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Most world leaders, international organisations and so-called peace summits tend to define peace in the shadow of war, as 'a situation where there is no war"between nations.
By doing so they are actually taking a negative view. By viewing the positive element in contrast to the negative, we will end up underrating the former'spotential. By defining light as the 'absence of darkness"or, life as the 'absence of death", we assign greater importance to the powers of darkness and death, or in the case of peace, to war, rather than peace.
(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
Today patriotism is a much-debated value, the protagonists and antagonists resorting to their own narrow interpretations. Rabindra Nath Tagore had a more enlightened view of nationalism. His treatise on nationalism is being studied in British universities. Generally, nationalism is inextricably linked with patriotism.
''Nationalism is a great menace. It is the particular thing which for years has been at the bottom of India's troubles'', wrote Tagore, much before the country won independence; much before it witnessed partition and the ensuing bloodbath or the genesis of the Kashmir issue. Where the spirit of nationalism prevails the people are being taught from childhood to hate the 'enemy'."
(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
The spiritual approach to peace-making is radically different from the worldly approach, said Jesus Christ. In the worldly approach, both peace and war are driven by vested interests - so the one is indistinguishable from the other. Wars, St Augustine warns us in The City of God, are waged mostly in the name of peace.
The road to peace is truly simple: Make peace politically profitable and war-mongering politically costly. There should be a constructive collaboration between democracy and spirituality.
(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
It was said of Prophet Mohammed that God wanted him to be an example of how to live peacefully among others like a simple man, to nurture a family, to work for a living and to accept equally the joys and sorrows of life.
But there are some who, while professing loyalty to Islam, are actually doing more harm than good. For instance, Osama bin Laden's brand of "Islamic jehad" is utterly un-Islamic and goes against all tenets of Islam. In Islam, taking an innocent life is equated to killing the whole of humanity.
(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
The world over, women continue to suffer community-sponsored injustice, whether they live in a secular or non-secular country. We can know how progressive a community is, by the way it treats its women.
Shocked at the condition of Indian women, Swami Vivekananda said that there was no reason to view women as being inferior to men or as obstacles to salvation - contrary to popular misconception, there is no scriptural sanction for oppressing women.
(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
Gujarat today abounds in the victims of a demonic religiosity. Among them, two faces from a camp in Godhra refuse to fade out of our memory.
The first is that of a four-year-old boy, Abdul (name changed), who had seen his siblings as well as parents being butchered. Drawn to him instinctively, we wanted to be with him and, if possible, listen to him. Abdul would not speak. "The boy has lost his speech", explained an elderly woman who stood near him. The sight of the unspeakable has robbed Abdul of the ability to speak.
(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
First the chain of the Sabarmati Express was pulled to stop it near Godhra junction. Latching shut one of the compartments from outside, a mob threw stones, broke windows, and hurled petrol bombs inside, targeting the trapped passengers. Then the coach was set on fire. More than 50 people died, most of them women and children.
From where do people acquire this horrific capacity for barbaric destruction?
According to Erich Fromm, the German-born social psychologist and psycho-analytical theorist, the first step in understanding our destructive disposition is to recognise the two kinds of hate inherent in humancity: "rational hate". And "irrational hate".
(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
Kabir, the inspired poet weaver of northern India, declared that there was neither Hindu nor Muslim, but only man as the embodiment of the Divine.
Sufi texts record that after Saint Kabir died, his followers and fans, both Hindus and Muslims, fought for the right to either cremate or bury his remains. As the quarrel started fanning communal passions, an elder requested members of both communities to cover the saint'sbody and to wait till the next morning. Morning dawned and when the sheet was taken off, the warring communities found that in place of the body, two heaps of flowers were kept. The Hindus cremated the Tulsi flowers while the Muslims buried the Jasmine heap and the problem was over.
(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
Wars happen when intolerance reaches epic proportions, when the reasons for war become greater than the sanctity of peace. Wars happen when we fail to realise the value of being alive. World leaders try to bring peace, but it is not an issue of institutions. It is human beings who start wars. Before a war begins outside, it starts inside.
The war on the inside is more dangerous because it is a fire that may never be put out. Wars are being fought because peace is not being found within, because it is not being allowed to unfold.
(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
Until 3,000 years ago, all religions were pantheistic and polytheistic as Hinduism, Taoism and Shinto still are. They tolerated the religions of other tribes and cultures, recognising in their worship the same divine energies as their own, albeit with different names.
Why then did patriarchal, monotheistic religions arise in the Middle East 3,000 years ago, and spread in their Christian forms throughout Europe and then on to the European colonised overseas territories during the last 1,500 years? Why did these monotheistic religions fight so fiercely to eradicate nature worship in the lands they controlled? Why did Christianity promote a dualistic antagonism between the spirit and the flesh, with only the former conceived as being in the "image of God"?
(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
The ultimate solution to all problems - ecological, social and personal - lies within you. However, when you embark on that spiritual journey to go within, you will find that the solution is not sitting there, waiting to be discovered.
It is hidden away, made almost inaccessible, under the many-layered maya or illusion, that keeps you mired in ignorance. The spirit, obscured by this many-layered veil, is unable to reflect and know the nature of its true self.
