Activating Religion as a Force for Peace

Do YOU believe peace is possible among Muslims and Jews, Palestinians and Israelis? Meet Sheikh Ghassan Manasra, the International Director of the Abrahamic Reunion. An ordained Sheikh in the Qadiri Sufi Order, Ghassan has dedicated his life to building peace. He is the founder of Anwar-il-Salaam: The Lights of Peace Center in Nazareth, the Director of the Islamic Cultural Center in Nazareth, and a leader in the Abrahamic Reunion for more than 20 years.

Founded by Shahabuddin David and Anna Less, the Abrahamic Reunion is a team of religious and spiritual leaders – men, women, Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Druze – dedicated to uplifting human consciousness and building peace in the Holy Land by opening hearts to the love and wisdom of all spiritual traditions.

In this podcast, Sheikh Ghassan discusses his work with the Abrahamic Reunion. Greatly benefiting from his vision and guidance, this organization of peace-builders has expanded its influence among the many cultures and religions of the Holy Land and beyond. Providing outreach, awareness and education in the US, Canada and Europe, the essence of their work is in Israel and Palestine.

From the Tent of Abraham

Through the Abrahamic Reunion’s programs, Ghassan addresses the many misunderstandings between the Palestinians and Israelis. He creates opportunities to bring them together to know each other as neighbors who have come from the same tent of Abraham. Ghassan explores the longing on both sides to meet and smell the fragrance of the history which belongs to both Israelis and Palestinians.

A consummate story teller, Ghassan recollects the transformation of participants from distrust to mutual respect who can work side-by-side to build peace in their communities. He shares true stories of militant radicals on both sides who have had a change of heart and now work together to find peaceful solutions.

The Root is Politics, Not Religion

Seeing the problem as political, not religious, Ghassan helps people from many cultures to overcome tremendous obstacles by simply bringing them together in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Listen in to discover why he sees NOW is the time to succeed, to believe that we will be strong together.

The dismal daily news misses the fact that the Abrahamic Reunion has grown in influence over time, making an impact – a real peace between neighbors. These efforts serve to create a new future for our children of peace, not fear.

From Sheikh Ghassan:

We will refuse to agree on everything! We will say NO! But we will love one another. We believe in the human being as a human being, the person as a person. And we love all of the people all around us, including the secular. They are part of us, part of our souls, part of our spirits, part of our life… a great mirror to see ourselves within them.

What Is the Direction for Peace?

The direction for peace is very simple. And it’s very hard. It’s simple if you are honest with yourself. It is hard when something horrific happens not to react. It comes through culture, education and taking a breath. It comes from reaching out and connecting with each other.

Your Questions Answered

What does the Abrahamic Reunion need most now to continue its work?

• Funding! Please help support our peace-building efforts in the Holy Land

How else can supporters of peace contribute?

• Visit us on the Abrahamic Reunion website, Facebook and YouTube
• Google our peace-builders and see their activities
• Contact us

“It’s very important not to leave us alone in the field and on the ground.”

What future programs are planned to raise understanding and awareness?

• PEACE UNITY PRAYER
• Zoom with us on December 31st, 11:00 am to Noon EST
• We invite all of you to come to see us

Coming Soon

Sheikh Ghassan will give a series of talks on the religion, culture and codes of behavior between Jews and Muslims in the Middle East

To get in touch with Sheikh Ghassan directly:

• Phone: (941) 894-8481
• Email: Ghassan.Manasra@gmail.com

Thank you ~ Toda ~ Shukran

The Abrahamic Reunion is a 501c3 Non-profit registered in the United States, and all donations are tax deductible.

A Life Filled with Love, Harmony and Beauty

For more than 50 years Pir Shabda Kahn has been transmitting the rich lineage of Sufism with gentleness and humor. Shabda has served as the Spiritual Director of the Sufi Ruhaniat International since 2001. This universal Sufi lineage traces from Hazrat Inayat Khan and Murshid Samuel Lewis. As a young man, Shabda began to study and perform North Indian classical vocal music under the guidance of the late master singer Fakhir Pran Nath. He is also a disciple of the illustrious Tibetan master, the 12th Tai Situ Rinpoche.

