Welcome to our latest “Interfaith Series” video. In this installment we interview Professor Abdullah Ali, a Muslim, who ministered in the prison system in Pennsylvania. Professor Ali answers a lot of questions that people often have about the Muslim faith. We hope this enriches your understanding making it easier to build bridges with those of differing faith traditions.

As always we invite you to feel fee to leave a comment or tell us your own story for others to see. We love hearing from you.

Welcome to our second video interview in our new Interfaith Series, each designed to promote greater dialogue, understanding and true appreciation between the world’s faith traditions.

Buddhism is one of the world’s oldest, and largest religions. It’s based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who lived about 2600 years ago in what is now Nepal and northeastern India. He came to be called “the Buddha,” which actually means the “awakened one,” after he experienced a profound revelation or realization of the transient nature of life, death and existence. From this experience he achieved a state of consciousness called “Nirvana” (the cessation of suffering, enlightenment, liberation).

In this short video we interviewed Walt Opie, Executive Director of the Buddhist Pathways Prison Project, Inc., headquartered in Sacramento. Walt briefly explains what his group of volunteers is doing in California prisons and jails and explains how their mission is helping to bring an end to “suffering” using Buddhist meditation and mindfulness practices.

Buddhists follow a path called the “Four Noble Truths”; and Walt gives us a succinct overview of each one. As you’ll see, Buddhism as a practice has much wisdom and encouragement to offer those in our prisons as well as others in the world. We gratefully acknowledge the unselfish work being done by Walt’s group and we feel honored to share this “introduction” to Buddhist thought and practice.

As always, we encourage you to learn more about this rich faith tradition and perhaps even visit a Buddhist temple, retreat or program. Visit: http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/books-articles/dhamma-lists/

Building Bridges: Welcome to Our Interfaith Video Series

When Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus — and those in other faith traditions — share what they believe and why they believe it, good things begin to occur. For example sharing breaks down the walls of misunderstanding. And this in turn leads to greater tolerance. Which in turn leads to more inclusion and acceptance.

The point of this interfaith dialogue is to cherish the universality of God’s message and to rejoice that God blesses, informs and guides each of us.

Each of the video interviews presented in this series are approximately five to six minutes or so in length. We try to capture what’s at the heart of each theology so that you’ll be exposed to some basic knowledge that will make it easier to understand other faith traditions. Hopefully from there you’ll want to dig down even further and explore the richness and depth of the varieties of different faith traditions all around us. Perhaps you’ll consider visiting their church, synagogue, mosque or temple.

Interview with Rev. Dr. Charles Tinsley – Light in Prison Interfaith Series

Rev. Dr. Charles Tinsley is Presbyterian minister who serves as the Head Chaplain for Contra Costa Juvenile Hall in Martinez, California.

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