Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur: report by Dr. John Gurusamy

An SOPP ceremony was held on the morning of May 16 at the Temple of the Universal Spirit in Kuala Lumpur. The Temple belongs to the Pure Life Society, which is headed by Mother Mangalam, a guest at the 2007 and 2010 SOPP ceremonies at Fuji Sanctuary.

The programme began with the MC, Dr. John Gurusamy, introducing the background and purpose of the ceremony. Pure Life Society Vice President Dato Kandan explained that the word ‘religion’ comes from the Latin word religare which means to unite or bind, just as the word ‘yoga’ comes from yuj which in Sanskrit means ‘to unite or bind man to God.’ Following the introduction, the temple congregation sang two songs: “Bind Us Together God” and “Practise the Golden Rule.” The songs were done with gestures to make them more meaningful.

Next, interfaith guests from Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, the Baha’i faith, Taoism, and Brahma Kumaris offered songs, prayers, and messages of peace. This was followed by messages from three special guests. Respectively, they spoke about forgiveness, meditation, and our responsibility to the Earth.

Participants wrote messages of peace on a large scroll, and then everyone joined in a song of peace. In conclusion, the MC recited the song by Yogi Shuddhananda Bharati on ‘One God, One World, One Race.’ We ended the morning with refreshments at the dining hall.

Later one of the participants wrote the following about the ceremony: “…there was a true feeling of peace and harmony that filled the room. The energy was strong and was clearly predominantly positive. Later I reflected on the experience and found that interfaith dialogue has at its core a natural human desire for peace, love and harmony…”

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