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Updated:
09-Aug-2008
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Updated:
09-Aug-2008
Areas of service: World peace
On this page -
Moving beyond fear NEW!
Peace action NEW!
One of the great obstacles to attaining inner peace is fear. We often fear the unknown and dwell on negative possibilities that seldom happen. This fear erects barriers between ourselves and new experiences. It causes us to look with suspicion at people, cultures and environments with which we are not familiar. It entangles us in the mire of our conditioning, governed by the ancient, automatic reflex for self-preservation.
Living beyond fear does not mean that we put ourselves consciously into life-threatening situations. It implies that we meet new experiences and people with openness; that we are willing to learn about cultures and environments that we do not know and understand; and that we treat all people with the respect and kindness with which we would like to be treated by strangers. It requires us to look deeply into our prejudices and examine what causes this sense of separation. When we live compassionately in acknowledgment of the Oneness of all life, we live peacefully, unfettered by fear.
Ideally, learning to be free of fear starts in our homes as children, is a focus of schooling, and continues in our adult life. As J Krishnamurti reminds us, Without an integrated understanding of life, our individual and collective problems will only deepen and extend. The purpose of education is to produce … integrated men and women who are free of fear; for only between such human beings can there be enduring peace.
We can enhance our feeling of inner peace by regularly taking time to quiet the mind, to reflect on inspirational ideas and to fill our beings with compassion and peaceful energies. We can be an influence for peace by radiating these energies out to the world and by holding positive thoughts for the peaceful resolution of difficulties.
Here we share two reflections.
Prayer shared by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his Nobel Lecture, December 11, 1989
For as long as space endures,
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I, too, abide
To dispel the misery of the world.- Shanti Deva
A Prayer for the World
This is a beautiful affirmation contributed by Betty Bland, President of the TS in the USA, to the last edition of The Service Link.
Let the rain come and wash away the ancient grudges,
the bitter hatreds held and nurtured over generations.
Let the rain wash away the memory of the hurt, the neglect.
Then let the sun come out and fill the sky with rainbows.
Let the warmth of the sun heal us wherever we are broken.
Let it burn away the fog so that we can see each other clearly,
So that we can see beyond labels, beyond accents, gender or skin colour.
Let the warmth and brightness of the sun melt our selfishness,
So that we can share the joys and feel the sorrow of our neighbours.
And let the light of the sun be so strong that we will see all people as our neighbours.
Let the earth, nourished by rain, bring forth flowers to surround us with beauty.
And let the mountains teach our hearts to reach upward to heaven.- Rabbi Harold S. Kushner
Download or view article in PDF format (25kb)
Start a Peace Club
This is a great way to wo>rk with others in helping to create a culture of peace. Peace Clubs is an international grassroots network of local clubs helping to create a better world. They are not associated with any organization and don't require registration or membership dues.
Their website, http://www.cultureofpeace.com/clubs/what.htm , has a large number of resources that are free for non-commercial purposes.
Your Peace Club might consist of members of your family or your place of worship, a school group, colleagues at work, friends and neighbors, co-volunteers in a charitable organization or your fellow TS and TOS members.
International Day of Peace, 21 September.
This day was established by a United Nations resolution in 1981. All United Nations member countries agreed that September 21, the International Day of Peace, should be observed as a Global Ceasefire and day of nonviolence.
How can we support this day? We can:
The International Peace Day website, http://www.internationaldayofpeace.org/un.htm has excellent resources including a play and songs for children to perform.
Their affirmation is, May Peace Prevail On Earth!
Pin wheels for Peace Project
Pinwheels for Peace is an art installation project started in 2005 by two Art teachers in the USA as a way for students to express their feelings about what’s going on in the world and in their lives. The project was quickly embraced by their students and the entire school community and by millions of art teachers, teachers, parents, children and adults who desire peace in our world.
Participants create pinwheels of all colours and sizes. As part of the creation process, they write their thoughts about "war and peace; tolerance; living in harmony with others" on one side. The writing can be poetry, prose, haiku, or essay-style – whatever writing form is appropriate as they express themselves. On the other side, they draw, paint, collage, etc. to visually express their feelings. They assemble their pinwheels and on International Day of Peace everyone ‘plants’ their pinwheels outside (at schools, museums, public places, etc.) as a public statement and art exhibit/installation. The spinning of the pinwheels in the wind will spread thoughts and feelings about peace throughout the country and the world!
This project need not be restricted to students. Parents can participate with their children and community groups can conduct their own workshops and installations of Pinwheels for Peace.
For directions for making pinwheels and an enrolment form for joining the project, go to the website:
http://www.pinwheelsforpeace.com
United Nations Day, 24 October.
