A dramatic peace portrait of the General Secretary of the Japanese Embassy receiving a Lotus with one of your prayers from a Muslim youth

The 1Mandala artists recently were at work with the Muslim/Christian youth of Tala-- a humble urban community outside of Manila.  The youth there, who like the Japanese after the recent Tsunami, lost their homes to Typhoon Ondoy flooding in 2009.  The hearts of the Tala community went out to the Japanese people-- and their prayers.  Through the guidance of 1Mandala artists Russell and Sarah, they learned to make origami lotuses-- a flower that symbolize rebirth and renewal. 

We then asked you, our 1Mandala followers to share your prayers for Japan on our Facebook page.  The prayers that you posted, the youth wrote onto their papers before transforming them into lotuses.

The lotus were presented this week in a mandala interfaith prayer ceremony and ritual in front of the Japanese Embassy.  It was attended by leaders of half a dozen faiths.  The centerpiece lotus, shown here, was handed by Jafarri to the General Secretary of the Embassy.  It is a beautiful multi layered symbol of our interconnectedness across times of renewal, catastrophe, and culture.

You can view the full album of photos from the event here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=32711&id=140007482730458&l=cb3ab02840

tags: peaceportraitoftheday, 1actions, 1lotus, japan, philippines