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 GUELPH, Ont. - A meeting of spiritual minds and a renewal of old friendships took place in Guelph where the Jesuit fathers hosted a travelling group of Tibetan Buddhist monks July 21 to Aug. 1.
While the monks performed at the Hillside Festival, an annual arts fair in Guelph, they also renewed historical ties with the Canadian Jesuits.
When Tibetan monks began to flee Tibet in 1959 and 1960, many arrived at St. Joseph College School, which had been run by the Jesuits in Darjeeling, India, since the 19th century. Canadian Jesuit Father Maurice Stanford welcomed the refugees and was instrumental in obtaining land and other assistance from Indian government officials for the Tibetans.
In the 1960s the Canadian Jesuits deepened their ties with Tantric Buddhism through a unique effort to revolutionize the education system in the nearby Kingdom of Bhutan. Fr. Bill Mackey was welcomed into eastern Bhutan and asked to set up schools in collaboration with monks and residents in the area — all on the understanding he would make no effort to convert the traditionally Buddhist population to Christianity. Over his 30 years of work in Bhutan, Mackey's students all remained faithful Tantric Buddhists and Bhutan gradually built up a modern education system.
Mackey was honoured by the King of Bhutan for his pioneering work in education.
Buddhist monks and Jesuit priests all spend years in study of philosophy and dedicate themselves to a life of poverty within their religious community. While the religious perspectives and cultures they represent may be very different, the two groups find a great deal of common ground for conversation.
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