Mish-Mass

"God" is a bearded young man enveloped in a vast billow of golden silk, perched slightly above the "Mother of the World." It is a difficult role. For 90 minutes he sits without flinching a muscle while, on the tiered stage below, rainbow-clad worshipers from the world's five major faiths parade and pray. Jinns bound and archangels glide. Eventually a throng hums, sings and raises its arms to the impassive deity. The Mother of the World has an easier task: undistracted, she wears a blue blindfold throughout the festivities.

This is the "Cosmic Mass," performed last week at New York's Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The show (admission: $5) was conceived two years ago by Pir ("Elder") Vilayat Inayat Khan, 59, British son of an Indian mystic who founded the Sufi Order in the West (Sufism is the mystical movement within Islam). Pir Vilayat, a well-known guru in the spiritual counterculture, now heads the order, which has practically divorced itself from Islam. The message, one that Pir Vilayat implored his audience to spread, is "the unity of all religions."

Supported by an all-volunteer cast of 200, Pir Vilayat narrated from the high cathedral pulpit as the Sufi choir sang themes from various religions and a small orchestra, complete with conch and sitar, emitted a variety of sounds. The sequence of the performance, if not the message, is borrowed from the Christian Eucharist. In each section, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Christians and Moslems are given a turn to express their devotion. As the Mass ends, Pir Vilayat intones: "I am the One I love, there is but One. One in all. All in One." With that, the cast bursts into a romping "Alleluia" song and dance, urging the audience to join in.

The result is something of a mish-Mass. In the Credo, Moses recites "the Lord is one," but then along comes Rama, the ideal man who himself is worshiped as one of many Hindu gods--exactly the opposite of what Moses had in mind. In the climactic Resurrection scene, Jesus joins Elijah, Mohammed, Buddha and Shiva in ascending the stage's tiers toward God. Yet for Christians (presumably even for New York Episcopalians), Jesus is thought to be part of the Godhead. To Hindus, Shiva the Destroyer-Restorer is one of the greatest of gods. Odd company indeed for Mohammed, a prophet who never considered himself to be more than a mere human. For Americanized Sufis, of course, such matters are rationalist nitpicking.

First Time. The pageant had previously been staged in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston and Chamonix, France. Its New York debut was part of a week-long interreligious festival. Overblown publicity claimed: "For the very first time the spiritual-symbolic leaders of 2.7 billion people are coming to the United States." Not exactly, but those who did appear included the head of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, a Muslim statesman, a Hindu swami, teachers of Zen and India's Jain religion, a Sioux medicine man and a psychic ex-astronaut. The program also offered Shinto, Jewish and Buddhist rituals. At week's end representatives of the major faiths spoke at the United Nations.

The events were sponsored by the Temple of Understanding,* which was founded in 1960 by Connecticut Socialite Judith Hollister and seeks to promote concord among various religions. To that end, it plans to build a "Spiritual United Nations" on an 83-acre site near Washington, D.C. But disunity already looms. Pir Vilayat's own movement has the same idea, and its site is near Paris.

* A Temple fund-raising appeal offers one the title of "Cherub" for giving $50. "Angel" for $100. "Guardian Angel" to those giving $1,000.

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