Tasmania, May 2017

Tasmania Logo

Greetings of peace! Religions for Peace Tasmania Branch are collaborating with three interfaith organisations during May: the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change, the Symphony of Peace Prayers and Recognise. Religions for Peace Tasmania Branch together with Brahma Kumaris Meditation Centre in Hobart are hosting the ARRCC AGM as the Tasmanian hub of the national meeting.  The gathering will be held on Thursday 11 May. 


Greetings of peace!

Australian Religious Response to Climate Change

Religions for Peace Tasmania Branch together with Brahma Kumaris Meditation Centre in Hobart are hosting the ARRCC AGM as the Tasmanian hub of the national meeting.  The gathering will be held on Thursday 11 May.  For anyone interested in attending, there will be a vegetarian meal from 6.00pm and the meeting itself will run from 7.00-8.30pm.  If you would like to join us for the meal, bookings are essential and a donation to help cover costs is welcome.

The guest speaker, Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins, is speaking from Sydney on the topic “To protect and work with the earth” – a rabbinic approach to environmental protection with regard to mining in the Galilee Basin, with Thea Ormerod, Chair of ARRCC assisting with Q and A.

 

Scientists tell us that 2017 is a critical year for climate matters.

For those who live in other cities, please RSVP to the organiser near you for details: Terry Sussmilch in Hobart, sussfam@bigpond.com or 0438 069 728 Meet at the Brahma Kumaris Centre, 51 Risdon, New Town; Philippa Rowland in Adelaide, philippa.rowland@gmail.com or 0429 828 412; Gill King in Canberra, gill@arrcc.org.au or 0407 953 959; Angela Merriam in Melbourne, melbourne@arrcc.org.au or 0423 623 139 Meet at 2 Minona St, Hawthorn

 

Please e-mail Thea Ormerod at info@arrcc.org.au or phone (02) 9150 9713 if you’d like more details.  The website is http://www.arrcc.org.au/

We hope you’re able to join us.  We will also be discussing a project of Micah Australia – creating a massive Australia-wide petition involving every electorate in Australia, asking the Australian Government to honour the promises it made at the Paris Climate Change Conference.​

Symphony of Peace Prayers

Tom and Jane Teniswood will be hosting the Tasmanian Symphony of Peace Prayers at Wind Song, 452 Strip Rd, Little Swanport, on Saturday 20th May commencing at 11.00am. 

Byakko Shinko Kai first launched Symphony of Peace Prayers at Fuji Sanctuary in 2005 and it is now a worldwide event in which people of all nations and faith traditions come together to pray for peace and harmony in the world.

 

We will have our ceremony outside around the Peace Pole and the fire. At the conclusion we will have lunch so please bring ‘food to share’! 

Contact Tom on 6257 7583.  A car is leaving from Hobart (contact Terry on 0438 069 728).

 

Recognise

Religions for Peace Tas will be celebrating Reconciliation Week at the property of Aboriginal Artist and Horticulturalist, Kris Schaffer, 94 Morphetts Rd, Neika at 11 am on Sunday 28 May 2017, during Reconciliation Week.  There will be a time of shared readings, prayer and meditation to honour our First Peoples and support Recognise: YES!

Reconciliation Week 2017 is remembering the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum that allowed Aboriginal People to be counted in the census as Australians.  Another referendum is now being considered, to recognise Aboriginal Australians in our Constitution.

It’s time to Recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia’s Constitution and deal with the racial discrimination in it. : http://www.recognise.org.au/

We have until 8 May 2017 to make a submission to the Referendum Council to support Recognition.

The Referendum Council is continuing its important work of seeking the opinions and perspectives of all Australians on constitutional reform. 

To help all Australians understand the options and provide their own views, the Referendum Council has developed a discussion paper on constitutional reform available in English and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. Have your say on the future of constitutional reform. Make a submission before 8 May 2017 at https://www.referendumcouncil.org.au/submissions

Parliament of the World’s Religions

Finally, the Board of the Parliament of the World’s Religions has just announced that Toronto Canada has been named as the next host for the Parliament of the World’s Religions 2018

Festivals this Month

  • Vesak or Buddha Day 10 May (Buddhism)
  • Ramadan 27 May (Islam)
  • Ascension of Baha’ullah (Baha’i)
  • Shavuot 31 May (Judaism)

Dancing in the Mind

Brahma Kumaris Hobart Meditation Centre will run an experiential session Inner Peace: Dancing in the Mind on  Saturday 6 May from 10am to 1pm.  Participants will explore from mindfulness to beyond through a series of reflection, discussion and creative meditations. See https://www.facebook.com/BKHobart/

Soul Food

soulfoodtas

Soul Food will recommence for this year this coming Sunday Sunday 7 May 3pm. The theme for this program will be The Spiritual Family and  will explore the importance of creating a family life based on spiritual qualities.  The Music will be Maple Fong, Vocal and “Squeeze Me” group with musical instruments. Refreshments will be served and all are welcome.

