I currently work for an NGO, primarily having therapeutic sessions with survivors of human trafficking. One of them, a Muslim woman from Indonesia, is in a very depressed state because she is stranded in the protection shelter and unable to return home. I encouraged her to be mindful of her breathing when she feels stressed, and to help her cherish her breath, I reminded her, “In the Quran, when God created humankind, He breathed into the clay and created human beings, giving them life. Therefore, being mindful of your breath is very important.” She understood what I was saying and seemed willing to try.
However, I still feel somewhat hesitant, unsure whether this is encouraging her wrong views or guiding her meditation using religious language she understands and is familiar with.
I would appreciate it if Venerable one and wise Dhamma friends could advise me on whether it is permissible to continue guiding friends of different faiths in this way to practice Dhamma? Is there any fault in doing so? How should I improve? Thank you!
My humble opinion is that you should continue to use language people understand. Especially in circumstances like this. Their religion is familiar to them and is helping them more than trying to “take it away” from them.
The Buddha always adjusted his teachings to fit the understanding and circumstances of his listeners and did so out of compassion for them. It definitely seems, at least to me, that this is what you are doing for this woman.
In any other circumstances I would advise against it. However, in this case you did the right thing.
It’s better to alleviate immediate suffering rather than giving right view in wrong time.
If there are others who have strong faith, or cling to god/ religion, phrasing the instruction in their language can be helpful.
In my opinion, I will give neutral instructions, without leaning to any religion, to someone without strong faith, someone who’s not really religious, agnostics, atheists, etc.
And then there are people who seems ready, or have karmic bond for budddhadharma. They are searchers, pursuing spiritual truth. They ask questions a lot, or some of their musings are in line with dharma. They can accept instructions that are neutral - but you can point out to the right direction when they ask.
For example, if they ask “who discovered this amazing method?”, you can answer that this is what the Buddha taught.
How does she think about Buddhism? You are spreading the teachings of another religion. If she is not negative about Buddhism, I don’t think it is a big problem.
