It's not that we aren't generous with our time & energies, it's just that a) it's not as universal as many seem to believe, and b) I've known a lot of people, neighborhoods & faith communities outside my beloved boro that put us to shame when it comes to outreach. It's quite possible that many folks in my hometown go over & above the norm of helping others, but they are not as unique as sometimes painted.
There are ways where Bryn Athyn is truly unique & incredibly wonderful. Consider the Great Hall at Glencairn. Where beautifully-gowned women once danced with elegantly dressed men, Tibetan monks spent a week creating an exquisite mandala out of sand.
Interesting flip from the long-ago days, when Bryn Athynites believed the best way to illustrate & protect our distinctiveness was through intentional separation from the larger community. A core reason for bringing the monks to Glencairn - a desire to introduce folks in the immediate AND larger communities to different cultural traditions, different ways of expressing faith - was quite the flip from what was once the "norm."
The monks were a hit!
Visitors were intrigued by the ritual art form, which originated in India over 2,500 years ago and has been practiced in Tibet since 600 A.D. The design of the sand mandala is based on instructions in ancient texts. It is usually done collaboratively (at Glencairn, it has been done collaboratively and by a solitary monk), as part of a religious ceremony or initiation. India 2,500 years ago and has been practiced in Tibet since 600 A.D.
It was easy for admirers to grasp that the brightly colored sand conveyed the message that although we may be different colors, may look different, we are all one. But unsuspecting onlookers were stunned by the piece's final message - after giving them several moments to appreciate his handiwork, the monks deconstructed the whole amazing thing, illustrating that nothing in life is permanent, things are always changing.
What a remarkable experience, watching a priceless piece of art being created in a vaulted room filled with priceless art - except this piece would be gone forever in a matter of mere moments, leaving behind a priceless message of peace.
We need to release what was - all of it.
Theirs is not a religion of massive introspection, but one of release. Instead of dithering about what to do to ensure we are on the path to heaven, they step away from following "shoulds," instead believing we are meant to live a life that makes sense to us, not living by rules, but from a core of what feels right, what brings peace.
What the museum presented went far beyond the mandala. A minister/teacher gave a lecture on the origins and unique aspects of the Tibetan style of Buddhism, including the purpose, symbolism, and ritualistic elements of mandalas, and proposed possible connections between Buddhist and New Church teaching (can't imagine how that might have gone down 50 years ago!). The guest curator was NOT a Swedenborgian!!! Even more radical, he believes Buddhist & Swedenborgian traditions share certain key insights on how to realize genuine fulfillment, including that true spirituality demands an engagement IN this world (not separation from it). How that might have ruffled feathers back in those long-ago days, when devout believers were convinced in the utter & complete distinctiveness of the religion!
Welcoming the monks to Glencairn, presenting us with new information about how an ancient faith connects to our practically brand new one, proved a wonderful, affecting way to introduce us to different cultural traditions, to different ways of expressing faith.
Thank you, everyone at Glencairn - when it comes to serving a distinctive use that's truly unique & distinctive, different from anything you'll find in communities around us, it's the real deal!!
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