followed traditional rituals of breaking unleavened bread, dipping parsley into salt water, and tasting bitter herbs, all part of remembering the Exodus story, they also joined in singing more modern songs and sharing in prayers for the world of today. There was opportunity for learning about the Jewish traditions of Passover, and to meet and talk with people of other faiths.

This was the first interfaith seder in Burlingame, but everyone agreed that it should become a yearly custom.

Earlier this month, I went to  “Common Ground,” a gathering at the American Baptist Seminary of the West aimed at bringing American Baptists in the Bay Area together with local Muslims for the first time in a formal way.

This was the first of three such events which will take place across the country. Similar gatherings will take place at Central Baptist Seminary in Kansas City and the Proctor School of Theology in Richmond, VA. The Rev. Roy Medley, Executive Minister of the American Baptist Churches USA described how the idea began with encounters that he had with Baptist groups in Lebanon and later in the Republic of Georgia (former Soviet Union). In both countries, Baptist leaders had challenged him to return to the US and to work to build relationships with Muslims here that would be as functional as those developed in those countries.

Baptists and Muslims have some history of working together in this country. In 2008, the Baptist World Alliance (of which the American Baptist Churches USA are members), responded to “A Common Word Between You and Us,” an invitiation from Muslim scholars around the world for Christians to enter into dialogue around issues of faith and action (see the BWA response).

The Common Ground session began with a panel moderated by Academic Dean LeAnn Flesher which included Rev. Dr. James Hopkins, the Senior Pastor at Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church in Oakland and former president of the Alliance of Baptists; Rev. Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Pastor Emeritus of Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, a predominantly African-American church; Ameena Jandali, Content Director and co-founder of Islamic Networks Group (ING), and Imam Faheem Shuaibe, Imam of Masjidul Waritheen in Oakland, affiliated with the American Society of Muslims. Individually, and then together, they addressed questions of why Baptists and Muslims should be interested in dialogue with each other, how they understand love of God and love of neighbor, and how the two communities might work together to address issues in the broader community.

There was opportunity for round table conversation on those same questions, though Baptists far outnumbered Muslims within the 50 or so people present. Still, for many it was the first step in encountering one another in such a way. As Imam Shuaib said, “how can you cooperate with each other if without talking to each other and understanding what the other is saying?”

Although it was not intentionally planned that way, the Common Ground dialogue took place during World Intefaith Harmony Week (February 1-7).  There are hopes for more dialogue in the future, especially since ABSW recently leased some of its facilities to Zaytuna College, the first college to focus on training Muslim scholars who are equipped to work with others to create a more open, multicultural, and tolerant society.

Anyone who is sensitive to how religion gets manipulated in politics can’t help but be disgusted by the way that the candidates are exhibiting the worst of name-calling and dismissing the faith of other Americans. From Rick Perry’s claiming that Obama has been making “war on religion” to various leaders’ suspicion of Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith to the incessant fear-mongering regarding Muslims, this campaign has not been America’s brightest hour.

One group is trying, at least among Christians, to tone down the rhetoric of the debate. Sojourners, the is sponsoring a Faith and Election Pledge, and inviting pastors and Christian leaders to sign up. In part, the pledge declares:

During the 2012 election, I commit to combining my Christian faith with my civic responsibilities in the following ways:

• To not attack the personal faith or religious beliefs of any candidate for office.
• To not engage in uncivil or ad hominem attacks against candidates, current politicians, or other religious leaders.
• To reject all forms of religious pandering and hold candidates for office and political leaders accountable when they abuse the beliefs of their rivals.

If you are a Christian leader, I invite you to sign the pledge. And I encourage all of us to recognize that the President needs to be President of all Americans, regardless of religious tradition or lack of it.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything here- according to my logs, it was sometime back in August. Since that time, I’ve been invovled in some writing projects for other things I do (see www.psybibs.org and bibleworkbench.wordpress.com, if you’re interested), and working on projects for SiVIC (Silicon Valley Interreligious Council).

We had some wonderful events in the Valley to mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11.  Gatherings of the Interreligious Leaders Forum focused on themes of “Forgiveness,” “Thanksgiving,” and the role of the African-American community in the history and present of San Jose. At that latter meeting, we had the chance to tour the exhibit of “The African American Journey,” hosted at First AME Zion Church in San Jose and curated by Clarissa Moore.

Carry the Vision announced plans for a conference on non-violence to be held in October 2012 at Santa Clara University (see the story here), and members of the interfaith community were out in force for the annual Mayor’s Faith Leaders Recognition Breakfast in October.

In December, I had the privilege of introducing Huston Smith, the venerable long-time interfaith scholar as part of the “Engaging the Other” conference that was held at Santa Clara University.

