S I V A N A N D AS I V A N A N D A

INTO THE

21ST CENTURY

PEACE FESTIVAL

QUEBEC

CANADA

INTO THE

21ST CENTURY

PEACE FESTIVAL

QUEBEC

CANADA

WINTERWINTER

20002000

2S I V A N A N D A

Published byThe Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre

51 Felsham Road, London, SW15 1AZ

England. Tel: 0181 780 0160e-mail: YogaLife@sivananda.org

HeadquartersSivananda Ashram Yoga Camp

Eighth Avenue, Val Morin, Quebec,Canada, JOT 2RO. Tel: 819-322-3226

e-mail: hq@sivananda.org

The International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, founded by Swami Vishnu-devananda isa non-profit organization whose purpose is to propagate the teachings of Yoga and Vedanta

as a means of achieving physical, mental and spiritual well-being and Self-realization.

The International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres has its Headquarters in Val Morin, Quebec, Canada, with centres and ashrams located around the world (see page 58/59 for addresses).

WORDS OF PEACE 4

Swami Sivananda speaks on this very simple, straightforward,yet difficult-to-obtain quality.

A QUESTION OF SUFFERING 6

Swami Vishnu-devananda examines the cause of suffering,with some pragmatic suggestions.

SIVANANDA ASHRAM PRISON PROJECT UPDATE 29

MOUNT RUSHMORE SYNDROME 37

Eco-psychologist Allen D. Kanner discusses the modern outlook- when Narcissism rules the earth.

SANTOSH 40

Contentment, the most misunderstood niyama of Raja Yoga isanalysed by Swami Saradananda.

SHAPING YOGA TEACHERS THE SIVANANDA WAY 42

Jody Tyler gives an amusing insight into the Teachers’ Training Course.

MAKING THE BODY ALL EYES 45

Phillip B. Zarrilli on kalarippayatu, the martial/meditation art of Kerala.

THOUGHTS ON A YOGIC LIFE 47

by Swami Durgananda

”INTO THE 21ST CENTURY” 10

Elizabeth Nathaniels summarises the multi-faith, multi-cultural,multi-national event which emphasised practical peace on anindividual level, rather than merely an absence of war.

MAY PEACE PREVAIL ON EARTH 12

Masami Kondo of the World Peace Prayer Society speaks on thepower of positive thought.

SIVANANDA SONGBOOK 15

“If You Want to Have Peace in the World” –words and the songthat was especially written for “Into the 21st Century.”

PEACE CHILD 16

Miranda Warner interviews Eirwen Harbottle regarding herextraordinary efforts with children, on behalf of peace.

DEVELOPING OUR SPIRITUAL EYES 18

Rabbi Joseph Gelberman on transforming grief, terror andhorror into goodness and joy in life.

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI: SAINT OF PEACE AND TOLERANCE 20

by Rolph Fernandes

THE NATIVE AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE 22

Regent Garihwa Sioui, Secretary General of the NorthernAmerican-Indian nations on a wider definition of peace – not just among humanity. “We can’t have global peace if we are abusing another part of creation.”

BEARING WITNESS FOR PEACE 24

Roshi Bernie Glassman, co-founder of the Zen PeacemakerOrder, on the need for healing and experience of unity.

AMERICAN PEACE PILGRIMAGE IN A MOBILE ASHRAM 30A modern journey, but the goal is the same since timeimmemorial – to see “God” to find inner peace.

PLANET EARTH PASSPORT

Excerpts from Swami Vishnu-devananda’s boundary-breakingdocument, that has recently been re-issued. 32

SIVANANDA WORLD MILLENNIUM PEACE PILGRIMAGE 33

Photo highlights of “Into the 21st Century” Peace Festival ... andschedule for the year 2000, as the “mission continues”.

”INTO THE 21ST CENTURY” PEACE FESTIVAL

1957

W I N T E R 2 0 0 0

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Om Shanti Shanti ShantiOm Peace Paz PaixOm Shalom Salam Frieden

Blessed Self,

The eternal prayer of humanity is: “Lord grant us peace.” Yet, as much as we pray and talk about it, peace continues to elude most ofus. Of course, peace means different things to different people. To some peace means nuclear disarmament, to others it is an end tohostilities in any of the many other troubled spots of the world. Still others are sure that peace would come if government budgetswere sufficient to provide proper schools, hospitals, programs for the aged and handicapped. For some peace means financial security. The first week of August presented an extraordinary experience. Peace advocates and spiritual aspirants from many traditions gatheredat the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Camp in Quebec. They lived together in peace, acknowledging their differences, but trying to findsolutions that they could carry home with them and share with their communities and friends. Yet even while this enthusiastic groupof citizens of the world were happily waving flags, praying for peace, and basking in the sunlight of Canada’s beautiful LaurentianMountains, what were their fellow citizens doing? Even within a few miles, how many people were being robbed, humiliated,murdered? How many children abused and beaten by frustrated parents? How many people were dealing with the pain of facingtheir own minds by dulling them with drugs and alcohol? Was hatred not rampant in the world during that week? Where were angerand greed? For there to be peace in the world, each person must go within to find that “peace that passeth all understanding.” Lust,anger, greed, hatred, jealousy, envy and fear cannot be banished by public declaration, laws or treaties. As long as we hate and fear each other there can be no peace. To abolish these negative qualities, which are part of all of us, theteachings of Yoga can be of great value to the modern world. Through the scientifically designed techniques of Yoga, one learns towatch, control, and be able to deal with his/her own mind. Negative emotions and energies are channeled into positive directions.One learns to identify with the divine nature rather than with the apparent, emotional qualities. Peace is not an accident. It can only be accomplished by working at it on a daily basis. This was the message of ‘Into the 21st Century’Peace Festival. We have dedicated this issue of Yoga Life to giving a report of that event. Yours,

OM Namah Sivaya

Dear Friends,

This past summer, I attended ‘Into the 21st Century’, a moving and impressive Festival forWorld Peace hosted by the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Camp. African drum and Andian flutemusic moved the spirit. Interesting and informative talks moved the mind. Hindu homas andnative American sunrise rites opened the heart. I had the karma yoga of setting up and taking down the translation equipment; this had the verypleasant result of enabling me to attend all of the programs. I must admit that I initially approachedthe Festival with some trepidation as I did not want to be bombarded with activist cant targetingthis or that global hot spot and urging us to write our Member of Parliament and to donategenerously to the committee to free some unfortunate people from tyranny. The unspoken theme of‘Into the 21st Century’ was in fact the opposite: “Reform yourself and let the rest of the world reformitself”, one of my favourite of all of Swami Sivananda’s injunctions. The underlying message was thatyou can’t create peace in the world or any part of it unless you have peace in yourself. Much of the Festival was devoted to giving people the incentive and a variety of tools with which todevelop inner peace, each in their own way and each according to their ability and their need.Another re-occurring theme was that a person could best contribute to world peace not by becominga political activist but by becoming personally involved in resolving a local need, providing his or herown labor rather than making political demands that merely urge someone else to fix the problem.Yes, there were presentations and references to global peace issues but they too promoted theapplication of one’s skills and interests to long-term, low-key and interactive projects. Projects thatcould change perceptions so that there would be less need to make the type of political changes thatusually result in deaths, injuries, dislocation and alienation. The Festival fully reflected the teachings of Swami Sivananda and Swami Vishnu-devananda andshowed how those teachings had direct application to issues of personal and internationalsignificance. Swamiji’s teachings elevate the consciousness, open new perspectives on situations ofconcern and point to new and more useful approaches to resolving those situations. Many participants commented on the overall good feeling that the Festival engendered. My ownperspective on the Festival is that it was a five-star success. The speakers were professional in approachand personal in their message. From the exuberance of Rabbi Gelberman to the disciplined compassionof Zen Roshi Bernie Glassman and the sophistication of Mrs. Eirwen Harbottle representing the Centreof International Peacekeeping. Their messages inspired all who attended and helped to focus ourenergies. All the speakers were approachable throughout the week of the Festival with meal times being aparticularly good time for speaking with them at length. Organizationally, everything seemed smooth;this was due to the constant attention of Shambhavi of the Yoga Camp and Jyoti from Montreal. Staffwere open, approachable and enthusiastic. The food was excellent, the grounds were well maintainedand even the weather cooperated. All in all, one of the most outstanding events that I’ve attended inyears. - Sankara, Ottawa

LE T T E R TO T H E ED I TO R

LE T T E R F R O M T H E ED I TO R

Swami Saradananda, Editor

MAY PEACE PREVAIL ON EARTH

4

Many people are workingtoday for the promotion ofworld peace withouthaving peace in

themselves. Their loud propaganda, bigtalk and lectures cause more confusion,conflict and discord. If you want tohave peace in the world, you must firstfind the peace within your own heart.

A proper understanding of theessential unity of religions is the mosteffective and powerful factor inbringing about peace in this world. Itwill remove all superficial differencesand conflicts, which createrestlessness, discord and quarrels.

If everyone turns to the Supreme Peacewithin, there will be peace everywhere.A glorious new era of peace, amity, loveand prosperity can be ushered in , onlyif the youth of the day is educated inthe methods of self-culture. Educatethe moral conscience of the public. Thiswill bring lasting world-peace.

You can elevate others only if youhave elevated yourself. This world canbe saved only by those who havealready saved themselves. A prisonercannot liberate other prisoners. Onerealised sage can do more for thepromotion of peace than a thousandmissionaries preaching and disputing,day in and day out.

“There will be not war,if all people practicetruthfulness, universallove, purity, mercy,contentment, self-sacrifice, self-restraintand tolerance. Non-violence is the key topeace.”

Peace is the happy, natural state ofhumanity. It is our birthright. War isour disgrace.Peace is a state of quiet. It is freedomfrom disturbance, anxiety, agitation,riot or violence. It is harmony, silence,calm, repose, rest. Specifically, it is theabsence or cessation of war.

