Tag Archives: URI

Interfaith Harmony 2020

Interfaith, Rituals, ,

This week the UN Interfaith Harmony Week is observed for the 10th consecutive year. All over the world people with different religious backgrounds are invited to hold interfaith events and reach out to each other.

The Interfaith Harmony Week is supported by major interfaith organisations, like the Parliament of the World’s Religions and the United Religions Intiative (URI).

Since one of the objectives of the Gamma Tao is to build bridges and create more harmony among religions and life philosophies I fully support this initiative. Last year I proposed to exchange or offer sunflower seeds as a symbolic act during these interfaith encounters. In my enthusiasm I even submitted this idea to the platform of the World Interfaith Harmony Week. 

It was just an idea and not a real event, so it did not qualify.

I still believe it is a nice and simple symbolic idea that could help to increase the awareness of the Interfaith Harmony Week.

Also the interfaith movement needs some rituals.

Anyway, I really hope this tradition will grow.

Seeds of Interfaith Harmony

Events, Traditions, ,

This week we celebrate World Interfaith Harmony Week. This interfaith celebration was first proposed in 2010 by King Abdullah II and Prince Ghazi of Jordan during a plenary session of the United Nations General Assembly and is now a recurring event.

The promotion of interfaith harmony is also a key objective of the Gamma Tao. It is actually one of the main reasons why this website exists. If the Gamma Tao was only my personal way of life there would be no compelling reason to share it.

Even though my focus is on internal personal wisdom, I believe that the Gamma Tao offers an unique way of bringing religions and philosophies of life closer together.

The Gamma Tao is a only a modest lower path offering a common ground on which all the higher paths can shine. The Gamma Tao does not reduce, replace or incorporate these wisdom traditions in any way. According to the Gamma Tao all religions and philosophies offer valuable and unique insights that can increase our wisdom and humanity and lead to various forms of realisation, salvation and enlightenment.

I really hope that the World Interfaith Harmony Week will flourish more and more and become a meaningful tradition that will be celebrated in many religious communities around the world.

In his speech at the UN General Assembly, Prince Ghazi of Jordan projected that:

if preachers and teachers commit themselves on the record once a year to peace and harmony, this means that when the next interreligious crisis or provocation occurs, they cannot then relapse into parochial fear and mistrust, and will be more likely to resist the winds of popular demagoguery.

The celebrations are supported by important interfaith institutions as the Parliament of the World’s Religions and URI. The theme for the observance of the Interfaith Harmony Week for 2019 is “Sustainable Development through Interfaith Harmony.”.

The Gamma Tao can offer sunflower seeds. Wouldn’t it be a nice and meaningful practice if different religious communities would visit each other on World Interfaith Harmony Week to exchange sunflower seeds?

If we plant these seeds and take good care of them interfaith harmony will grow high into the sky and really start flourishing!

Presentation video

Interfaith, , , ,

This is a short video that explains the basics of the gamma way.

I made it for for the Interfaith Exhibit space at the Parliament of World’s Religions that will take place in Salt Lake City later this week.

The Parliament of the World’s Religions has a history that goes back to 1893 and was created “to cultivate harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world”.

I would have loved to go to Salt Lake City, listen to inspiring talks and attend several of its interesting workshops and meetings. It seems to be the perfect occasion to meet like-minded people, learn from various religious traditions around the world and in the meantime also get some valuable feedback, inspiration and suggestions for this website.

Even though I will not be able to be in Salt Lake City, I am very grateful that unexpectedly I got the opportunity to contribute something to the Interfaith Exhibit at the Parliament of World’s Religions.

The Interfaith Exhibit is organised by four organisations working together: Charter for Compassion International, Wisdom Circle, United Religions Initiative and North American Interfaith Network.

The gamma symbol provides me with a common ground to face all religions with an open mind. I hope the Parliament of World’s Religions will be able to provide all religions with a common ground to face the challenges of our times.