Parliament of Worlds Religion 2009 Melbourne Australia

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

Page 263

PROGRAM DE
Monday, December 7, 2009
The Power of Spiritual Experience
Charles Hogg
Christine Westbury
Room 101
Religious or Spiritual Observance
Some say that knowing is easy, believing is easy, but experience is hard. The aim of this session is to transform our knowing and believing into spiritual experiences and feelings. At the heart of each one of us is the aim to have deep, rich, spiritual experiences and feelings. Whether it is of the eternal self, love for God, the power of Truth, or something else, experience is a sustaining factor in our spiritual journey. The session will begin with a brief discussion of the process, and will then be conducted in silence accompanied by soft music with occasional commentary to guide the participants gently into various meditative exercises. The exercise aims to create a very powerful spiritual atmosphere of belonging. This observance will guide the individual to their point of stillnessa stillness that totally refreshes the mind and allows the self to be in a position to listen, observe and reflect. In this place of inner stillness, one is taken to another level of listening where one may more effectively hear others from a position of compassion, understanding, respect and tolerance.
Charlie Hogg has practiced meditation daily for the past 30 years. He first learned meditation in 1975 at the Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Meditation Centre in London. He trained as a teacher and returned to Australia in 1977 to open a Brahma Kumaris Centre in Melbourne. In 1980 he became the Director of the Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Centre in Australia, where there are now 30 such Centres.
Christine Westbury has been studying and teaching B K Raja Yoga meditation for the past 12 years. She currently coordinates their Fitzroy branch and oversees many of their Melbourne activities. She is on the advisory board for a Parliament of the World's Religions and has worked closely with interfaith groups, hosting numerous events. She works as a medical research nurse at Royal Children's hospital. Christine coordinated "just-a-minute' in Melbourne.
Seon (Zen) Meditation Practise
Jinwol Lee
Room 102
Religious or Spiritual Observance
Seon is a method of Korean Buddhist meditation similar to Chan in China and Zen in Japan. It is a way of purifying one's mind through concentration and contemplation. Through the Seon practice, one can discover enlightenment, wisdom and compassion. All are welcome to join this session and practise this simple and peaceful form of meditation, which can help to uncover one's original nature of perfection.
Venerable Professor Jinwol Lee is a Buddhist monk and Seon (Zen) Master of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. He received a PhD in Buddhist Studies from UC Berkeley and now teaches at Dongguk University in Korea. He is a Steering Committee Member of the Coalition for the UN Decade for Peace, an Executive Committee Member of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, and a Global Council Member of the United Religions Initiative.
8:00-9:00am MORNING OBSERVANCES
Orthodox Jewish Morning Observance - Monday
Rabbi Ralph Genende
Room 103
Religious or Spiritual Observance
Rabbi Ralph Genende will lead this prayer service. If there is a minyan (quorum for prayer) we will daven (pray) the full service albeit without Torah reading. If there is no minyan we will still daven together. Bring a siddur (prayer book) if possible. There will be a few spare siddurim.
Rabbi Ralph Genende is senior rabbi at Caulfield Hebrew Congregation, which is undergoing an energetic renewal. Rabbi Ralph has a Master's degree in Counselling and is Senior Rabbi to the Australian Defence Force. He previously served as College Rabbi at Mount Scopus College. He is an Executive Member of the Rabbinical Council of Victoria, the Council for Christians and Jews, a member of the Victorian Premier's Multi-faith Advisory Group, and heads a Jewish pre-marriage education group.
Living Ahimsa Meditation: The Power of Harmony in our Thoughts, Speech and Action
Sri Swami Mayatitananda Saraswati (Mother Maya) Room 109
Religious or Spiritual Observance
The ancient Vedic culture developed meditation as a tool for exploring, developing and expanding the mind's inner pathways to personal awareness. The Sanskrit word for meditation, dhyanam, means, 'to discern, measure, ponder, contemplate. In other words, the act of meditation reveals the mind. Our senses cannot lead us into this inner universe. We must ultimately move beyond the workings of our minds and sense perceptions into the realm of pure consciousness or satchitananda. The goal of Living Ahimsa is to discover who we are as instruments of harmony, learning how to harvest ahimsa, or the absence of the desire to hurt others'. The Living Ahimsa Meditation can help conscientious practitioners cultivate harmony in their everyday thoughts, speech and actions. Through Living Ahimsa Meditation we develop an awareness of our individual purpose, removing obstacles and illusions that impede wellness and inner harmony. Living Ahimsa Meditation is more than an exercise of the mind or willpower-it is an essential tool for developing personal awareness in every moment of our daily lives. During this session Mother Maya will lead a Living Ahimsa Meditation. Founder of the Wise Earth School of Ayurveda, Mother Maya is a healer, educator, and author. She is an exponent of ahimsa Inonviolence) and its ecological importance and is one of the few women to be ordained as a sannyasini Irenunciant) by her Guru, H H Swami Dayananda Saraswati.
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