In his interview with Kabbalah 99, Pir Shabda discusses the inspiration for his book PHYSICIANS OF THE HEART and the development of this 10-year collaborative project. He explores the Sound Code imbedded in the Arabic language, describes life as a composition, and shares the way through gratitude to have a happy life filled with love, harmony and beauty.

The 99 Beautiful Names Sung Together

Pir Shabda explores the practice of reciting the 99 Beautiful Names of G’d to invoke divine qualities such as compassion, mercy strength, courage… rooted in a sound code formula. In this podcast, you will get to hear the vocal recitation of all the Beautiful Names sung together in the Moroccan fashion by Sidi Ali Sbai. A friend and colleague of Pir Shabda, internationally known Sidi Ali has been reciting Qur’an at mosques since age 10.

What Is the Sound Code?

Sound itself is like a tuning fork that tunes your being to the vibration that you are calling.

Pir Shabda explains the Sound Code formula imbedded in the structure of the Arabic language. These verb sound variations help to inform you of the meaning of the Name. Examples are er-Rahman and er-Rahim, which are different verb forms of the same Name of G’d. Er-Rahman, the boundaryless container of Love, sends you all the way out, while er-Rahim sends you all the way into the intimate feeling of that Love.

Life as Music Composition

The great master and renown classical Indian musician, Hazrat Inayat Khan asks,

Why is music so appealing to humanity? Because the Soul is made out of music.

Following this inspiration, as a young man Shabda met and instantly connected with the Classical North Indian Raga vocalist and mystic Pandit Pran Nath. Shabda became Guruji’s disciple in March 1973, receiving 24 years of guidance from him. The practice of raga is an oral transmission of the spirituality of music: seeing life as a composition and harmonizing with life.

The Way of Happiness

Shabda shares that one way to describe the purpose of life is to make friends with whatever is arising –to deconstruct the notion of a separate self. All beings wish to be happy. That roadmap is written on the cell. If every morning we recognize we’ve woken up and something is calling us on the way, this calling is to fulfill the wish to be happy. This innate primordial freedom is our true nature.

Instead of thinking. ‘what I’m going to be’, think instead of how I’m going to live? Pir Shabda guides listeners to put together a list of 10 Aspirations such as these:

10 Aspirations

Practice these daily to the best of your ability. The quality of your life will improve. And the quality of your service will improve. What does it mean to keep in rhythm with everyday life? Start by asking yourself, “How do I relax with everything that is arising?”

For strength and peace when challenges arise, Shabda encourages us to face what’s happening and recite the mantra,

This is how it is right now.

Make friends with life and deal with what’s arising. Don’t try to avoid it. Recognize that perfect relaxation is another word for enlightenment. As Murshid Samuel Lewis penned:

There’s a sign at the gate of heaven. Abandon tension all ye who enter here.

Receive Pir Shabda’s Blessing

Serving as the spiritual director for the Dances of Universal Peace worldwide, Pir Shabda offers regular Zikhr meetings in Marin County, CA and travels the world spreading the Sufi Message of Love, Harmony and Beauty. Bringing warmth, rich experience and clarity through his service as Pir, he shares his teachings and music to support seekers on their path to awakening.

Listen to receive Pir Shabda’s blessings of Love — to have a happy, fulfilling life and that your actions be of great benefit.

Ya Fattah

Publications, Podcasts and More:

• Physicians of the Heart
• Pir Shabda Kahn
• Sufi Ruhaniat International
• DVDs and CDs
• More Podcasts with Shabda – Cultivating the Inner Life
  

“It’s one thing to look at the world,

and quite another thing to SEE it.”

Al-Basir means “The All-Seeing” in Arabic – a fitting name for this independent cameraman. Today we interview Basir Ted Yasi, a photojournalist and videographer for ABC and CBS among other national news services, syndicated shows and for commercial production. Having traveled and lived abroad extensively, when not filming Ted lends his energies to peacekeeping, environmental stewardship, sustainable development and de-mining projects.

Frontline, Essential Worker

Basir tells stories of world events and personal encounters that he captures as they unfold. Particularly poignant today with the relentless attacks on the freedom of the press, he describes his role as a clear-sighted witness with the responsibility to be the eyes for others.

We explore what shapes his understanding of human nature, and who he sees as the quiet heroes in life – stories that put doubt to rest and remind us of our ability to see the functioning of Spirit in Life.

