World Peace ~ Amma

[Guest guest]

http://www.amritapuri.org/amma/un2000/un2000.php

 

"We have stepped into the new millennium with great hopes and

expectations of change. But though the numbers denoting the year are

different, essentially nothing else has changed. The real change must

happen within us. For only when conflict and negativity are removed

from within, can we play a truly constructive role in establishing peace."

"Peace is not just the absence of war and conflict; it goes well

beyond that. Peace must be fostered within the individual, within the

family and within society. Simply transferring the world's nuclear

weapons to a museum will not in itself bring about world peace. The

nuclear weapons of the mind must first be eliminated."

"We cannot lose sight of the essential needs of people, for until

these needs are met, it is impossible for anyone to aspire to higher

states of awareness and understanding. If, in any part of the world,

people are dying of hunger or suffering in poverty, it is a matter of

shame for all nations. Based on the religious ideal of universal

brotherhood, all nations that are in a position to help should share

their material wealth and resources. There is enough for the survival

of all living beings on this earth, yet not enough to satisfy the

greed of a few."

"Lending a helping hand to a neglected soul, feeding the hungry, a

compassionate smile towards the sad and dejected - this is the real

language of religion. We should invoke God's compassion in our own

hearts and hands. Living only for oneself is not life, but death."

"There is one Truth that shines through all of creation. Rivers and

mountains, plants and animals, the sun, the moon and the stars, you

and I - all are expressions of this one Reality. It is by assimilating

this truth in our lives, and thus gaining a deeper understanding, that

we can discover the inherent beauty in this diversity. When we work

together as a global family, not merely belonging to a particular

race, religion or nation, peace and happiness will once again prevail

on this earth which is drenched with the tears of division and conflict."

 

~ Amma