This day provides an opportunity to reconfirm the values that underpin the United Nations. The United Nations was built on spiritual principles and universal values such as peace, human rights, human dignity and worth, justice, respect, good neighbourliness, freedom, respect for nature and shared responsibility.
“Many of the key founders of the UN and those in leadership positions there today use spirituality and values as a guiding force….. The key countries that were addressing the UN Charter listed twelve major functions of the UN. One of these functions was to be the seeker of freedom. And, in defining this term, it said that for humans to attain ultimate freedom the UN not only had to promote material growth but also spiritual growth.” (2008, The NGO Committee on Spirituality Values and Global Concerns)
Wouldn’t this be a marvellous theme for a TOS sponsored discussion or talk scheduled close to United Nations Day?
Peace as the cornerstone of T.O.S. activities
Many T.O.S. members see the work of peace building as central to T.O.S. activities. Denni Gross, highlights this view in the Circles for Peace newsletter when she writes:
If we were to ask the average person for a definition of “peace”, the most common response would most likely be “the absence of war”. We (in the T.O.S.) know that peace is much more than this. Like the air we breathe, peace seems to weave its way in and out of our lives, touching various and seemingly unrelated aspects of our existence.
Take, for instance, the T.O.S. which is composed of seven distinct departments (of service). The work and aims of the Peace department permeate all other department disciplines, influencing them while also including them as important components in the peace process. We cannot, for example, expect people to act peacefully towards other human beings when cruelty to animals and exploitation of the environment are acceptable, even encouraged, practices. We cannot expect to heal others if we are not first completely at peace within our own natures. We cannot expect people to understand that the cultural development of the human race is intrinsically related to peace, when music and the arts are not even emphasised in our children’s educational systems. We cannot expect our global citizens to cooperatively co-exist when so many still suffer from a lack of even the most basic necessities and social services.
When we step outside the T.O.S., we recognise anew the interdependent nature of all social issues and peace. As peacemakers, we are called upon to be knowledgeable in many different disciplines in order to be effective in this inclusive task we have chosen. Peacemaking skills and love of peace relate to every conceivable situation we might encounter.
Circles for Peace Is an international network established in America. Membership is free and is open to all interested people. Members meditate in groups or individually for world peace and take action in their lives. A quarterly network newsletter and website share members’ ideas, viewpoints and activities.
To find out more: www.theoservice.org/Peace/Circles%20for%20Peace/circles_for_peace.htm
Peace ideas – a publication from the Philippines
This quarterly publication from the Peace Center of the Theosophical Society in the Philippines is a compilation of information on a wide range of topics connected with peaceful living. A recent edition contains excerpts from authors ranging from Steven Covey to Annie Besant and Ernest Wood and with topics covering global peace, inner peace, overcoming fear, communicating effectively, peace in the workplace, health and effective parenting.
Subscriptions cost US$6.00 foreign airmail and bulk copies can be ordered at very low prices. The contact is: The Peace Centre, 1 Iba St., Quezon City, Philippines.
To find out more: www.theosophy.ph/tos.htm
Invocations for peace and brotherhood
Many T.O.S. groups use affirmations or invocations that remind us of the oneness of all life, of our brotherhood with every person, and indeed with every living thing. Below are a few of the favourites.
O Powers of Love!
We pledge to you our faithfulness,
Knowing that only you can redeem the world.
We invoke your blessing on all who strive to serve you.
We invoke your blessing on all who have to endure suffering,
That they may discover their enfoldment in your love, even in the midst of their affliction.
We invoke your blessing on all who inflict suffering
That they may be moved to return to you and serve you.George S. Arundale
O Hidden Life, vibrant in every atom;
O Hidden Light, shining in every creature;
O Hidden Love, embracing all in Oneness:
May each, who feels himself as one with thee,
Know he is therefore one with every other.Annie Besant
May the Forces of Light bring illumination to humankind.
May the Spirit of Peace be spread abroad.
May the Law of Harmony prevail.
May people of goodwill everywhere meet in a spirit of cooperation.
So let it be and help us to do our part.
Click the image to view or sign the UNESCO Peace Manifesto
http://www3.unesco.org/manifesto2000/default.asp
Links to peace organisation websites
International Volunteers for Peace www.ivp.org.au/
Oxfam www.oxfam.org.au
Peace Child International www.peacechild.org/
The Peace Organisation of Australia www.poa.org.au/
The Peace Building Organisation website lists a number of relevant organisations with website links
http://homepages.tig.com.au/~masonda/peace-building_organisations.htm