(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
Does an enlightened individual need to remain caged in the body? Why not get liberated from the physical? For seven days, the Buddha grappled with this dilemma. In the end, he decided that there was nothing personal about enlightenment - the knowledge should be shared with all for the benefit of humankind. He spent the next 50 years doing just that and all those who listened to him benefited greatly.
It is necessary for all of us to discover truth but once we find it, it should be shared freely with others. This will not only provide more insight, but also foster peace and happiness. The desire to share our discoveries with the world is normally fuelled by greed for either fame or money. Very few are selfless enough to share their discoveries freely for common benefit.
(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
Morality is neither an abstraction nor many-complexioned. There cannot be different sets of morality for politicians, business persons and bureaucrats. If such a difference is being accepted by most of us today, it is because we have been indifferent to the progressive deterioration of moral and ethical standards in the social order over the last half century.
Any moral code has to be applicable to all. "I never did, or countenanced, in public life", said Jefferson, "a single act inconsistent with the strictest good faith, having never believed there was one code of morality for a public and another for a private man".
(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
In the name of God we ask you, the blood-thirsty actors in the tragedy of India, to have done with it. You have had your day. And have played your hellish part to perfection.
The land is littered with too many corpses already. Columns of smoke from fires of hate choke the air. The sun hides its face from this shame. Stars have fled from our sky.
(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
India needs rejuvenation. This rejuvenation will come only with the revival of our great Indian ideals. India needs shakti. For this, extensive re-building needs to be initiated for the country to acquire physical, mental and spiritual strength.
For creating this stupendous energy, India needs a new spiritual awakening. A new direction. The inspiration for such an awakening could come from a prophet of peace, for instance, someone like Guru Nanak, who proclaimed: "Love the saints of every faith, Put away the pride! The essence of religion is Humility, service, and sympathy. Not fine clothes, Not the yogi'sgarb and ashes, Not the blowing of horn, Not the shaven head, Not long prayers...".
(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
To be born a human being with the unique faculties of discrimination and choice is both a great blessing and a terrible curse. This is because exercising one's choice often creates conflicts.
One can neither live with conflict nor solve conflict through suppression or desensitising the mind temporarily - the conflicts simply resurface. So it seems that there is no permanent solution to conflict, and hence in this matter we are left with no choice. But should we give up so easily? Don't we deserve to be free from conflict?
(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
On his release from prison, the great Nelson Mandela said: "Together we live in a global neighbourhood and it is not to the long-term benefit of any if there are islands of wealth in a sea of poverty. We need a globalisation of responsibility as well.
Above all that is the challenge of the new century." Mandela was absolutely right. The evolution of technology down the linear, reductionist path, which defines only that which is physically quantifiable, has jeopardised our eco-system, if not human civilisation.
(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
Quite often we are faced with the dilemma of having to decide what is right and what is wrong. Our instinct tells us one thing, whereas our conscience tells us something else. Which are the good qualities that must be developed and which are those undesirable ones that must be abandoned?
Lord Krishna addresses this problem in chapter 16 of the Bhagavad Gita . Krishna explains that there are two basic types of inherently opposite dispositions in people - the daivic or divine and the asuric or demonic. Daivic qualities are the cause of liberation ( moksha ), and asuric qualities, the cause of bondage. Krishna lists 26 qualities as divine, which are self-explanatory. Fearlessness tops the list as the prime virtue. It is all encompassing.
(See also: Peace on Earth , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
No religion preaches violence. If all religions advocate peace, why then do some who profess allegiance to their religion, commit violence to defend their peace-loving, peace-preaching faith? India is home to some of the oldest religious texts known to man. The Vedas and the Upanishads , for instance, do not preach a particular religion, nor do they spell out a list of dos and don’ts.
The Rig Veda says: “ Aano bhadrah kritavo yantu vishwatah ”, which means, let noble thoughts come to us from everywhere. These ancient texts did not have a single author, nor their philosophy a collective name. Because of its universality, this particular stream came to be known as Sanatan Dharma , or 'perennial duty’. Later it came to be called Hinduism. Unfortunately we now have its political version - Hindutva .
(See also: Peace on Earth , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
Though the term Hindu is not of indigenous origin, I am proud to consider myself a Hindu. That pride has been deeply hurt by what others using that label have done in Gujarat.
What they did was typically un-Hindu, even anti-Hindu. What distinguishes the Hindu culture, philosophy and outlook on life from all other religions, faiths and civilisational traditions? In Hinduism alone you are able to say '' Brahmasmi ’’ (I am God) and to your neighbour, '' Tattvamasi ’’ (You are the truth).
(See also: Peace on Earth , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
Politics and the concept of a global identity are two artificial constructs dominating our collective consciousness today.
A nationalist professes undying allegiance to his nation. Therefore he would find it impossible to love another nation or its nationalists.
Patriotism, on the other hand, is born of a deeper feeling of togetherness and bonding of a people in a particular civilisation/heritage. Hence a patriot would fully understand and appreciate similar sentiments in another pat-riot of a civilisation/heritage different from his own.
(See also: Peace on Earth , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
