Monday, January 27, 2014

Jan 28 Insight: What Makes Those Whirling Dervishes "Whirl"?

Why Do those Whirling Dervishes “Whirl”?

(The 3-Minute Weekly Insight from Spirituality U.)

You might have heard someone described as moving so fast that they were spinning like a Whirling Dervish. Well, Dervishes don’t spin. In fact, I don’t think they Whirl. I think they “swirl.” (More about that later.)

Whirling Dervishes are members of a special Muslim group who are performing something that might be termed a ritual dance. Their attire is very striking: a long white gown (symbol of death) a tall brown stove-pipe-shaped hat (symbolizing a grave stone), and a floor-length black cape (representing a grave). Their outfits might sound grim, but the ritual they perform is beautiful, joyful, and emotionally uplifting.

The Whirling Dervishes are Sufis, members of a unique group of Muslims who are mystical in their beliefs and practices. Sufis are very generous to those around them and deeply emotional in their devotional practice. They are mystical in that their religious goal is, in some sense, to leave earthly existence behind and become one with God (Allah). Their devotion is sometimes so intense that they almost seem to be in love with God. Some Sufi poets write poems that at first glance could be thought of as romantic love poems.

One of the greatest of these writers was the 13th Century poet, Rumi, who is currently the best selling poet in the US!). The birth of the Dervish order is tied to something this great poet did eight centuries ago.

In one story the Dervish dance was born as Rumi heard goldsmiths pounding out their precious metal in a rhythm that suggested the chanting of “There is no god but God.”In another tale (which I think is better), Rumi learns that his dearest friend has disappeared. He then puts his left hand on a pillar and begins to circle it, all the while reciting thousands upon thousands of lines of poetry that he is composing on the spot.

The Dervishes (said to be of the Mevlevi Order) build their ritual on this poet’s expression. And they begin to move in rhythmic motion.

Their motion isn’t at all like whirling (which suggests a spinning top). It is more like a flower opening in sunlight. Or perhaps the moon revolving around the sun.

Their ritual (called the Sema Ceremony) has four parts. It begins with chanting and flute music. Then the Dervishes bow to each other (acknowledging the Divinity in every person). Soon they begin to circumambulate the room with slow steps. After a while they lose their black capes. Then they begin the swirling motion, rotating on their left feet, raising their arms outward, right palms open and turned toward heaven, left hands pointing down to earth. The ceremony concludes with recitation of verses from the Qur’an and a prayer by the leader of the Dervishes.

The entire ritual lasts about an hour and comprises “Four Salaams.” These include 1) recognition of God; 2) understanding the unity of the Divine; 3) the ecstasy that comes from total surrender to God; and, finally, 4) the peace that comes from unity with the Eternal One.

To view a video of the Whirling Dervish Sema Ceremony visit:




Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Jan 21 Insight: Don't Just Do Something--Sit There (Quakers at Worship)

Don’t Just Do Something—Sit There! (Quakers at Worship)
(The 3-Minute Weekly Insight from Spirituality U.)

If you’ve ever seen Quakers at worship you might think that they are sitting around waiting for something. Well, they are!

But before we talk about what they’re waiting for, let’s talk about who the Quakers are.
Quakers are more accurately called “Friends,” or even more precisely, “The Religious Society of the Friends of Truth.” This sect was born in England in the mid 17th Century when a man named George Fox decided to challenge the beliefs and practices of the Anglican Church, 
practices that seemed to him unnecessarily complicated and that prevented a direct connection to God for most people. Today, there are fewer than 200,000 Quakers in the US.

And even though Quakers are small in number, they are widely known for their ethical and peaceful practices. Quakers believe that there is “that of God” in every person; that because of this, no human should be killed or injured through war or any other form of violence; that God’s revelation continues today; that clergy are not needed since everyone can communicate directly with God; and that our lives should be lived in simplicity and integrity, as well as in community and diversity.

Based on these core values, Quakers have an unusual form of worship. They gather on Sunday or “First Day.”  (Quakers eschew use of the names of months or days of the week because these are based in paganism). The venue for worship is not called a church but instead a “meeting house.” The room where worship takes place is generally plain, with no pulpit, stained glass windows or religious decorations. The space usually contains chairs or benches arranged in a circle or square so that everyone faces each other. Quakers speak of “meeting for worship” rather than having a “worship service.”

Perhaps the most distinctive element in Quaker worship is the silence. There is no preaching, singing or reading. Worshipers gather for about an hour “waiting upon God,” listening with their hearts to God’s still small voice.” The silence is unbroken—unless one of the worshippers believes he or she has received a message from God that should be shared with other worshippers. Sometimes no worshippers speak. Other times, one, two or even a handful may share a sacred insight.

And when worship reaches its specified time for ending, a designated individual shakes hands with the person next to them. Then everyone gathered shakes hands, signaling the conclusion of worship.

Why do Quakers worship in this way? According to Marsha D. Holliday of Friends General Conference, “We meet in plain, unadorned rooms because we have found that in such places we are less distracted from hearing that still small voice. There are no pulpits in our meeting rooms because we minister to each other. Our benches or chairs face each other because we are all equal before God. We have no prearranged prayers, readings, sermons, hymns or musical orchestrations because we wait for God’s leadings (guidance and direction) and power in our lives.”

For more information about the Quakers and their style of worship visit:





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Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Jan 14 Insight: What in the World is "Socially Engaged Buddhism"?

