In this season of reflection, of hope, we are thankful for our Interfaith Alliance family around the country. This note was sent in by our Oklahoma Affiliate President Jeff Hamilton. Rev Mark Davies helped host our 2009 High School leadership program in OKC and Orhan Osman and the Turkish community center recruited students for LEADD.
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In Buddhism, we have practices called the “Eight Fold Path.” The name of each one begins with the term “Right”. Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, etc. The word “Right” in this case, means in harmony with Universal Truth – the highest choice for yourself and others. The key is to embody these practices so that we live from them naturally, not as something external we refer to, or have to think about. When we function from this integrated perspective, we are highly attuned to another teaching of Buddhism – the interconnectedness of everything and everyone.

Recently, a man who had been active with Interfaith Alliance here in Oklahoma City, passed away. When Orhan Osman who is head of the Turkish Community Center heard that this man had no particular church affiliation, he offered to host a memorial service at his Center. Orhan asked Rev. Mark Davies, a Methodist minister from Oklahoma City University to officiate the service.

On that day, the room was filled with people from all faith traditions. They came together out of a sense of community.They came together to honor the life of a friend and fellow human being. They came to share in their grief and compassion.
They came to share…

There is something very “right” in Oklahoma, when an Islamic Center joins with a Christian minister to lead an interfaith congregation in a remembrance and acknowledgment of the lifetime of an individual from the community in which they all live.

Rev. Kris Ladusau
RK Buddhist Dharma Center of Oklahoma and Board member of Interfaith Alliance of Oklahoma

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