Brahma Kumaris - Maidenhead Interfaith

Thoughts from
Brahma Kumaris
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1. Birth
Brahma Kumaris believe that we are more than just our
visible, physical form. The real "self" is the being within,
the soul.
While the body is temporary, the soul is eternal. The soul
journeys through life, coming into contact and
relationship with many other souls - family, friends and
the community at large.
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2. Death
Just as at birth, the soul starts its journey in the physical
world, at the time of departure the eternal soul simply
leaves the body and moves on to another. Thus we tend
not to use the word "death", instead we talk about a
soul having "left the body".
Souls may take several physical births, according to their
individual destiny, before returning to the "Soul World",
our original Home and God's eternal Home.
The ceremony is normally one of cremation and carried
out in accordance with the wishes of the close family
members.
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3. Marriage
As Brahma Kumaris, we are students of a worldwide
spiritual university.
People may become students of the university at
different stages of their life - as youngsters, adults or
senior citizens, and come from all nationalities, cultures
and backgrounds.
Within family life, the values of respect, cooperation,
tolerance, honesty, humility and above all, spiritual love
are encouraged. Relationships are greatly enhanced by
this.
The practice of considering each other as eternal souls
creates the awareness of spiritual equality, enhances
happiness and also encourages the highest values in life.
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4. Study
The Brahma Kumaris
offer a wide range of
courses relating to
self development
based on the
teachings of Raja
Yoga.
These include Raja
Yoga meditation, Positive Thinking, Stress-free Living,
Overcoming Anger, Increasing Self-esteem, Creative
Meditation and many others.
The spiritual teachings shared by the Brahma Kumaris
leads to deep self-awareness and a connection with the
Supreme Soul, the source of all benevolence, God.
Anyone can freely choose the course and level of study
they feel would benefit them.
Those who choose to study the deeper aspects of the
university's teachings - the Raja Yoga course - and who
apply them in their daily life are known as Brahma
Kumaris. We refer to each other as "students", not
"members", irrespective of age.
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5. Rakhi Festival
To BK's, Rakhi is an annual celebration, confirmation or
renewal of our faith in the One Supreme Being, Supreme
Soul, God, as the spiritual Parent of all souls.
As such, it is also a confirmation of our faith that all
human beings are spiritual brothers and sisters.
By tying Rakhi, we promise to continue to follow the
principles of soul conscious relationships in life and
endeavour to reach our highest level of integrity.
During the ceremony, the participants are given a small
bracelet, symbolic of the love and protection they
receive from God, as a return of their promise. The
ceremony is conducted in silence so as to preserve an
atmosphere of deep peace.
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6. Founder's Day Celebration
A deeply significant day that is observed by the BK's is
our Founder's Day on 18 January. (The founder passed
on in 1969).
Brahma Baba recognised that peace and prosperity
would only come about when there was goodness and
virtue in the hearts and minds of human beings
everywhere.
His life was an example of how spiritual principles could
be lived in practical life. His life was one of respect,
compassion, humility and generosity.
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Thoughts from
Judaism
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1. General
The centre of
Jewish life is the
family. It is like a
glue that holds
Judaism together.
Jewish values and
traditions are
passed down in
the family first and
foremost and it is
natural that rites
of passage for
Jews are celebrated in the home as well as the
synagogue. The family is the framework for all of the life
ceremonies and is strengthened by them.
It is considered a duty (a mitzvah) to have a family – to
have several children.
“Go forth and multiply”
Genesis 1:28
The first commandment of Genesis
Parents then have a duty to bring these children up as
good Jews and also as good human beings.
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2. Birth
“Before a child is born, a light is
held behind its head with which it
can see from one end of the
world to the other, and they
teach it the whole of the Torah.
At the moment of birth an angel
touches it on the lips, and it
forgets all. So all of life is spent
remembering what we once
knew.”
Niddah
From birth onwards Jewish
life cycle ceremonies not
only mark the stage in life
that a person has reached but also allows the family and
the whole community to mark this as an act of
membership to the Jewish People.
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3. Circumcision (Brit Milah)
The covenant between God and a Jew is marked at birth
when parents in effect, commit to bringing up their
children as Jews. A boy has a ceremony called a "brit"
and a girl will be named at the synagogue.
“God said to Abraham, “This is My covenant which you shall keep
between Me and you and your descendants after you – at the age of
eight days every male among you shall be circumcised, throughout your
generations. And it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and
you.”
Exodus 17:9-12
Circumcision is performed
on a Jewish boy at the age
of eight days, in a public
ceremony, as parents join
family and other friends
from the community to
celebrate the birth of their
child, and at the same time
commit to bringing the child up as a good Jew. It is not
just the parents but the wider family and community
that are to be a party to bringing up this child as a good
member of society.
The circumcision is a mark of his being a Jew that will be
a constant reminder to the child; and it is also his first
step in living by God’s laws – “walking with God.”
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4. Childhood
In Jewish tradition, by the time a child reaches
adulthood (Bar Mitzvah), his parents, must have given
him a Brit Mila (enter him into Judaism), taught him
Torah (Jewish law and tradition), taught him a trade (so
that he can maintain himself and his family), taught him
to swim (to keep himself safe from local dangers), and
chosen him a wife (to prepare him socially).
