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Religious diversity in Australia is here to stay — and this fact raises several important theological questions. Does only my faith tradition enshrine truth? How do other religions deal with matters of ultimate concern? How can we best tackle societal ignorance about other faiths? With these questions in mind, a cluster of academics from the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy at Australian Catholic University set off from Melbourne on Thursday March 27 to attend the Shiva Yoga Interfaith Lecture 2014 on the Mornington Peninsula.

His Excellency Dr Hassan El-Laithy, Egyptian Ambassador to Australia @ the Shiva Yoga Interfaith Lecture 2014

The excursion was remarkable in several respects: our party comprised a Rabbi, two Muslims, several Catholics and an Anglican; our destination was the Hindu ashram at Mt Eliza; and in spite of belonging to a Faculty of Theology and Philosophy, few of our number had ever stepped foot inside a Hindu establishment.

For the sake of clarity, I would like to mention that each person in our group possessed a strong commitment to her or his home tradition and set out with a genuine desire to learn more about God, about Hinduism and about herself or himself. We were soon to discover that the Hindu devotees at the ashram were similarly dedicated to their own religious tradition (Hindu Shaivism), and that they too shared a desire to know God better.

The resident Hindu guru at Mt Eliza, Swami Shankarananda, was the driving force behind the interfaith event. In fact, he has organized the Annual Interfaith Celebration on Mornington Peninsula for the past several years. I could not help but muse that, as in several places in India — Arunachala and Shirdi, for example, where the saintly lives of Sri Ramana Maharisi (1879-1950) and Shirdi Sai Baba (d. 1918) still attract vast numbers of devotees and pilgrims - a veritable township has grown up around Swami Shankarananda. His passion for interfaith encounters and his generosity of spirit are legendary, known far beyond the precincts of the ashram.

Soon after our arrival, we strolled around the beautiful ashram grounds that span several acres. The eucalyptus forest was alive with twittering birds and chirping crickets, but particularly stunning was the ‘Interfaith Garden’ that skirts the lake and boasts an exquisite profusion of roses, dianthus, petunias, salvias, primulas and orange calendulas. In all, forty residents live at the ashram, devoting themselves to administration, meditation, and teaching various courses in spirituality and yoga.

After a blessing pronounced in Hebrew by our Rabbi colleague, we enjoyed a delicious Indian vegetarian meal prepared by the ashramites. Later we joined an assembled crowd in the main meeting hall. By this point, the gathering had expanded significantly, to include three Sufi visitors from India, two Hindus from the Hari Krishna center in Melbourne, a Buddhist monk, a Jesuit priest, a Franciscan, representatives of several other faith traditions and scores of local Mt Eliza residents. After a short musical interlude on the sitar, Swami Shankarananda welcomed visitors and stressed the importance of listening to one another respectfully. He counseled each of us to engage at every opportunity, lovingly and energetically, with those of other faith traditions, and reminded us that relationship is of the very nature of God.

Swami Shankarananda and His Excellency Dr Hassan El Laithy (left). Multifaith attendance (right)

The guest speaker for the evening, His Excellency Dr Hassan El Laithy, the Egyptian Ambassador to Australia, told us of widespread terrorism within his country and of huge social, political and economic upheaval. Nonetheless, he expressed a personal view that the dream of democracy in Egypt can become a reality if only Egyptians “stay connected to God during this dark time of transition” and remain dedicated to peace and justice. “Whatever you do and whatever you say…do everything to the glory of God”, he advised us, in words that have a familiar ring for Christians. The evening concluded with a brief period of meditation and a Sanskrit chant.

Judging by the lively conversation on our return journey to Melbourne, each of us found the afternoon and evening an inspiration. The simplicity of ashram life, the openness and warmth with which the ashramites embraced us, their ecological sensitivity and disciplined spiritual practices and the palpable sense of community touched us profoundly, speaking more powerfully than words. Here surely are a people who make time for God. We returned home challenged by their devotion, yet, to be sure, still dedicated to our respective religious traditions. We determined that we would return to Mt Eliza on June 22, when Fr Frank Clooney visits Australia and addresses the Shiva Symposium.

By Dr Anita C. Ray
Faculty of Theology and Philosophy
Australian Catholic University