All over the world, great conferencesare held for bringing about universalpeace, universal brotherhood anduniversal religion. It is the vanity ofhumanity that goads us to reformsociety without first reforming ourself.Vanity rules the world. When twovain people meet, there is friction andquarrel. In the case of social reform,self-styled enlightened people startedinterfering with the customs andmanners of others, in an effort tocivilise them. Society lost itsmoorings, and the reformers could notoffer new, sound ones. Masses ofpeople drifted away into chaos. Howcan blind people lead other blindpeople?

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

Sivananda:Words of PEACE

5

No piece of paper called a treaty canestablish peace in this world. The wayof peace is very simple and straight; itis the way of Love and Truth.

Money cannot give you peace. Youcan purchase many things, but youcannot purchase peace. You can buysoft beds, but you cannot buy sleep.You can buy good foods, but youcannot buy good appetite. You canbuy good tonics, but you cannot buygood health. You can buy good books,but you cannot buy wisdom.

Perfect peace cannot be promoted byanybody who does not have perfectpeace in himself. No political ‘ism’ canever solve the problem and bringabout real peace. Each new ‘ism’creates only more problems and morequarrels.

Ethics should be put into practice byall. This alone will contribute to peace,universal love, unity, properunderstanding and world harmony.

Everlasting peace can be found onlywithin your own Atman or Self, orGod.

World-peace is possible when all thepeople of the world wake up to thefacts governing universal life andwhen there is a heart-to-heart feelingof goodness, love and oneness amongthe inhabitants of the world.

Peace, to be lasting and constructive,must be achieved through God. Therecan be no peace without God. God isPeace. Root yourself in peace or God.Now you are fit to radiate peace.

S I V A N A N D A: WO R D S O F PE A C E

“Love alone can bring peace tothe world. Therefore love all.Only if everyone practices thereligion of love, can there bepeace in the world.”

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Many religions incorporate theidea that a person must sufferand be punished. For examplethere is the idea of hell and

purgatory in the Catholic faith. Yogaphilosophy teaches the law of karma,whereby each person suffers as a result of hisown bad actions. However, people trulysuffer by virtue of their own ignorance, theirinability to understand who they are andwhy they exist. It seems that a person’s badactions result from this ignorance. Eachperson appears to have come into existencefrom a state of total ignorance and mustsuffer. We suffer until we find the truth. Whyis this?

Swami Vishnu-devananda: Ignorance isitself an illusion. Pain itself is an illusion. Thereis neither ignorance nor pain. A simpleexample: you went to bed last night and hada nice sleep. Before sleep, you had a dream. Letus assume you dreamt of a tiger attacking youin the forest. So what did you say? Oh, it’s adream. I can sleep, I can forget about this. Youdidn’t do this, did you? No, in the dream youstarted running for your life. And how longdid you run? Until you woke from the dream.When you woke up what happened? The tigerwas gone, the pain was gone. Ah, it’s anillusion. Now you can laugh, but not duringthe dream. Well, we’re all dreaming - a cosmicdream. She’s my wife. He’s my husband. It’s adream. Who’s the wife? Who’s the husband?Everyday you walk on the street; you seehundreds of thousands of people. One personyou meet like in a dream. Oh, it’s the dreamgirl you’ve been looking for. Ah, this is theperson I must have. From that momentsomething has changed. From that momentonwards he has to bring flowers: “I love youhoney” and bow to her and laugh when shelaughs. She has to cry when he cries, and heis repeating the mantra “I love you honey, Ilove you honey” - how many times he has torepeat this mantra?

It’s just a dream, a cosmic play, you know.Then next day your wife runs away withanother man and you start crying. Andsuppose she ran off with some money, lots of

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

As long as you identify with the body thereis a karma reaction... This law applieseverywhere. Nothing happens without acause. Look at this plant. It came from acause. There are two things: a cause andeffect. Sometimes we cannot see the cause,but we can always see the effect. Here theeffect is this beautiful plant and theseflowers. But we do not know who plantedthe cause, though we know somebody musthave done that. Cause and effect are oneand the same.

SufferingA Question of

S W A M I V I S H N U - D E V A N A N D A S P E A K S

7

money, you’ll cry more, not for her, for themoney. Then, just suppose she had anaccident and her lover is killed. Before youused to cry when she had suffering, nowwhen she is suffering you laugh. The person isthe same. Your dream has changed. Now themantra has changed from “I love you honey”to “Go to hell honey”. This is also a dream.From the cosmic point there is no suffering,no pain, only illusion. You identify with thisperishable body; that is the ignorance whichyou mentioned.

As long as you identify with the body thereis a karma reaction. Just as in physics, everyaction has an equal and opposite reaction.This law applies everywhere. A rocket goes upbecause it has an opposite thrust. If I throw aball, the ball will bounce on me. If I give a glassof water to some one who is dying, sacrificemy comfort, then I will get water when I amin the most difficult situation. Or suppose Istole water from some one who needs water.I drank, made him suffer, then sometime Iwon’t be able to drink, even if the water is inmy hand. Nothing happens without a cause.Look at this plant. It came from a cause. Thereare two things: a cause and effect. Sometimes

w e

cannot seethe cause, but we can always see the effect.Here the effect is this beautiful plant andthese flowers. But we do not know whoplanted the cause, though we knowsomebody must have done that.

Cause and effect are one and the same.Depends upon which point you are startingfrom. Take an example. This glass is round.Now tell me, which is the beginning of thisround glass? Let us assume there must besome beginning. So I say, this is the beginning,then where is the end? The beginning and endare the same spot? Depending on how you arelooking. If you look clockwise the beginningbecomes the end, and if you’re lookingcounter-clockwise the end becomes thebeginning. So what is called cause and effectis only a matter of which came first,depending on how you are interpreting it.

Cause contains effect, and effect containscause. The seed contains the tree. And the treecontains the seed. The tree’s the future cause.

It is all how you look at it, you know. That’swhy we can never solve the problem of thisuniverse by merely asking questions. Why Godcreated this world? If He created it, when didHe create it? Then what was He doing beforeHe created it? The questions can go on and on.The important thing is to understand thatnothing comes without a cause. The seed ofyour existence, there must be a cause. Why areyou all born in the country where everythingis in plenty? Why were you not born inBangladesh or Rwanda or Ethiopia? Wheremillions and millions of babies are starvingand dying.

The parents cannot even cry for their dyingbabies. They know their babies are going to diein a few days or few weeks. They’re all likeskeletons. I’ve seen it in Bangladesh. Indiarefused to give food to these people - about10 million refugees in a small area. There is nowater, no electricity, no food. Children aredead and dying, their bodies are lying withfilth and flies everywhere. Some are dead,some are just dying, and their parents aroundthem are not crying. There are no tears

because there’s nowater to bring them even tears. But here the

baby gets all the attention, why? God isinterested?

If God created, why did God create somany millions of souls to suffer while somechildren are born in a castle with a silverspoon in the mouth? What is the causebehind it? If God is the cause then we have toblame God for everything. But God isimpartial, like the sun. The sun shines equallyin all conditions. The sun shines on the richman’s swimming pool and in a gutter full offilth. It makes no difference between theswimming pool and the gutter water. It shinesequally. It is the same with Supreme Grace;the grace is everywhere. It is shining in all ofour hearts. But we close our eyes and pretendwe haven’t seen Him. Not only pretending, webelieve He is not even in us. We believe that

God is somewhere else punishing you andrewarding you. That cannot be a God whojust punishes us because we don’t praise Him.He is a super dictator then! Read thequestion again.

“Many religions incorporate the idea thatpeople must suffer, be punished e.g. the ideaof hell, purgatory in the Catholic faith.”

Swamiji: Okay, stop there. Many religionsbelieve in hell and heaven. The question is:who is responsible for the hell and heaven?Suppose I create a robot, Mr. Roboti. Who doyou blame if the robot killed someone? Thecreator is it not? And suppose the robotcontinues going around killing everybodythen you think that the man who created thismust be a monster. So, God created Hitler. Godcreated Jesus also. What is the differencebetween one creation and another? So doesthe blame go to God? And suppose you’re notable to behave properly and you’re sent to hellforever! Forever means how long? Infinitefuture you’re going to suffer because you livefor one hundred years. Of the hundred years,fifty years you spend in sleeping. Childhood isgone like a dream. And then old age comes,sitting in the wheelchair with intravenousfeeding and senility, you can’t even say yourown name. In between a few years calledyouthful life the hormones are very high, theblood pressure shoots up, that’s called life.Because, in this short life span you can’t bevery good and learn all of these ethical andmoral lessons, so you’re punished forever? Is itfair that God should do that? Then, if I don’tworship Him, he’s going to send me to hell.That’s like a dictator. He has every power in Hishand. So that’s not the right answer. God didnot create anything. He Himself manifests,that is the difference. Now, the conclusion ofthis. Why people suffer. Suffering is justanother illusion like a dream. This is calledmaya in Sanskrit, but your real nature is sat,chit and ananda, existence absolute,knowledge absolute and bliss absolute. There isno ignorance in you because you areknowledge – each person is an image of God.But you have forgotten this image and youstart identifying with the dream. I’ll give a simple example for you tounderstand how this illusion works. I’m sureall of you have seen at least one movie in yourlife. Some movies are frightening. For exampleseveral years ago I was in London. At that time“The Exorcist” was playing. I wanted to seehow they make these films because when Iwas young my uncle was a mantravadi, a realexorcist. In my home every new moon night

Suffering is just another illusion like a dream. This iscalled maya in Sanskrit, but your real nature is sat,

chit and ananda, existence absolute, knowledgeabsolute and bliss absolute. There is no ignorance inyou because you are knowledge – each person is an

image of God. But you have forgotten this image andyou start identifying with the dream.

