Parliament of Worlds Religion 1993 Chicago IL

Author(s): Parliament of the World’s Religions
Publisher: USA Parliament of the Worlds Religions

Page 11

LETTER
Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions
Post Office Box 1630 Chicago, Illinois 60690-1630 U.S.A.
Office: 105 West Adams, Suite 800 Telephone: 312 629-2990 Fax: 312 629-2991
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
At Soto Zen monasteries, meals are preceded by a chant: "Seventy-two labors brought us this food. We should know how it comes to us..." There are 72 traditional roles in the monastery, from cook to abbot. Together they make the life of the community possible.
In our time the distinctions between community and planet seem to have disappeared. The health of the whole depends more than ever on the strength of individuals and their ability to live harmoniously together, conscious of their interdependence. Because strength and consciousness arise from the spirit, the world's faiths are central to our hopes of protecting Earth and living peacefully together. The 1993 Parliament of the World's Religions is dedicated to sending this message of hope to the whole world.
In the five years since we began the work of bringing this Parliament into being, I have seen how vision and a great purpose have knit together a family of caring and committed persons. At first there were only a few of us, meeting around a kitchen table. Now we are thousands. Now we know from experience how collaboration brings understanding and love, bridging the distance between our many different origins, cultures, and faiths even between our individual experiences. Building our bridges of love and keeping them strong has meant effort, and all of us have had to grow in ways we might never have anticipated.
Many essential contributors are not listed in this program. I could not have done this work without the willing heart and the loving counsel of Georgia Gómez-Ibáñez, who kept our home and family whole, even with her demanding responsibilities as a teacher. This Parliament is her work also. There are many, many others. They reach around the world.
This work is an example of what is being done in many places to heal the planet. It begins small. It keeps its roots in the hearts of people. It creates communities. It nourishes. Each one of us knows this work is the path of the spirit in the world.
Daniel loing thing балер
Daniel Gómez-Ibáñez Executive Director