Common ground?

[bixaorellana]

www.nytimes.com/2010/11/01/us/01monks.html?nl=&emc=a23
This article is about a Buddhist meditative garden being built on the land of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes in Montana.

The garden is designed to draw spiritual pilgrims, something that concerns the original inhabitants, who fear escalating property prices and an erosion of their way of life.

So far, sensitivity to the tribes' concerns seems to have been shown and the article ends on an upbeat note. Still, I can't help but wonder about the "rightness" of what should be a lovely and serene installation. Does the wealth that allowed the land to be bought and the garden to be built somehow taint the concept? Or, is it just part of the natural unfolding of things with the passage of time?

[bixaorellana]

Here is a follow-up from June of 2011 indicating that a positive relationship continued. There's a transcription, but the video is really worth watching: www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/?p=9001

This video from July 2012 expands on that theme:

And the garden's website indicates that it is developing and thriving. Click photo:

[Deleted]

Considering the number of religions that have steamrollered over the previous religions over the centuries, I think that any "peaceful" arrival of another religion is fine. While I am not the sort of person who approves of religions in any case, I would say that creating a new place of worship is far superior to stripping out the previous religion and placings one's icons in the existing site -- such as happened in places like Constantinople or Jerusalem.

[bixaorellana]

What I find interesting is that those Montana tribes -- native people of the new world, which has a long history of steamrollering & displacing the original inhabitants -- have made another displaced people and religion so welcome, and have done it by finding similarities between the two groups.

[Kimby]

How did I miss this thread? It's just up the road from me. Here's a link to an article in the local Independent weekly paper from April this year.
m.bigskypress.com/missoula/practicing-patience/Content?oid=1739601&issue=1739550

[bixaorellana]

Kimby, thanks so much for that link. I searched for the most recent information, but your very informative article didn't come up. It really filled in lots of blanks for me.

[Kimby]

I have yet to visit this place. Waiting for the Dalai Lama's visit I guess....

[bixaorellana]

But will he do this:
(second lining in New Orleans)

It would be great to go now if you get a chance. You could do a before & (eventually) after thread.