Spiritual Paths collaborated with Spirituality and Practice to present a six-week e-course called: “InterSpiritual Wisdom.” Our teachers were Kabir/Camille Helminski (Sufism), Rabbi Rami Shapiro (Judaism), Swami Atmarupananda (Hinduism), Dr. Ed Bastian(Buddhism), and Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault (Christianity).”

InterSpirituality encourages contemplatives from different traditions to sit and meditate together, to enter into a deep dialogue of sound and silence, and to articulate the shared practices and experiences that are the foundations of their respective spiritual traditions. This is done not only in an attempt to understand, but to learn deeply from one another, and to create a core of spiritual intimacy based upon shared experience. Through this InterSpiritual approach, we are allowed to discover for ourselves, (as Brother Wayne Teasdale put it,) “the shared mystic heart beating in the center of the world’s deepest spiritual traditions.”  In so doing we can never again regard each other as ‘the other.’  We are bound together ‘InterSpiritually’ in the shared heart-space of human religious experience. Once this happens, we are joined in authentic compassionate concern for the welfare of all beings.

Structure of the Retreat
This retreat helped participants develop an understanding and deepen their contemplative practice around six major themes.  In each week, we explored one of six common themes (one theme per week) from each spiritual tradition.  The themes are Forgiveness, Self Knowledge, Self-Emptying, Interdependence-Reciprocity, Courage, Love and Compassion.  Each day of the week was devoted to the perspectives of one of these traditions, Monday – Hinduism, Tuesday – Buddhism, Wednesday – Judaism, Thursday – Christianity, Friday – Islam (Sufism).  Practice Circles during the weekend will encourage integrating, interspiritual insights from both teachers and students.

As the beginning of each week, we provided an overview of the weekly theme.  Each day, our teachers provided a sacred reading and brief commentary, and specific recommendations for practice during that day.  Our knowledge and experience will be further deepened through online discussions in daily Practice Circles