"A network is nonhierarchical. It is a web of connections among equals. What holds it together is not force, obligation, material incentive, or social contract, but rather shared values and the understanding that some tasks can be accomplished together that could never be accomplished separately. One of the important purposes of a network is simply to remind its members that they are not alone." —D. A. Meadows; Beyond the Limits
About ISDnA
ISDnA in an informal network open to all persons and groups with interest in interspiritual community, dialogue and activism. At its heart, ISDnA seeks to illumine Brother Wayne Teasdale’s vision that there is a shared experience common to all Awakened Consciousness, be it religious or secular. At the core of this experience, which is Oneness, the invigorated Heart fosters a life of unconditional service and an honoring of all experience as it has been passed down by myriad religious, philosophical and ethical traditions. Bro. Wayne believed that this millennium is a time for sharing from this Consciousness of Oneness and witnessing it unfold in what he called a “civilization with a heart”. He also believed that many persons worldwide have been prepared for this shared realization and unfolding. ISDnA sees itself as one of many networks and groups who have received this same message at this time. ISDnA simply identifies itself as a network whose incipient inspiration has come from our own friendships with Bro. Wayne and his vision that it is the power of “authentic friendships” that will drive such an inspiration forward. Over the last five years ISDnA has unfolded in this spirit, in a completely voluntary and informal format.
Its organizing principles include democratic decision-making, sharing leadership responsibilities, respecting the dignity and worth of all individuals regardless of their political or social views and even learning to disagree agreeably. To practice democratic decision-making, we decide matters by consensus.
To practice shared leadership, a farflung volunteer organization is maintained based currently on an "Organizer Group" which self-selected after the 2005 Common Ground conference. It is likely that if more groups and constituencies become part of the network over the years, ISDnA will experiment with various methods of maintaining a working structure and is effective but can empower, and be owned by, all.
The term "Interspiritual Dialogue" was coined by Brother Wayne in his book The Mystic Heart and used for the original network founded with Brother Wayne’s blessing and tutelage UN NGO, and other spiritual and activist communities, in the New York area. The name InterSpiritual Dialogue 'n Action was suggested for the wider international network as a result of Common Ground 2005. At Common Ground 2005, the "We Are" breakout discussion group, in discussing the larger umbrella of constituencies inspired by Bro. Wayne, liked Oscar Miro-Quesada's suggestion that the name InterSpiritual Dialogue 'n Action not only reflected the contemplation and activism theme of Common Ground 2005 but also played on the acronym ISDnA. The ISDnA Organizers continued with the use of the name. Thus, InterSpiritual Dialogue becomes a member of the larger InterSpiritual Dialogue 'n Action umbrella network.
An early photo of Bro. Wayne and His Holiness the Dalai Lama
As a network, ISDnA is not an organization. As a web of connections furthering interspiritual dialogue, action, and interspirituality meshed in the spirit, energy and empowerment of "authentic friendships" emphasized by Brother Wayne, ISDnA invites innovative ideas about non-hierarchical and cooperative selfless presence and action in the world. For instance, we suspect that the many "Friends" of InterSpiritual Dialogue listed at www.isdac.com (InterSpiritual Dialogue) will soon also be considered the "Friends" of ISDnA, the wider network inspired by Bro. Wayne. Accordingly, ISDnA is open to all and invites individuals, groups, and networks to suggest to us how we can work together, list and describe our many works and projects together, and communicate widely and fruitfully concerning the direction of interspiritual presence and action in the world. If you have suggestions, contact us.