THE PARTICIPANTS

Dharma Master Tsin Tao, founder of ‘Museum of World Religions’
Mr Jaafar Kansoussi, Researcher and Specialist in Soufism, the representative of the Minister of the Habous and Islamic Affairs for the region
Mr Faisal Chaabi, des textes et traités traditionnelles au Caire, Editeur
Mr Abel Damoussi,
Dr Maria Reis Habito, Director of International Programme, Museum of World Religions, TW
Dr Mohidin Yahia, Islamologue, Docteur en droit, spécialiste de la Sharia
Mr Mohamed Maouhub, Professeur de philosophie, université de Cadi Ayad
Rabbi Alon Goshen-Gottstein, Directeur, The Elijah Interfaith Institute, Israel
Liao Yi Shih, Museum of World Religions, Taiwan
Prof Bruno Pinchard, Professeur à l’université de Lyon, spécialiste de la spiritualité orientale
Mr Faouzi Skali, Directeur de Festival du Fès
Madame Rajae Benchemsi, écrivaine, critique d’art
Mr Michel Slah-ad-Din Orcel, écrivain, islamologue
Mr Simon Xavier Guerrand-Hermes, Chairman, Guerrand-Hermès Foundation for Peace
Mr Sharif Horthy, President, Guerrand-Hermès Foundation for Peace
Dr Scherto Gill, Executive Secretary, Guerrand-Hermès Foundation for Peace

Observers:
Madame Souné Wade, Directrice de l'Institut français de Marrakech
Mrs Tuti Horthy, Member of Executive Board, Guerrand-Hermès Foundation for Peace
Madame Annette Bergé

THE SYMPOSIUM

Session I

The one day symposium began with a short welcome speech by the host, organiser and facilitator, Mr Guerrand-Hermès in which he praised Dharma Master’s ongoing endeavours for peace and acknowledged the importance of meetings and discussions amongst Buddhists and Muslims. Simon indicated that this particular dialogue was set to be an open discussion and that there was no particular pre-assumed agenda.

The first session began by a Buddhist meditation led by the Dharma Master himself. The first part featured a round table self introductions of all the participants and observers: a concert of personal narratives of individual journeys of seeking for truth and spirituality.

During the personal narratives, the participants heard that when Buddha’s statues were destroyed by the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Dharma Master stressed the need for dialogue in fear of growing misunderstanding between Buddhists and Muslims. The Dharma Master confirmed that destroying cultural and religious heritage is a human tragedy, not just the loss of a group of people. When he heard that Buddhist statues were being destroyed, he realised the danger of the blame being taken by Islam. Initiating dialogues was a way to make voices heard and provide platform to share and preserve human wisdom.
This led to a diverse perception of tolerance and co-existence.

Alon maintained that tolerance should come from our spiritual roots; Rajae said that tolerance must come from metaphysical principles; Faouzi used the story of Mullah Nasr Eddin to illustrate the importance of anchoring in who we really are. Tolerance is to connect with others without demanding they do the same. We each find our own path. All violence is coming from a terror of losing identity. Jaafar reminded the participants that the Buddha’ statues had not posed a threat to Muslims for hundreds of years duration. He told the story of Imam Ali (4th caliph) who is the inspiration of Sufis and wisdom in Islam.  In Afghanistan there is a tradition of a big battle between Iman Ali and the Buddha.  The Buddha had his eyes closed and Imam Ali shot an arrow into one of his eyes whereupon the Buddha's eyes opened and the battle ended. Abel pointed out the limit of the word tolerance as it implies passivity.
Scherto suggested that ‘third space’ is the goal, the process and outcome of intercultural and inter-religious understanding. It is within the ‘third space’, a fusion of horizons becomes a possibility and through the ‘third space’, empathy and compassion about the other may be developed.

Faouzi said that the idea of empathy consists of capacity to bracket what we think, to try to understand what the other thinks without identifying with the other, so that we do not end up in confusion; whereas compassion is about not ‘feeling with’, not ‘suffering with’, but receiving the other in his otherness.

Participants all agreed with Simon that tolerance is the minimum that one can do to co-exist with the other and that one must go beyond tolerance to embrace love and respect. Bruno added that we should continue to embrace friendship, love and unity. He suggested three approaches to developing our understanding:
1)to accept that there is a connection between metaphysics and science. There can be an overlap.
2)to not only critically study sacred texts but find the deeper allegorical meaning. This permits transversality.
3)to launch enquiry into rituals: what are the rituals we can all share? In this sense, Rite is communicable.
Yahia reminded the participants to consider the question: ‘do I understand my own tradition?’ We may take it to the point where we can hear the other through hearing ourselves. Mohamed continued that the meaning of ‘mot juste’ in each culture is different. Faisal added that we’re living in a crisis and we no longer know who we are. Each faith has within it its full justification and the means to live in perfect harmony with others.

Sharif said that to be human means we include the other. There are different levels of life forces within us: material, vegetable, animal, human. They exist on the level of consciousness. When we are all on the human level, we see all human beings as one. In fact, ‘third space’ is a human space. In modern culture, it will rely on our inner or spiritual progress to create the human space.

Summary of Session I
In Session I, the participants acknowledged
the insufficiency of the term tolerance and the need to go beyond;
the imperfect form of our religions that harm religion and people outside,
the necessity for our mystical experience lead to great change in society,
the idea of compassion as a way forward.

The first session left the participants with a challenging question raised by Michel: How can we deal with a society that doesn’t tolerate religion? Specifically the consumerist society that tends to destroy everything before it.

