Spirituality and religion meet
in Barcelona revealing
different levels of understanding
and practices
On July 7-13, some 8000 persons gathered at the Forum Barcelona, Spain, for the 2004 Parliament of the World’s Religions. The 2004 theme was Pathways to Peace: The Wisdom of Listening, The Power of Commitment.
Rigid structures of meeting style and personnel (often reflecting the social and cultural biases of historical religion) found themselves in palpable tension with spontaneous gatherings and discussions among attendees asking wide-ranging questions of religion and of the Parliament. Can meetings like this be less a “trade show” of world religion and more an authentic spiritual experience? Can the Parliament be a vehicle for universal understanding that is capable of ameliorating long-standing historical inequities among cultures and economies, genders, and racial and ethnic groups? Is religious experience today holistic enough to fruitfully address complex world problems like environmental destruction, disease, socio-economic inequity, and war? Are there frontiers for religion itself, like balancing historical assumptions of patriarchy with new appreciation of the "divine feminine"?
Questions like these were widely heard in Barcelona, forming the broader challenge to a Parliament whose organizers had, on the surface, successfully created a mix of daily plenary sessions (highlighted by religious leaders and celebrities); formal presentations, panels and discussions; film, music and dance; devotional observances; and occasions for spontaneous gatherings -- all a diverse laboratory in which Parliament attendees could participate. Topical issues were also well treated, including programs on environmental care and sustainability, water, HIV-AIDS, restorative justice, women's voices, human and children's rights, and dialogue of civilizations. Not only organized religions but also diverse religious organizations, associations, and outreaches were well represented.
Finding one's place in such a large event seemed a daunting task at first for most. However, the orderly arrangement of programs, somewhat reminiscent of a theme park, allowed participants to eventually settle in, trust their own intuitions and let imagination be their guide. Similarly, diversity of venue and tension among issues about religion and daily life also allowed profound opportunity for individuals to measure their own experiences.
Here are some brief reports from participants showing the diversity of experience.
Martha Gallahue. The selection of participants was highly creative and supportive of both experiential and traditional "theological" approaches. Although collaboration was emphasized, finding meeting times for spontaneous coalitions, including youth and women, was difficult. Elitist leadership took precedence over the highly motivated spiritual grassroots activists energized to solve global challenges. The most progressive elements at the Parliament were interspirituality programs based on the universal core of all religions, the celebration of common humanity and mandates for personal responsibility in global transformation. The nonverbal message of total commitment of heart, beyond the dualism that codifies traditional religions, was presented in diverse modalities - ceremonies, presentations and dialogic exchanges. The future lies in spiritual practice, in the release of concepts we no longer need, and in our daily person-to-person, community-to-community efforts to heal a wounded world.
Martha Foster. As a lifelong educational media professional, I see enormous potential in the Parliament for media training and coverage, and for public education via broadcast and home video. The Barcelona Parliament was covered live on European TV and a vast number of audio and video interviews were conducted for future broadcasting. The Parliament offers a valuable training ground for religious and spiritual organizations on how to relate to the secular press. There are important stories to tell about the role of religions in a fragmented world. The media will play a significant role in reaching a worldwide audience eager for spiritual nourishment.
Kurt Johnson. The largely topical Symposium on “Science and Religions” came alive in discussions which questioned whether science can ever “get on board” with an emerging higher world consciousness. Discussions acknowledged the primary role of presence or heart in addressing world problems, with intellect a secondary function. Can conventional science be helpful at all? As noted by many, the philosophy of science emerged from the Popperian revolution of the 1970’s, which replaced the older paradigm of deductive proof with the inductive mode. This means that any hypothesis about reality (or how it works) is welcome as long as it is testable, that is, can be corroborated as more or less useful to overall understanding. Within science, “systems theory” is able to articulate wide-ranging views of reality. If elegant and comprehensive enough it will allow apparently contradictory experiences to share a common context for understanding and inquiry (as has happened in quantum theory). Progress in this kind of theoretical or speculative work is more likely than the development of instruments able to measure the subtle phenomena higher consciousness suggests.
