Mata Amritanandamayi closing plenary address at the world parliament of religions

[Guest guest]

Harness Spiritual Power

Amma gave the closing plenary address to a thunderous standing ovation on the

final evening of the ten-day gathering of the 2004 Parliament of the World's

Religions. She was joined at the ceremonies by Federico Mayor, the former UNESCO-General, and Dr. Raimon Pannikkar, a respected Spanish philosopher.

 

Amma's discourse stressed the importance of harnessing "spiritual power" in an

effort to rise above religious differences. "The problem arises when we say my

religion is right; yours is wrong. This is like saying my mother is good; yours

is a prostitute." Amma emphasized that "love and compassion are the very essence

of all religions."

 

Amma's speech also drew applause when she spoke on the importance of combatting

poverty in our society. "Amma is alarmed to see the direction in which the world

is heading. If, in the future, there is a Third World War, let it not be between

countries, but rather a war against our common enemy, poverty."

 

Following the closing ceremonies, thousands of attendees, including government

officials and dignitaries, rushed to receive Amma's darshan. Amma remained at

the Forum in Barcelona, long after its closing, receiving crowds well into the

night, as word spread through the city about Amma´s attendence.

 

The Parliament of the World's Religions is one of the world's largest

inter-religious gatherings with participants from hundreds of religious and

spiritual movements. The Parliament, which began on July 7th, broght together

nearly 7,000 delegates. Delegates participated in open and respectful dialogue

and provided a forum to build cooperation, both locally and globally.

 

with love

 

ajju

 

Mata-Amritandamayi/