Golden Dawn Blogs and Tradition

Whenever I have time I read a lot of magical blogs and online journal entries. I am very impressed by some and amazed by the number of (mostly) men who are happy to share publicly their intimate magical work and spiritual experiences. Sometimes I think I am stranger out of time, as contemplating such a project myself fills me with horror and trembling. I also get very concerned and sad when reading a lot of these blogs. Many of these young men are sharing how our tradition has failed them. Their diary and blog entries show how they have not been taught correctly, or held by our traditions. Or don’t want to be. Some of these bloggers are part of Orders they consider traditional, others are openly against tradition.

I do not wish to point out any particular blog, only the issues involved. So as an example I will refer to a published account of magical workings by Geoff Hughes and Alan Richardson, Ancient Magicks for a New Age. This work gives diary entries of Mr Hughes as he explores the Merlin Current following his removal from the egregore of the Fraternity of the Inner Light. Most of the work was inward and visionary and from a traditional viewpoint lacking the safety and discrimination required for effective spiritual unfoldment. However, his brief diary entries are informative for many reasons. I remember when I first read them I was aghast at how he did not start all his work with the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram or some equivalent technique. Often he seemed to invoke elemental powers somewhere at some point in the working, but without structure or safeguards. As I read each new entry I was almost willing him on, to be sensible and follow tradition. On September 22, 1985 after a year and a half workings Mr Hughes had an experience that caused him to comment:

No matter what Work is carried out on behalf of the Inner planes, one must always acknowledge the Elemental Kingdoms and gain their acceptance.

In the margins of the book I wrote, “LRP”. At the time of reading, I was fairly gormed out that an initiate of the FIL (SIL) was not following the tradition laid down by Dion herself and before her the Golden Dawn and other esoteric schools. The next working recorded was on November 7, 1985 when Mr Hughes describes his opening as first giving salutations and then ‘Opening, using the Lesser Pentagram Ritual’. This time in the margin I inscribed a smiley face and ‘At last!’ This lack of tradition, structure and sense is typical of what I am finding on many GD and Magical blogs.

There are several areas of concern, all of which if students are guided by a teacher, compassion, tradition and honest introspection can be avoided.

Meet my Angel

Many GD and magical bloggers post how they have ‘talked’ to their Holy Guardian Angels. They often describe the HGA and the interaction they have with him, almost like talking to another human being. They repeat the words said, how they felt about the words, how the HGA may be holding something back etc. Often they report extended astral visions and journeys as part of their conversations. In addition some bloggers will report chats with other ‘beings’, daimons , guides and wot all. They will ponder if they are aspects of the HGA, which are useful and which may be part of themselves etc. To be blunt, all of these experiences are taking place in the astral sphere, a sphere ‘below’ that of the Holy Guardian Angel. This is not to say no contact has been made with the HGA, only that the communication has been corrupted. Tradition is clear on this: the Knowledge and Conversation of the HGA refers to an ongoing state of meta-consciouness. There are no visions and chats in meta-consciousness, just pure pristine Knowledge. A Rosicrucian magician knows her connection with the HGA, there is no doubt, no questioning, no possibility of the HGA tricking or holding things back.

Tradition is also clear that like ourselves, like God, the HGA does not actually exist as a separate being. They are an interconnection, a co-arisen dependant being. We cannot really talk of them as a being at all, expect in poetic terms. For once I am with Mr Crowley who apparently chose to us the term Holy Guardian Angel as a poetic device because he felt no one could possibly take this description literally. But sadly, they do, they do. Blogs describe how the HGA ‘checked people out’, removed obstacles to find a parking space etc. Whenever I read these accounts I have a slight tinge of contact embarrassment, like that I describe in a past post discussing Christians (and others) who seem to know ‘how god feels’.

