Interspiritual Wisdom Conference--Sharing the Mystic Heart at the
First United Lutheran Church, San Francisco.
Saturday and Sunday, February 27-28, 2010

Friends of Contemplative Outreach are warmly invited to participate in an Interspiritual Wisdom Conference taking place Feb 27-28, 2010 in San Francisco,
sponsored by the First United Lutheran Church and co-sponsored by Contemplative
Outreach of San Francisco and several Bay Area interfaith organizations.   

In this conference, participants will learn first hand about contemplative prayer practices and rituals of the great religious traditions of Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism, plus experience periods of deep silence honoring the Ultimate Reality of each tradition.

Why Contemplative Outreach of San Francisco is Involved:
Over the many years that Thomas Keating OCSO has written about Centering Prayer as a contemplative practice, he has taught that Centering Prayer is Christ centered, and thus an available and appropriate spiritual practice for members of all Christian/Protestant denominations. 

For this reason we call Centering Prayer a Christian interdenominational prayer practice.  In the roughly 80 small Centering Prayer groups supported by Contemplative Outreach of Northern California, half the groups are Catholic, and the other half spread among Episcopal, Lutheran, United Church of Christ, Presbyterian and Methodist churches.

What we know interdenominational in the 21st Century is that Centering Prayer is a contemporary practice for Christians based on Wisdom Sayings of Jesus, the Bible, the Desert Mothers and Fathers, and is a remarkably accessible method of contemplative practice for us.  But what do we know of the contemplative practices of the other world traditions?

Friends of Contemplative Outreach may not know that Father Keating has also been instrumental for many years in interspiritual dialogue, creating opportunities for leaders and practitioners of the great world religions to meet and explore individual beliefs and practices, to meditate together, to think beyond and move beyond theological, cultural and religious barriers that have traditionally separated people.  Hence we can see that Interspiritual Dialogue seeks to find truth, common ground, unifying similarities and love where people
from the various world traditions rest humbly in the presence of God--their Ultimate Reality. 

Father Keating, in Interfaith Spiritual Principles, has articulated that “The world religions bear witness to the
experience of Ultimate Reality to which they give various names:  Brahman, Allah, Absolute, God, Great Spirit. 
This Ultimate Reality cannot be limited by any name or concept.”

It is within this Spirit of Unity with other world faith traditions that Contemplative Outreach of San Francisco
invites you to attend the upcoming Interspiritual Wisdom Conference and witness these truths.

Speakers representing the world religious traditions include

        Rabbi Rami Shapiro, Ph.D              The Mystic Heart of Judaism
        Swami Atmarupananda…………….The Mystic Heart of Hinduism
        Mary Wyman………………………The Mystic Heart of Christianity
        Shaikh & Shaikha Helminski………The Mystic Heart of Islam
        Ed Bastian, Ph.D…………………..The Mystic Heart of Buddhism

Click one of the following links for more information about the Interspiritual Wisdom Conference,  purpose, program, presenters and registration.         

Questions?  Email Mary Wyman