INDY’S INAUGURAL FESTIVAL OF FAITHS
War Memorial Plaza - Indianapolis, Indiana USA
October 13, 2013
Indy’s Inaugural Festival of Faiths organized by the Center for Interfaith Cooperation on October 13 at the Indiana War Memorial-Veterans Plaza promises "…an excellent opportunity to learn, share, and celebrate our rich religious diversity …with sacred music, songs and dance, traditional food, youth activities, exhibits and workshops."
Indy’s Inaugural Festival of Faiths is literally hands-across-faiths-and-spiritual traditions-of-our- neighbors - a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the spiritual fabric of Indiana. The Sikh Satsang of Indianapolis is a sponsor of the Festival of Faiths and Sikh community in central Indiana will participate with a display, processional of faith leaders, sacred arts, discussion forums and prayer; and offer the Sikh perspective on interfaith engagement and celebrations.
FAITH AS A UNIVERSAL PILGRIMAGE OF SPIRIT
Sikhs daily recite in Jaap Sahib: God as One and All-Knowing, "…the Fountainhead of all spiritual knowledge and languages…" Major faiths resonate with familiar precepts and lessons. We pray to God in multiple languages, myriad ways, in richly-embellished settings: silent meditation in Nature’s synagogues (Himalayan Valley of Flowers); sacred chants in Tibetan monasteries; symphonic music and Mass in cathedrals of great opulence and splendor (St. Peter’s, Rome); Shabads (sacred hymns) in classical Ragas at the hallowed Sikh shrines.
Interfaith celebrations offer a visual and spiritual feast: an amazing tapestry of cultural richness that enlarge our understanding by providing opportunities to interface with unique traditional arts, introducing us to sacred heritage and spiritual spectrums different from our own. Interfaith experiences are a multifaceted blessing. They reveal inspiring, reassuring, and unifying lessons. Sikhs see learning as a liberating and transforming pilgrimage: bridging barriers, dispelling unfounded myths, and honoring universal-faith-mandates: loving, sharing, and serving.
Much like science, medicine, and the arts, man’s rich faith heritage is a fascinating field of spiritual illumination, discovery, and celebration.
SIKH FAITH LEGACYAND INTERFAITH TRADITION
Interfaith events are a classroom of culture and spirit of faiths: Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of Sikhs enshrines the sacred writings of Sikh Gurus, and 30 venerated Sikhs, Bhutts (seekers of Truth), Hindu Bhagats (celebrated saints) from various castes and spiritual traditions, and Muslim Saints, in multiple languages and regional dialects. The Sikh Scripture offers a living testament to the unity and sanctity of faiths and the Sacred Word. The Sikh Founder, Guru Nanak, widely travelled (1499-1525) to centers of Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Jain, and other faiths - from Punjab to Mecca, Baghdad to Tibet, Egypt to Dhaka, Hardwar to Sri Lanka.
Nanak shared his revealed message: "One Immaculate God…Eternal Truth…Self-Existent, Self-Illuminated…Father and Mother of all Creation…Every living being as a repository of Divine Light…No one is outside the circle of God’s Love and Benevolence…Equality, justice, and sanctity of all Creation and the Creator…Truth is Higher, higher still is truthful living." Nanak had extensive dialogues with faith leaders during his travels into lands and places far away from his birthplace of Nankana Sahib near Lahore (now in Pakistan).
SPIRIT AND PROMISE OF INTERFAITH ENGAGEMENT
Interfaith relationships are anchored in mutual respect, dignity, and trust: seeing each other not as adversaries or strangers but as people gathered to discover shared foundation and strengths; to dispel unfounded and hurtful stereotyping and divisive attitudes or issues; and to thoughtfully right unfortunate misconceptions about entire faith communities in our midst.
"O Mortal, Recognize all humanity as One Brotherhood, One Race." Continued violation of this Sikh commandment based on gender, ethnicity, or faith-mandated-articles are a moral outrage.
Once we triumph over differences, faiths are a natural humanitarian and moral intersection, rightly positioned to promote an all-embracing spirit and make greater contributions to the critical challenges of our times: homelessness, hunger, poverty, environment, illiteracy, disease, unprovoked violence, human trafficking, and unconscionable crimes against humanity. The renewed interest and introductions of interfaith cooperation and faith-based initiatives at the city, state, and national level is a promising advancement to harnessing the resources, goodwill, and experiences of faiths to address urgent human needs.
For the greatest good: we must avoid treading into areas where we may differ on principle or sacred precepts and that lead to tensions and breakdowns. We must learn from and about each other; magnify unifying ideals, search for common ground; engage in a civil discourse and remember our promise to God, country, family, and humanity; "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness" of our own and others. Refrain from indulging in unproductive self-righteousness; discover where our common interest and responsibilities converge and together explore answers to some of the pressing challenges around us.
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| Faith leaders at the Sikh Gurdwara in August 2013 |
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| The Veteran's Plaza, the site of the 2913 Festival of Faiths |
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| His Holiness the Dalai Lama with faith leaders in Indianapolis in 2010 |
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| Indiana War Memorial, the site of the 2013 Festival of Faiths |
Festival of Faiths is about discovering, not just about man’s many spiritual paths, but about entering into faith with our common faith lessons and making a difference across our spiritual thresholds, as an act of living our faith and testament to our being One God’s Family.
Additional information about the Festival of Faith: www.centerforinterfaithcooperation.org
Kanwal Prakash Singh
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