Shopping Cart

No products in the cart.

Shopping Cart

No products in the cart.

Peacebuilding from the Inside Out: The Work of the Soul as a Key to Working with Others

John Backman December 18, 2018

Abstract:

Fields that deal with human conflict focus mainly on relations among people. Their results can be enhanced with a supplemental focus on the domain within people: the identity and values held within the deepest self, often considered the realm of spirituality and faith. Words attributed to Jesus of Nazareth summarize the connection: “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34)—i.e., the domain within us shapes our behavior in the world among us. In this within, contemplative spirituality—as practiced by monastics and mystics in several faith traditions for centuries—has a substantial contribution to make. Its central purpose is the “encounter with Oneness” (named in various traditions as God, the Universe, Brahman, emptiness, and so forth). Over time, asserts contemplative thought, this encounter transforms people at their very core, embedding in them the values that, according to many traditions, live at the heart of Oneness, especially compassion, gentleness, and peace. Energized by the encounter, deeply reoriented toward these values, individuals are empowered to bring them into the world. While making the points above, this paper examines the encounter with Oneness as detailed in several faith traditions, especially Christianity and Buddhism. Two areas are discussed in detail. First, the text describes a selection of widespread spiritual practices used by contemplatives to facilitate this encounter, including silent prayer, meditation (particularly zazen), and encounters with “sacred texts.” Second, the paper presents the idea of living in harmony with other traditions not just by respecting them, but by practicing them ourselves. Included are the experiences of both the author and a monastic organization dedicated to this approach. Throughout, the paper makes the connection between venerable spiritual practices and the enhanced capacity to make peace across divides. It also, wherever possible, rearticulates spiritual practice for a broader audience, rendering it more inclusive and accessible across belief systems.

Read or download full paper:

Backman, John (2018). Peacebuilding from the Inside Out: The “Work of the Soul” as a Key to Working with Others
DOWNLOAD

Journal of Living Together, 4-5 (1), pp. 71-80, 2018, ISSN: 2373-6615 (Print); 2373-6631 (Online).

@Article{Backman2018
Title = {Peacebuilding from the Inside Out: The “Work of the Soul” as a Key to Working with Others}
Author = {John Backman}
Url = {https://icermediation.org/peacebuilding-from-the-inside-out/}
ISSN = {2373-6615 (Print); 2373-6631 (Online)}
Year = {2018}
Date = {2018-12-18}
IssueTitle = {Living Together in Peace and Harmony}
Journal = {Journal of Living Together}
Volume = {4-5}
Number = {1}
Pages = {71-80}
Publisher = {International Center for Ethno-Religious Mediation}
Address = {Mount Vernon, New York}
Edition = {2018}.

View or download full paper
Share
Categories: Journal of Living Together
Tags: , , , , ,
John Backman

Related Articles

Igboland

Religions in Igboland: Diversification, Relevance and Belonging

Religion is one of the socioeconomic phenomena with undeniable impacts on humanity anywhere in the world. As sacrosanct as it seems, religion is not only important to the understanding of the existence of any indigenous population but also has policy relevance in the interethnic and developmental contexts. Historical and ethnographic evidence on different manifestations and nomenclatures of the phenomenon of religion abound. The Igbo nation in Southern Nigeria, on both sides of the Niger River, is one of the largest black entrepreneurial cultural groups in Africa, with unmistakable religious fervour that implicates sustainable development and interethnic interactions within its traditional borders. But the religious landscape of Igboland is constantly changing. Until 1840, the dominant religion(s) of the Igbo was indigenous or traditional. Less than two decades later, when Christian missionary activity commenced in the area, a new force was unleashed that would eventually reconfigure the indigenous religious landscape of the area. Christianity grew to dwarf the dominance of the latter. Before the centenary of Christianity in Igboland, Islam and other less hegemonic faiths arose to compete against indigenous Igbo religions and Christianity. This paper tracks the religious diversification and its functional relevance to harmonious development in Igboland. It draws its data from published works, interviews, and artefacts. It argues that as new religions emerge, the Igbo religious landscape will continue to diversify and/or adapt, either for inclusivity or exclusivity among the existing and emerging religions, for the survival of the Igbo.

Share
Egodi Uchendu November 17, 2023
Conversion

Conversion to Islam and Ethnic Nationalism in Malaysia

This paper is a segment of a larger research project that focuses on the rise of ethnic Malay nationalism and supremacy in Malaysia. While the rise of ethnic Malay nationalism can be attributed to various factors, this paper specifically focuses on the Islamic conversion law in Malaysia and whether or not it has reinforced the sentiment of ethnic Malay supremacy. Malaysia is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country which gained its independence in 1957 from the British. The Malays being the largest ethnic group have always regarded the religion of Islam as part and parcel of their identity which separates them from other ethnic groups that were brought into the country during British colonial rule. While Islam is the official religion, the Constitution allows other religions to be practiced peacefully by non-Malay Malaysians, namely the ethnic Chinese and Indians. However, the Islamic law that governs Muslim marriages in Malaysia has mandated that non-Muslims must convert to Islam should they wish to marry Muslims. In this paper, I argue that the Islamic conversion law has been used as a tool to strengthen the sentiment of ethnic Malay nationalism in Malaysia. Preliminary data were collected based on interviews with Malay Muslims who are married to non-Malays. The results have shown that majority of Malay interviewees consider conversion to Islam as imperative as required by the Islamic religion and the state law. In addition, they also see no reason why non-Malays would object to converting to Islam, as upon marriage, the children will automatically be considered Malays as per the Constitution, which also comes with status and privileges. Views of non-Malays who have converted to Islam were based on secondary interviews that have been conducted by other scholars. As being a Muslim is associated with being a Malay, many non-Malays that converted feel robbed of their sense of religious and ethnic identity, and feel pressured to embrace the ethnic Malay culture. While changing the conversion law might be difficult, open interfaith dialogues in schools and in public sectors might be the first step to tackle this problem.

Share
Nur Daut November 18, 2023

Report

Harassment or bullying behavior
Contains mature or sensitive content
Contains misleading or false information
Contains abusive or derogatory content
Contains spam, fake content or potential malware

Block Member?

Please confirm you want to block this member.

You will no longer be able to:

  • See blocked member's posts
  • Mention this member in posts
  • Invite this member to groups
  • Message this member
  • Add this member as a connection

Please note: This action will also remove this member from your connections and send a report to the site admin. Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete.

Report

You have already reported this .