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my uncle chanted various mantras; he himselfhad control over various spirits. Suddenly anordinary housewife becomes wild; it takes 5 to10 people to hold her. She becomes so hungrythat she eats 12-15 people’s food in a fewminutes. I couldn’t understand all thesethings; I was young. I knew that food onlygoes in one direction - through the mouthand into the stomach, then through the smallintestine, colon etc. When she comes back, shebecomes a normal housewife. And after 15minutes she will go and eat her normal dinner.That’s the thing that puzzled me. Whathappened to the food? Where did it disappearto? Lots of times I saw these things in mychildhood. There’s no way to explain itscientifically or logically. When I heard that this film is creating asensation, I just wanted to know how do theydo it. So we all jumped into a taxi and went tosee it. One girl, she’s from California, she saidSwamiji I would like to come only if you’regoing. I don’t want to see that alone. I askedher: what are you afraid of that. You’re not ahillbilly, you know films are made inHollywood studios. The film is all light andshadow, you know that it’s an illusion. So shesaid, “Yes Swamiji it’s anillusion”. When we got intothe theatre she sat nextto me. The light went offand suddenly thescreen becomes alive,people are throwingup pea soup, thebed starts rockingand so forth.And this girlstarts screaming. So I hit her with myelbow. She closed her eyes and said “It’s anillusion, it’s an illusion.” Then she opened hereyes and screamed again. She is an educatedperson. She knows everything intellectuallybut still she cannot disassociate from theillusion. She becomes part of the illusion.

So also this universe is an illusion! We areplaying this part. We are part of the cosmicillusion called maya. If an ordinary movie cancreate so much problem, how much illusionthe cosmic maya can create. That’s whyKrishna says in the Bhagavad Gita: “Oh Arjuna,this cosmic illusion, is very difficult to conquer.Only he who surrenders to me, I will take himacross.” You’ve got no power. Just like a personwho’s crying in the dream. Only one way youcan make him happy is by waking him up.Only God can wake us up from this cosmicdream. Our mind is also the maya, theindividual maya and Siva is the Self. And sothe mind plays every day, projecting differentthings. You project a girl and you say she isyour wife. You play with that thought and youplay the husband. And the children come andyou say oh, these are my children and you playwith that thought. And so we just continue

playing, never trying to identify with the Self.That is the difference between a God-realizedsoul and an ordinary person. That is all; thereis nothing else. A God-realized person can alsohave this dream, but he is not participating; heis witnessing it, watching everything.

So God has got two aspects: static andkinetic. Siva and Shakti are God inmanifestation and its inherent nature. Youcan’t say why God creates or illusion exists,because that ‘why’ question exists only in yourmind. When you wake up from the dreamthere is no question. So when you wake up tothe fourth state, your dream vanishes, yourpain disappears. You realise, “I was never born,never created, I never existed. I’m always in thetranscendental state. I’m always in thatsupreme state”.

So there is no ignorance nor hell norheaven. Hell and heaven are only in yourunderstanding.

Another simple example, I’ll just tell youour story. Bren and I both flew from Tel Avivto Cairo over the Suez Canal. I had lots ofammunition with me – that’s called marigoldflowers. We filed a flight plan to Nicosia.When we had gone 50 miles off, suddenly we

changed course. Suddenly the voice came,“please turn back onto your original course,you’re in danger of being shot.” And I said,“Please make for us a new flight plan to Egyptvia Suez Canal. The Israelis said, “you can’t flythere directly, you’ll be shot.” So I said, “Manypeople died in the name of war, we two peopleare prepared to die in the name of peace.”

Then I turned my radio off. So they send upa small jet which flew very close to our planeso that we could see the pilot. It was theclosest that I have ever flown with anotherplane. I can see this Israeli military planetelling me, “Turn back, turn back.”

By that time we were close to the SuezCanal. Then there was a sudden explosion andthe plane started going up and down and Ilost control, “Oh my God, we have been shot,Bren let us meditate.” I thought the plane wasgoing to disintegrate, but after a few minutesit steadied. The pilot gave us a jet blast, thenhe was gone.

We were over the Suez Canal. We droppedleaflets and flowers. We ‘bombed’ them andthen crossed to the other side. We saw thesoldiers on both sides living in the desert, in

foxholes. It’s so boring, and suddenly abeautiful colored plane came and startedthrowing leaflets and they ran to pick them up.

Then we crossed into Egypt. They couldhave shot us; flights would not have beenallowed over the Suez Canal. We had about100 miles to reach Cairo, and when we were50 or 60 miles from Cairo we called in theusual pattern. “Please give us landinginstructions”. There was an uproar. “Who gaveyou per mission, you’re not allowed to comehere”. Then there were 3 or 4 jets, circlingaround like in an old movie, like the wagontrain with the Indians riding around. We toldthem, “Please call your jets back; please give uspermission.” At last they agreed. As soon as welanded we gave them flowers and tried to givethem the peace leaflets. But they wouldn’ttake anything. They immediately brought ajeep, asked us to get in. There were soldiersstanding at attention everywhere. My God,what a reception we got!

Then we saw pictures of Gadafi and Assadof Syria. What happened is that we came atthe wrong time, literally. Assad’s and Gadafi’splanes both were coming - and Sadat fromEgypt was there to meet them. So the

reception was not for us. We were blindfolded anddriven somewhere for aboutone hour. They brought usinto a small receptionroom and removed theblindfolds. Then theyseparated the two of usand started theinterrogation. The first

question was: “Where were you in Israel,whom did you see?” I said I met many people.The night before we had about 400 peoplecoming for the lecture.

“Who did you meet?” Officials he means. “I tried to meet Golda Meir; she was the

premier, but she was busy. At the time, the defenceminister was Moshe Dayan, but he was busy too.”Then he said, “We told you not to come here.”

“Yes, you told us, but I got anothercommand from another dimension.” And ofcourse they’re all taking notes and he is writingevery bit of who I met - everything. And theyasked a question about Bren Jacobson.

“Do you trust him?” “Sure I trust him.” “Do you know that he is a Jew.” “Yes, I know.” In the Planet Earth Passport there are

symbols of all religions including a cross andthe Star of David. The symbol of Islam was alsothere. They asked me why and I said, “I believein all religions; everything is the same.”

It took 2-3 hours. Then he asked me tosign at the bottom. And I just signed it withoutreading.

“Don’t you want to read it? Because youwill be prosecuted tomorrow. Please read

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

Our real nature is sat, chit and ananda, existence absolute,knowledge absolute and bliss absolute. There is no

ignorance in you because you are knowledge – each personis an image of God. But you have forgotten this image and

you start identifying with the dream.

9

everything.” I said, “I said the truth; whatever you feel is

your problem.” And then they took me back tomy cell. I was there by myself and they put abright light in the room and they broughtfood. After another 2 or 3 hours, Bren came.Again they blindfolded us and they brought usto another room.

All the windows were closed. We did notknow how long we are going to be there inthis Egyptian jail. But for us it’s not a problem,we are Yogis you know. They are bringingvegetarian food; we can meditate and do ourasanas and pranayama. Bren started to do his

Surya Namaskar and I began reading mybooks etc. I knew the place must be bugged,so I started quoting from the Koran.

The next day they took our photographsand fingerprints. Then told us, “We found thatyou have come for a peace mission and for 3days you will be guest of the Egyptiangovernment. And after 3 days you can go.” Sothey took us to the Nile Valley and the Hilton.We had a nice lunch on the boat. They arrangedeverything specially in the officer’s club. Firsttime they took a Jew to the officer’s club.

Then they took us to the Pyramids and wehad a camel ride. We got the official treatmentwith big limousines and escort, but in theevening they brought us back to our jail. Wehad the time to meditate and do sadhana. Wewere very happy. On the last day they came totake us on a museum trip. Very beautifulancient treasures are stored there and afterseeing the museum they said, “Swamiji, sinceyou are leaving tomorrow we want you to seeour Egyptian culture. We want to take you to

a nightclub. I said, “I’m a Swami I don’t go to

nightclubs.” But he insisted. So we got into thelimousine and they brought us to the bestnightclub. I had never seen a nightclub before.They gave us the best seats and the menu.“Please order anything you want.” Forvegetarians there was orange juice only. Andthey ordered everything at the government’sexpense. By the time the show came my eyeswere filled with smoke and I couldn’t breathe.I preferred to go back to my jail. There I havefresh air and I can do whatever I want. Herethe air is killing us, it’s hell for us. But, they’re

enjoying; they’re getting everything free.Reluctantly they took us back

about 3o’clock.

The next day they tried to test us again,whether we are spies or not. They took us outfor shopping and gave us fresh mango juice.They brought us to one place and we sawsome Americans who had been at the nightclub the previous night. Naturally Bren washappy to see other Americans. So he startedtalking and I knew, this is a setup. They wantto see if we are going to pass any message tothem. So many times they tested us.

Finally they brought us to our airplane. Itwas fueled and everyone came to see thepeace plane including military officials. Beforethat they took us to a place where they weremaking military vehicles. No Jew had everbeen allowed to a military guarded place. ButBren and I went without fear. What I’m tryingto say is two things. Pleasure becomes pain;that nightclub was the most painful place I’veever been. But for the jailers and others thenightclub was heaven. So one person’s heavenis another one’s prison, and vice versa.

The second is that we went to Egypt with

love without visas or passports. They treatedeven a Jew like an honored guest. He wasshown everywhere including that militaryarmory. This happened actually. Now do youunderstand?

There is no one who can hate you if you gowith love. Wherever I go with love and flowersI get the same in return. But how can you stopthe problem in Ireland? By killing each otheryou’ll never stop the problem. Only by love.Love thy neighbor as thyself.

So we can make peace in the universe. Beforethat we must make peace within us. That’s thepurpose of this visit. Religion says hell andheaven exist. The same hell is another’s heaven.I’ll tell you a small story and conclude. The storyis about some people who went to see how

people are living in heaven andhell. They went to hell first.People were sitting at a tableand food is served. But theirhands are tied to longwooden spoons so they can’tbend their arms. They arestruggling to feedthemselves and keep spillingthe food on the floor; beforelong all the food is gone, andthey are all starving andsuffering. So they went toheaven to see how they livethere. There they havegolden tables and goldenchairs and they havegolden spoons tied to theirarms just like in hell. Oh my

God, how are they going to eat? But theyare enjoying the food. How? They are feeding

each other. When you think of others’ happiness then

that’s heaven. But if you think of yourself - myhappiness, my power, my this thing - that’s calledhell. There’s no hell or heaven - you create that, yousee. When there is love you can feed each other. Solet’s feed each other. “Love Thy Neighbor asThyself”and I conclude with that

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

In the Planet Earth Passport there are symbols of all religions including a cross and the Star of David. The symbol

of Islam was also there. They asked me why and I said, “I believe in all religions; everything is the same.”

