(Developing Conceptual Paradigms for Interdisciplinary and
Interfaith Program Development)
ABSTRACT
This manuscript explores
the fundamental conceptual paradigms that various Interfaith communities can
utilize for curriculum development concerns as well as program development
concerns. The conceptual frameworks are applicable to religious, spiritual,
interfaith and interdisciplinary organizations in theology, the social sciences
and the humanities.
Keywords:
Wisdom, spirituality, spiritual organizations,
interfaith, religious organizations
INTRODUCTION
The concept of the Interdisciplinary as
well as Interfaith Discussion Group is one of the timeliest developments in
spiritual collaborative efforts for communities nationwide and worldwide. The
interfaith brings together spiritual people from various walks of Life to come
together, discuss similar ideas, celebrate commonalities and join together in
the spirit of Wisdom and Loving Service. This manuscript therefore explores the
fundamental conceptual paradigms that various Interfaith communities can
utilize for curriculum development concerns as well as program development
concerns.
The freedom to conceptualize and
organize spiritual, interfaith, and religious communities is enshrined in the
Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines:
“No law shall be made respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The free exercise and
enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or
preference, shall forever be allowed. No religious test shall be required for
the exercise of civil or political rights.” (Article III Bill of Rights,
Section 5, 1987 Philippine Constitution).
Thus, in accordance with this law, interfaith and
interdisciplinary religious dialogue is a right of the sovereign Filipino
people. This inspires us and gives us the impetus to outline and highlight
conceptual paradigms that various interfaith and interdisciplinary religious
and spiritual communities in the Philippines can utilize for organizational
purposes.
DISCUSSION
Symbiotic Unity in the Spirit of Service
Spiritual seekers from
all inclinations and from all walks of life are now beginning to come together
and share knowledge, insight and wisdom. Coming together from various spiritual
frameworks and backgrounds, these spiritual people have realized the need to
unite in the spirit of service. Unity is a crucial factor in all historical
epochs and more so in an age where Ascension is possible. Symbiotic Unity is a
conceptual paradigm that could have a very powerful impact in the way
interfaith and other spiritual communities come together, coalesce, and manage
themselves and their relationships with fellow organizations and the community
as a whole. In understanding Symbiotic Unity, we have only to access the
legacies of various mystical orders, shamanic associations, and spiritual
communities since the dawn of time. Their spiritual lessons have always
included the facet of unity as a very crucial factor in achieving their dreams
and goals. For example, we can see Symbiotic Unity as a crucial factor in the
management of Celtic Druids. The great Druids of Europe would come together every
now and then, share knowledge and help each other in the service of their
Celtic tribes. They were the fathers of their respective peoples and commanded
respect far and wide. The conceptual paradigm of symbiotic unity can be seen in
the inner workings of the Shaolin Temple of China. It was a massive
demonstration of unity at a time when monks were not given proper attention by
the ruling elite. Eventually, the symbiotic unity of the Shaolin Temple monks
helped raise awareness about the many productive endeavors that they were
regularly contributing to the community.
In the present age, spiritual people
from all walks of life can utilize the lessons of Symbiotic Unity to improve
the cohesiveness of their mystical or spiritual organization in ways that can
transcend their particular backgrounds and religious frameworks. It is
understood that spirituality can be a guiding force that binds together seekers
of various inclinations into one cohesive, dynamic and cheerful whole.
Collaborative Harmony in the Spirit of Cheerfulness
From the fields of
psychology and management, humanity has acquired the lesson that inner passion
must be one of the guiding forces in the choice of vocation and occupation.
Spirituality and mysticism can join this insight with their spiritual wisdom
and produce groups, teams and organizations which are functioning at a very
high level because they incorporate the aspect of “FLOW.” Flow is a term in
motivational psychology referring to the zone state where a human is performing
at the most optimum level. It has been recognized that mastery of a skill or
talent requiring the utmost performance level can be achieved when one is fully
passionate about a particular activity. (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, 2008).
Spiritual organizations and interfaith
communities can take a cue from these findings of psychology and management. It
is very important for spiritual leaders of all kinds to have the utmost
enjoyment in their craft. The spirit of cheerfulness, therefore, can be another
guiding force that can enlighten and solidify the performance of spiritual
tasks. It is already a given that spiritual leaders love their particular
vocation. However, they should also incorporate the spirit of fun, adventure,
humor and cheerfulness in their calling. The best spiritual communities are
those who are imbued with an element of fun. If it is not fun, why quest
spiritually?
