Interfaith Partners of South Carolina (IPSC), being a very diverse organization, is heartbroken at the escalating racial division and tension within our communities. IPSC’s mission to bring together people of different religious, spiritual, and secular paths throughout our state to cultivate a more harmonious community, is more important than ever. Our work draws deeply from a shared commitment to nurturing relationships of respect, dignity and trust within our local communities. 

How, then, do we work together to build harmonious community? While IPSC struggles to find the right words, we reaffirm our commitment to participate in the building process. 

We are reminded that with each crisis comes multiple opportunities:

• opportunities to hear one another in the midst of pain and strife;
• opportunities to stand alongside one another in solidarity, even in the midst of social isolation;
• opportunities to learn from one another, committing to the hard work of building communities of dignity, respect and justice.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, inspired by the work of Mahatma Gandhi, confronted racial injustice through strategies of active nonviolent resistance, reasoning that, “the aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community, while the aftermath of violence is tragic bitterness”. Such resistance against systemic oppression requires deep courage, working toward the victory of friendship and understanding. Dr. King’s words were spoken not from a place of utopian hope or naivety, but from the experience of racial injustice and suffering. 

What questions emerge within communities that continue to face the day to day consequences of racism today? How may we actively participate in the process of constructive de-escalation, in order to contribute to the building of harmonious community? IPSC will continue to work alongside partners, affiliates, and allies in the coming days. In the midst of our religious and racial diversity, may we draw strength from one another. 

The delightful Rinpoche returns to be with us again, courtesy of the S.C. Dharma Group!

Join friends of any, all and no faiths at Zorba’s Greek Restaurant, 6169 St Andrews Road in Columbia. Free and open to the public. Order on your own.

Ahbay Rinpoche (Lama Ahbay Tulku Jigme Thupten Tendar Rinpoche) is a teacher who has been recognized by the Dalai Lama as a reincarnation of Lama Lobsang Tenzin, and has taught widely in Europe and the United States.

In the present time:  Lama Ahbay Tulku Jigme Thupten Tendar Rinpoche
Born in Darjeeling, India, he became a monk at the age of six. When he was twelve, His Holiness the Dalai Lama identified him as the reincarnation of the hermit Lama Lobsang Tenzin. One year later he was enthroned as Tulku (reincarnation) in Gaden Jangtse Monastery. He was ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He continues with the work of founding a monastery and teaching all over the world, especially in India, Vietnam, England, and the US.

In a past life: Lama Lobsang Tenzin (former reincarnation of Lama Ahbay Rinpoche)
The former reincarnation of Lama Ahbay Tulku Jigme Thupten Tendar Rinpoche was the hermit Lama Lobsang Tenzin, who became well known and famous for his supernatural powers. By that time animals of the near forest like deer and monkeys would come to him and people from all walks of life continuously received his blessings. After the Chinese invasion, he lived in a room for many years and continued meditating and teaching. Before his death, he predicted his reincarnation.