Interfaith Dialogue and Skills for Peace Builders 2009

8/14/2019 Interfaith Dialogue and Skills for Peace Builders 2009

1/75

Introduction toIntroduction toINTERFAITH DIALOGUEINTERFAITH DIALOGUE

and Relationship Buildingand Relationship Building


2/75

1. What did you bring here with you?

2. What do you hope to take with

you at the end of this workshop?


3/75


4/75

ConflictConflictis a turning pointis a turning pointinin

a relationship that signals thea relationship that signals theopportunity for growth, and foropportunity for growth, and formaking a change for themaking a change for the

better.better.


5/75

What it is that conflict changes when itWhat it is that conflict changes when itescalates?escalates?

Six key changes/shifts that conflict produces:1. Change in perception and seeing the other

person as the problem.

Person 1 Person 2

- most of the language will tell who is to blame and who is

responsible.

- shift from talking together to address the problem together (to

looking at the same direction), to blaming the other.


6/75

2. Shift in issues.

-the issues expand; need forconflict mapping

- escalation of conflict is

around many other issues

- context vis--vis relation

- perception of the other

about me and vice versa


7/75

Module 1:Module 1:

What is conflict?What is conflict?


8/75

3. Change in communication pattern.3. Change in communication pattern.

- moving toward another/differentdimensions

- speaking less together

- going away from the relationshipoutward towards others not directlyinvolved.

- people have to rely on indirectcommunication (gossip, chat behindthe scenes), on anything thatresembles the truth.

- Polarization--moving away fromwhere the conversation is needed

TRUTHTRUTH


9/75

4. Reciprocal causation.4. Reciprocal causation.

- people begin to look at conflictin a new level.

- conflict has now become thereaction to the reaction.

- conflict continues independent ofthe original persons involved.

- the dynamics of the interactionbecomes itself the problem.

- reaction becomes the justificationofthe next action.


10/75

5. Goals change.5. Goals change.

- people come to a place where the purpose is no longer to solvethe

problem but to hurt the other, to be vindicated, to take revenge.

- form drives a certain level of hostilitypassive aggressive


11/75


12/75

Module 2:Module 2:

How to address conflict?How to address conflict?


13/75

Topic 1:

Understanding the SELF

in relation to the world


14/75

PHYSICAL BODY

Inner

World

Outer

World

Sense organs:

Receiver of stimuli from the

outer world


15/75

Sentient Soul

Intellectual Soul

Conscious Soul

SOUL

Sees the Self as part of a

greater whole, and is able toengage the thinking and

feeling processes in the

experience.

PRESENCE OF BEING in

full awareness of the whole

prevails in the experience.

Perceives the outer

world mainly through

the eyes, and makes

sense of the experience

through the thinking

process.

Rational thinking is

dominant in the

experience.

Experiences the outer

world through thephysical senses;

Feelings are dominant

in the experience.

The Perceiver


16/75

Human Experience of Conflict

Inner

World

Outer

World

PERSONAL

Inner conflict ofthinking, feeling and

willing

RELATIONAL

conflict between the self andthe perceived external world


17/75

Sentient Soul

Intellectual Soul

Conscious Soul

Conflict in Relationships

Sees the Self as PART of agreater WHOLE, and is able to

recognize and respect

DIFFERENCES; is able to

transcend feelings of aversion,

see through fear and choose in

favor of the wellbeing of the

whole.

Has the courage & capacity to

move FROM FEAR TO LOVE.

When what is being perceived

does not make sense,

uncertainty arises. When not

assuaged, this may lead to

FEAR. Fear in relationships

may result in anger, and anger

in hatred.

Natural tendency is to argue,

debate, and to prove ones self

right and the other wrong; to

fight back.

Experiences discomfort,

pain, and threat to personal

wellbeing.

Feelings of aversion.

Natural tendency is to avoid

pain & discomfort.


18/75

The Power of Thought as revealed byThe Power of Thought as revealed byThe Messages from WaterThe Messages from Water


19/75

Dr. Masaru Emoto

Doctor of Alternative Medicinefrom Yokohama, Japan.