As always we do our best to provide a thought provoking relaxing pleasant program for all, so please join us at the Baha’i Centre of Learning, 1 Brooker Ave, Hobart. Refreshments served. For more information call Val 0404 080 768.

Hobart Buddhist Meditation Centre:

Leander Kane is an innovative and inspiring teacher of Buddha Dharma. She weaves her deepening wisdom from over 25 years of meditative contemplations with 20 years of body explorations in a unique and wonderful way. She has taught in many countries over 25 years.

Weekend Non-residential Retreat
Fern Tree Community Centre
Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th May 9am – 12 noon
$50 + dana
Private sessions available
Kunanyi House, Ferntree
Afternoons of Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th May and Monday 15th and Tuesday 16th May Payment by dana
Enquiries and bookings: Kate MacNicol E katemacnicol@gmail.com P 0432 630 796

Tuesday night sessions at Hobart Buddhist Meditation Centre, May

(All Tuesday evening sessions are at 7.30 pm.)
Buddhist Fundamentals with Charles Chadwick
A 5 week program on Tuesday Evenings at the Hobart Buddhist Meditation Centre, May 2017
Week 1 Awareness of death and the uncertainty of the time of our death – realising we have limited time
Week 2 Acceptance of the suffering aspect of our lives and how to stop causing ourselves unnecessary suffering
Week 3 Karma – How we influence and shape our future
Week 4 Compassion – the importance of feeling concerned about and connected to others
Week 5 Wisdom – developing wisdom reduces our suffering and increases our ability to help others.
Each session builds on previous sessions and ideally participants can attend the whole course, however people are welcome to drop into any session
All are welcome including beginners.

About Hobart Buddhist Meditation Centre
Meditation and Discussion 7.30-9 pm, every Tuesday. Entry by $5 suggested donation.
71-3 Liverpool St [Goulds building, down the laneway to the right of the building, in the door between the bamboo pots and up the stairs to the 2nd floor]
email info@hobartbuddhistmeditationcentre.com
website www.hobartbuddhistmeditationcentre.com

Uniting Church Social Justice

News of many social justice issues embraced by the Uniting Church in Australia: https://www.victas.uca.org.au/getinvolved/Social-Justice/Pages/default.aspx

Ban the bomb

Ban the bomb: One hour vigil on Saturday 17 June 2017 11am to 12 noon at Parliament House Gardens, Hobart. 
Bring your banners, your families, your friends and show our government that you want an end to the threat of nuclear war.

Spread the word!

Across the world people will be marching on 17 June  to show their concern for the current situation concerning the failure of  some nations, America in particular and Australia  to work toward banning nuclear weapons;  in spite of  over 130 other nations in the UN working towards this result.  

The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom  Tasmanian Branch is holding a Vigil rather than a march – (easier to obtain permission),   and we ask you to join with us  for the hour.  Please bring your banners.

Micah Climate Change Petition

A huge THANK YOU to all those who are collecting signatures for the Community Climate Petition organised by faith groups across Australia. We already have dozens of supporters collecting signatures and a number of you are going all out to get as many signatures as possible. If you haven’t signed up to help and would like to, you still can here. The more people helping, the more signatures we can get.

There are regular webinars to support and inform you. Click here for details and links to the recordings.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, feel free to contact us at info@arrcc.org.au

Pope Francis’s Address on Non-violence in Egypt

God, the lover of life, never ceases to love man, and so he exhorts us to reject the way of violence as the necessary condition for every earthly ‘covenant.’”.

While speaking to an international conference on peace at Al-Azhar, the highest theological and religious institution of Sunni Islam in the world and the oldest Islamic University, alongside its Grand Imam, Pope Francis said this, noting: “Above all and especially in our day, the religions are called to respect this imperative, since, for all our need of the Absolute, it is essential that we reject any “absolutizing” that would justify violence.”

Violence, the Holy Father also stressed, “is the negation of every authentic religious expression.”

“It is of little or no use,” the Pope went on to stress, “to raise our voices and run about to find weapons for our protection: what is needed today are peacemakers, not fomenters of conflict; firefighters and not arsonists; preachers of reconciliation and not instigators of destruction.”

Christians, Muslims and all believers, he noted, are called to offer their specific contribution, as “we live under the sun of the one merciful God…”

Pope Francis made the courtesy visit at 3:40 p.m today. Upon his arrival, the Pope was received at the entrance by the Vicar of the Great Imam who accompanied him to the study where the private encounter with the Great Imam Shaykh Ahmad Al-Tayeb was held.

At the end, the exchange of gifts took place. The Pope then moved to the Al-Azhar Conference Center to address his speech to participants at the International Peace Conference.

You can read the Vatican-provided translation of Pope Francis’ address in Egypt here.

In peace,
Terry
Convenor RfP Tasmania Branch
Vice Chair, Religions for Peace Australia
Phone 6272 6521


Religions for Peace Tasmania

Religions for Peace Tasmania