10

How can we change into a morepeaceful society, prevent theviolence of war, or begin to tacklesome of the acute local and

global social problems of today? Sceptics might smile at the idea of a group

of well-meaning people concentrating onsuch awesome questions at a Yoga PeaceFestival. However, the Sivananda Yoga org -anisation may well have embraced an ideawhose time has come. At the end of the 21stcentury, there is a great deal of focus onworld peace - from the United Nations’designation of the year 2000 as the InternationalYear for a Culture of Peace to the convening ofthe largest ever international gathering on thecauses and solutions to war held at the Hagueearlier this year. For the Sivananda Yogaorganisation, it is significant that l999 saw thegraduation of the ten thousandth yoga teacherfrom the Teachers’ Training Course which Swami

Vishnu-devananda established as his fund -amental building block for peace, exactly thirtyyears ago, in 1969.

Perhaps we should also remind our scepticsthat praying for peace is not a useless activity.Modern scientific experiments are now provingthe existence of many aspects of ancientspiritual knowledge. These range from demon -strations of the power of thought on plants andpeople, to the healing effect of certain soundsand music.

‘Physician heal thyself’ became the dominantresponse of the week-long investigation intothese issues. Attended by nearly two hundredpart icipants from all over the world, this was thecentral tenet of invited speakers, from RosheBernie Glassman of the New York ZenCommunity to Franciscan Rolph Fernandes ofMontreal. Other speakers included PalestinianUN meditator, Mohammed Ramadan, RabbiJoseph Gelberman of New York; Masami Kondo

of the World Peace Prayer Society, Japan, EirwenHarbottle representing the Generals for Peacefrom Britain, Soeur Nicole Fournier ofL’Accueil Bonneau, Montreal and French-bornnatural health author, Daniele Starenkyj.Most maintained that tools for world peacecould only be developed by buildingindividual, inner peace first.

Swami Vishnu-devananda’s favouriteanalogy used to be thatof trying to changefabric from cotton to silk.You have to do so bychanging it thread bythread until the wholepiece has been trans -formed. So the fabric ofsociety could be changed by individualsdeveloping their own inner peace until thewhole of society is changed. Certainly, Swamiji’slife’s work for peace was enlivened byimaginative public demon strations, ranging fromflying over the Berlin Wall in l983 to ‘bombing’

Northern Ireland with flowers in l971 –along with Peter Sellers in a Peter Max-painted Piper Apache plane.

The Festival began with a beautifulNative American sunrise ceremony andended with a memorable, relaxed anddiverse multifaith ceremony in which thechildren won the day. Indeed, in thetradition of Gandhi, and of yoga, the whole

event was multifaith– an element whichprovided a sharp andpoignant edge andgave much food for

thought. For instance,contrasting to our

western Christian idea ofParadise Lost was the all-pervading NativeAmerican sense that paradise was found - it ishere and now. This is the paradise of our earth,our matrix of being, whose fecundity and beautyare to be enjoyed, protected and revered. Bycontrast, Rolph Fernandes with his com -

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

Into The 21st Century Peace Festival - a summing up, by Elizabeth Nathaniels

Swami Vishnu-devananda would have loved it - this summer’s Peace Festival. Held at the Sivananda Yoga Camp in Val Morin, outside Montreal, the Festival carriedforward his vision with aplomb, a sense of abundance, loving welcome and joy. It wasa feast of ceremonies from different faiths, of multinational goodwill, a renewal ofgood yoga practice, a stimulus to the mind and re-awakening of the spirit.

Elizabeth Nathaniels

Roshe Bernie GlassmanBob Bourdon Bren Jacobson Harlina Churn DialSant Venugopal

Panel discussion with invited guest speakers and workshop leaders.

“There was a feeling of oneness.”- Kathleen Regan, New York

“The conference speakers represented agood cross-section of life experience andspiritual disciplines.”- Benoit Gauthier, Quebec

11

passionate poem: “How Can I Speak of Peace”expressed the lost paradise of a war-scarred childin Sarajevo. Participants were reminded and

stimulated by the playful,yet underlying seriousnessof the religious stories told

by the swamis and the voluptuous riot of colourand form in the South Indian sculpture in thenewly-built Subramanya/Ayyappa temple. Senioracharyas moderated the programme. Amongsome of the difficulties faced was the very realclash between two groups whose members hadsuffered grievously. The underlying questionwas there: did different religions causeconflict? Not so, it was claimed. It was ratherthat people used diverse beliefs as an excuse

for violence.Representingthe victims ofin justice and

war were bothJewish and Arab

participants. Palestinian MohammedRamadan who shared his people’sagony in the Middle East, made astrong case for forgiveness. This, heclaimed, is an important, if not essentialelement for attaining inner peace. Hepointed out that true forgiveness is not

to do with repentance or forgetting, but shouldbe experienced as a deep and profound spiritual‘letting go’ of the hurt.

As for peacemaking in everyday life, thequietly charismatic New York Zen master, BernieGlassman advocated starting simply withwhatever ingredients there were to hand.Becoming over -whelmed was nothelpful but rathersimply starting fromwhere we are, with

whatever we have was his advice – acentral theme of his best-selling book:Zen: Instructions to the Cook.

Cultivate joy, rather than dwelling on anguishsuggested the ebullient 88-year old, broad-minded Rabbi Joseph Gelberman. Althoughremembering tragedies from the Holocaust toKosovo was a part of our humanity, nevertheless,“to forgive the past and look forward toward thefuture with joy and excitement” was moreimportant. In fact, Rabbi Gelberman claimed thatthe proper exercise of religion and of peace wasattained by seeking joy, rather than happiness.Happiness involved outside material things. Joymeant the development of inner peace, which forhim – the personification of benevolence –exploded daily into a gratitude for life. He endedhis presentation by leading participants in astately song and dance to Shalom.

There was much to feed the mind. And as forbody and spirit there were walks, canoe trips,yoga asanas, delicious feasts as well as the manyforms of worship, meditation, music and dance.

Indeed, dance and music were integral to theevent. Mali-born drummer YaYa Diallo author ofThe Healing Drum vividly demonstrated a morein-depth understanding of African music than

that of pure entertainment. His wife,founder/director of the Imani Dance Company,Harlina Churn Diallo also demonstrated theway in which she is encouraging Afro-American children to take pride in the cultureof their ancestors.

The poignant and innocent tones of ancientSouth American pipes

played by Jorge Alfano of theSacred Sounds Institute, the

sonorous meditative ragas ofthe renowned Indian flautist,

Sachdev and ‘spiritual pop’music of the newly-formed

London Sivananda Centre’s Premgroup all played their part in

enlivening the event. The warm and generous welcome wereceived will long remain with us. TheSivananda Yoga Centres continue to emanatean affection, a sense of family and thesatisfaction of Satsang – keeping companywith the wise, or at least, fellow-travellers, onthe spiritual path. Furthermore, we werewelcomed to a warm, light and plant-filledlodge, all gleaming wood and white-plasteredstraw bales, with grass on the roof – veryecologically correct. We were given magnificentvegetarian feasts. We were treated to the stageset – designed by the London Centre – all largefat peace doves and gargantuan daisies, not tomention a cut-out of Swamiji’s peace plane. TheLondon Centre provided their own peace musicfor the festival (now on CD and Tape), with thewords largely of Swami Sivananda himself.

Participants certainly left the Ashram with afeeling of joy. The experience of the week-longfestival was perhaps best expressed in the wordsand music of one of Prem’s songs “If you want tohave peace in the world, you must have peace inyour heart.” As for the power of positive thinkingand meditation, perhaps Masami Kondo shouldhave the last word when she asks: “Do you knowwhat links us closest and fastest?” And theanswer: “Thought waves. Thought waves arefaster than sound or light. What we emit asthought instantly reaches everybody around theglobe. To know this really helps us to understandthe significance of praying for world peace.”

“ IN TO TH E 21ST CE N T U R Y” PE A C E FE S T I V A L

Rolph Fernandes Eirwen HarbottleSwami Chaitanyananda Rabbi Joseph GelbermanDaniele Starenkyj Mohammed Ramadan Yolanda Rivera RamadanMasami Kondo

“The highlight for me was the reunionwith people that I’ve known over theyears and met in various SivanandaYoga Centers and Ashrams.”- Bhavani, New York

“The speakers emphasized practicalpeace on an individual level instead oftalking about the absence of war.”- Narayani, New Mexico

“I came for a Yoga vacation -asanas and satsang. The speakersbrought home the theme of theFestival - that peace starts withinyourself. All this was a bonus to mystay at the Ashram.”- Damian, London, England

llo

Jorge Alfano

Left: Meditative Ragas by G.S. Sachdev Above: African Music andDance by YaYa Diallo andHarlina Churn Diallo

“I like the internationalatmosphere and getting to meetpeople from different countries”- Claude, New York

12

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

First of all I would like to thank everybodyhere at the Sivananda Yoga Camp forinviting us. As I heard the wonderfulstories about your teacher, Swami

Vishnu-devananda, I recognized his joyful,happy spirit. It is easy to imagine him sittinghere, because what the teacher transmits iscarried on by the disciples. As soon as I camehere I really felt like a part of the family, sothank you very much.

Of all the hospitalities I have experienced,this is one of the most exciting. It is a great joyto be able to sit here above the message ‘MayPeace Prevail on Earth.’ The mission of ourorganization is to spread this simple messageand prayer around the world. As anorganization we are not very big. We havemembers and supporters around the worldfrom all nationalities, religions and differentbackgrounds who simply incorporate thismessage into their own traditions.