He was introduced to MagneticResonance Analysis (micro-clusterwater) technology in the U.S.

In 1994, he engaged in anextensive research on a newwater evaluation technology.

He experimented on Water Crystal

photography. He took pictures of water

as it freezes (at 5 C below zero) to form crystal structures.


20/75

Clean & pure waterClean & pure water

Yusui SpringsYusui Springs Shimanto RiverShimanto River


21/75

Polluted waterPolluted water

Biwako City lake inBiwako City lake in

ShigaShigaYodo City river, inYodo City river, in

OsakaOsaka


22/75

But Dr. Emotos experiment went beyond justphotographing the molecular structure of clean &polluted water

Beethovens PastoraleBeethovens Pastorale Heavy metal rockHeavy metal rock

He photographed water samples before andafter being exposed to certain kinds of MUSIC.


23/75

Furthermore, Dr. Emotos experiment went beyond theeffect ofsound vibrations on water molecularstructures

Thank YouThank You

You make me sick.You make me sick.

I will kill youI will kill you

He asked: What if we expose water to certain

WORDS(placing water in bottles with

labels overnight) ...?


24/75

Love & GratitudeLove & GratitudeYou foolYou fool

(Japanese) vs. (English)(Japanese) vs. (English)


25/75

Water crystal structure of Fujiwara DamWater crystal structure of Fujiwara Dam

before & after being prayed over by a Shintobefore & after being prayed over by a Shinto

priest for one hourpriest for one hour

Before prayed overBefore prayed over After being prayed overAfter being prayed over


26/75

Question:Question:

How many percent of

water is the human

body?

How many percent of

water is the whole

planet Earth?

7080%

7080%


27/75

How much then can you affectyour self, your children, the people,

and the world around you with your

words and your thoughts?


28/75

Ask yourself:

1. What was your INTEREST? What was the INTERESTof the other?

2. What was your ATTITUDE towards pursuing yourinterest? What was the ATTITUDE of the other?

3. What was BAD about the conflict?

4. What was GOOD about the conflict?

5. Did you RESOLVE the conflict? If yes, how? If no, whynot?


29/75

Topic 2:

Understanding DIFFERENCESin POSITION


30/75

Topic 3:Topic 3:

Understanding DIFFERENCESUnderstanding DIFFERENCES

in DISPOSITIONin DISPOSITION


31/75


32/75


33/75

Essentials to the endeavor of addressing conflict

- Dialogue

- Presence

- Heart Listening


34/75

Module 3:Module 3:Introduction toIntroduction toDialogue and InterfaithDialogue and Interfaith

Relationship-BuildingRelationship-Building


35/75

What is Dialogue? Dialogue comes from the Greek word

dia--through, and logos--word.


36/75


37/75

Paulo Freire:

Dialogue is not possible without a profound love for theworld and for people. Love is both the foundation ofdialogue and dialogue itself. Only responsible peoplethesubjects of their own history--can participate in dialogue,and it cannot exist in a situation of domination.


38/75

Domination is like a mental illness of love. Love is an act ofcourage, not of fear. Love is commitment to other people.No matter where the oppressed are found, the act of loveinvolves commitment to their cause, the cause of liberation.And this commitment, because it is loving, must take place

in the form of dialogue. Love is brave and free, it cannot besentimental or manipulative. If it does not lead to other actsof freedom it cannot really be love. It is only by abolishing asituation of oppression that it is possible to restore love inthat situation. If I do not love the world --love lifelovepeople, I cannot enter into dialogue.[1]

[1]Anne Hope and Sally Timmel, Training for Transformation: A Handbookfor Community Workers (London: ITDG Publishing, 1995), 26.


39/75

In relation to other human beings,Dialogue may be

An end in itself

A means to an end


40/75

Why Dialogue?

As an end in itself

a. Because it is who I am, my nature as ahuman being.

b. Because I am a human being, I amconstantly in a state of dialogue.


41/75

Why Dialogue?As a means to an end

a. To live up to the teachings and ideals of my faith

b. To address conflict and understand and appreciate theother

c. To build mutually respectful and harmoniousrelationships and promote peace, justice and

healing


42/75

Question:Question:

Is my way of being in this world withothers life-

giving and nourishing?