In the Shema, the most important daily prayer, Jews say
Hear O Israel, Adonai is your God,
Adonai is One, You shall love
Adonai your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul and with all
your might. You shall teach this to
your children and you shall speak of
it while you sit in your home, while
you walk by the way, when you retire
and when you rise up.
Deuteronomy 6: 4-9
Teaching children and
speaking of God and our belief in the home are at the
core of the values that Jews teach their children, not just
academically but by personal example in his daily life.
“A person should never tell a child he will give him something and not
keep his promise, because in this way he teaches the child to tell lies.”
Sukkah
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5. Bar/Bat Mitzvah
At a Bar Mitzvah (of a boy) or a Bat Mitzvah (of a girl)
the child reads from the Torah for the first time as part
of the synagogue service and is from now on accepted
as an adult in Jewish life.
The first covenant between God and a Jew is marked at
birth when parents commit to bringing up their children
as Jews. On reaching maturing, traditionally at age 13, it
is the child who chooses to enter into his own
commitment to the Jewish religion and to undertake
obligations and values that following the Jewish faith
involves.
For a parent it is the end of his responsibilities for his
child’s behaviour in the eyes of God; the child now has
to answer to God himself for any shortcomings. The is
the traditional blessing a parent says at his child’s
Bar/Bat Mitzvah is:
"Blessed be He Who has released me from the responsibilities of this
child."
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6. Marriage
Therefore a man shall
leave his father and
mother and cling to his
wife and they shall
become one flesh.”
Genesis 2:24
Weddings can take place
anywhere provided, that
the couple are married
under a canopy (the
Chuppah). The groom
puts a plain gold ring on the first finger of the bride’s right hand
and says:
“Be sanctified to me with this ring in accordance with the law of
Moses and Israel.”
The groom then breaks a glass under his foot – just to remind
the couple that not everything is perfect in the world. A contract
(the Ketubah), is written and signed and read out at the
ceremony as a public declaration of the agreement between the
two individuals.
For a wedding to be valid under Jewish Law there must be at
least two “witnesses” to the ceremony – again emphasising the
importance of the community as a partner in sealing this life
stage as a public not just a private agreement.
Divorce is permitted in Judaism and may be encouraged rather
than that the two people should live together unhappily.
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7. Death
To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under
heaven……. A time to be born, and a time to die ………… a time to mourn
and a time to dance.
Ecclesiastes 3 : 1 - 4
In Judaism death is considered
to be a natural part of the life
cycle and the customs are
aimed at supporting the family
at this time.
There are strict rules about
procedures after a death and
they are designed to help the community support the family at
their time of sorrow. Burial follows death within a day or two
and is followed by a week of mourning prayers (the Shiva)
when the community supports the mourners by providing food
and company – and attending regular prayers at the house of
mourning – so that the family know that they are not alone.
During the Shiva, a candle burns at all times to remember the
dead person, mourners tear a piece of their clothing to express
their grief, they sit on low stools, do not shave or wear make up
and do not listen to music or dance etc.
There follows a month of slightly less strict mourning customs
and a year following that after which the family should return to
all normal life. A special and solemn prayer (the Kaddish) is said
at funerals and repeated by mourners for the whole of the
following year, which expresses ongoing loyalty to Jewish
heritage.
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Thoughts from
Sikhism
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1. Birth and Death
Sikhs believe that every creature has a Soul; on death,
the Soul is passed from one body to another until
Liberation. The journey of the Soul is governed by the
deeds and actions that we perform during our lives.
If we perform good deeds and actions and remember
the Creator, we attain a better life. On the contrary, if we
carry out evil actions and sinful deeds, we will be
incarnated in “lower” life forms – snakes, animals, etc.
The person who has evolved to spiritual perfection
attains salvation – union with God.
2. Family and Community
Sikhism teaches its followers
to build a social structure on
the basis of universal
brotherhood, love, equality
and fraternity. It believes in
individual as well as
collective prosperity. Sikhism
recommends an active life in
which the family is pivotal in
the fulfilment of these ideals. It is the responsibility of
the family unit to engender and promote the principles
of Sikhism.
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Thoughts from
Buddhism
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1. Buddhism and Eternal Life
Photo courtesy of SGI-UK Archive
Karma: Potentials in the inner, unconscious realm of life created
through actions in thought, word and deed in past and present,
which manifest as results in the present and future.
How we view death has a profound effect on the way we live
In western societies there is a tendency to view ‘eternity’ simply in terms of a length of time; that is, the infinite past and the infinite future. In contrast, Buddhism views eternity not as a one­dimensional ‘straight line’, but rather in terms of multi­dimensional cycles, based upon the law of cause and effect.
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According to this perspective, nothing is ever added to the universe and nothing ever disappears. Instead, every aspect of life undergoes continual transformation. For example, H20 continually transforms from water to steam or ice and back again. Yet, despite these different forms, its entity remains the same. 2. The Universal Law of Life
Regarding the cycle of human life and death, we could liken life to the ocean. The waves on the ocean’s surface represent the individual life – or unique karma – of each person. The ocean’s undercurrent represents the particular time, country, or family – or collective karma – from which that person emerges. And the depths of the ocean represent the unchanging universal energy with which we are all one.
