Interfaith Dinner Dialogue Facilitator’s Training
"Welcoming the Stranger: Opening our Heart to the Unknown and Other"
On Wednesday, April 19, 2017 I was invited to train 12 volunteer facilitators for the annual IFC Dinner Dialogue. Given our tumultuous U.S. political atmosphere this year, our theme will be "Welcoming the Stranger: Opening our Heart to the Unknown and Other." Dialogue presents an opportunity to cultivate empathy through understanding of another’s wounds of “exclusion.” Exile can lead to a deeper awareness and understanding as we share one another’s “story water.” The dialogue is ultimately a way of learning about ourselves through the eyes of others; and often our understanding of shared or similar wounds can bring us to a deeper point of empathy. The "Path" of the facilitator is one of both self-knowledge and service to others.
Our training focused on understanding the role of the facilitator in creating a safe space & setting a positive tone, but also in inviting and permitting a diversity of beliefs & opinions. To train we used a number of role play scenarios to give each volunteer facilitator the experience of working with some potentially difficult participants & situations. Each facilitator-in-training had the opportunity to role play as participants as well as to facilitate. There was also time to work on the processing of each scenario in small group clusters as well as sharing our learnings in the larger group. The actual dialogues will occur on Sundays May 7th and 21st throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area. A number of “hosts’ have graciously volunteered their homes for interfaith participants to gather in and dialogue over a meal. We are grateful for the efforts of the IFC in creating this valuable annual event.
A Few IFC Facilitators-In-Training
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Interfaith Dinner Dialogue Facilitator’s Training
"Welcoming the Stranger: Opening our Heart to the Unknown and Other"
On Wednesday, April 19, 2017 I was invited to train 12 volunteer facilitators for the annual IFC Dinner Dialogue. Given our tumultuous U.S. political atmosphere this year, our theme will be "Welcoming the Stranger: Opening our Heart to the Unknown and Other." Dialogue presents an opportunity to cultivate empathy through understanding of another’s wounds of “exclusion.” Exile can lead to a deeper awareness and understanding as we share one another’s “story water.” The dialogue is ultimately a way of learning about ourselves through the eyes of others; and often our understanding of shared or similar wounds can bring us to a deeper point of empathy. The "Path" of the facilitator is one of both self-knowledge and service to others.
Our training focused on understanding the role of the facilitator in creating a safe space & setting a positive tone, but also in inviting and permitting a diversity of beliefs & opinions. To train we used a number of role play scenarios to give each volunteer facilitator the experience of working with some potentially difficult participants & situations. Each facilitator-in-training had the opportunity to role play as participants as well as to facilitate. There was also time to work on the processing of each scenario in small group clusters as well as sharing our learnings in the larger group. The actual dialogues will occur on Sundays May 7th and 21st throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area. A number of “hosts’ have graciously volunteered their homes for interfaith participants to gather in and dialogue over a meal. We are grateful for the efforts of the IFC in creating this valuable annual event.
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| A Few IFC Facilitators-In-Training |
"INSIGHT-ON-THE-INSIDE" PRISON PROJECT
~ INSIGHT MEDITATION COMMUNITY OF WASHINGTON (D.C.) ~
Evening Group Dialogue: October 19th, 2016
On October 19th 2016 I was privileged to facilitate an evening Dharma Dialogue with a gathering of 16 volunteer Insight Meditation teachers who offer free classes to prison inmates in a wide range of the correctional facilities in our local metropolitan area: in Washington, Maryland and Virginia. “Insight Meditation,” or “Vipassanā,” is the practice of continued close attention to sensation, through which one ultimately sees the true nature of existence. It is believed to be the form of meditation practice taught by the Buddha himself, and although the specific form of the practice may vary, it is the basis of all traditions of Buddhist meditation: Mindfulness of one’s breathing, thoughts, feelings and actions is used as a vehicle to gain insight and awareness. One woman teacher described the healing potency of the practice as the capacity of developing the ability to pay attention and observe our inner resistances with detachment.
Many of the inmates served, suffer from the long, painful intensity of their incarcerations. Confinement in prisons can be emotionally stressful and tense. These are at times violent places where one is most often on guard and can seldom relax. The weekly meditations provide a safe, non-judgmental space for inmates to be in. A number of the teachers described their experience of fostering a safe "Sangha," the Buddhist term for Spiritual Community, in the groups they served behind bars. A major focus was the creation of a shared experience of safety, relaxation and calm. One teacher described the motivation for his prison work as arising from his realization that we are "all prisoners of our minds." His desire was to help to awaken the compassion in himself, in order to help break the cycle of suffering and wounding in those outwardly imprisoned others. Another of our "Insight Meditation" teachers described the result of her own meditation practice as being “greater freedom." Likewise, a third spoke of developing inner contentment: "When the warring stops, when you are no longer warring with yourself, contentment comes." An additional observation was that healing was strengthened in the experience of the "caring equality" that pervaded the meditation meetings.
As many of the inmates worked with have had a history of addictions, the session also focused on the connection of Meditation to the "12-Step Recovery" model that is often used in addictions work. These are part of an ethically-based program of trying to redress injuries in self and others as "steps" to recovering one's Inner Peace (Serenity). This also can foster real spiritual and emotional growth. The adapted Twelve-step model we used was a peacemaking model consisting of four sections: "Peace with God" (“Higher” or “Inner” Power), "Peace with Ourselves," "Peace with Others," and "Keeping the Peace" (the practice of building Community.) This paradigm has also been useful in Peace & Reconciliation work on social justice issues and peacemaking.
INTERFAITH GROUP IN PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY
To Address Racism, Bigotry and Police/Community Relations
Adelphi Friends Meeting House
Tuesday, October 18 from 7 – 9:30 pm
On Tuesday, October 18th (2016) the initial meeting of the "Interfaith Group In Prince George’s County to Address Racism, Bigotry and Police/Community Relations” was held at Adelphi Friends Meetinghouse. Thirty-seven individuals responded to this "call" including representatives of several community organizations and faiths {Christian, Islamic and Jewish}. We started off in "Quaker fashion" by sharing "Silence" and then opened to the group’s concerns and reflections. The theme of concern about violence, hate rhetoric, fear of being "targeted" for race or religious affiliation, fear for the children, fearing what will come of America and how America might not be able to come together as a community were expressed. Also expressed in numerous forms was the desire to find ways of bridging this gap, of building the "Beloved Community." One individual suggested that we needed to pray, eat and work together.
This was followed by our speakers: Ethel Shepard-Powell and Robin Lewis from the "Partnership for Renewal in Southern and Central Maryland (PRISCM). Jonathan Wesley Hutto from the "Prince George's People's Coalition" (PGPC), and Dr. Doris T. McGuffey from the "Center for Dimensional Transformation." A major focus was the history and complexity of race relations with the police in P.G. county. We also had a representative from the University of Maryland Campus police and a retired D.C. Police Officer and activist. Zamin Danty from the "Omega Interfaith Forum" also shared his journey of building Interfaith Community and his experiences with the religious divides and challenges following 9/11. We ended our evening with period of animated sharing, networking and food sharing.
NEXT MEETING: Our next meeting will be held on November 15th at 7 PM at the Paintbranch Unitarian Universalist Church (3215 Powder Mill Road, Adelphi, MD 20783). At this meeting we will seek to clarify the mission, goals and directions. For more information contact Sharon Stout: SKStout@gmail.com (240)461-8374.
