Buddha's Day and Multicultural Festival
Federation Square, Melbourne, 15-16 May 2010
Annual Interfaith Ceremony for Peace and Understanding
3:00 pm Saturday 15 May 2010, Buddha's Stage
Presented by Fo Guang Shan Melbourne and The Interfaith Centre of Melbourne.
Victorians come from more than 250 birthplaces, speak more than 290 languages, and may follow one or more of 130 religions and spiritualities.
While many of our cultural, religious and spiritual traditions may include important differences, we find that we share human values such as: compassion, non-violence, peace, love, truth and right action, values at the core of our beliefs. These human values may also be shared by people who are non-religious.
In this Ceremony, prayers or readings from sacred texts for peace and understanding will be offered by representatives from several faiths.
Together, participants will make a Light Offering for understanding and peace between the peoples of the world's religions and spiritualities and between people of no religious tradition.
The Interfaith Ceremony for 2010 will include:
- Buddhist Prayer/Reading: Venerable Jue Yao - Fo Guang Shan Melbourne
- Sufi Prayer/Reading: Shaikha Nuria Irene Daly - The Sufi Movement in Australia
- Naga Indigenous Chant: Visier Sanyu - Naga Community (Burma/India), National Council of Churches
- Jain Prayer/Reading: Alka Khare - Melbourne Shwetambe Jain Sangh
- Islamic Prayer/Reading: Rosmin Robertson - Islamic Council of Victoria
- Christian Prayer/Reading: Reverend Dr Ruwan Palapathwala - Anglican Archdiocese of Melbourne
- Brahma Kumaris Meditation/Reading: Christine Westbury - Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga
The photo below is from an Interfaith Ceremony from a previous year.
You can find out more about Buddha's Day by visiting the wesbite below.
(Hint:Click the image, it will take you to this site in a new window)
Offsite Event, Parliament of the World's Religions
The Interfaith Centre of Melbourne, in conjunction with the City of Melbourne, present Voices for Didgeridoo, Organ and Narrator, as part of the Parliament of the World's Religions and with the original performers, this special work will be heard in Australia for the first time since its world premiere more than eight years ago. Voices will be complemented by performers from the Parliament for the World's Religions
Presented by the Interfaith Centre of Melbourne and the City of Melbourne. Enjoy a special reprise performance of music written to celebrate the reopening of the Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ in 2001.
US composer extraordinaire Philip Glass's composition brings together the traditions of a distinctly European wind instrument (the grand organ), with a traditional Indigenous Australian wind instrument, the didgeridoo. Together with celebrated didgeridoo artist Mark Atkins and Wurundjeri elder Joy Murphy Wandin, Glass created a musical and spiritual message that speaks of both Indigenous and Western cultures.
- Venue
- Melbourne Town Hall
- 100 Swanston Street Melbourne VIC 3000
- (enter via Swanston St.)
- Date & times
- Friday, 4 December 2009
- 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
- Doors open at 6pm.
- Price
- Tickets from $15.
- Bookings
- Bookings available via Easytix
- Tel: 03 9639 0096
- Easytix Website
The Parliament of the World's Religions is the worlds largest global interreligious event, held once every five years in a different city. The next Parliament will be held in Melbourne from December 3 to 9. The Melbourne Parliament will bring together more than 8,000 people from around Australia and across the world, including renowned spiritual, religious and political leaders. The theme of the 2009 Parliament, Make a World of Difference; Hearing each other, Healing the earth, reflects the urgent need for religious and spiritual communities and all people of goodwill to act on their concerns.
You may download a flyer about The Parliament of the World's Religions (PDF, 621KB)
Promotional video for the 2009 Parliament of the World's Religions
We present a promotional video of the Parliament of the World's Religions:
To learn more about the Parliament of the World’s Religions, or to register to attend the Parliament, visit the Parliament of the World's Religions website.
The Mideast Crisis
We ask people of goodwill and of every religion and spirituality to call on all people involved, Israelis and Palestinians, and leaders of other nations to urge an immediate ceasefire of violence.
In this war-torn region, over 1000 Palestinians are dead, one half women and children. Thousands are wounded. Humanitarian needs have escalated: food, water, lack of electricity, and shortage of medicines in the hospitals in Gaza. Al Ahli Hospital, an Anglican hospital, is urgently in need of medical supplies to treat the dying and wounded. Financial aid is critical at this time.
AngliCORD, (Anglicans Cooperating in Overseas Relief and Development) has supported Al Ahli Hospital for nearly 20 years. Medicines and medical supplies are urgently needed for emergency operations. You can help by sending your gift to AngliCORD through the website: www.anglicord.org.au Gifts are tax deductible.
Further inquiries: 1800 249 880 and 61-3-9495 6100
We pray that the Children of Abraham and all concerned will work tirelessly for a just and lasting peace.
The Sacred Quest & Meditation
Wednesday 15 April 2009 at 6:30pm
Five eminent spiritual leaders share their wisdom and experiences about the role that meditation plays in their spiritual quest. The spiritual leaders, Shaikha Nuria Irene Daly, Sufi; Venerable Jue Yao, Buddhist; Bruce Pascoe, Indigenous Australian; Reverend Paul Sanders, Christian; and H.H. Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, Hindu; discuss diverse meditative practices and answer questions from the audience. A short meditation will follow.
The event will be held at BMW Edge in Federation Square, corner of Swanston and Flinders Streets, Melbourne. Doors open at 6:00pm.
Tickets may be pre-booked through Yoga in Daily Life 9427 0977 as seats are limited, or purchased at the door.
Tickets : $25 & $20 concession.
Enquiries: 9650 7163 and 9427 0977
Special Event - March 19, 2008
Find out more about Sharing the Wisdom of Religious Traditions
The Interfaith Centre of Melbourne - Promoting Understanding and Cooperation For Peaceful Coexistence