November 2009 - Edmonton Interfaith Centre for Education and Action

News from the
Centre
Autumn Issue
November 24, 2009
Open House, Wednesday December 9th at 7:30 PM
at the Ashbourne, 11148 - 84th Ave
Join us for an evening of multi-ethnic celebration
featuring:
Choirs from the Jewish and Christian traditions,
and Hindu devotional dances.
Chavurat Hashir
Usha Gupta’s Dancers
Seasonal foods from many cultures will be served.
2 Autumn Issue
Celebrating our Faiths
Join us on Friday December
4 at 12 Noon (in the City
Room at City Hall), as the
Edmonton and District
Council of Churches opens a
display built on ideas
expressed in a speech
delivered by Rowan
Williams, Archbishop of
Canterbury in Islamabad in
2005. Dr. Williams
clarified the major
teachings of Christianity
for non-Christians.
Refreshments will be
served.
During the Autumn we
featured displays on the
Zoroastrian wedding and
on the Eckankar Faith.
Our successful
Lunch & Learn
series continues on
Monday, December
14, 2009 at 12
Noon. Unitarian
Universalist
minister, and Centre
board member
Reverend Audrey Brooks will speak about
“Freedom of Religion in Transylvania circa
1500's”.
Please join us at noon, entrance through
the back door in the alley,
bring your lunch, drinks
provided, donations
gratefully accepted.
Lunch and Learn, a
relatively new program for
our Centre, provides thought
provoking, in depth
discussions of diverse topics
November 24, 2009
connected to religion and social responsibility.
Recent discussions have included an examination
of Islam, and a fascinating examination of
“Radical Contingency as a Necessary Part of
Interfaith Co-operation.” All of the
presentations have been excellent, and have been
matched by the serious give-and-take between
the presenters and the participants.
September 21 – International Day of
Peace
Once again our Centre co-sponsored a
celebration of this important commemoration.
Our partners were Earth's General Store, the John
Humphrey Centre, Project Ploughshares, Racism
Free Edmonton, the Raging Grannies, the
Quakers, the Unitarian Universalist Church and
Women in Black.
The program featured greetings and a
proclamation from the city brought by Councilor
Amarjeet Sohi, and musical performances by a
choir from Belgravia Elementary School and
Paula Kirman.
The main speaker was David King,
executive director of the Alberta Public Boards’
Association. He spoke about the importance of
early education in the principles and practices of
peace and social justice.
Jain Festival of the Paryushan and
forgiveness
J.V. Mehta (Hon. Board member)
The real purpose of the Paryushan is to
purify our soul by examining ourselves and
identifying our faults. Jains do Pratikraman
during Paryushan, the main purpose which is to
ask for forgiveness for the mistakes we have
committed, and take vows to minimize our
faults. We try to forget about the needs of our
body and our business so that we can concentrate
on ourselves.
The process of shedding our karmas
really begins by asking for forgiveness with true
feelings and to vow not to repeat mistakes. The
quality of the forgiveness requires humility and
3 Autumn Issue
suppression of anger. The spiritual purpose of
forgiveness is self healing. and is a gift to
yourself.
November 24, 2009
all creatures know that) I have a friendship with
everybody and I have no revenge (animosity or
enmity) toward anybody.”
Lavinia Hall Singh
We often repeat word “Michchhami
Dukkadam” during Pratikraman. The concept
behind saying or writing to someone
“Michchhami Dukkadam” is the hope that if I
have done any harm to you then may these bad
deeds be forgiven (be fruitless). It is also
traditional to recite the words “Tassa
Michchhami Dukkadam” at the end of many of
sutras. It means that if I have committed any
violations or transgressions related to those
minor vows or so then those violations be
forgiven (be fruitless).
