Espiritualidade e Teologia da Criação: Conferência interasiática, 19 a 21 de fevereiro, Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Bengaluru, Índia

No abstract

This conference was part of a series of conferences on the spirituality and theology of creation conducted in three continents (South America, Asia and Africa) by the Pontifical Mission Society missio in Aachen, Germany. These conferences attempt to look at this topic in a worldwide, intercultural, interreligious and comparative perspective and thus to promote the interreligious and intercultural dialogue on creation theology and environmental ethics. The first interreligious dialogue inspired by Laudato Si' was organized by missio Aachen and the Orco Huasi Institute in Argentina. Intercultural Investigations in Salta, Argentina, in 2017. The title was "We are only guests on Earth. In memory of Berta Cáceres (1971Cáceres ( -2016." 2 The second in the series, an inter-Asian conference was organized and conducted in collaboration with Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram with missio Aachen. The third conference took place in Gaborone, Botswana, in 2020. 3 Representatives of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Indian Indigenous Religions presented papers at the conference held from 19 to 21

February 2019 at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram. Isis Ibrahim and Klaus Vellguth of
Missio were the convenors of the conference, and Shaji George Kochuthara was the local coordinator.
The main aspects of creation theology discussed at the conference were: 1. Myths of Creation 2. Spirituality of Creation

Ethics of Creation
Representatives of the five traditions, as mentioned above, presented papers on each of these three aspects. Moreover, perspectives from different traditions were presented by representatives from various countries of Asia.
The "excessive anthropocentrism," criticized today by Pope Francis, is responsible for the ongoing exploitation of nature and human beings in the world. (FRANCIS, 2015, n. 115-121 apud KOCHUTHARA, 2019. 4 "A shift of emphasis from material acquisition to inner spiritual growth" is needed. (KOCHUTHARA, 2019, p. 113). Can we state a "common ground" between religions irrespective of their cyclical or/and linear cosmovisions to realize this shift? (IBRAHIM, 2019, p. 9). In this flashlight I'm going to work out four elements of an interreligious ground.
(1) The basic element of such a ground is creation, of course, perceived as nature with its rich and threatened diversity of living beings who all manifest divinities. (KRISHNA, 2019, p. 46). Myths relate to these relationships between all beings and higher powers in order to try to explain "fundamental questions of life: Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going?" (D'SOUZA, 2019, p. 38).
The following hymn from the Atharva Veda is only one example of many Hindu concepts of creation from 2500 to 500 BCE: "The Earth, which possesses oceans, rivers and other sources of water and which gives us land to produce grains and on which human beings depend on for their survival -may it grant us all our needs for eating and drinking: water, milk, grains and fruit'" (XII.1.3 apud KRISHNA, 2019, p. 47).
(2) Another element shared by nearly all the speakers is our relationship to Earth. Regarding Ganda philosophy, exposed by Goldy M. George, social scientist and activist, human beings and Earth are a "complete whole sustained and maintained through coexistence and mutuality." (GEORGE, 2019, p. 73).
"According to the Yahwistic creation story, man is formed from 'the dust of the (3) All beings are relational beings, the momentous individualism with its hard-won rights and responsibilities is an illusion. Interconnectedness is therefore the third element of a common ground. (4) We need a creation spirituality as the last element of an interreligious ground to shift from less material acquisition to more inner spiritual growth.
Respiration is vital for the production of energy for all living beings. Respiration is a permanent process of balancing. Through respiration the inside of the body is in permanent coexistence with other bodies. Our bodies are inner homes of our Common Home, the divine creation.
From a Dalit perspective in India balancing means formation and reformation of energy. Accordingly, power is not the mechanism to govern others, rather it is a process to minimize oneself in connection with other human beings and nature. In such a context power is a transformative catalyst; meaning transforming senses, feeling, touch and every aspect of mind and intellect […]. (GEORGE, 2019, p. 78).
So "spirituality is not just within the soul or inside of us. It is also outside us", stated Daniel Pilario (2019b, p. 116). Creation spirituality offers ways to transform ourselves in interconnectedness with others. Respiring (un)consciously we can see beauties: "If someone has not learned to stop and admire something beautiful, we should not be surprised if he or she treats everything as an object to be used and abused without scruple" (FRANCIS, 2015, p. 215, apud PILARIO, 2019b. Respiring (un)consciously we can feel pain of (non)human beings locally and globally, including our own. Respiring (un)consciously creates power to struggle against any kind of injustice like the Dalits condemning the caste system.
Are we conscious of this divine power?