There are some important initiatives that have been announced by SiVIC, and some interesting developments in interreligious work. I’m hoping to find more time to pass them on in this forum. We’ll see how it goes!

Dahlia Lithwick writes an excellent article in Slate this week on the case recently decided by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals which declared that it was inappropriate for meetings of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners in North Carolina to be opened with specifically Christian prayers. It is, the judges declared in a 2-1 decision, a violation of the First Amendment establishment of religion clause.

Many people were outraged, declaring that those offended by the ruling were a decided minority in the community. But, as Lithwick notes,

It doesn’t matter if only 4 percent of the community is expressly excluded by references to a certain deity. It also doesn’t matter if only 1 percent of the community feels that way, or even if only two “hypersensitive” non-Christians object. The Bill of Rights is not subject to popular referendum. That’s why it’s called the Bill of Rights and not, say, American Idol.

Well worth reading the full article.

Responding to the events in Norway last week, a fellow Baptist writes:

Breivik viewed Christianity as a means to control, manipulate and ultimately kill. Some observed that his views of religion are similar to those of Timothy McVeigh, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. Religion, yet again, is on display as that which injures, not fosters; as that which incites pain, not healing.

Conservative Christians should not be lumped in with Breivik any more than all Muslims should be lumped in with Islamist extremists. Unfortunately many conservatives have been ready to “lump” all Muslims together, and not stand up for their Abrahamic siblings. For conservatives this has become a matter of politics, not humanity. Conservatives fail to see their own double standard, and in so doing miss an opportunity to be the love of Christ.

You can find the rest of Zachary Bailes’ commentary at the Associated Baptist Press.

A Gandhian legend will be in the South Bay, speaking about compassion, dialogue, interfaith understanding and community service. Dr. Subba Rao is a fellow of the Gandhi Peace Foundation, founder of National Service Scheme and National Youth Project of India, and internationally known for a wide network of Gandhi Youth Camps. Taking seriously Gandhi’s famous words, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world,” Dr. Subba Rao has dedicated his life to bringing people of all religious traditions together.

Fearlessness. Peace. Everyone wants it, many rally for it, but few actually have it. At 82, Dr. S. N. Subba Rao – a Gandhian legend respectfully called “Bhai-ji” – still has a habit of doing the unimaginable: whether it means confronting bandits with compassion, engaging in peace dialogue with world leaders, promoting interfaith understanding, or running youth camps with thousands of participants doing community service.

Rao began to follow Gandhi while still a teenager and has devoted his life to teaching and spreading a vision of nonviolent living. Each year, he comes to teach at the Gandhi Peace Camp held at the Vedanta Center camp in Olema. The Camp offers an opportunity for youth ages 10-18 to practice service and teamwork through the Gandhian principles of truthfulness, non-violence and self-help.

“There is a beautiful saying from maybe 5,000 years ago,” Dr. Rao has said, “`People with small hearts have small homes with four walls. But people with large hearts have the whole world for their family.’ I think all human beings must cultivate large hearts and consider the whole world as their family.”

Dr. Subba Rao will be speaking at two gatherings in the South Bay next month:

• On Wednesday, August 3, at 7:00 pm, he will be at the Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center at the Levy Family Campus, 14855 Oka Road, Los Gatos. The meeting will take place in the Adult Lounge, Second Floor. Refreshments will be served; please RSVP to Sulochina.Lulla@kp.org. For directions: contact Diane Fisher (408) 357-7504. This event is Co-Sponsored by Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley | Community Relations Council; Silicon Valley Interreligious Council; and the India Community Center. DOWNLOAD A FLYER.
• On Thursday, August 4, at 7:00 pm, Dr. Rao will be at the Jain Center of Northern California, 722 S. Main Street in Milpitas.  Also RSVP to Sulochina.Lulla@kp.org

While digging through my unread e-mail from the past few weeks, I ran across an item from the Huffington Post, describing the World Culture Festival, organized to commemorate the International Art of Living Foundation’s 30th anniversary and held in Berlin’s Olympiastadion.

Founder of the Art of Living Foundation Sri Sri Ravi Shankar led a group meditation that included 70.000 participants. One of them was the Muslim director of the Gulf and Middle East division of Art of Living, Mawahib Shaihaibani. He remarked:

When you meditate with the mass, you all become one and times stops. . .  This event is very unique because people from 150 countries are coming together to celebrate their culture, food, dance, music and belief for a united world full of tolerance, love and peace. This means a lot to me because these days we have so much … unrest in the Middle East, and the youth need to broaden their vision and see that we are one world family.