Infinite Diversity in the Spirit of Love
The Cosmos is a massive ensemble of
worlds, like sands in the seashore. The infinite permutations of the Divine
Essence of the Supreme God are so numerous as to dazzle the mind and
imagination. Thus, all the fields of thought themselves are expressing this
principle of Infinite Diversity. All the souls of all the universes are playing
a symphony in eternity that is so dazzling and so deep and so multi-dimensional
that it can only elicit the spirit of wonder from any observer.
It is this principle that the
interfaith communities nationwide should exercise as another guiding principle
in the conduct and management of their organizational strategies and tactics.
Infinite diversity as a conceptual paradigm can be celebrated in many ways. Be
open to the ideas of new as well as old seekers. Celebrate their uniqueness.
Everyone has a story to tell. Ennoble the storyteller by listening attentively
and actively as well as testing that narrative in the crucible of experience.
Spiritual insight produces its validity when examined by the crucible of
experience, modified by the uniqueness of the context where it arises. Another
way to express Infinite Diversity is to celebrate creativity in all its forms.
The artist is brother to the medium. The artist is brother to the mystic. The
artist is brother to the shaman. When interfaith communities incorporate this
conceptual paradigm into their operational goals, Love will naturally bloom
with its finest essence.
In the saga of Philippine History, we
can see the paradigm of Infinite Diversity to be expressed in a very unique
form in the panorama of the 1898 Philippine Revolution. Our heroes and heroines
were unique personalities with outstanding individual talent. The wisdom and
prudence of their leaders was palpable in the harnessing and integration of
those singular talents into working wholes. For example, Marcelo H. Del Pilar
was the archetype of leadership wisdom, Andres Bonifacio was the archetype of
martial courage, Apolinario Mabini was the archetype of sacrificial service
while Dr. Jose Rizal was the archetype of versatile intelligence. (Teodoro
Agoncillo, 1990).
Organizational Autonomy in the Spirit of Empowerment
Spiritual communities
like the Interfaith initiative here in our country are organizations that can
stand on their own if imbued with the proper set of strategies and tactics.
Strategic planning must blend with operational implementation in such a way as
to manifest and create a successful program of development. Spiritual
empowerment, therefore, is another crucial conceptual paradigm that interfaith
offices nationwide can study, incorporate and implement as part of their organizational
goals. (Erwin Rimban, TAR Paradigm, 2016).
Here in the Philippine islands, various
spiritual Seekers understand the crucial role of spiritual empowerment as a
conceptual paradigm that should be explored and implemented in order to insure
organizational success. We are currently exploring various strategies and
tactics to enhance organizational effectiveness and better serve our spiritual
communities. We recognize the need to absorb and utilize insights from various
fields of thought, like the sciences, philosophy, psychology and education in
the management of our spiritual community. We realize the pivotal roles played by
organizational autonomy, self-reliance and spiritual empowerment to insure that
we achieve our organizational goals in the most effective and efficient ways
possible. The fluidity of our team management can only be a testament to the
beauty of our spiritual paths and the primacy of our spiritual vocation as a
blessing from God.
LITERATURE CITED
1987 Constitution,
Republic of the Philippines
Teodoro A. Agoncillo,
History of the Filipino People. Garotech Publishing. Manila, Philippines. 1990.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper Perennial Modern Classics.
2008.
Erwin L.
Rimban, TAR Paradigm: The Tests of Authenticity and Relevance. (https://dreamingcastle.wordpress.com/2017/07/31/the-tar-paradigm/).
Sensei
Erwin Rimban was born in the
Philippine Islands. Since a young age he has been fascinated by the esoteric
realm and avidly read books on world history, philosophy, astrology, mythology,
the social sciences and similar fields. Educated at the University of the
Philippines, where he graduated Cum Laude, he added Evolutionary Biology to his
plethora of interests. After graduating from college, he spent many years in
the tourist destination of Baguio City where he pursued a career in writing and
teaching, while at the same time finding time to be a meditation teacher. His
hobbies include chess, poetry and Tarot counseling. Currently, he is active in
organizational work, where he is promoting advocacies in educational
philosophy, spiritual counseling, and environmental issues. He is also the
founder and mentor of a learning organization and Wisdom Community, the ANAM
CARA Philippines Learning Organization. He has written numerous essays on
wisdom, metaphysics, mysticism, psychology, history, educational philosophy and
psychotherapy