The Power and the Passion

There is still a tendency by many, and sadly probably most, magicians to judge a ritual or a practice’s effectiveness by the amount of ‘power’ it raises. Time and time again I am seeing comments on these blogs saying how wonderful or pathetic something is based on perceived powers and sensations. It is true that some rituals and practices that transform us leave us feeling overwhelmed and in awe. However, some of the deeper processes of transformation are silent and still and can involve rituals that do not require trance and astral visions. Look at Christian Communion for example or Islamic salat, prayer repeated five times a day. Often the feelings of power and strength come about through the ‘flooding’ of the astral self with intense powers and energies also from the astral realm. The astral self or body is temporarily expanded beyond usual and this results in feelings of power, being ungrounded, lots of visions and energy. However, no transformation of any depth will come about since astral powers cannot transform the astral self; only higher, pure and non-self mental level blessings can do that. Which is why a properly constituted Host at a Eucharist is more transformational than any number of spacey and powerful middle pillar ceremonies. This is the traditional view, from antiquity onwards and is included in the authentic western esoteric traditions, including the RR et AC. Right from the Desert Fathers such as Evagrius onwards mystics and esotericists have been clear that depth spirituality is, more often than not, distorted by visions, powers and passions.

Making it all better

The self-help industry and paradigm is so pervasive, especially in America where most of these blogs originate, that it has even infected the Golden Dawn. It will not take much Internet searching to know what I mean. Now there is nothing wrong with ‘improving our self’ or ‘healing’. However, the appropriation of spiritual language, frameworks and techniques for personal and psychological adjustment does not mean the two spheres – personal growth and spiritual unfoldment – are one. While related, the two are not the same and the esoteric traditions clearly distinguish between them. In esoteric Qabalah the centralising state of consciousness, Tiphareth looks ‘down’ towards the personal and ‘up’ towards the transpersonal. This shows the interrelation of the two, while recognising that the correct ‘upward’ view – the motivation of the individual – is required to embrace what is beyond us. Many of the magical blogs out there do not appear to understand this and conflate healing and magic.

True spirituality is concerned with fostering another other state of being to the ordinary, a state which most esoteric traditions recognise as both immanent (within each of us) and transcendent (beyond all of us). Spiritual practices and frameworks will certainly give succour to our personal pain and it is appropriate to seek the One to overcome pain. However, if our motivation for spiritual practice remains within this realm – the realm of the self-seeking somatic, mental or emotional healing – this is where we will remain. We will never go beyond ourselves to the ‘other state of being’; we will never develop the right view and enter the eternal. The homogenisation of healing and spirituality only adds to this tendency and encourages us to remain forever in the personal while seeing it as spiritual.

Young men in a rush, suffering from premature union

This is an age-old problem and definitely not confined to these bloggers. People seem to expect each and every meditation, ritual or practice to produce ‘results’. Look at the suggestions out there for constructing a magical diary and you will see what I mean. Real spiritual unfoldment, like real maturation, however takes a lifetime. Daily meditations, practices, acts of love and compassion all produce a cumulative effect over years and ‘results’ are achieved slowly, steadily as we unfold. There is no rush for premature union, which more often than not is only astrally based dissolution. All the great traditions and great teachers are clear on this; we change slowly or not at all. This is not to say there are not moments of grace and change, of course there are. But they are not result driven and really not focused upon at all. Sogyal Rinpoche describes how after several years of practice, the state of Rigpa, a non-dual awareness was awakening in his mind. Excited and amazed he ran to his teacher, exclaiming loudly. His wise teacher remained calm and told him to settle down, that in the end his experience was ‘neither good nor bad’. The focus is always directed back to the simple practices, the daily love and service rather than any results we may receive.

Ho Hum, another psychic...

There is a very good book by Bishop John Shelby Spong, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism. I have often played with the notion of writing Rescuing magic from psychism. There are countless bloggers and readers out there who seem to think psychic experience and psychism is somehow spiritual. It is sad that during the development of modern magic psychism became linked to it – at least in some quarters. However, the two are not at all intrinsically linked. Any parapsychologist who has conducted extensive testing will tell you psychic ability is not linked to spiritual or moral development. Some of the most ‘talented’ psychics are not to sort to take home to mother and some of the deepest, most unfolded spiritual people have no psychic ability. Or if they do, they ignore it as a distraction. The number of blogs out there talking about astral travelling, creation of energy forms, reading people’s minds etc is staggering. None of this is spiritual. Some western magic traditions use techniques similar to those used in psychic schools in order to develop the inner modes of perception. This is help us participate consciously on the inner to unfold and serve further. However, these are simply tools, not ends in themselves and to focus on the psychic is to move away from the transpersonal which then obviates any spiritual unfoldment.