This was the idea of the founder of theWorld Peace Prayer Society, Japanese poet andphilosopher Masahisa Goi. After the SecondWorld War he witnessed the devastation andwanted to turn that mood around. Because theJapanese people had experienced the tragedy ofthe nuclear bomb he felt he had the mission toturn this tragedy into a positive message andadvocate world peace.

That is how it started, and now this messageis spread through our Peace Pole Project.

Now there are 100,000 or more peace polesaround the world in almost every country. It isnot that our staff go around the world andplant them everywhere. But those who see itand feel it is a good idea will take it back to their

community and incorporate it into their ownactivities. As I said during the dedicationceremony, that was a most beautiful andoriginal peace pole that we planted today onthe peace trail.

Another main activity that we do is theWorld Peace Prayer Ceremony. I hope thateverybody had a chance to participate in thatceremony this afternoon. It was rather long butif you think that we could visit all the countriesone by one and connect with the people therein just one hour it is not so bad.

Personally I have had many wonderfulexperiences through this World Peace PrayerCeremony and I would like to share a few ofthem with you. Once, when we were doing thisceremony in Central Park, an Israeli mother andson came. The mother insisted that her soncarry the flag of Israel. So we fetched it, gave itto him and he proudly raised it. We all prayed,and the mother was happy. When we went intothe circle, as we did today, you never knowwhich flag you will carry because it just comesaround. Coincidentally, or not, the mother wasgiven the Palestinian flag. She raised it, but Icould see in her face that she was a bit stiff anddidn’t know how to feel or say the prayer. I waswondering how she was feeling. Anyway shedid it. What was most moving was that a fewdays later the mother called me and asked “didyou notice that I carried the Palestinian flag”. Isaid “yes I noticed”. She said that it reallychanged something. She felt it was a veryimportant thing that she had done this with herson. I was very happy to hear this.

A similar story involved an Iraniangentleman. He came up to me in tears after a

ceremony and said that at first there weresome countries that he hated. But as heprayed something started to change andhe really felt he could make friends withthese countries. So the ceremony is allabout touching the heart and really sharingthis love for peace. It is awakening what isalready within us; it is just a matter of

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

May PeacePrevail On EarthThe keynote address of the “Into the 21st Century” Peace Festivalat the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Camp in August,1999 was givenby Masami Kondo of the World Peace Prayer Society.

Masami Kondo with the newly planted Peace Pole at the Sivananda Ashram YogaCamp. The pole was lovingly carved in three pieces by Native American craftsmenRoger Echaquan and Bob Bourdon. The pole itself represents the connectionbetween heaven and earth. The larger ‘puzzle piece’ represents the five continents.The top (miniature) puzzle represents the future generations. All parts were rituallyassembled during the Peace Pole dedication. (see Winter ‘99 issue of YogaLife forthe description of how the tree itself was chosen and cut.)

13

awakening that peace consciousness, and Iwas very happy to be able to share that withyou today.

We also have activities for children. I feelit is very important that we reach thechildren with the idea of peace and prayingfor world peace and oneness of humanity.But I want to go a little further to describe toyou a deeper spiritual meaning behind ourmovement because I think it is very similar toyours and I want to share it.

The idea of world peace is easier to thinkof nowadays because of advancedtechnology. We see what is happening inother parts of the world instantly by TV orsatellite. On the Internet you get informationfrom all over the world with just the touch ofa key. The world is getting smaller and we allknow that what is happening in another partof the world is effecting us and everybodyelse. But do you know what it is that links usclosest and fastest?

Thought waves. Thought waves are fasterthan sound or light. What weemit as thought instantly reacheseverybody around the globe. Toknow this really helps us tounderstand the significance ofpraying for world peace.

When you turn on the switch,there is light. And when you turnon the radio you get the sound.Likewise although thoughtwaves are invisible, they arearound us. They are encirclingthe globe constantly. They are affecting usand actually penetrating us through ourbrains and the body cells. Whether youknow it or not, we are being activated bythought waves, our own, and thosecircumambulating the globe.

Similar thought waves attract each other.If you are omitting negative, rough, angry orsad waves, in effect you are creating a layer

of negative thoughts (heavy and dark). Onthe other hand light, bright waves, such as aprayer for world peace, link with the goodwill and happy thoughts of people aroundthe world. The world is layer over layer ofdifferent types of thoughts. Unfortunatelythere are a large amount of negative, darkthought waves surrounding the world. Onceyou are in this whirlpool of dark thoughts itis very hard to get out of it. For example, youmay know that you are very hot temperedand you want to change yourself. When youare feeling calm you say I will never lose mytemper again. But the next minute somebodysays something and you are angry. It is not aseasy as you think to get out of this cycle.

This can also be said for nations. The ideathat peace can only be achieved by balanceof military power, when you really look at it,is ridiculous. Why doesn’t everybody droptheir weapons and shake hands? But this ideahas already been set in motion. If one countrybuilds more weapons, so does another. And

“ IN TO TH E 21ST CE N T U R Y” PE A C E FE S T I V A L

Above: The stage, wherethe evening programstook place.Right: The World PeacePrayer Ceremony withthe flags symbolising thenations of the earth.

What is a Peace PolePeace Poles are handcraftedmonuments erected the world overas an international symbol ofpeace. Their purpose is to spreadthe message and prayer “MayPeace Prevail on Earth” and act asa constant reminder for us tovisualize and pray for world peace.To date, more than 100,000 PeacePoles have been dedicated in morethan 160 countries around theworld. Peace Poles can be found intown squares, city halls, school,places of worship, parks andgardens — any place where thespirit of peace is embraced bypeople of good will. Some of theextraordinary locations include thePyramids in Egypt, the MagneticNorth Pole in Canada, Gorky Parkin Moscow, in front of the PeacePagoda in London’s Battersea Park.They are promoting healing ofconflict in places like Sarajevo,Hiroshima and on the AllenbyBridge between Israel and Jordan.Mayors around the world haveplanted Peace Poles to dedicatetheir cities and towns to worldpeace. Both political leaders, suchas former U.S. President JimmyCarter, and religious leaders, suchas Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresaand the Dalai Lama, have dedicatedPeace Poles.

For more information, contact:The World Peace Prayer Society800 Third Avenue, 37th floorNew York, NY 10022Peacepal@worldpeace.org

14

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

this has been going onfor decades. Althoughwe know deep insidethat this is not theway; it is very hardto get out of it.

The whole idea oftrying to join heartswith people in theprayer ‘May PeacePrevail on Earth’ is toactivate brightthought waves. In -volving as manypeople as possiblearound the globe toenergize this brighter,lighter wave helps topurify negative waves.Unless we thoroughlypurify this negativelayer it is hard to attainworld peace. That is whywe pray daily, not just atfestivities or special occasions. Ourmembers pray daily for world peace trying toemit positive energy wherever we are. Themore people join in, the more effective thismovement will be.

Some people may think, “yes I understandthat it is very important. But I have too manypersonal matters to worry about. Really worldpeace is too broad a matter for me” This is nottrue because you can attain world peace andindividual peace at the same time. Actuallyyou can achieve personal peace faster bypraying for world peace.

If you pray for peace on earth you receivegreat benefit from using your own physicalvessel to transmit this large light: ‘May PeacePrevail on Earth’. So really world peace is notsomething that you should leave until laterafter you have achieved personal peacebecause you do both at the same time.

If you have money to donate or if you arein a position to influence decisions of thegovernment that is fine. But prayer issomething that anybody can do - any age,

any status, what -ever conditionyou are in. In factthis is the mostwonderful thingyou can do for theworld. Our vision isto hold hands withpeople like your -selves, with eachone of us playing anindis pensable part inworld peace. In closing I want toread a poem whichwas written by one ofthe members of theWorld Peace PrayerSociety. He was veryyoung but he hadmuscular dystrophy. Withthis disease after a whileyou cannot write andeventually you die. This

young boy passed at the age of14, but he was a firm believer that whatevercondition he was in he was part icipating in thecreation of world peace by praying.

He wrote peace messages every day. Whenhis hand no longer worked he prayed in hismind until the last minute. So this was a poemthat this boy wrote, and I would like to shareit with you:

A burning candle, just one candle lives more majestically than a human being.

A burning candle gives all of itself to everyone. It works, sweats and melts itsown body, drop by drop. Though its life is

short, though its body will finally disappear,a candle never worries, never gets angry,

never complains. It only continues to give light to everyone.

Oh candle I want to live like you! I like the way you live. I long to be a candle.

So let us all be a candle for world peaceand create a wonderful world in the newmillennium

“If you wish to liberate thespiritual energy that residesin your heart and body, sothat you can live in a free

and joyous way at all times,you must reject thoughts

that tie down your heart —such as dark depression,

anger, fear and anxiety. To letspiritual energy grow in yourheart and let it manifest itspower fully, you constantlyneed thoughts of gratitude,

admiration and cheerfulness.”from The Golden Key to

Happiness by Masami Saionji,chairperson of the World Peace

Prayer Society

May Peace

Prevail on Earth

May Peace

Prevail on EarthAvailable on CD and tape

With a strong base ofmelody, it combines guitars,percussion and harmonicvocals with lyrics taken fromSwami Sivananda’s bookBliss Divine, creating amagical and inspiringlistening experience

For further details please contact:

The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre

51 Felsham Rd, London SW15 1AZ

Tel: 0181-780 0160 Fax: 0181-780 0128

E-mail: siva@dial.pipex.com

Website: www.sivananda.org/boutique.htm

Prem: Divine Love

CD: £8.95Tape: £6.95

A wonderful musicalmessage of peace

15

Peace in the World

S I V A N A N D A SO N G B O O K

Peace in the World

If you want to have peace in the worldYou have to have peace in your heartIf you want to feel love in your lifeYou have to feel love in your heart

If we all try to love one anotherThere won’t be any reason for warSee the goodness and light in each otherSee the beauty of life in us all

It is hatred that separates man from man, Nation from nationAll of life is the family of God So love all God’s creation

There’s no religion higher than loveTo bring us all togetherEmbrace all in the warmth of your heart,With a love, a love that lasts forever

To have peace in the worldThere must be peace in your heart

It’s hard to find peace in the worldWhen we have no peace in our heartsWe feel that we are different to allWe feel that we are apart

But if you look within yourself nowAnd feel this peace from withinYou will rise above all these boundariesAnd let the whole world in

It is hatred that separates man.....

