Monks find common ground in prayer
Monks find Common Ground in Prayer
The Trappist monks who reside at the monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers Georgia hosted Tibetan Buddhist monks. The monks offered prayers of thanks giving and fellowship.
The following article appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution news paper. The monks focused on what they share in common a life of prayer. Prayer is a wonderful example for a world that seems to focus on our differences.
At first, the stillness amplified the differences between the monks' prayers.
Soft and light as a whisper, the chants of the Trappist monks crept along the soaring concrete walls of the church. Each note seemed muffled by the thick, moist air at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers.
Later, when the Tibetan Buddhist monks began their own sacred song, each tone and vibration seemed to beat back the gray of a rainy Wednesday afternoon. Guttural and bold, each note charged forward and seemed to linger long after the red-robed monks were done.
Yet each group of monks, in its own way, was offering the same thing; a prayer of thanks and fellowship .
It was a mission of fellowship that brought the Tibetan and Catholic monks together. For two years the Tibetan monks have crisscrossed the U.S. and Canada as emissaries of the Dalai Lama, Tibetan culture and to support their monastery in India.
Their Indian place of refuge has a partnership with Emory University, which serves as home base for the monks when they are not on the road. Because of a decades-long relationship between the order of the Catholic Trappist monks and the Dalai Lama, it was only fitting that the Tibetan monks spent an evening at the Conyers monastery.
Despite cultural and language differences, the gesture of ritual united them. Bodies bowed in prayer. All eyes closed tightly in silent reflection. At supper, smiles and nods were exchanged over steaming plates of roasted squash and vegetables.
"The emphasis is what we have in common on a deep level, and that is compassion," said Brother Elias of Holy Spirit. "Today is an era of contention and people are so judgmental. Not to sound New Agey, but it's us joining together to bring positive energy to the world."
The Trappist monks who reside at the monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers Georgia hosted Tibetan Buddhist monks. The monks offered prayers of thanks giving and fellowship.
The following article appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution news paper. The monks focused on what they share in common a life of prayer. Prayer is a wonderful example for a world that seems to focus on our differences.
At first, the stillness amplified the differences between the monks' prayers.
Soft and light as a whisper, the chants of the Trappist monks crept along the soaring concrete walls of the church. Each note seemed muffled by the thick, moist air at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers.
Later, when the Tibetan Buddhist monks began their own sacred song, each tone and vibration seemed to beat back the gray of a rainy Wednesday afternoon. Guttural and bold, each note charged forward and seemed to linger long after the red-robed monks were done.
Yet each group of monks, in its own way, was offering the same thing; a prayer of thanks and fellowship .
It was a mission of fellowship that brought the Tibetan and Catholic monks together. For two years the Tibetan monks have crisscrossed the U.S. and Canada as emissaries of the Dalai Lama, Tibetan culture and to support their monastery in India.
Their Indian place of refuge has a partnership with Emory University, which serves as home base for the monks when they are not on the road. Because of a decades-long relationship between the order of the Catholic Trappist monks and the Dalai Lama, it was only fitting that the Tibetan monks spent an evening at the Conyers monastery.
Despite cultural and language differences, the gesture of ritual united them. Bodies bowed in prayer. All eyes closed tightly in silent reflection. At supper, smiles and nods were exchanged over steaming plates of roasted squash and vegetables.
"The emphasis is what we have in common on a deep level, and that is compassion," said Brother Elias of Holy Spirit. "Today is an era of contention and people are so judgmental. Not to sound New Agey, but it's us joining together to bring positive energy to the world."
