I blogged the other day about the concept of holy envy, and the broader idea of learning from one another’s spiritual traditions.

So you can imagine how pleased I was when I came across this little gem, in which Pastor Eddie D. Smith speaks about the Hindu concept of greeting someone with the term Namaste and applies it especially to the plight of young Black men:

I have to admit, I couldn’t help but hitting “re-play” as soon as thevideo ended. I like this video a lot. I like the fact that the Pastor was respectful and honestabout where the word comes from, and yet applied it in a way that isfresh and relevant to the needs of his congregation and community.

And in the process, I’ve gained a new appreciation for this beautiful part ofmy own tradition and what a powerful concept it really is.

Namaste, Pastor Smith! And thank you.

(Special thanks to Kripamoya at The Vaishnava Voice, one of my blogging heroes, for the heads-up on this one.)