I want therefore I am

And still that old chestnut…practical magic. Magic designed to affect the material, mundane world. These days more and more magicians use the term thaumaturgy but it is still practical or low magic, with our without an ancient word. I have blogged on this before and will simply repeat a bit here.

Rather than degenerate into a discussion that ‘high’ magic (that which is not for the self) is better than ‘low’ magic (that which is for the self) I want to point out something that is seldom mentioned: most readers of blogs such as this actually do not need any help from magic.  In a world where twenty thousand people will die from poverty and starvation each day, any westerner who can afford time and money to wander around the Internet must be counted as rich beyond measure.  To use our magical blessings, which stem ultimately from the One, to increase our station in life rather than to balance out the stakes a little for those who are literally starving to death says something for our personal magical motivation.  And in this vein, the profusion of spell-craft manuals and coffee table books bristling with all forms of sorcery says a lot for the general motivation of the esoteric and New Age communities today.

The only way out is the only way in

One of the biggest issues I see time and time again is Outer Order members practicing Inner Order, RR et AC rituals and practices. I know that the line between the two is not so hard and fast these days and one Order has moved all published RR et AC material to the Outer Order (click here for their rationale). However, at least that Order appears to have a graded structure of practice and mentoring which many of these bloggers do not. The conflation between Inner and Outer is, from a traditional viewpoint, very dangerous. I believe practicing magic before the Adeptus Minor initiation or equivalent is one of the most dangerous things we can do. I know I am almost a lone voice in the wilderness here – mainly because most traditional RR et AC folk are silent about it all – but I believe examination of even the published material will prove me correct. In terms of structural, spiritual, psychological and initiatory integrity practicing Rosicrucian based magic without being admitted to the Rosicrucian Order damages both the particular Order and the individual.

RR et AC Rose Cross

The currents, links and entry into the Rosicrucian egregore given at the Adeptus Minor initiation is what makes RR et AC magic work. Not to even mention the required level of maturity and balance, compassion and love to practice magic safely. Let us be clear: RR et AC magic is not a solitary pursuit. At this level there are, in essence, no solo magicians. The Adeptus Minor is an initiated member of the Body of Christ and all her work, even her hours of solo work, is informed by and informs the Order and tradition. This is clearly shown in the Corpus Christi ceremony. So it makes no sense for people not of the RR et AC to be practicing RR et AC magic; it simply will not be as effective, and unless they are already unfolded to a certain extent, it will cause problems. Look around you at the people in the magical communities you know. See what I mean?

Love is the answer

Finally, and most painfully, very, very few magical bloggers ever mention love, compassion and service. Yet this is the test of all spirituality. I have harped on enough about this on MOTO so will not say much here. Of pressing concern however, is the tendency for some bloggers to describe how they use RR et AC magic or are helped by their ‘Holy Guardian Angel’ to engage in psychic battles and warfare.  People use RR et AC magic as a means to attack when that tradition is ultimately a Christian Order, based on the Presence and Love of Christ who directs us to love our enemies. It does my head in, it does

Scientology – what is it good for?

The wisdom and esoteric traditions all, each in their own beautiful and unique way, assert that ordinarily we are trapped in a bubble of our own reality and beliefs; that what we see and feel as ‘real’ is literally created within us via a highly selective and biased process. I know this at some level. My ego-pride hopes that, since I have been practicing the spiritual work which helps us break free from this bubble all my adult life, I know it better than I used to too. At a deeper level. Sometimes I have to question this and the One compassionately helps me to do so.

For example, Scientology. Much in the news lately both nationally and internationally. Recently it has been Convicted of fraud and almost banned in France. It has lost an important leader over its stance on homosexuality. And just yesterday in Australia it came under a pretty wide ranging and damning attack by independent Senator Nick Xenophon (safely under within the seal of Parliamentary privilege I note).

