The Dawn of InterSpirituality project brings together religious and spiritual leaders to build bridges of harmony and collaboration across the world religions, grounded in theologian Hans Küng’s conviction that “there will be no peace among nations without peace among religions.” Since 2009, this project has organized five international conferences, most recently Dawn of InterSpirituality in Latin America (March 12-16, 2018), recognizing that at this unique moment in human history, the world’s great spiritual and contemplative traditions are meeting as never before—even as religious division and exclusivism continue to perpetuate devastating conflict and pain. Through this project, religious leaders have discovered that the remarkable differences between world religions are dwarfed by their far more remarkable common ground, which they explore together while honoring the uniqueness of each tradition and its distinctive sacred world. Rather than serving as a basis for division or conflict, spiritual commitments are strengthened by learning from others’ traditions and cherished practices, making religious differences a source of endless insight and mutual inspiration as participants build friendships in a shared spiritual quest. The project calls together spiritual and interfaith leaders and practitioners from diverse traditions to engage in inquiry and dialogue, shared contemplative practices, prayer, and interfaith worship, together plumbing the depths of spiritual transformation, establishing deep friendships, and cultivating peace and harmony across the world’s spiritual traditions.
Why it matters: it addresses one of the most critical challenges of our time: transforming religious differences from sources of devastating conflict into sources of mutual inspiration and collaboration. By creating spaces where spiritual and interfaith leaders discover their far more remarkable common ground while honoring each tradition’s uniqueness, the project demonstrates that shared contemplative practice and deep dialogue can build bridges strong enough to hold genuine diversity. In an era when religious exclusivism continues to fuel violence and division, Dawn of InterSpirituality offers a living alternative—showing that spiritual commitments deepen rather than weaken when practitioners learn from other traditions, and that the world’s great wisdom traditions meeting as never before represents an unprecedented opportunity for peace. The project’s international conferences create the conditions for authentic friendships across religious boundaries, proving that interfaith harmony is not a utopian dream but an achievable reality when leaders commit to shared spiritual quest over doctrinal division.