From “Tourist” to Deep Practitioner

In his early years, Ted was a “tourist” of religions and spiritual traditions – until he found his home in Sufism. We ask him what changed when he became a Sufi practitioner and initiate of the Inayatiyya – an Order of Universal Sufism in the lineage of Hazrat Inayat Khan.

The world began to speak to him anew – through dreams, nature and everyday life, as his heart began to wake up to all its shades of darkness, light and joy. Describing the work of a spiritual healer, Basir shares how one can become a vehicle of change to help others tap into the healing path within themselves.

Who Are We?

… And what are we doing here? As Seekers on the Path, we have the opportunity to become vehicles of love: To quiet the ego and allow The Message to come through our hearts and manifest in the world in the actions of our lives.

Ted reveals how the outer world began to intertwine with the inner worlds. And the role breath plays in refining the Nafs – the sense of a separate self.

There is no me and you – there’s only the One.

Not for the light-hearted or the risk-adverse, once starting on the mystical journey of the heart, there is no turning back. Basir takes time to SEE, not only through the eyes but most importantly, through the Heart.

The Perfection in Life

Full-time spiritual seeker Kimba Arem is an international performer and recording artist, sound engineer, molecular biologist, classically trained musician, and subtle energy therapist. In this podcast Kimba speaks of her near death experience that changed the trajectory of her life. In that moment she “saw the perfection of everything that has ever happened on every level until this time”.

As Above, So Below

We explore Kimba’s views on the perennial question about what rules mankind  – determinism or free-will. Her answer? Paradoxically, it’s both. Her near death experienced revealed to her how life is PERFECT but not PREDETERMINED. Everything fits into a pattern, but we can choose how we react. From the viewpoint of the cosmos, even life’s most difficult experiences are perfect.

Kimba views music not as “entertainment” but as a healing modality. It is her life’s purpose to serve as a minister, messenger and emissary between the worlds to bring the higher realms into the earth plane through music. Indigenous people’s instruments like Tibetan bowls and the didjeridu remind us to live in harmony with the earth.

A molecular biologist, she undergirds this awareness with scientific research on how sound vibrations affect brainwaves. We explore the phenomena of entrainment, and how it is key to healing. And the healing nature of the monochord with its ability to express harmonics.

Sound and Music as Medicine

If you are feeling stressed – or just curious – we invite you to listen and relax to the vibrational sounds of her crystal didjeridu.

Publications:

• Self-Healing with Sound and Music – an audio book by Kimba Arem and Dr. Andrew Weil
• Secret of Water – The Movie
• Numerous audio productions

To learn more about Kimba, visit GAEARTH.com

Remember, it is not you who holds up the root, but the root that holds you up.

– From Saint Paul, Romans 11:18

We all come from somewhere: no one is an island. With beautiful humility, our guest’s favorite quote reminds us to thank God for all those who came before us. Gently, it leads us away from our common ego-centricity.

Today we speak with Archimandrite Christodoulos Papadeas, a Greek Orthodox Priest who lives in Denver. Graduating from the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Father Chris took his monastic vows in 1989 at the Archangel Michael Monastery in Rhodes Greece.

Five years later, he was ordained and made a Spiritual Father and Archimandrite – an honorific given to a monastic and leader of a flock. After living in solitude at the Island of Rhodes monastery and being sent on foreign mission trips to India, Albania and Canada, he was assigned to return home to Denver. There he began an urban hermitage — the Brotherhood of Saint George — which offers prayer, community and the warmth of God.

The photo above shows the entrance to The Saint Prophet Elias Chapel in Hot Sulphur Springs, Colorado, while the interior image shows the Saint George Hermitage in Denver.

In this podcast, we discuss the Greek Orthodox views toward those of the Jewish faith and on marriage while serving as a priest. Father Chris discusses the “light shining bright” in a world that continually suffers from darkness. Encouraging us as adults to outgrow the natural self-centeredness of childhood, he shows us how this virtue can unfold in our lives in a balanced way.

Like me, when you hear Father Chris speak, you will be touched by his sincerity and genuine love of all that God has made in heaven and earth. Please enjoy this conversation and receive the blessings of this humble servant of God.

Publications:

• Your Love is Blasting in My Heart: A Grandmother’s Journey
• Building School Communities: Strategies for Leaders
• Dave Sanders: Columbine Teacher, Coach, Hero