The organisation has always been controversial and had many problems, most of them resulting from its own activities, methods of recruitment and corruption. Many years ago Scientologists used to hang around the corner of King Street in Perth, pouncing on pedestrians in an attempt to get them to take their personality test. I used to pass King Street a lot and admit to playing with their minds a fair bit by talking to them of L. Ron Hubbard’s proven membership in Crowley’s sex magic group, the OTO. I would point out how the traditional lodge system reserved secrets for the higher grades and sex magic was still practiced at a higher level of their church – but they’d never reach that level unless their leaders thought they were suitable and (I hinted) attractive enough. Silly and pointless I know, but it did stop them prattling on about their test and getting ‘clear’ – and for all I know it could be true.

I once went for a test when visiting Sydney and spent an interesting 25 minutes locking eyes in silence with a guy who had done his final pitch for the book Dianetics. His training obviously was to hit them with the hard sell and do the silence thing. Fortunately, I had already received magical will training of my own and this poor guy broke first, looking rather shaken. My brother’s fiancée took the test once in Perth and went with two Scientologists to their headquarters. There she spent the next four hours alone  in a locked room with a video playing and no means to turn the TV off or the volume down. She came home with a contract to work for them for $2 a day. She was very shaken and disturbed. The contract though was written in pencil and several hours of threats and shouting at them by my brother got her out of it easily.

So, these are some of the obvious criticisms of Scientology. However, other very large targets are its…theology?…cosmology?…doctrine? Since it’s founder was a Science fiction writer, I like many others find it hard to accept the tale of Xenu and wot all as anything other than another (bad) SF story. Go on, click on the link and read it yourself. However, as an esoteric Christiany guy I know that scripture should not be read literally at all, at all. That’s its stories, ideas, theology and cosmology are strange and bizarre to those who do not ritually and skillfully enter the myth through practice not simply reading. Take the concept of the Trinity and those incredible lines from the Nicene Creed:

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, the only-begotten, born of the Father before all ages. Light of light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father, through whom all things were made.

This can only ever be understood in a mythic way through prayer and practice. It is a mystery. And take the myth of the Native American church, The Peyote Way a church birthed, like Scientology in the modern era, just over a hundred years old. In the myth a larger than life Jesus came down to earth and saw the plight of the Native American peoples which moved Him so much He wept. Wherever His tears fell, peyote grew and sacred ingestion of the peyote allows followers of the Way to participate in the divine vision of Jesus. Now we know this has to be a myth, right?

Scientology says over and over it is a religion, at least of sorts, especially the tax-free sort. I am not going to judge this assertion at all. But I must be prepared to at least accept the possibility that Scientologists engage with the stories of Xenu like Christians engage with the Trinity and Peyote Way folk engage with their myths – as means to gain deeper meaning in life and transform the self. So, surprisingly Scientology has exposed my preferential treatment of some scriptures over others, has awoken me again to the bubble of delusion.  This is good Thanks a bunch Xenu!

Mad for Compassion

I have of course been following and helping the viral spread of the Charter for Compassion. I am continuing to send it around to many different folk and groups. Response has been wonderful: people have linked it on their Facebook accounts, on their blogs, put it on email lists etc. THANK YOU ALL

I suppose I should have expected some negative response to even a Charter for Compassion. This is the modern world, after all right? This morning I found an article, Strong-armed into compassion. I was somewhat perplexed by it and having recently stated I was ’so in love with Karen Armstrong’, I felt a little defensive. I just ‘had to’ comment. Being early morning i didn’t hold much back Since one of the ideas of a blog is to share what i am doing, here it is:

… We cannot really call the Charter for Compassion, Karen Armstrong’s. A lot of other people were involved in its composition if not its origination.

I find it hard to see a theme in your article.

You restate some information from the Charter. You reduce the central message of Ms Armstrong’s work, the Charter and thousands of others to: “Armstrong is right to say that all religions teach that compassion is a virtue.” The reality is that compassion is the core of religion, its reason for being, the centre it revolves around, not a virtue like putting out the rubbish or helping old ladies across the road.