Alan Steinfeld. One of the highlights was the panel discussion on World Global Consciousness and Spirituality. The morning panel was followed by roundtable discussions where the room itself seemed to be a microcosm of the world. There was a sense that global consciousness had gone beyond dialogue and had, for some brief shining seconds, manifested in full Presence. When African singer Jean Paul presented his sweet sounding soul songs, one sensed a connection to the planet and humanity throughout time and could see humanity as a great entity with each of us as various parts of its planetary body. Another highlight was the presentation on “The Meaning of Awakening in Modern Spiritual and Scientific Contexts” where Dr. J. J. Hurtak presented the physics of light as related to science and spiritual dimensionality with his newly completed film “The Light Body”. A downside of the Parliament was inequity in the number of presentations by women, although this was not surprising considering that most religions originated from or are run by men. Dr. Jane Goodall who has brought us closer to understanding the emotional lives of chimpanzees, is a glowing example of one who has transcended her own views in favor of something larger. Amritanandanmayi Devi said, “Viewing religion externally creates more and more division. We need to see and understand the inside, the essence of religion from a spiritual perspective. Where there is true spiritual experience there will be no division -- only unity and love”. Service appeared central. The Parliament must be saluted for offering its program in that spirit.
Matthew Mitler. Great diligence is required to balance an inner inquiry with an outward aim. At Dieci Theatre Company we look for an artistic work of mind, heart and body. In Barcelona, we found a luminous example of such a practice.
The Sikh community, which was a co-presenter for the Parliament, had made an offer to serve a vegetarian lunch for whoever wished to eat. It was difficult to imagine how this could be possible, considering that some 10,000 people were in attendance, But by nature, being starving artists, the eleven members of Dzieci journeyed to the seaside for our free meal.
An enormous white tent had been erected, and as we approached, we were greeted by one smiling Sikh after another, gently welcoming us and guiding us inside. In the vestibule we were directed to remove our shoes, then we queued up to wash our hands. Another gracious host dried our hands, then passed us along to a group of young women who covered our heads with white kerchiefs and gestured for us to enter the main chamber.
The entire space was given a lively elegance by a red carpet that covered the entire ground. Our mouths hung open in awe; the impression was so profound. Hundreds of people were seated on the floor in neat rows, already enjoying their meals. In the back, we could see a partitioned area where the food was being prepared. To the side were exhibits about the Sikh community, as well as an area set up as a temple, from where we could hear the continuous hum of a chant. In the heat of Barcelona summer, we noticed the tent was surprisingly air-conditioned. A line of young women eagerly pointed the way to an empty seating area on the floor, and we gratefully took our places.
We sat cross-legged, in front of plastic plates, and instantaneously a line of turbaned waiters came through, each heaping diverse portions of aromatic vegetarian victuals, bowing, smiling, and looking directly into our eyes. We were so honored that we felt a call not to eat in a habitual manner. As we had been blessed, it was only appropriate to bless our food, and to try to eat with the same attention that was being bestowed upon us. As I looked around, I was struck by the variety of my dining companions, who by now numbered close to a thousand. Whether in Robes of saffron or crimson, Brooks Brothers suits or sensible shoes, African prints or Gap khakis all were eating communally. All were served as equals with precision and love.
The Parliament itself seemed overlaid with talk about religion, about spirituality, about peace. What was touched? What was changed? In a white tent, beside the Mediterranean Sea, the word became action.
One final impression rests in my soul. Each day, as I left the dining hall and removed my head scarf, I noticed a lone Sikh gentleman, aged and stooped over, tenderly picking up a pair of shoes from the hundreds lined up in the foyer, carefully dusting them off, and placing them neatly back on the shelf, before moving on to the next pair.
