BY KRIS LADUSAU

In the Buddhist teachings, there is a set of practices called the “Eight Fold Path.” The name of each one begins with the term “Right” – Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, etc. The word “Right” in this case, means in harmony with Universal Truth. It means the highest choice for yourself and others.

The key is to embody these practices so that we live from them naturally, not as something external we constantly have to refer to, or think about in our daily lives. When we function from this perspective, we are highly attuned to another teaching of Buddhism – that of the interconnectedness of everything and everyone.

Recently, a man who had been active with the Interfaith Alliance here in Oklahoma City, passed away. When Orhan Osman who is head of the Turkish Community Center heard that this man had no particular church affiliation, he offered to host a memorial service at his Turkish Center. Orhan asked Rev. Mark Davies, a Methodist minister from OCU to officiate the service.

On that day, the room was filled with people from all faith traditions. They came together out of a sense of community.

They came together to honor the life of a friend and fellow human being. They came to share in their grief and compassion.

They came to share …

There is something very “right” in Oklahoma, when an Islamic Center joins with a Christian minister to lead an interfaith congregation in a remembrance and acknowledgment of the lifetime of an individual from the community in which they all live.

– The Rev. Kris Ladusau is pastor of The Dharma Center [Buddhist] in Oklahoma City and a member of the board of The Interfaith Alliance Foundation of Oklahoma