Your piece displays a cynicism, which you accept. However, you do not seem to have imagined what your own life and those around you would be like if, like the Charter and each and every major religion teaches, you practice the Golden Rule – not cynicism – each and every day.

There is nothing wrong with consciously focusing a piece of work on the Abrahamic traditions – especially as these three inform our culture the most and have been the religions most infected by violence and hatred.

Ms Armstrong is a religious scholar – does she have to extend her interest in the same measure to humanism or secularism? Does every humanist have to extend their interests into religion?

Next you do the classic straw man move: setting up a false dichotomy between compassion and truth. How does acting with compassion impinge upon “impartial assessment of the evidence.”? This amazing piece of false argument would have a big red X next to it in any first year philosophy assessment.

I have never read anywhere that Ms Armstrong reflects “the common view that those who have no religion also lack spirituality and moral values.” She has clearly stated the opposite on several occasions. Please provide references for your assertion here, and its relevance to the Charter, the subject of your article.

Of course, the use of the words “seeming” and “reflect” somewhat lets you off the hook here as you are not really asserting anything at all, which is really the essence of your article. What are you saying as an actual response to the Charter not to ideas already floating around in your head?

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna

Today is the anniversary of the death of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, a name which as a teenager I proudly learnt to say just like a real Indian Prabhupada was the founder of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) – the Hare Krishnas for short. This movement has been and continues to be the target of much misunderstanding and confusion in the West. Lampooned in such movies as Flying High (Airplane for the Americans out there) the depth of spirituality, love and spiritual unfoldment in Prabhupada is easily overlooked. While not adhering to most of the doctrines espoused by ISKCON I am deeply respectful of Prabhupada and his spiritual mission.

Like many pious Indians, upon fulfilling his household duties after his children were grown, Prabhupada took Sannyasa,renunciation, to dedicate the latter part of life to spiritual practice. This is not the same as modern western styled Sannyasa as espoused by followers of Osho. Considering I once knew a 16 year old child who took Osho Sannyasa the two are about as far apart as the Dalai Lama is from the Westboro Baptists. Simply put; one cannot renounce daily life without experiencing it. This is not to say there is no place for fully celibate monks and nuns, only that they are not Sannyasins. The two are different mysteries. Also Osho followers tend to take Sannyasa and then still fuck like bunnies at a hippy festival. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But they really should use a different word. It confuses people and offends pious Hindus.

But I digress…Prabhupada was dedicated to his Guru, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura who had instructed him at first meeting (when Prabhupada was still in his 20s) to spread their tradition of Vaishnavism to the west. As an older man without family duties Prabhupada eventually did just that. Shortly before his 70th birthday Prabhupada set out, with $7 on a run-down steamer to America. During the trip he suffered ill health and a heart attack. Understandably only his faith and trust in Krishna kept him going, convinced that the Lord had plans for him in the bastion of materialism, America. He lived only another decade but by then ISKCON was founded and the movement had grown to thousands, touching many, many more. I find this amazing and inspiring. At the age most of us are retired and the lights failing, this God centred man risked all and faced death, poverty and rejection but through his practices helped so many.

I first came across ISKCON as a teenager when, on a visit to Hungry Jacks (Burger King for the Americans out there) I found a copy of Coming Back, a Hare Krishna book on reincarnation. As a naive lad I assumed someone had accidently left it behind and tried to hand it in at the counter. I was then told they were often deliberately left there by the Hare Krishna folks themselves. Considering Krishna devotees don’t eat meat, this was a nice bit of marketing. Anyway, it worked on me and I devoured the book more than the burger and within a week had met real, live devotees on the streets in Perth.

I studied with the Hare Krishnas for several months much to the worry of my parents and friends. Despite my aversion to many of their doctrines, I loved their devotion, passion and practices. I will always remember the first time I attended the temple. Foolishly I believed the advert for the ‘Sunday Feast‘ – 4pm start. This time however was only for delivering lectures, the food not coming out til 6pm – those hungry and in the know only turned up then. So, there I was before 4pm eager and anxious. Not knowing what to do with me (the only one) I was plonked in front of the video. One of the videos was homemade footage of the death Srila Prabhupada. Watching this changed my life.