Just as individual waves continually rise from and then merge with the ocean, so, according to Buddhism, the lives of human beings constantly manifest from and then fuse with the fundamental entity of life. Nichiren Daishonin identified and named this fundamental entity Nam­myoho­renge­kyo. It is the universal Law of life. “No view of the nature of existence can offer direct proof of
what happens after death. It seems, therefore, that rather than
trying to compare the relative merits of different views, it is far
more fruitful to ask how a particular view influences people’s
lives in the present – whether it makes them strong or weak,
happy or miserable.”
Daisaku Ikeda
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In one of his most important treatises, Nichiren Daishonin explains that Contemplation on the Mind­Ground Sutra states: “If you want to understand the causes that existed in the past,
look at the results as they are manifested in the present. And if
you want to understand what results will be manifested in the
future, look at the causes that exist in the present.”
In other words, while life is eternal, it is the present moment that is crucial. Each moment of our life is a summary of both the effects from our past and the causes for our future: our life is no one’s responsibility but our own. Therefore, there is no point in lamenting the past. Instead, we need to challenge the present moment, for this is the starting point for everything. 3. The present
Understanding the eternity of life means understanding the profundity of the present moment.
“Although it can fit inside a mustard seed, the seed does not expand, nor
does life contract. And although it fills the vastness of space, space is not
too wide, nor is life too small.”
The writings of Nichiren Daichonin
In challenging our present circumstances, we will invariably have to grapple with powerful influences from our past. However, the Daishonin assures us that the power of our Buddhahood, the highest potential of human life, is the greatest power in the universe. When we reveal our Buddha nature – our inherent wisdom, courage and compassion – we can use both the problems from our past and the problems we foresee in the future as sources of ever­increasing happiness. We can move towards the future with a sense of complete freedom and a totally positive attitude. This is what we call realising the eternity of life. Values.21/26
Thoughts from
Islam
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1. Birth
In Islam two rituals accompany the birth of a child. First, the
Islamic Call to Prayer is whispered into the newborn's right ear
as the first sound it hears. This act symbolically brings the baby
into an awareness of Allah from the first moment of life.
A week after the birth, the child is named, circumcised and his
or her head is shaved. The hair that is shaved off the head is
then weighed, and depending on the market rate of silver, an
equivalent amount of money is given in charity.
Furthermore, a sheep (or equivalent) is sacrificed, and the meat
is distributed amongst family, friends, and the wider community.
2. Puberty
Islam sets out no rites for puberty per se. But there are a series
of actions beginning around the age of seven that prepare
children towards their gender-based, adult roles in Muslim
society.
In Islam, puberty heralds the starts of adult life. As they grow
older, children are segregated in preparation for adult life. Boys
and girls are encouraged to educate themselves in all spheres
of life. They are also encouraged to establish their religious
obligations such as prayers and fasting in the month of
Ramadan.
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3. Marriage
Since the beginning of history and the development of laws and
regulations, marriage has always been the union of one man
and one woman. The union has always been based on love and
affection, and it was set up so that man and woman can be
joined in marriage to have children and raise healthy families.
Through marriage, Muslim men and women make their union
legitimate and official. Islam categorically prohibits any type
intimacy between the genders that falls outside the remit of
marriage. Through marriage, men and women are expected to
enter into a relationship, which brings with both responsibility
and accountability.
The institution of marriage preserves respect and honour and
protects the wider community from ills that break up the social
fabric of societies.
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Marriage is the expected state for all adult Muslims, and hence
the selection of a partner and the wedding are approached with
great seriousness. It establishes rights and responsibilities not
only between the husband and the wife, but also between their
respective families. Although divorce is permitted, there are
strong moral sentiments against it.
Islamic law permits men to marry up to four wives, but only if
they can all be properly and equally maintained.
4. Modesty
Hijab is an Arabic word meaning barrier or partition. In Islam,
however, it has a broader meaning. It is the principle of
modesty and includes behaviour as well as dress for both males
and females. The most visible form of hijab is the head covering
that many Muslim women wear. Hijab however goes beyond the
head scarf. A woman who wears hijab is called Muhaajaba.
In the English speaking world, use of the word hijab has
become limited to mean the covering on the head of Muslim
woman. However, this is more accurately called a khimaar. The
khimaar is a convenient solution comprising usually one, but
sometimes two pieces of cloth, enabling Muslim women to
cover their hair, ears and neck while outside the home.
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5. Death
Muslims believe that the present life is a trial in preparation for
the next realm of existence. When a Muslim dies, he or she is
washed and wrapped in a clean, white cloth (usually by a family
member) and buried after a special prayer, preferably the same
day. Muslims consider this a final service that they can do for
their relatives and an opportunity to remember that their own
existence here on earth is brief.
"To Allah (Almighty God) we belong, and to Him is our return."
Holy Qur'an 2:156
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