Or is it destructive and self-serving?


43/75

Participants in Dialogue:Participants in Dialogue:

a. SELF

b. OTHER (persons, animate andinanimate

objects in nature, etc.)


44/75

AWARENESS of SELF inAWARENESS of SELF in

RELATIONSHIP with the OTHERRELATIONSHIP with the OTHER

PositionPosition PositionPosition

InterestInterest InterestInterest

ValueValue ValueValue

NeedNeed NeedNeed

SELFSELF OTHEROTHER


45/75


46/75

Dialogue of life.

Here, participants are drawn together by their ordinary lifecircumstances to relate with one another on the level oftheir everyday concerns (such as school, work, family,neighborhood, business, etc.). They do not necessarilydiscuss matters of religion, but relate with one anotherabout common issues of concern in their daily life (such asthe safety of their childrens playground, the security oftheir neighborhood, garbage disposal schedule, noise

pollution, etc.) that affect them collectively. They relatewith one another on these matters from the values andideals of their respective beliefs and faith traditions.


47/75

Dialogue of action.

Participants collaborate and work together for a commongood. They engage in joint projects and activities thatpromote the realization of a common vision or aspiration(such as lobbying for higher wages, cleaning theneighborhood sidewalks of garbage, planting trees alongthe river to prevent flooding during the rainy season, etc.).Here, it is important that the relationship is built on thefoundations of mutual respect, understanding, and

cooperation.


48/75

Dialogue of religious experience.

This is different from the dialogue of theological discoursein that it is primarily focused on the experience of God (or

Absolute Reality) in prayer and worship rather than ondiscourse. Here, the participants must be deeply rooted intheir respective faith traditions in order to participate in thesharing of their respective spiritual or religious practices(e.g., prayer, meditation, spiritual expressions, religiousfestivities, etc.) without fear of violating their own beliefs.

The dialogue practitioner must not only be rooted in faith,but also be open to and respectful (and perhaps evenappreciative!) of the experiences of the members of otherfaiths traditions.


49/75

Dialogue of theological discourse.

Here, there is the exchange of views, information, andtheological reflections on the respective religious beliefs of

the participants. This is what is commonly thought of whenpeople speak of interreligious dialogue. This is perhaps oneof the most difficult of all the ways of engaging inrelationship with people of different faiths, and it isadvisable to have an experienced interfaith dialoguemoderator to act as the third party and facilitator. Ground

rules must be laid prior to engagement, and a commonground or a safe space must first be created toaccommodate the diversity of views, convictions, andsentiments.


50/75

Module 4:

SELF in relationship withSELF in relationship withthe OTHERthe OTHER


51/75

PRESENCE


52/75

Presence has to do with

BEING, rather than DOING QUALITY, rather than FUNCTION.


53/75

The Seven Qualities of Presence:The Seven Qualities of Presence:

1. Vulnerability

to have a wound and to carry it gracefully

- acknowledgement of who I am, that I depend on

a Higher Being.

- capacity to be WITH people.


54/75

2. Sincerity

- the word started in the days of the Roman Empirewhen buildings out of marble were built; some people

who bought and sold the marbles would cover the

imperfections with wax. But when the wax meltedthe imperfections would appear.

- sin cera (without wax); exactly as it is

NOT ARTIFICIAL

- you are fully who you are.


55/75

3. Patience

- has the quality of being OK with waiting, with not

having a hundred percent now.

- waiting in long standing

- does not go with anger & frustration

- has a quality of waiting with hope

- waiting gracefully


56/75

4. Courage - thequality of being willing to step into the unknown

- the act of making known in a context in which it may

not be safe or wanted (example: to bring forward adifferent view when you are in a group of friends who

may not agree with you).

- being fully who you are and how you see the world.


57/75

5. Humility

- I have not arrived at the full Truth.

- a constant capacity to recognize in others something

that I have fully understood alone.

- I have something yet to be gained from others.

- a sense of awe and wonder.

- I am going to stay connected to other people who

may see things differently.