It was scratchy homemade documentary. In mid 1977 Prabhupada was taken ill but insisted on maintaining his work. After a few months he accepted his impending death and returned to holy city of Vrindavan. There he met devotees and prepared to die. The video showed his last moments. Surrounded by his disciples he fare-welled them in turn with great love and emotion. Knowing he was returning to Krishna there was nothing but love present in Prabhupada. Finally, after all goodbyes, he softly recited the Mahamantra for the last time and died upon uttering the last syllable. It was my first experience of the notion of conscious, spiritual death and it shook me to the core. I was literally trembling for hours afterwards. I am still effected deeply as I type after all these years. It was homemade, static ridden, many copied VHS footage and the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

That was Prabhupada. ISCKON, particularly after his death was something different. I wont go into the corruption and greed that crept and was invited into the movement in later years. This is well covered in Monkey on a Stick and other works. My own experiences were somewhat more muted, though nonetheless troubling for a shy teenager looking for the One.

Though never intiated into or a member of ISCKON I got on well with the devotees and learnt at lot. As a sort of not-outsider but not-insider I spanned two realms, living in the materialist society and doing a few of the normal teenage things as well as attending temple and sleeping over several times.

Every morning the devotees get up at 4am and have a cold shower. This was a no-starter for me; no matter how much I loved the faith I knew I would never join As a visitor I was allowed a hot shower. However, the poor lads needed their cold showers, because of cause celibacy was another major doctrine and practice.

Basically, from the HK perspective: the material world is a trap and snare and if you enjoy the material world you’re coming back to more material misery and suffering. Any physical enjoyment has to be done for Krishna not our own pleasure. Hence the wonderful ecstatic prayers, dances, chants and amazing blessed food the devotees enjoyed. But anything else was pretty much a no-no. Certainly one should not enjoy sex. The single male devotees all slept in the same room on blow-up air mattresses, which were swapped and moved every night. Thus no attachment to even a sleeping position or mattress was allowed to form. And of course these sleeping arrangements minimised the potential for masturbation. So these poor young men were exploding in sexual frustration. It was thick like pea soup, all around. I received countless propositions for illicit sex from these poor bastards, and I bet most of them were not actually gay. The problem lay in the fact that there was no actual transformation of the sexual force, only repression. This is one of the great issues with implanting eastern religions in the west; our western psyche is so conditioned to repression it is hard to change. Anyway, it was certainly evident in the Perth HK temple back in those days.

Other doctrines irked me, and the treatment of women finally put a nail on the coffin. As an example, a man who cannot handle celibacy can apply to his guru who will then choose a woman for him to marry. The couple, once married, can have sex for procreation not pleasure – but heck at least it’s sex and sometimes the procreation can take a while However a women, no matter how frustrated and horny she gets cannot approach the guru in the same manner. Good girls, even in India, don’t want to fuck I guess. Anyway, eventually I stopped going shortly before I discovered the western esoteric traditions. But it was a lovely introduction to the spiritual life in some ways and the continuing presence and love of Srila Prabhupada was amazing and inspiring. I sure he was a Master and still is present for those of his tradition who seek. In his honour and with thanks:

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare

Affirming Compassion

The Charter for Compassion is now available.

I have added a new page to MOTO so it will always be easily accessible. What’s on that page is here too, so save yourself a click

The text of the Charter is given below or you can download a more fancy version here.

I urge every MOTO reader, every person involved in the depth and esoteric traditions to affirm the charter by going to the website now. People who have affirmed the Charter include HH the Dalai Lama, Karen Armstrong and Bishop Desmond Tutu. In addition spiritual groups and Orders can affirm the Charter as a corporate action.

Compassion is the heart of all esoteric traditions as much as it is the heart of all religions and we need to show this clearly. Over the next period of time I will be inviting all the various magical, esoteric and Pagan leaders I know to affirm the Charter. It would be great if you, dear MOTO reader, also did the same. Thanks

The Charter for Compassion

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.

We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.