EAST-WEST FRIENDSHIP
~ Seeking Cross-Cultural Educational Opportunities~
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.~CHINESE FRIENDS~
WITH BARBARA AT THE WASHINGTON MINDFULNESS COMMUNITY - A BUDDHIST SANGHA
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| Bodhisattva & Buddha |
On Sunday July 31, 2016 I shared Sunday meditative practice with Barbara C. at the Washington Mindfulness Community on 16th Street. The “Sangha,” (name for Buddhist spiritual practice community) provided a safe and warm-hearted space to practice “Mindfulness Meditation” which is based on the Zen practices of meditation-master Thich Nhat Hanh. Following meditative sittings, the community gathered in a circle to listen to a tape from Thai and then created an open-hearted space to share both individual’s experience of the practice as well people’s personal struggles going on in their everyday lives. A deep level of respect, peace, trust and safety prevaded. The Sangha indeed provides a safe space to drop some of our emotional armor and just “breathe.”
Realization can be continuous, in that we continue to “illuminate the Buddha” with our deeper Understandings. Following the sitting, Barbara shared that she had experienced seeing the Buddha in a new light. She felt as she contemplated the large Buddha statue at the front of the meditation room, a sense of deep “spiritual strength;” not just a gentle healing yin, but also a powerful yang. She also realized that her “mind and body had been communicating.” I later reflected that the meditative practice spiritually strengthens the heart to bear our suffering in the world; that it strengthens one in keeping one’s Heart open, and leaves us open to a deeper connection to Divine Love and Care. The Mindfulness practice and its Sangha Community are life-restorative and healing!
Realization can be continuous, in that we continue to “illuminate the Buddha” with our deeper Understandings. Following the sitting, Barbara shared that she had experienced seeing the Buddha in a new light. She felt as she contemplated the large Buddha statue at the front of the meditation room, a sense of deep “spiritual strength;” not just a gentle healing yin, but also a powerful yang. She also realized that her “mind and body had been communicating.” I later reflected that the meditative practice spiritually strengthens the heart to bear our suffering in the world; that it strengthens one in keeping one’s Heart open, and leaves us open to a deeper connection to Divine Love and Care. The Mindfulness practice and its Sangha Community are life-restorative and healing!
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| Barbara C. (in Pink) on New Year's 2016 |
~BARBARA~
Barbara comes to us from the P.R.C. (Inner Mongolia). She is recent International Relations masters graduate of the Fletcher School. She has a deep desire to help her Chinese people through developing wise social policies, and also has renewed interest in social work and counseling. Our journeys have also included attending a number of local think-tank events: "Confronting Religious Violence," "Moral Decay in the PRC," and Human Rights. We spent a wonderful day visiting several local houses of worship: the Friends Meeting of Washington, The Islamic Center, St. Matthews Cathedral, and the Gandhi monument. It was also a deep pleasure to share the Interfaith New Year’s Eve 2016 at ATFA. In the New Year we’ll continue to enjoy some wonderful visitations and deep dialogue sharings on psychological, philosophical, spiritual and mythological themes. Barbara also has also emerged as our "community photographer." She did the beautiful photo shoot for our March 2016 Interfaith Peace-making Conference "How Can We Help" held at the Sandy Springs Museum. She was also part of our "Rumi on Ramadan" celebration at ATFA in June. Her translation is below:
POETRY WITH YUTING AND AMY
Barbara’s Translation of Rumi into Chinese.
Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened.
今天，和每天一样，我们早晨醒来时感觉空虚，感觉害怕。
Don't open the door to the study and begin reading.
Take down a musical instrument.
但是，请不要急着去打开书本学习也不要急着去阅读。请拿起一样乐器。
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
让我们亲手来创造我们所热爱的美- 因为我们有无数种方式，俯身与大地亲吻。
POETRY WITH YUTING AND AMY
On May 31st, 2015 with Yuting and Amy in the Rose Garden of the National Cathedral. We had gathered earlier in the Bishop's Garden for a Sema, a reading of Spiritual poetry. Turkish and American friends were also present with us for the reading and small garden picnic. Chanting was also done along with the reading of the poetry of Jalaluddin Rumi, the 13th Century Sufi Mystic. Yuting also read from the Tao Te Ching in Chinese, which she translated into English. |
| H.J. & YUTING |
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| JIN Z. |
~ SUBCONTINENT FRIENDS ~
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~ BANGLADESHI FRIENDS ~
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| "REEPIE" |
PERSIAN/IRANIAN FRIENDS
TWO PERSIAN TIGRESSES: With my two Persian friends Lida S. & Gita N. on "Sizdebedar" {Nature's Day," the 13th day of Nowruz, the Iranian New Year - April 2, 2017}. On so many beautiful evenings over many years we have shared Rumi's poetry in Farsi & English with many people; gifts of Roses from Mevlana's scented Rose garden. (After an Ethiopian lunch in Silver Spring, MD. Lida and I had walked in Rock Creek earlier.)
~ TURKISH FRIENDS ~
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| Mehmet With Zamin |
On an “Island of Peace” in Rock Creek 10/25/15. Mehmet (A Turkish Muslim) and I have gone on many journeys together: Adelphi Quaker Meeting, a Buddhist Meditation (Washington Mindfulness Community), a Hindu Krishna Temple and a Sikh Gurdwara (GGSF). Our endeavors have included serving on a panel together as well as co-authoring numerous Interfaith Peace Events through ATFA/Rumi Forum; including our Interfaith “Rumi on Ramadan” Iftar, and our March 2016 Interfaith Peace-making Conference at the Sandy Spring Museum. A good man to journey with !
AFRICAN FRIENDS
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CAMEROON
Ghislain Deffo is our Philosopher-Friend from the Central African coastal country of Cameroon. We met at our Ethiopian physical therapist’s office and have engaged in many deep and far-ranging psychological, spiritual and philosophical dialogues. Ghislain has a brilliant and inquisitive mind. He attended the Friends Meeting of Bethesda on one of our Interfaith journeys.
Ghislain Deffo is our Philosopher-Friend from the Central African coastal country of Cameroon. We met at our Ethiopian physical therapist’s office and have engaged in many deep and far-ranging psychological, spiritual and philosophical dialogues. Ghislain has a brilliant and inquisitive mind. He attended the Friends Meeting of Bethesda on one of our Interfaith journeys.
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| KENYA |
Rosemary Segero is our friend from Kenya. Rosemary is a “Cradle Quaker” whose Grandfather was influential in cultivating Quakerism in Kenya. She has a small peace organization called “Hope For Tomorrow.” It is a non-profit humanitarian organization that hopes to create an outlet of self-empowerment for individuals in vulnerable communities using affordable information communication technology, arts, and entertainment for education. Hope for Tomorrow also works to prevent conflicts and violence through youth intervention before they occur.
See her Webpage: Hope For Tomorrow
USA: With Micah Chetta, A good Southern Baptist Friend from South Carolina. We’ve been to visit the local Washington Quaker Meeting (FMW) as well as this afternoon informal visit to the Islamic Center Mosque on Massachusetts Ave NW in D.C. Gene Throwe’s Shadow is also in the photo. A Quaker Friend from Friends Meeting of Washington.
See her Webpage: Hope For Tomorrow
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| Micah & Zamin at Mosque |
USA: With Micah Chetta, A good Southern Baptist Friend from South Carolina. We’ve been to visit the local Washington Quaker Meeting (FMW) as well as this afternoon informal visit to the Islamic Center Mosque on Massachusetts Ave NW in D.C. Gene Throwe’s Shadow is also in the photo. A Quaker Friend from Friends Meeting of Washington.