To have peace in the worldThere must be peace in your heart

From “May Peace Prevail on Earth” album by Prem

}x2

}x4

16

Miranda: What exactly is ‘Peace Child’?

Eirwen Harbottle: ‘Peace Child’ started off asa musical. In the 70s, there was a great gulfbetween the ‘Peaceniks’ on one side and the‘Establishment’ on the other. A lot of youngpeople wanted to talk about the nuclearissue; they were frightened. Psychologicalresearch had found that young peoplearound the world did not believe that theywere going to die naturally in their beds.Many thought they were going to be blownup in some huge nuclear explosion.

My husband and I wanted to look at thiswhole matter of disarmament, and arms inparticular. We had read a story about howchildren brought peace to the world, andwe had seen a most beautiful oratorio inCoventry Cathedral. To cut a long storyshort, we suggested that it should cometogether as a kids’ musical, and my son-in-law and daughter David and Rose(Wilcomb) should actually do the work.And so ‘Peace Child’ began.

A lot of what young people said wasincorporated into the play. The script wasalways being altered. After a rehearsal,David would drive kids home and they’d say:“You know, we wouldn’t say that! We’d saythis!” And he would alter the script.

The first production of ‘Peace Child’ wasin London’s Albert Hall in 1981. The secondwas in Washington DC at the KennedyCenter; ‘Peace Child’ worked with the DukeEllington School for the Arts. It was aphenomenal success; there wasn’t a singleseat available. The Russian ambassador wasthere; it was absolutely incredible. Then‘Peace Child’ continued with differentgroups, different cities, different peace

groups. Rather like a bush fire, it wentstraight across the United States from eastto west.

David and Rosie lived in the States forover eight years doing this, mostly inWashington. They also spent a lot of time inCalifornia. In the Year of Youth, 1985, Davidtook a group of American kids to Moscowwhere he had organized a joint productionof ‘Peace Child’ with Russian kids. This wasduring the Cold War when people inAmerica were encouraged to think that thiswas the “evil empire” on the other side ofthe world. Anyone found talking to the

Russians wasthought to be acommunist, andmust be a spy anda traitor. For theRussians, it wasa b s o l u t e l yincredible to see agroup of Am ericanchildren, from the‘evil side’, becausethey thought thesame as Americ ansthought about

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

Peace ChildEirwen Harbottle is the inspirer and promoter of Peace Child. With her husband, the late Brigadier

Michael Harbottle, she was associated with the formation of the International Peace Academy. Togetherthey worked for the British Council for Aid to Refugees and the World Disarmament Campaign (U.K.).

In 1983 they founded the Centre for International Peace Building, of which she is now director. Eirwen also acts as co-ordinator of the worldwide Consultative Association of Retired Generals

and Admirals – a group created by her husband.

As a speaker at the recent “Into the 21st Century” Peace Festival in Val Morin, Quebec, Eirwen Harbottle was interviewed by Miranda Warner for YOGALife.

By Eirwen Harbottle

Miranda Warner

Eirwen Harbottle

“Soon the kids were talking, singingand dancing together about peaceand how they could bring peace tothe world. How could they live inharmony, in joy,with mutual respect?It was an extra ordinary event.”

17

them. Soon the kids were talking, singing and dancing togetherabout peace and how they could bring peace to the world, how theycould live in harmony, in joy, with mutual respect. It was an extra -ordinary event. There was a black singer from Washington. Shewasn’t professional, but she had a sweet, sweet voice. She sang withone of the ballad singers from a pop group.They sang a numberwhich had especially been written for ‘Peace Child.’ It was “I have aVision, I have a Dream.” It was about Martin Luther King Jnr’s visionfor peace. This went out over the television; 120 million Russian peopleheard this song by a black American and a young Russian singer.Incredible effect it had on them!

Then David got the pop singers to go to the United States with agroup of kids from Russia to take part in ‘Peace Child’. The bandplayed the music and the singer’s wife was the storyteller. Theystarted in Vancouver; then they went down to California and workedtheir way across to the East Coast. In time the story switched fromconcentrating on disarmament to looking at the state of the planet,which of course included disarmament.

David sent out a letter through the international network, asking,“What do you think about the state of the planet, the environment?”He got two thousand letters back from young people saying, “Wherehave the birds gone? Why can’t we swim in the river?”Sometimes even, “Where has the river gone? It’s dried up. What’shappening?” And he got an editorial team of young people togetherand they extracted the mainpoints from those twothousand letters. Usingpoetry, pictures and all thethings that came out of thosetwo-thousand letters they puttogether a gorgeous bookcalled, ‘The Children’s State ofthe Planet Handbook.’ This wasready for the Rio Conference in1995. David took these books toRio and Dr Noel Brown, Head ofthe UN Environment Program,said, “ My gosh! This is a beautifulbook. You know, we’ve got Agenda21. It’s forty chapters, six hundredpages and who on earth is goingto read all that? Could you getyour children to do the samething for Agenda 21?”

There were four UN Agencies:UNESCA, UNICEF, UNDP andUNEP who asked the world’schildren to reinterpret Agenda21. Ten thousand kids were in -volved; it was an extraord -inary ach ievement. Twohundred schools and youthgroups were givenchapters and asked: “Whatdoes it say? What’s reallyim portant?” And backcame a lot of stuff, poetry,pictures and all the restof it, looking at the stateof the rainforests, theclimate, everything thatis mentioned inAgenda 21. Then

began a huge editorial process by young people between 13 and 23.They extracted what they felt was the best of what had been submitted.Then they arranged it under a different groupings like: The HumanCondition, The Natural Condition, things like that. They rearranged thematerial in a way that was attractive, logical and very understandable.Then they sent the draft to all the groups who had been working on it.Of course, a lot of comments came back saying we’d like it this way orthat way. Then the UN Agencies came in and said “Don’t forget this orthat,” or, “That’s not quite correct.” Eventually it was finalized, publishedand it has sold over 300,000 copies and been translated into 18different languages. During the recent Peace Festival, YaYa Diallo wastalking about the absence of fish, how we are killing the planet and howwe’re cutting down all the trees; this is what the children are talkingabout.

So that’s how ‘Peace Child’ has grown. From a stage production towriting books. If anyone wants to do it, the play is there to be done. It’san inspiration to gather young people and perform it. People ask, “Whenis Peace Child coming to my city?” And we say: “It’s not coming to yourcity unless you want to perform it! It’s YOUR tool. YOU get YOUR kids toshow their vision of how they want to see their lives in twenty-fiveyears”. Every time it’s put on a different way because each group hasdifferent dreams, a different way of thinking how to go about achievingtheir dreams. The basic story is about getting from now to then (in thefuture).

There’s quite a large selection of songs andmusic now that are applicable to anyoneanywhere. We don’t say: “Oh, you can onlyuse these songs.” If you want to write anothersong yourself, do so. It’s your vision; that’s themessage we want to put across. So we don’tcharge royalties for putting this on, like anordinary play. It’s a tool, that anyone canuse. I think that’s the best way ofdescribing it.It’s the most exciting thing I coulddream of being involved withbecause we have young peoplefrom all over the world who cometo England, to the headquarters ofPeace Child. They come fromAfrica, Asia, Europe, America,Japan – you name the country,there’s likely to be a youngrepre sentative. It’s rather likethe dancing that Harlinaand Ya Ya have beenteaching us. To throwyour whole body andsoul into what you aredoing is an amazingdiscipline, isn’t it? To getyour feet, your heart andyour chest doingdifferent things at thesame time is an enormousdiscipline. But once you’ve

done it, you’re so pleasedwith the freedom that you

have to reach out toothers

“ IN TO TH E 21ST CE N T U R Y” PE A C E FE S T I V A L

18

Everyone knows about the TenCommandments. In these tenpassages God is saying to us,in effect, “You are all my

children, and this is how I would likeyou to behave toward me and towardeach other. These aren’t difficultrules... If you think about each ofthem, you’ll see that they make a lotof sense.”

This is God’s message, given atSinai: You are my children, and I loveyou. And I am waiting to hear thesame from you.”

Everything is possible when youare in God-consciousness. To achievethis consciousness we must movetoward true vision, a concept whichforms the basic philosophy ofKabbalah.

Contrary to popular belief, there isnothing in Kabbalah that is somystical that no one can understandit. As Isaac said, what we seek ismerely hidden from our physical eyes.We need the third eye, the eye ofspirit, to see it. With these eyes, Kabbalah iscrystal clear. For example, suppose you’ve losta diamond in a dark room. You know it’sthere, but you can’t see it. Now supposesomeone hands you a bright flashlight. Withits intense light you can easily see thediamond, for it was there all along.

To study Kabbalistic principles isn’t hard.You can begin to grasp the Kabbalistic mentalmakeup, which is visible to the eye of spirit.This mental makeup can be expressed as thepractice of these nine rungs leading upwardtoward God-consciousness:

1 To be one with the Self and the spirit,the Shekinah within.

2 To forgive the past and look forward to -ward the future with joy and excitement.

3 To open the mind, letting the soul flyinto unknown space.

4 To be aware of the emanations of God;“the Tree of Life” interacting withineach of us.

5 To consider our true mission in life andto be totally alive in that mission.

6 To be ready once again to hear themessage given at Sinai.

7 To learn the art and science of livingspiritually – healthy in body, mind and soul.

8 To experience genuine love and knowthe differences between pleasure,happiness and joy.

9 To reunite the divided self in order toknow the glory of the oneness of spirit.

There is a song from the Broadwaymusical ‘Godspell’ that says we praydaily for three things: “To see Theemore clearly; to love Thee moredearly; and to follow Thee morenearly, day by day.” This prayer is100% Kabbalah.In Hebrew, the first part of thisprayer – to see Thee more clearly - iscalled hozeh (vision). The secondpart – to love Thee more dearly – iscalled ahava ( to love God). To followThee more nearly is a beautifulmystical concept called dveikut,which means to cleave unto the Lord,to become one with God. Let’sexamine these three concepts in

greater depth.At one time or another, all clear-thinking people have had a directexperience of God in their lives.They have to; whether it is incontem plating how trees andflowers grow or in holding a

newborn baby, there comes a moment whenwe just know God is there, right in front of us.We each experience this moment, because itis true all the time. The trick is holding ontothat vision all the time, seeing God in front ofus all the time. That is hozeh.

