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 The
Parliament of the World's Religions was held from December 1-8, 1999
in Cape Town, South Africa. Cape Town is nestled against Table Mountain,
overlooking the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and is home to many races,
religious traditions, and cultures. At the Parliament sponsored by the
South African government, teachers, scholars, religious and spiritual
leaders, believers and practitioners from around the world gathered
to share their insights and wisdom, to celebrate their diverse backgrounds,
and to address the vital moral, spiritual and religious issues presently
facing the global community.
In
the city, one could not walk two blocks without seeing a poster of Master,
which gave the area a feeling of being warmly embraced by Her blessings
and love. The opening of the Parliament on the first of December coincided
with World AIDs Day. An hour of speeches by religious leaders on that
day included pleas to the governments of the world to work more diligently
on behalf of AIDS victims, and for the people of the global community
to come together in prayer and support for the victims. The ceremony
ended in a silent prayer.
After
the opening speeches, fellow practitioners, wearing beautiful traditional
attire, and under blue banners bearing the name of The Supreme Master
Ching Hai International Association and joined in the opening day Parliament
procession. We greatly outnumbered the other groups in attendance and
thus naturally were the most "eye-catching" team. South Africans
were astonished that our group came from all the different continents
of the world to enthusiastically support this event. Some of us were
holding invitation pamphlets for Master's speech that were to be distributed
on the following day. Master's beautiful picture was on the cover, and
people drew near requesting copies. As the procession passed a small
red car, we caught sight of Master awaiting Her turn to speak at the
Parliament's next ceremony. She was dressed in classic Aulacese fashion
in bright gold with a traditional-style royal hat of the same color.
As the parade neared the site of the ceremony, the ringing of church
bells announced the start of this magnificent event.
The
event was held outside on a flat hilltop in Cape Town's historic District
Six which became famous in the mid 1960's as a sad and terrifying setting
for Apartheid (racial separatism) in South Africa. This governmental
policy, begun in 1948, made it illegal for Blacks to live in or even
visit the major cities of South Africa without a special pass issued
by the government. All of the Black city residents were moved to distant
townships, usually resulting in a splitting up of entire families. Blacks
were also stripped of their property and position and many were left
destitute. In the case of District Six, the area was zoned for destruction
under the Group Areas Act in 1966 and its residents displaced. Although
this terrible policy has changed since Nelson Mandela was released from
prison in 1993 (he became president of South Africa in 1994), many of
the scars remain among Black South Africans, and their moving speeches
reminded us that we are all part of one universal family.
This
ceremony was important in many ways. For all of those present, one could
feel a healing on a grand scale taking place. The entire event was wrapped
in dignity and symbolism, and we felt honored to represent the great
love and blessings that our Master gives to the world.
The
District Six Ceremony took place on a large circular stage at the foot
of majestic Table Mountain. It began with a light bearer carrying a
great torch. Microphones had been set up at the four corners of the
stage, representing the gates of the four directions of the world -
North, South, East, and West. Legend has it that each of the four directions
is guarded by each of the four races of humankind, (white, black, yellow
and red) and each one is a guardian of a different element, (fire, earth,
wind, and water). In the center was a larger torch that was to burn
throughout the week-long Parliament of the World's Religions.
Representatives
of each race stood in their appropriate places and spoke to their own
guardianship on behalf of their people. A touching element of this ceremony
was that all of the elders of the races were women accompanied by small
girls. This was not only highly symbolic of the transition to a more
tolerant, loving and forgiving age (represented by grandmothers passing
on their wisdom to girls), but it also closely paralleled several speeches
that Master had made during the Cape Town retreat about how more peaceful
ages were always represented by matriarchal societies (those ruled by
women) and that we should return again to those roots in order to move
into the Golden Age. Since Master Herself is such an outstanding female
spiritual leader that transcends many religious norms, Her presence
at this symbolic event represented an important milestone in our spiritual
and cultural history.
