Cempaka Culture and Tourism: Cheng Hoo Mosque a melting pot of religious tolerance

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …”

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Cheng Hoo Mosque a melting pot of religious tolerance

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

Annisa Mahsuna has a simple way of introducing her family and three children to religious tolerance -- by taking them to break the fast at Cheng Hoo mosque in Surabaya, East Java.

The 38-year-old native of Sidoarjo said breaking the fast at the mosque has become an annual tradition in her family.

"I always take my family to Cheng Hoo mosque to break the fast together with other people," said Annisa as she broke her fast with a portion of take-away rice.

With this simple gesture, she hopes her children will learn to better understand differences.

"People who break their fast in this mosque come from many different groups within the community. Through their interaction with others here, my children learn about the meaning of diversity," she said.

During the fasting month of Ramadhan, there is an atmosphere of religious harmony at the Chinese-style mosque, which was designed to resemble a temple.

Even before dusk, several members from a Chinese-Muslim organization and residents from around the mosque work together to prepare food to break the fast.

Hundreds of cold beverages, arranged next to snacks and dates, are prepared. Flasks of hot beverages and packages of rice are also made available.

Others place mats on the basketball court in front of the mosque, where hundreds of people from different groups and backgrounds wait for the time to break the fast.

"Here, there is no difference between those who are local residents and those who are not," said Oei Tjing Yen, the mosque's coordinator.

When the time to break the fast draws near, hundreds of people arrive in their cars, on motorcycles or on foot and enter the mosque's three-hectare compound. Some wash and then perform their prayers or recite the Koran, while others simply wait.

They queue to receive their share of snacks and beverages when the time to break the fast is announced.

The mosque receives around Rp 2.2 million (US$239) in cash donations per day from Chinese-Muslims and other donors. The money is used to buy rice, snacks and beverages for as many as 350 people a day.

"The more donations we receive, the more food we can prepare," Oei said.

The mosque, which was built at a cost of Rp 3.3 billion and first opened in October 2003, was named after Chinese admiral Cheng Hoo and was designed to resemble Niu Jie mosque in Beijing, China.

The mosque, the first of which to use a Chinese name here, blends Islam and Chinese philosophies -- the building's 11-meter length is similar to that of the holy Ka'bah when it was first created, while its nine-meter width is symbolic of the nine Walis who disseminated Islam in Java.

The top of the main building has eight corners. Eight is a lucky number according to Chinese beliefs. It is shaped to resemble a spiderweb, which was believed to have rescued prophet Muhammad when he was about to be murdered by the Quraish people.

Uniquely, the area where the imam leads the congregation in prayer is shaped like a church's entrance gate.

On the right side of the mosque, there is a relief of admiral Cheng Hoo with his ships, which were used to conquer the Indian Ocean.

Oei said the relief seems to remind people not to think too highly of themselves and that they should follow the example of Cheng Hoo, who made friends with everyone.

This spirit, Oei said, was achieved through providing free food to break the fast every Ramadhan. "It's like a message from our ancestors ... that we should perform this deed."