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On Sunday 14th July 2013, 45 people gathered at the Avenue Uniting Church in Blackburn to hear an interfaith conversation on 'What is Hinduism' by Pandit Awasthi from the Bayswater Hindu Temple.

The event was MCed by Rev Denise Liersch who joined the amiable congregation at the Avenue in October 2011. The Avenue has been organising interfaith events and conversations for over ten years thanks to Gillian McAnalley, a long standing and integral member of the congregation.

Upon arrival we were greeted with a bowl of vegetarian soup, while we sat and chatted with our neighbours at the table. We had delicious soup, bread, an open fire and an air of anticipation, ready to be remedied through talk of spiritual kindredship. The Avenue has been holding these talks for many years, and the veritable interest in a conversation which seeks commonalities and differences, provoked questions about gender equality and spiritual modernity.

Sharing his Hindu faith in a Christian church, Pandit Awasthi, and those who had come to listen to him, had opened themselves up to a degree of vulnerability, and within this vulnerability, a strength that comes from being able to question your own spiritual path. When we meet someone new, we tend to seek out a likeness which we can use to identify with the ‘other’. When Pandit spoke of the Hindu trinity, the field had been broached. There was nothing vast in that field; it was just a matter of stepping across, and into familiar lexicon. Sat-Tat-Aum is what the three deities, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva signify. Brahma represents creation, Vishnu represents preservation and Shiva represents destruction. Far from being malevolent, Shiva’s ‘destruction’ is centred on the principle of dissolution and recreation, two phenomenon that are inseparable. This does not mean that Hinduism has three Gods; as God is manifest thrice through the Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, so too, can Hinduism be considered to be monotheistic.

A lovely act that further cemented the relationship between the two faiths, was when Pandit played Hindu and Gregorian chanting. While we were listening to the music, the similarities became present. Through the simple act of listening to the ascetical tones of the chants, we shared a depth of understanding, which reached another level.

It was a pleasure to be a guest at the table for this interfaith event, and I know there will be many more to come.

by April Robinson
Uniting Church Synod Victoria & Tasmania

'Inter-faith Understanding' is an initiative of The Avenue Uniting Church in Blackburn, seeking to build bridges of understanding and respect within the community.