After
the torches converged to the central flame, an Anglican priest led the
gathering in prayer. Several local community leaders were then asked
to share their visions for rebuilding the future. Master was introduced
along with a high priest from the State of Chiapas, Mexico, and another
priest. After the moving prayers by the priests, Master took the stage
to resounding cheers. Master offered an open prayer, as following: Parliament
of World Religions Opening Ceremony December 1, 1999
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Thank You Father.
Thank
you, brothers and sisters, for taking the time to come here to pray
for Africa. Together we will also pray for the world. May I ask
you a few seconds of silence to reconfirm our wish to the Lord.
Thank you so much.
I
have been praying to God even before I came here, for your land,
and for the world, as always. I have told Hirm, Father, You know
every thing; You grant our wish before we even ask. Whatever You
arrange for us is the best for our spiritual development. It doesn't
matter how bleak it looks at this moment, Your will is Supreme.
Your will is always the wisest, the best, and the most compassionate
in the end. Pray let us know this; pray let us never forget that
Your will is always the most loving in the highest sense of universal
Truth.
We
thank You also for giving us the occasion to be here today in this
beautiful city, one of the most beautiful places on this planet,
and to see all these beautiful, pure, simple-hearted people. It
is our honor of many lifetimes to have such an occasion, because
we are here by Your will. We live here by Your will, and we shall
go back to Yourself by Your will. But we don't have much chance
to see each other physically.
Although
this physical world is a grand illusion, all Your creation, it is
still very beautiful to us; it is our home. And in this sense, we
also dedicate to You today, if You wish, that the people of this
land, or any land, have the home that they wish and a peaceful life
with all the dignity as God's children, as You shall will it. We
dedicate to You our heart, our love, and our utmost surrender that
whatever You shall arrange for us, it will be Your will. Nevertheless,
since we are in this physical condition, we must endure many illusionary
hardships, which hinder our spirit and separate us from You; therefore,
pray Lord, grant us some of the dignity of basic peacefulness so
that we may have enough calm, enough surrender, to remember You
every second of our lives. You are glory; You are beauty; You are
richness; You are the most fantastic vision of Perfection that we
could ever remember. Let this Perfection also be manifest on this
planet. Perhaps, in some of the lands of the planet that need more
blessings than others, we will be willing to be work together to
help some of these less fortunate lands, some of the less fortunate
corners of the world, such as this little corner of Your creation.
Blessed be You, my Lord, that You remember us in this corner of
Africa. Perhaps all Your children deserve Your love and blessings,
but maybe this corner deserves a little bit extra.
That
shall be our prayer for today.
Amen.
Thank
you, brothers and sisters.
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Next,
Master addressed the problem of the displacement of refugees and other
unwanted groups by stating, "It is through Your will that we wish
people around the world will have the homes that they wish. Our physical
condition separates us from You. Grant us the dignity and peace to remember
You all our lives. Let Your perfection be manifested on this planet."
With Her hands reverently folded in prayer, Her words were deeply moving.
After a powerful retreat, all the initiates present shared Her vision
of a more positive tomorrow and Her wish that through this gathering,
the world would come closer together in peace.
Some
of us thought that it was a strange coincidence to have chosen not only
South Africa, but especially Cape Town as the site for our retreat and
the Parliament of the World's Religions. Master, representing the Ocean
of Love, had brought people from all races and corners of the globe
to the southern tip of the African continent, a unique place in all
the world, where the Indian and Atlantic oceans join to become one.
Ninety percent of the world's countries are touched by these two oceans,
and it is on this spot that they converge. In addition, the Parliament
in South Africa had brought the most prominent spiritual leaders of
our time to this place to share in a new age. Today, the boundaries
between different countries, races, cultures, and sexes are disintegrating.
Human beings are making important decisions to become re-united with
their harmonious God nature so as to march into the next millennium
hand-in-hand.
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