There is a beautiful story in the Midrash liter -ature that illustrates the second principle, ahava.

There were two brothers, both farmers,who lived in the Holy Land. They worked attilling the soil together. One brother wasmarried and had a large family. The otherbrother was single. Every year, they woulddivide the harvest equally between them.

One year, after dividing the harvest, thebachelor brother said to himself, “Somethingis wrong here. I have taken exactly half of theharvest and I don’t need that much. I have no

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

Rabbi Joseph Gelberman, speaking at‘Into the 21st Century’ Peace Festivalin Quebec

Developing OurSpiritual EyesBy Rabbi Joseph Gelberman

19

wife or children. My brother needs morethan I do.” That night he couldn’t sleep. Hegot up in the middle of the night, loaded hiswagon and drove to the other side of themountain to where his brother lived. Hequietly left a portion of the harvest there andreturned home.

The married brother couldn’t sleep thatnight either. He said to himself, “Sure I have afamily and I need more now, but my brotheris alone. When he gets old, who will take careof him? When my children grow up they canwork and help their parents, but my brotherwill have no one to help. He needs protectionfor his old age”.

So he got up in the middle of the night,loaded his wagon and drove to his brother’shouse. He quietly left a portion of the harvestand returned home.

The next morning each brother awoke andfound that he still had his half of the harvest.Puzzled, they again loaded their wagons andsecretly left part of their harvest in eachother’s granaries on the second night.

They again awoke to find the sameamount of harvest in their granaries. So theyagain loaded their wagons and left a portionof their harvests. Again the amount of grainwas unchanged.

Then, on the fourth night, the twobrothers met on the road in the middle of the

mountain. As they saw each other theyunderstood what had happened. They got offtheir wagons and embraced and kissed eachother. According to the Midrashic sages, Godsaw this genuine love between brothers andsaid, “This is the place where I want mytemple to be built.”

To love Thee more dearlymeans exactlythat: to care. Tolove means tocare, not onlyhere and nowbut with eyestoward thefuture.The third concept,dveikut, is at oncethe most simpleand the mostcomplex. Tobecome one with

God means simply to be at peace within, as isachieved through such practices asmeditation, where we become quiet andlisten to what God wants us to do.

Yet there is more to it than that. Kabbalahteaches us to have the courage to leave theknown security and move into the unknown.It is with such courage that we learn to truly“cleave unto the Lord.”

Before we move on I should like to say aword about reincarnation. The greatKabbalists believed in reincarnation. Theywere careful not to fall into the same trapsthey had known in previous lifetimes.

I sometimes wonder why my moderncolleagues have such a hard time acceptingthis concept. Go to any funeral today, Jewishor non-Jewish, and you will hear the samething: the body is laid to rest but the soulgoes up. Goes up to where? Does it simplydisappear? Why? Can one learn all one needs

to learn in order to cleave unto the Lord injust one lifetime? I don’t think so.

It makes a certain kind of sense that thesoul continues and returns to live anotherlifetime, perhaps countless lifetimes. Intoeach earth-life we are born once, but thisbirth is repeated again and again. To grow inspiritual understanding through eachlifetime is the voyage and purpose of life. Thepurpose of this cycle is purification andperfection, the growing nearer to God witheach turn of the upward spiral. Reincarnationis one of the basic teachings of Kabbalah.

In the book of Genesis, each day as Godcreated the universe He said, “Kitov” (it isgood). The Kabbalist sees God’s repeatedpronouncement as proof that the universeis good.

These lessons proved immensely valuableto me as a young immigrant in America. I hadleft my wife and child in Hungary, expectingthey would join me later in this country. Ilater learned they were killed in theHolocaust, along with my parents, most ofmy brothers and sisters, my uncles and aunts,most of the people I had known as a child. Atthat time I couldn’t see how anyone couldsay, “It is good.”

Yet meditation brought me an answer. Iheard God say, “I still insist, Kitov. The overallpicture of life is good. There is enough beauty,goodness and joy in life. Now it’s up to youto concentrate on it.”

This Kabbalistic teaching helped meovercome the terror, the horror, the pain ofthe Holocaust. I still feel my grief. On YomKippur, I practically fall apart during thememorial service. But knowing that God said“Ki Tov!” helps me to transform that grief topurpose. For the sake of God, for the sake ofhumanity, and for my own sake. My soul stillhas things to do in this life

“But knowing that God said “It isGood!” helps me to transform mygrief to purpose. For the sake ofGod, for the sake of humanity, andfor my own sake. My soul still hasthings to do in this life.”

Rabbi Joseph Gelberman was born and educated as a rabbi inHungary. A graduate of the City University of New York andYeshiva University, he presently serves as rabbi of The NewSynagogue and is president of The NewSeminary in New York City. Through histeachings and ministry, Rabbi Gelbermanhas dedicated his life to furtheringunderstanding and co-operation among theworld’s faiths. He is a long-time friend andcolleague of Swami Vishnu-devananda.This article an excerpt from RabbiGelberman’s book Kabbalah As I See It.

ABOUT RABBI JOSEPH GELBERMAN

“IN TO TH E 21ST CE N T U R Y” PE A C E FE S T I V A L

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Because of my training and life as aFranciscan friar for forty two years, Icannot think of inter-faith activitieswithout my reference to this great

saint of all times – St. Francis of Assisi. St.Francis lived during the time of the terriblewar which we refer to as the ‘Crusades’. Hewas a man of non-violence and so naturally,did not agree with the way in which thingshad turned. He was no journalist nor TV star,as those things did not exist, but he could notsee the situation continue as it was and so hetook it upon himself to do something. At a time when the war was raging, Francistook the occasion of a few days’ truce and,with a companion, crossed the borders fromthe ‘Christian’ side over to the Muslims. Thiswas in the year 1219 in Damietta near theNile River (some 350 miles from where the U.N.troops were stationed in the Gulf War).Crossing of borders during a war, was thisnot the same thing that Swami Vishnu-devananda did? St. Francis’ meeting with theSultan, in spite of often having been beatenup by soldiers, changed something in the soulof the Sultan. These two men became friends.Francis wrote in his instructions to the friars,the way in which the friar who ‘inspired bythe Holy Spirit’ should live among Muslimsand people of other faiths. He advocates

service and humility and of course, love andrespect. He never mentioned that the friarsshould try to convert anyone. For these reasons we look to St. Francis as amodel of dialogue for all Christians. Francishad a brotherly affection for all of God’screations. He considered not only thehumans and the animals as sisters andbrothers but also the elements, the sun andthe wind as brothers, the moon and stars and

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

St. Francis of AssisiSaint of Peace and ToleranceBy Rolph Fernandes

St Francis preaching tothe birds: a detail froma 14th century stainedglass window.

When the war was raging, Francis took theoccasion of a few days’ truce and crossed theborders from the ‘Christian’ side over to theMuslims. Crossing of borders during a war,was this not the same thing that Swami

Vishnu-devananda did?

21

water as sisters. He had a special love for brother Sun and also for ‘ourSister, Mother Earth’ because the Sun, he considered as a symbol,image of God and the Earth because she not only supports us, but shesustains us by the food and the medicine, plants, flowers etc.When we consider life on earth, and the perspective of St. Francis, wesee that there is so much for us to learn from his spirituality in ourwork towards peace. As part of the living creatures on this planet, somuch of our very existence depends on things we take for granted.Making peace is essential to our existence and also we owe this to thechildren for the millennium to come. Each human being has the duty

to perform some small action to link and bridgegaps for peace. The earth and the elementshave for too long been witnesses to humanviolence. We can by our peace allow theearth, the fire, air and water to bewitnesses to our comings, our gatheringfor peace.Swami Vishnu-devananda’s ashram,thanks to the efforts of Swamiji, hasbeen a meeting place for peacegatherings. It has set an example forNorth America. I hope and pray thatthese efforts began here may spreadall over the continent. One of themost important human values is

that of respect. To enter into dialogue with people of other culturesand religions, demands that we can be able to give the ‘other’ a chanceto express while we respectfully listen. This aspect is elementary insincere dialogue and is an essential step in building understanding,acceptance, which leads to peace. During the Peace Assemblyorganized by the Ashram in Val Morin, we were able to witness andto take part in this process. Imust extend my gratitude tothe organizers for this oppor -tunity which was given to us. Imust also express how weappreciated the efforts whichwere used to create this weekof peace.Coming together for an evening ofprayers offered for peace by peopleof different traditions is wonderful.Coming to gether to even sit insilence may also be excellent, butthere is yet another store-house ofgrace to be able to take the time tolive, work, eat and sleep under thesame roof for a longer period ofdays and for even a week. Therewas a tradition held by the NativeAmericans of the past. It was the‘meeting place’. In those daysIndians of different tribes cametogether in a neutral territory andspent time sharing in peace. Thiswas of vital importance for themutual understanding, for sharingand celebration of life. In modernterms, we may say that they tookthe time to ‘hang out together’.‘Hanging out’ may seen at first tobe just a waste of time but formany it is a means of ‘being with’

the other to express, to share friendship and it may also be an essentialpart of growth. We may ask ourselves, ‘who do we ‘hang out’ orassociate with the most and why?’Is it possible then in this world where people of a variety of races andreligions live and work in such close city areas (like they were inSarajevo) that in spite of their proximity, they are still strangers? Forthis to change, I wonder if coming together in a space like an ashramis not an essential factor contributing to peace and growth and mutualunderstanding between peoples.St. Francis said that we are all brothers and sisters. Vedanta tells us thatwe are all One. I pray for the day when both the readers and writerscan live this eternally! In the meantime we must do as in the beautifulsong which was composed and sung during the festival:

‘Pray for the world. Pray for our lives. Pray for the children.Pray for Peace, Love and Harmony’.From the song ‘Pray’, written and sung by Shakti Ray on the album ‘May Peace Prevail on Earth’.

