The majestic Himalayas and Ganga |
Welcoming the Delegates |
Khawaja Qutb-ud-din Faridi, Hameed Rafiabadi, Ahmed Jawaid, Said Ahmed Shah |
Swamini Vanamali Mataji |
Swami Mangalananda |
Sofia Noreen |
Taimoor Khan, Ahmed Jawaid, Shubhraji, Swami Manasa Datta, Irfan Hamdani, Ashima Kaul |
Dialogue continues over a cup of tea - Sister Giovanna and Ahmed Jawaid
|
Said Ahmed Shah, Swami Mangalananda, Dena Merriam, Swami Veda Bharati and Sakena Yacoobi
|
Swami Siddhabodhananda
. Motilal Pandit |
Ashima Kaul discusses Manifesting Inner Work to neutralize conflict
|
Swami Manasa Datta, Lars Martiny, Inger Moeller and Zakia Ebrahim
|
Shubhraji speaks on the Divine Feminine as Khawaja Qutb-ud-din Faridi, Sufi Rehman, Swamini Pramananda and Dena Merriam look on |
Bhajans with Swami Mangalananda
|
Delegates on the banks of Mother Ganga
|
Shubhraji and Nithya Shanti
|
Dialogue continues through dinner - Prof. Motilal Pandit and Sufi Rehman
|
|
|

Delegates at the Sufi-Yogi Dialogue |
From January 27th to February 1st, 2010, Hindu and Muslim religious leaders from India, Pakistan and Afghanistan met to explore how they could work more closely to form a spiritual alliance to ease tensions, counter extremism, and set a new tone for the region. The Sufi-Yogi Dialogue took place in a land famous for spiritual seers and sages, Rishikesh, on the banks of the sacred Ganges River in India. Organized by the Global Peace Initiative of Women, the Dialogue was facilitated by Dena Merriam, GPIW Founder and Convener, along with Swamini Pramananda, and hosted jointly with Swami Veda Bharati of the Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama and the Association of Himalayan Yoga Meditation Societies International.
During the course of the four days, leaders from the Sufi and Yogic traditions spoke in great depth about the common ground between them and expressed great interest in learning more about each other's practices and forming a new partnership for peace. The gathering was not a typical interfaith meeting as the leaders came together to explore a much deeper engagement, to re-discover and strengthen their ancient shared spiritual roots as a means to meet the contemporary challenges of the region and begin to resolve present-day conflicts between the two great cultures of Hinduism and Islam.
The Sufis and Yogis in particular were chosen for this ground-breaking dialogue because they represent the mystical core of the Islamic and Hindu traditions respectively. As such, they are especially suited to distilling the common essence of unity, the direct experience of the Divine, at the heart of both religions - and perhaps ultimately of all religious experience. Tapping into this inner source of unity, common to all spiritual paths at their innermost level, has the potential to guide us to outer unity in our crisis-torn world. It is in this deep meeting at the essential core of our Being that we can best experience our true identity with the Divine, which can then serve as a fulcrum for global healing and harmony.
The Hindu leaders represented Yogic, Vedantic and Kashmiri Shaivite traditions from different parts of India, while the Sufi leaders represented orders in Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as Kashmir in India.
In addition to exchanging views, the delegates sat together in meditation, silence and prayer, chanted slokas from the Vedas and recited from the Koran, sang Hindu bhajans and attended a stirring Sufi concert, sat in communion in a holy cave on the Ganges, and emerged with a much deeper sense of unity. |

Ghazals and Bhajans find their union - Walishah Bahra and Swami Mangalananda |
The gathering began with general discussions, formal at first, about the tenets of the two traditions, quoting from the respective scriptures, comparing and contrasting theological points. It was increasingly recognized that beneath the surface differences of language and symbolic expression the Sufi and Yogic traditions showed a great commonality in values, perspectives, and even many forms of practice. The shared historical roots of the two traditions were repeatedly alluded to, and the fact that for centuries they co-existed, especially in the Kashmiri region, not only in harmony but an active, fertile dialogic exchange.
Many common points between the Sufi and Yogic traditions were identified. On the spiritual level, both include a focus on interiority, direct mystical experience of communion with the Divine, identification with the Higher Self rather than the ego, and purification practices such as mantra, chanting, silence, fasting and prayer. Both traditions share a rich heritage of aesthetic expression through art, music and poetry of inner spiritual experience. On the social level, both traditions share an emphasis on the values of love, mercy, peace and the honouring of the Divine in all beings - even, and most especially, the stranger.
|

The Afghani leaders and Swami Veda Bharati light a lamp as Swamini Pramananda invokes the Divine through Vedic Chants |
As the Dialogue deepened in the days that followed, there was a marked shift from theoretical discussions to a greater trust and opening of the heart, a trust both in one another and the greater movement of Divine purpose guiding us. In some cases differences of outer form and expression were directly reconciled, in other cases the deeper common unity they pointed to was acknowledged, allowing for the co-existence of the different forms in mutual appreciation and respect.
In this way, both the unifying essence and its diverse forms were honoured. Bringing together Vedantic, Kashmiri Shaivite and Sufi perspectives, it was clarified that while form, or the manifest world, may be said to be illusion in the certain Hindu traditions, it is meant in the sense that the world is not as we perceive it, consisting of solid, separate objects. Rather, it is energy, flowing from a single Source of pure Consciousness, into many forms.
This Source, whether we call it Allah, Brahman, God or the Divine Mother, is to be realized, honoured and served in all its forms. Here the interconnection between spiritual unity and social transformation came to the fore, the much-needed alliance between spiritual practice and action in the world. It was clearly affirmed that, especially in these critical times, contemplation needs to be accompanied by action. Action, as one delegate said, is a way of expressing Divinity; it is included in the prime definition of Being, and cannot be denied at any stage. The dialogue started to centre around the need for practical steps, how to bring the power of the collective spiritual wisdom we were gathering from our traditions into effective action for peace and planetary healing so crucial at this time.
This remained a central theme for the rest of the dialogue, as ideas were generated and exchanged for further networking and collective action in the region. Plans were set in motion to support each other in local and regional initiatives to resolve conflict and restore peace, through education, media, and a continued deepening of interspiritual dialogue, unifying the energies not only of the different spiritual traditions but also the power of spirituality itself with initiatives for social transformation. |