Session II

The second session of the symposium began with a Muslim Prayer led by Jaafar. This session was facilitated by Alon whose first comment was that this symposium was very unique as it allowed all participants to worship together and share each other’s religious practice. On the same point, Alon invited participants to offer their perception as to how we each can find in our religion something for people from other faiths to share in order for ‘fusion of horizons’ to take place?

Faouzi shared his insight on this using the seven stages of spiritual development in Sufism.
1). Ego despotique. To become conscious of ourselves through Zikr; Bring regard back to ourselves – prendre conscience de notre ame despotique. 2). Nafsu aluamah, the soul that blames itself - conscience moral. I give up what I want to do because I respect other (external criteria) 3). Nafsu falhama - if something could harm someone I can feel it internally - la voix du Coeur; Conscience spirituel - beyond morality – a kind of spontaneous justice that I feel in my heart – intuitive, spontaneous 4). Process of unification with oneself. Prophet: "interrogate your own heart" 5). Nafsu mutma’inah = we are at peace with ourselves; 6). Nafsu nadila 7). Nafsu kamila = transparency.

Further to the challenges raised in the first session, the participants moved on to the discussion of an urgent issue that faces us all, that of the crisis of the holy, focusing on aspects of individuation versus collectivity. Alon started by saying that the problem for religions is that it upsets the balance between individual and collective. In modern society, each person is their own spiritual master; one can pick and choose what they believe. This represents a weakening of authority.

Maria said that in the East, where traditionally individuals have to be subordinated to the community, globalisation has led to crisis; but crisis also implies opportunities. Faisal added that religion is tied to where these religions started. Individual or society, it is like chicken and egg. Crisis leads to change in society only if individuals change. In Morocco, Islam has remained intact, but the problem is that people have changed, no longer able to participate.

Sharif mentioned a group of people; so called ‘cultural creatives’, a phenomenon which implies not only a drift away from traditional religion to modernism, but also a drift from modernism to a more spiritual and holistic understanding of life.

Mohamed reminded us that as bearers of hope, we must continue to have faith and remain hopeful.

The Dharma Master shared his insight on the significance of individuals becoming holy: Civilisation leads to materialism which leads to capitalism as well as the overflow of information and loss of ethical values. Everything and nothing is valuable. Spiritual pursuit is rare. Religions in today’s world are like modules on supermarket shelves. What is holy in Buddhism? It is to make each individual to be holy, and society will become holy. We have to get enough power to confront the marketing machines of the corporate world. For individuals to gradually become holy, teaching and learning to become self controlled is vital: one must learn to respect life, to respect all living beings, to restrain animal desires, to be honest, not to kill, and so forth. Wisdom is to transform our heart to become compassionate.

Simon pointed out that one could hardly [get] a sense of conscience and there is a crisis of family that is linked to the crisis of the holy.

Faouzi said that spirituality is not rational, but a higher form of knowing, it is the last Bastian of freedom, and the only way of escaping from the standardising effect of the media is through a human tradition of spirituality. Rajae added that the digitalisation/materialisation of time can only be countered by metaphysics and perception of spiritual movement. Otherwise, we will have no sense of divine or even ourselves as human beings.

Bruno offered some positive reflections in contrast to the depressing evaluation of decline: There remains a simple truth that people are continuing to suffer. It becomes more acute because traditional outlets are gone. People amuse themselves because they are suffering inside even if suffering is not obvious.

The Dharma Master saw modern culture as ‘remedial culture’ where individuals are fragile and vulnerable in the booming materialism. He reinstated the importance of balance: We enjoy both the material and the spiritual – not that one is bad, but needs to be in balance. In the developed world, children don’t value life as they should. They are so fragile, like tofu or strawberries. Democracy is a reflection of people’s desire. If the society is not working, is it religion that should step in?

In the midst of a pursuit for truth and justice, i.e. politics looking for fairness; family looking for love; society looking for harmony, it is important to find the sense of balance and use self control and self discipline to achieve greater understanding and peace inside ourselves and in the world.

In sharing his thought, Simon said that the purpose of life is to develop our inner light till our light can illuminate the world.

Summary of Session II

In this session, the participants heard very diverse but interconnected views on the tension between the collective and the individual and the tension between religion, tradition, modernity and late modernity. Although some participants didn’t agree that there is conflict between religion and individualism, others understood it as an important matter.

The symposium observed that seeking for connection with the holy, the cultivating of self discipline, being compassionate, and creating dialogue with the Other, remain critical strategies common to all faith traditions in response to the challenges facing our modern society. Solidarity of all religions and faiths is the only way to go. It depends on an ongoing dialogue and communication between religions to seek out a shared path to the future of humanity.

Education is seen as playing a key role here and it must serve to emphasise our common human tradition and aim at developing the humanity and human potential in each individual.

OVERVIEW
The symposium provided a well constructed safe and open space where people from different faith traditions shared thoughts and perceptions about self and the other, and insights into profound social and spiritual issues. It was not a topical debate leading to a concrete conclusion, but rather an opportunity to experience each other’s ‘horizons’ practices, prayers and ways of being.

Thanks to Mr Guerrand-Hermès who was able to put together such a group of people, each of who respected the space and was able to be themselves and speak from the heart, listen with empathy and engage with each other with compassion. The participants acknowledged that there was a feeling of harmony, even of grace.

Notwithstanding the importance of the thoughts that people have shared, those which were not spoken were also significant. Meaning can be continuously explored if we treat the experience as special and those moments as precious. In this sense, the dialogue is always accessible.