The following is the prayer we say while doing
Pratikraman
KHAMEMI SAVVE JIVE, SAVVE JIVA
KHAMANTU ME METTI ME SAVVE
BHUYESU, VERAM MAJAHAM NA KENAI
“I forgive (from the bottom of my heart without
any reservation) all living beings (who may have
caused me any pain and suffering either in this
life or previous lives), and I beg (again from the
bottom of my heart without any reservation) for
the forgiveness from all living beings (no matter
how small or big to whom I may have caused
pain and suffering in this life or previous lives,
knowingly or unknowingly, mentally, verbally or
physically, or if I have asked or encouraged
someone else to carry out such activities). (Let
The Edmonton Interfaith Centre extends
condolences to Dr. Teja Singh on the passing of
his wife Lavinia at age 87. She had been ill for
some time before being hospitalized. The
memorial service was held at Garneau United
Church with Rev. Don Mayne and Rabbi David
Kunin officiating, and it was noted that members
of nine faith groups were present.
Lavinia was the youngest woman to
receive a commission in the British Army. As a
Captain she served under Col. Dennis Thatcher,
whose future wife Margaret became the British
Prime Minister. She handed over her position to
Winston Churchill's daughter, Lady Soames, and
immigrated to Canada in 1947. She worked for a
future speaker of the Canadian House of
Commons and a future Justice of the Alberta
High Court.
Lavinia and Teja moved to Iran where
they both worked for the United Nations and she
refused to be evacuated when others were
moved. She was very supportive of Teja's
leadership of the fund raising for the Guru Nanak
Dev Healing Garden at the Mazankowski Heart
Institute, and supported his interfaith work, both
here in Edmonton and in the North American
Interfaith Network.
Healing Garden in Alberta Hospital
Guru Nanak Dev
Healing Garden facility
approved for the
Mazankowski Alberta
Heart Institute is named
after a humanitarian
saint and the founding
prophet of Sikhism. The
undertaking symbolizes
a community effort,
4 Autumn Issue
November 24, 2009
willingly committed to raise $ 2 million in five
years.
Guru Nanak was born in India and was a
contemporary of Martin Luther in the western
world. He firmly believed in the humanity which
is in each one of us. For him this humanity is all
inclusive and beyond any consideration of race,
colour, creed and social status. With this as his
mission in life, Guru Nanak traveled widely in
the old world , using logic to dispel ignorance,
superstition, and rituals.
He advocated acceptance of human
diversity and interfaith understanding, and placed
great emphasis on living a normal life, serving
the community in which we live, and sharing
earnings with the needy through practical deeds.
The healing garden project is a commemoration
of Guru Nanak’s universal message of ‘Goodwill
to All’.
The fund raising team received
commitments amounting to $2.4 million.
Although most of the donation came from the
Sikh community, it included many devoted
individuals from other faith communities.
The facility celebrates the healing link between
spiritual and physical health, reported in poetic
form as Baagh-e-shifa (Daur-e-Nau, p.67).
The Garden is on the 4th floor of the
hospital, rooms on the 4 and 5 floors overlook it
and are occupied by recuperating heart surgery
patients
This Year at Centre
Friday, December 4 th @ Noon
W ednesday, December 9 th @ 7:30 PM
Celebrating our Faiths (City Hall),
“A Look at Basic Christianity”
Centre Open House (Ashbourne Social Hall)
M onday, December 14 th @ Noon
Lunch and Learn (Garneau Forum Room)
“Freedom of Religion in Transylvania”
W ednesday, February 3 rd @ 7:30 PM
General M eeting (Details TBA)
Friday, M arch 19 th @ Noon
International Day for the Elimination of
Racial Discrimination (City Hall)
W ednesday, April 7 th @ 7:30 PM
General M eeting (Details TBA)
W ednesday, June 2 nd @ 7:30 PM
Annual General M eeting (Details TBA)
News from the Centre is the newsletter of the
Edmonton Interfaith Centre for Education and Action
#113, 11148 84 th Ave, Edmonton Alberta T6G 0V8
780-413-6159 (phone), 780-413-6143 (fax)
intfaith@shaw.ca
www.edminterfaithcentre.ca
Len Gierach, President
Netta Phillet, Coordinator and Editor
Rabbi David A. Kunin, Co-Editor