Gathered in a circle at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama |
A turning point in the dialogue took place with the visit to Swami Veda Bharati's ashram on Friday afternoon. The elegant circular arrangement of the seats, suggestive of our equality in the Divine, in the midst of the large meditation hall resonant with the vibration of many years of collective meditation, set a tone of sacredness, receptivity and inspiration.. Swami Veda's heartfelt welcome, his deep understanding, love and affinity for the Sufi tradition, and the life-long desire he spoke of for spiritual unity among the traditions, was profoundly moving for all present. The Sufi delegates, and particularly Said Ahmad Shah, an Afghan Sheikh, melted to Swami Veda, and the two immediately fell into each other's arms, with a deep sense of reunion and vow to stay connected in the future.
The discussion that followed on the role of Shakti, the Divine Feminine, in spiritual unity and global transformation, was also profoundly insightful and stirring. It was recognized that the Divine Feminine has both an evolutionary and an eternal aspect, both critically needed at this time to bring the mystical core of unity at the heart of the traditions into the healing of the collective consciousness and the planet.
Women have a large role to play in bringing in this consciousness, along with men who recognize its critical importance and welcome the feminine values of reconciliation and unity into the higher structures of spirituality and society.
This feminine energy was clearly present throughout the conference, weaving a seamless unity. The mystical paths in particular, such as Sufism and Yoga, form a natural alliance with the feminine, since both are about the melting of boundaries, a direct union between the immanent and the Divine. This natural affinity is particularly fertile at this time, when the healing of divisions is so deeply called for. |

Sheikh Said Ahmad Shah and Swami Veda Bharati vow to stay connected |
The awakening of the energy of unity was beautifully exemplified on the group's last morning together, at the Vashishta Cave. The cave, on the shore of the Ganges, where the great sage Vashishta meditated for many years, is sacred to the Hindus. The Sufi leaders entered to the sound of Hindu priests outside chanting the Ramayana. Once inside, the Sufi leaders were awestruck by the cave's powerful energy, and one felt an electric current suddenly surge up his spine. (In Hinduism, this energy of awakening is said to be the Goddess Kundalini.) The Sufis then fell spontaneously into a Zikr, chanting and swaying in their style of prayer, blending with the rhythms of the Ramayana outside. It was a moment of great exhilaration as the two groups wove together in a chorus of communion with the Divine, symbolizing the joining of the two streams in the deeper experience of Oneness that underlies all forms of religious expression, indeed of all creation. |

Full Moon rises over Rishikesh |
Another theme which recurred through the dialogue was the possibility of working for outer transformation through the collective energy fields in which we are all connected. It is said that when those of deep spiritual experience come together, an energy of great potency is amplified on the inner planes, which via the subtle energy fields can in turn influence events on the outer plane. In addition to taking practical outer action for transformation, many delegates expressed the desire to continue to work together on the inner planes, even at a distance, through such group prayer and intention, directing peace and healing to specific areas of conflict in the world, regionally and globally.
In sum, from the start of the gathering, there was a growing realization of our collective spiritual power. The two groups can work in concert in the sacred recognition that both are emanations of the same Divine One. And because this connection flows both ways - from the Divine One to its forms, and back from its forms to the Divine - the more deeply aligned we are in this Oneness, the more powerfully we can bring its harmony into expression in our world.
At the end of the meeting, the delegates expressed a longing for a deepening and on-going exchange, acknowledging the thread of unity, historical and spiritual, connecting all in the region. There was consensus that a common culture ran through the region, joining India, Pakistan and Afghanistan and they expressed a strong desire for continued interaction with one another. Those present were strongly moved by their experience together and the new sense of kinship that had developed. |

Participants at the Meditation Hall in Swami Veda Bharati's Ashram |
At the level of action, the inner inspiration and guidance accessed through the gathering is already starting to manifest. A follow-up to the Sufi-Yogi Dialogue is already being planned for April in Pakistan, and possibly in Afghanistan later this year. In addition, specific initiatives are being set in motion for different areas in the region. Inspired by the visit to Swami Veda's ashram, one of the Pakistani leaders, Sufi Rehman Muhaiyadeen and a small group, is planning to set up a Sufi practice center in Lahore. In Kashmir, a Hindu-Muslim youth summit is in the process of being organized for later this spring by Ms. Ashima Kaul, a Kashmiri Pandit, Dr. Aslam Sahib, a Sufi, and Swamini Pramananda of the Hindu Vedantic tradition.
As our time together drew to a close, few wanted to leave the warm friendships, the momentum of inspiration and shared field of spiritual bonds that had been formed. But all agreed that this was just the beginning, with much work to be done together in the future. This first Sufi-Yogi Dialogue is a prologue for what is to come, breaking ground, sowing seeds, and establishing a network of relationships throughout the region through which the spirit of unity tapped here can continue to deepen and grow. |
|
|