58/75

6. Compassion

- with heart; to be with another persons being and

feeling.

- do not replace the other persons feelings, but enter aworld of relationship where you can enter into a

world

with another.

- a willingness to be alongside of

- a sense of relationship.


59/75

7. Clarity

- a sense of purpose; bringing forward your

sense of vision

- capacity to touch your own sense of vision,direction and purpose within the bigger

picture.

- helps us find a system through which we

can address the different issues.


60/75

HEART LISTENING


61/75

HEART LISTENING

Heart Listening is about - being fully present to the other.

Being fully present means

- letting go of the past and the future- to be in the present momentwith the other

Being in the present moment with theother person - is holding the other persons

being fully in ones self, and focusing not only onthe words that are being

said, but more so on the silences betweenthose

words.


62/75

Heart listening therefore demands from the listenerHeart listening therefore demands from the listener-- the ability to tune in to the speaker with a silent mindthe ability to tune in to the speaker with a silent mind

and an open heartand an open heart

- the emptying of the self in order to give room to the- the emptying of the self in order to give room to theother person to BE in ME.other person to BE in ME.

- the ability to allow the other to be him/herself without- the ability to allow the other to be him/herself withoutbeing judged, criticized, or condemned. There is onlybeing judged, criticized, or condemned. There is onlyempathy and a sense of oneness with the other whomempathy and a sense of oneness with the other whomone has given room to BE in ones self.one has given room to BE in ones self.


63/75

Guidelines for Heart Listening

in Dialogue(Kay Lindhal)

1. Be fully present.

Leave the concerns of the past and theanxieties of the future behind. All

distractions from the present must beavoided.


64/75

2. Shift focus of attention from the selfto

theother.

Be aware of assumptions. They are pitfallsof the self that disable us from being fully

present to the other. What we assume isoften invisible to us. Learn to recognizeassumptions by noticing when you get upsetor annoyed by something that is beingsaid. Just let it be, suspend it, and resumelistening for understanding of the other.


65/75

3. Listen and speak without judgment.

The purpose of listening is to understandthe other, not to determine if he or she is

good, bad, right, or wrong.


66/75

4. Suspend status.

Everyone is an equal partner in thelistening experience. There is no seniority orhierarchy. All are partners in the mutual

quest for insight and clarity.


67/75

5. Honor confidentiality.

Keep names in the room so if you sharestories or ideas, names of participants will notbe revealed. Create a safe space for self-

expression.


68/75

6. Express your personal response,informed by

your own beliefs, practices, andorientation

in life.Speak for yourself.


69/75

7. Listen for understanding, not to agreewith or believe.


70/75

8.Ask clarifying or open-ended questionsto assist your understanding.


71/75

9. Honor silence and time for reflection.

Notice what one wants to be said ratherthan what you want to say.


72/75

10. One person speaksat a time.


73/75

One Language of the HeartOne Language of the Heart

Many faiths and many voices speak the Truth

Yet our fears and anger tear our world apart.We must begin with the light of hope within

To heal our differences with one language,

To heal our differences with one language ---

of the heart.


74/75

Be the change you wish to see in the

world!

- Mahatma Gandhi


75/75

The Peacemakers CircleThe Peacemakers CircleFoundation, Inc.Foundation, Inc.

Building Bridges of Understanding

Rm. 105 PhilDHRRA Partnership CenterRm. 105 PhilDHRRA Partnership Center

59 C. Salvador St., Varsity Hills, 110859 C. Salvador St., Varsity Hills, 1108

Quezon City, Metro Manila,Quezon City, Metro Manila,

Tel. (02) 920-7622, Fax. (02) 920-4618Tel. (02) 920-7622, Fax. (02) 920-4618E-mail:E-mail: [email protected][email protected]; [email protected]

Webpage:Webpage: www.peacemakerscircle.blogspot.comwww.peacemakerscircle.blogspot.com
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.peacemakerscircle.blogspot.com/http://www.peacemakerscircle.blogspot.com/http://www.peacemakerscircle.blogspot.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

Documents

Interfaith Dialogue and Skills for Peace Builders 2009