Inter-Religious Dialogue Report

Surrendering to the torment of daily encounters with the mind, along with being open to transforming experiences for increased options for the experience of life, threw open the door to the world of deliberate, inter-religious dialogue. At the time, the excitement of participating in inter-religious dialogue was similar to passing under the Golden Gate Bridge and casting that first glimpse at the vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean, the curvature of the earth, the horizon, and the infinite spaciousness. Very simply, my inter-religious dialogue reflections were nothing short of awesome, and the vision was of limitless occasions for learning from another and for self-knowing and self-seeing. The initial experience of inter-religious dialogue during
Some examples of the dialogue topics are as follows: spiritual roots, spiritual grounding, meditation, reincarnation, trust, the difference between spirituality and religion, prayer, consciousness, will, spiritual experiences (inner and outer), circle of life and mandala, Pipe Ceremony and Pipe Mix, Tonglen, death and dying, ritual, Vision Quest, solitary retreat, dathun, soteriological goal, salvation, Sweat Lodges, teacher-student relationship, nature, community, thangkas and thangka painting, and male-female symbolism. Amidst all the questions and symbolism, it is intriguing to note that the mindfulness root was deepening and the attachment to Catholicism and Buddhism felt like it was fading. The inner freedom nourished by mindfulness was a nice feeling. Except for occasional drowning in discursive thought, the discovery was that it is possible to be with, and motor through the muck of aggression, passion, and ignorance, and frequently connect with the hope, beauty, compassion, love, and humility shining in sentient
The dialogue sessions with Cheryl gave birth to the experience that interpersonal inter-religious dialogue does have the potential to transform. Some examples of spiritual transformation that emerged from the inter-religious dialogue experiences with Cheryl were exciting. One evening Cheryl stated, “I believe in reincarnation and this is my last life because I am living it right.” My experience of this thought was exceptionally wholesome and stirred up a storm of hope and inspiration. It has become quite easy to integrate this concept of last life into my own spiritual path. On a second occasion during a discussion of “the end,” Cheryl remarked, “Oh, I will just dissolve in the Universe.” From my perspective, this is an extremely satisfying and simple outlook, and this perspective felt like a good