What in the World is "Socially Engaged Buddhism"?
(The 3-Minute Weekly Insight from Spirituality U.)
  
Actually, in an important sense, "Socially Engaged Buddhism" is Buddhism "in the world."

Buddhism can be thought of as a philosophy rather than a religion, per se, especially because it is non-theistic or neutral about the existence of God. And more specifically, Buddhism may be seen as a philosophy of life that provides a roadmap for how to live a meaningful life.
 

The Buddha (a title meaning "Awakened One") was born as Siddhartha Gautama in what is now Nepal in the 6th century BCE. Legend has it that his wealthy father tried to shield him from pain, illness, poverty, suffering and death. When the Buddha discovered the dark side of life, he began an exploration of solutions to the world's problems. Through ascetic practices he almost starved himself to death. He finally decided to sit under a tree until he found out the answer to life's ultimate questions. After a while he came to some realizations that now serve as the core of Buddhist belief and practice.


Among these realizations were four "Noble Truths": 1) The key problem in life is suffering, especially emotional pain; 2) Suffering arises from our trying to hang onto things that are constantly changing and beyond our control; 3) Emotional suffering can be ended permanently; and 4) There are eight steps we can take along a path that can lead to an end to our suffering. These eight comprise "right"  view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration.


But over the last few decades, some Eastern and Western Buddhists leaders have realized that this emphasis on eliminating our own suffering sometimes leads Buddhists-and practitioners of other religions--to turn their eyes away from the suffering of others.


American Buddhist leader Joanna Macy writes, "In the major religions, the spiritual journey seems to be presented in two ways. One is like a journey out of the messy, broken, imperfect world of suffering, into a sacred realm of eternal light. At the same time, within the same tradition, the spiritual journey is also experienced and expressed as going right into the heart of the world-into this world of suffering and brokenness and imperfection-to discover the sacred."


This way of looking at the spiritual journey has led Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh, Macy, and others to create a movement sometimes referred to as "Socially Engaged Buddhism." Those who are part of this movement address their own suffering, but also actively address social, political, environmental, and economic problems in the world around them.


Socially engaged Buddhists address these problems through their meditation practices, and also by speaking out on issues, taking part in public actions, feeding the hungry, standing side by side with those who are oppressed, and occasionally through acts of civil disobedience.


And, finally, some Buddhists address the world's problems by taking something called the "Bodhisattva Vow." Those who take this vow agree to postpone their own achievement of Nirvana (ultimate liberation from suffering) to work diligently for the moment when suffering for all beings is eliminated and all beings can enter Nirvana.


For more information about Socially Engaged Buddhism visit Joanna Macy's web site:




Monday, January 6, 2014

Jan 7 Tip: What is the Real Name of God?

What is the real name of God?
(The 3-Minute Weekly Insight from Spirituality U.)

What is the name of God? It depends. For Zoroastrians, God is called Ahura Mazda. For Hindus the answer could be Brahma…but since Hindus have thousands of gods, the answer gets more complicated. For Native Americans, the name varies by tribe and language, but a common term for God is the Sioux, “Wakan Tonka.”

Although Muslims generally refer to God as Allah (literally, “THE God”), they have a prayer practice that involves reciting “The 99 Names of God.” These names are actually attributes rather than appellations. Consideration of some of these attributes gives keen insight into the nature if not the name of God. Among the 99 are: compassionate, merciful, Holy, protector, forgiver, just, and aware. It is perhaps appropriate that the  99th name or attribute is “patient.” What attributes would you assign to the Divinity you believe in? Making your own list might be a spiritually helpful exercise.

Two names of God used by wise Jewish leaders open some very interesting possibilities. Jews generally are discouraged from speaking or writing the name of God. When they need to refer to the Divine in writing, some Jews use this way of writing the Holy name: G-d. Rabbi Arthur Waskow once sent a letter to his mentor, Rabbi Zalman Schacter-Shalomi using this form of the name. Zalman wrote back suggesting Arthur instead use “G!d”. I like that. And Rabbi Rami Shapiro (who sees God as a great question) suggests using “G?d”.

Rabbi Arthur Waskow also prompts us to think of another way of referring to God. He points out that in the part of the Bible shared by Christians and Jews, God is referred to as YHWH, which is often translated into English as “Yaweh”. There are no vowels in the Hebrew language, so Yahweh is an extrapolation. Arthur suggests trying to pronounce the YHWH without the vowels. Try this yourself. Just make whatever sound comes out of your mouth by trying to pronounce “YHWH”. [Please stop and try this before reading on.]

If you listened to yourself, you probably heard something that sounded like a deep exhalation, a sigh, or more properly, a breath. Arthur points out that in this form, the name of God is simply a breath. But that simple breath gives this name majesty. Why? Because breathing is the one thing that connects all living beings whether they are animals or plants. What a beautiful thought. God is actually the one thing that truly connects us all!

So, the answer to the original question is that there probably isn’t one true name for God. Whether we call Her (or Him) “God”, Allah, Brahman, Wakan Tonka, YHWH, or any one of thousands of other names created by humans, God alone really knows the correct name.

And in any case, we should remember that someone (Moses) actually asked God for his name. The Divine One replied: “I Am that I Am.”

For more information about the 99 Names (or Attributes) of God, visit:

http://sufism.org/foundations/ninety-nine-names/the-most-beautiful-names-of-allah-2