“ IN TO TH E 21ST CE N T U R Y” PE A C E FE S T I V A L

Rolph Fernandesis a native of Trinidad whomigrated to Montreal in1956, joined the Franciscansin 1957 and was appointed asthe Inter-faith officer of theOrder. He initiated the Inter-faith Peace Prayer in the Spiritof Assisi in Montreal in 1987.A member of the MontrealInter-Faith Council, Rolphvisited India on severaloccasions and spent a year inShantivanam Ashram with Fr. Bede Griffiths. A participant of many Inter-faith conferences, he con -tinues to work in Interfaithdialogue. Rolph has retiredfrom the Franciscancommunity for health reasons

St. Francisof Assisi

“The Children of Peace”How can I talk about peace when I remember the boy crying in Sarajevo. His eyes filled with hate“The soldiers” he said, “killed my father. And my mother: they raped”“How can you talk about peace when the marks of their guns are still on my feet?”How can I, when we have taken away peace from the children?How can I talk of peace when an African child dies for she has no food to eat.How can I talk of peace?How can I when in China a child of nine is in prison....his only ‘crime’ is because of his BuddhismHow can I talk about peace when in New York a child with AIDS is thrown out in the streets.How can I when we have taken away the peace of the children?How can I talk about peace?

Om Shanti, Om Shanti, Oh Shanti, Om

– Rolph Fernandes, Val Morin, 8th August 1999

I was asked to say a few words of peace and whilereflecting on it, an image, a memory came back tome. I was in Sarajevo a few years ago attending anInternational Congress for Peace, when a child ofabout 12 years old asked (with his eyes filled withhate) “why do you want to make peace?” I wrotethis for today:

“I wonder if comingtogether in a space like anashram is not an essentialfactor con tributing topeace and growth andmutual understandingbetween peoples.”

22

Garihwa began with a Mi’kmag song to thank the GreatSpirit in the four directions and inviting thegrandparents from the four directions to come andjoin the occasion. Thanks is given to them for allowing

us to live our role, and to have such an important place like allthe other creatures in the great circle of life. The NativeAmerican nations do not have a book or written religion;everything has been learned from the Great Spirit and passeddown from generation to generation. They believe that thecreator has placed them in an ecological zone and a culturalarea, providing everything needed to survive and to be happy.

In the beginning there was no earth – only an ocean and aworld of celestial people living in the sky. One day a woman whowas pregnant was looking for medicine. She was distracted by a bear whichhad made a hole at the foot of the tree to eat some roots, causing her to fallout of the sky towards the ocean. As she fell she was caught by a flock ofgeese who put her on the back of a giant turtle who was coming out of thewater. On seeing the pregnant woman, the animals convened their firstcounsel to decide what to do with this celestial creature that was beforethem. The counsel lasted a very, very long time after which they decided thatsomeone must dive into the water and bring back earth from the very bottomof the sea. The best divers tried, the otter, the beaver, the seals, but none ofthem were successful.

All of a sudden a tiny voice was heard, a voice that had never expresseditself before – the toad. The animals told the toad “Don’t eventhink about it, you can’t do this”. But he answered,“You’ve all tried and nobody was successful sodon’t laugh at me; I am the last one totry”. The toad jumped in the waterand sank like a rock. Every bodywaited and waited. Thenthey saw bubbles, “That’sit, he died, we shouldnot have let him go”. All of a sudden, hecame up andspat out a bit ofearth that he

had taken from the bottom of the ocean. All the animals werehappy and applauded. They had learned a good lesson - never tellanybody that he wasn’t important - everyone is important. Theanimals started spreading the earth on the back of the turtle, sothat the straw and the sweet-grass would start to grow. So thepregnant woman was able to give birth in acceptable conditions,giving birth to twins. One of the twins came out through thenatural channel, but the other came out under the armpit and themother died. However the twins‚ grandmother took them andtaught them to organize the world as we know it today. One maderivers going one way, taking all the sense of gravity from the earth.The other made waterfalls in very violent rivers that had gravity.One made maple syrup that came directly from the tree; the other

one just did with maple water. One put all the wild animals in grottoes; theother left them free. The twins would fight but grandmother was alwaysthere to break them up. She directed them on how to create the world. Oneof the brothers wanted it to be difficult, and one wanted it to be simple. That’swhy today we say that we were placed here by the creator and we receivedeverything that we need to be happy and to survive. That is the creationstory from the Huron nation, but the story is the same in all our nations.

There is a story about the Great Lakes areas - Erie, Huron and Ontario, theSt. Lawrence River and the Rockies. We say the Rocky Mountains are thespine of mother earth, and the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River are theheart and the arteries of mother earth. It is the richest region and the most

diversified area in the world. That’s where America takes itswealth from. We had a prophet whose name was

the Great Pacifier. He came to teach ushow humans could live in

harmonious confe deration.When the first Europeans

arrived in America, theyfound that the native

people had sys -tems of govern -

ing that re -quired con -

sensus inorder to

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

The Great Circle of PeaceTalk by Regent Garihwa Sioui, meaning Good Captain or The Captain of Noble Affairs,

Secretary General of the Northern American-Indian nations.

Regent GarihwaSioui of the

Wendat/WyandotNation

23

resolve problems about humans, animals and the environment. There was nochief to whom a mandate was given. The women had the function of teachinghealth, agriculture, and were also responsible for all the departments thatwould affect the life of the community. Men were responsible for hunting,international relations and diplomacy, and war. The wars we inherited –mostly those being fought in Europe that were trans ported to the new world.Nations became allied with the French or the English. Since we had neverdeveloped arms of mass destruction and did not have an immune systemthat was strong enough to resist the sicknesses that came from othercontinents, our people became martyrs for peace on this continent.

Our history as peace-makers dates from 1701 when Kondiaronk, of thesame heritage as the Great Pacifier, made peace in Montreal for all the NorthAmerican Indian nations. Others included Pontiac, who fought and gave hislife for his people, and Tecumseh a Shawnee who was allied with the Englishagainst the Americans trying to expand further north in 1812. After that therewere the Metis, composed of the Europeans and the Indian nations, many ofwhom died or were deported to the west side of the Mississippi in an exoduscalled the Trail of Tears. That’s why we have families from Illinois who are inOklahoma. Oklahoma became the dumping ground of all Indian nations –they were marched through the winter, into the Oklahoma state. The armsthat were used for mass destruction in the First World War were tested onthe Indian nations there. That’s why that we like to think that we helped savethe world a second time. The first time was when we shared our joy, our food,our medicine, with the first Europeans; the second time was the First WorldWar. The third time was at the beginning of the Second World War, becauseit was here that the world learnt the democratic principles that they nowknow. That is why we Indians are not bitter; we know the contributions thatour peoples have given to the world. There is also another episode in ourcontribution to world peace. There was an old man from this area who withmany other natives created the North American-Indiannation government. In 1947-48, this man, Jules Sioui,secretary of the nation at that time, presented thesecret of world peace to the General Assembly of theUnited Nations. At that time the only intervention acountry could do to another sovereign state, was todeclare war. That was an international right. Weproposed that statesshould abdicate acertain amount ofsovereignity to the profit ofa world-wide organisation,which would be the mandate toestablish peace and regional conflicts. Itwas too early at that time but we are living itat the present time.

As nations who have always been orientated or driven bypeace, we have developed peace instruments. For us peace is something thatwe cherish but something that we must also nourish. It’s very hard to talkabout peace and to understand peace without invoking its contrary, which iswar. Peace is health, war is sickness. In our belief we don’t have a word forthe devil or hell. If we had to describe something terrible like hell, it would beto describe war. That’s why our shamans, our prophets and our elders, alwaystaught us in healing. Earlier we offered tobacco. We learnt from the creatorthat tobacco was given to us not to smoke as a cigarette, but for transportingour wishes, our intentions, our prayers, up towards the Great Spirit. And wecan purify ourselves with those herbs. We purify ourselves with sweet-grassand sage. We even ask the wind to smoke when it’s a storm. We say to thewind, “sit down, smoke with us and rest”. When we completed a treaty, sincewe had no writing, we would write literally in the sky, by smoking it andconclude the peace. We have many peace objects: the eagle feather, in whichthere is great importance and truth; the talking stick, which ensures peace ina counsel, ensuring that everyone will have their turn, their right to speak,and also the power of being heard. It’s a great power to have words and tosay them, but the talking stick is the one that gives it to us. We have the drum;and we have the wampum. (Holding up a strand of shells): This is the firstwampum and it’s called the path, a three-strand wampum. This comes from

the secret society of priests or initiates that has preserved and kept ritualsthat would have been lost if they hadn’t been there. These were things thatwere unknown to the white people, that are starting to come to light today.This wampum is from a shell that comes from the Atlantic ocean; it’s a smallshell that has turned. This type of wampum is the oldest wampum inexistence; this one is an exact replica of the original, made under thesupervision of the elders. It’s a wampum that was used in the counsels.

We have the teachings of the creator: the different ceremonies (such asthe sweat-lodge), how to use tobacco, the drum, medicinal plants, how to saythank you for the creation of the world. Everything that we have learnt fromthe Great Spirit is in this three-strand wampum. The small strand representsthe children: all the children in a family, but also all the children of the world.The middle strand is women: grandmothers, cousins, aunts, sisters. And thatlast one is men - and we are all bound together spiritually and equally. Thewampum invokes a social and a moral code; we learn how to respectchildren, so that they are not abused. It also teaches us how to respectwomen, women’s role, the role and responsibilities of men and also therespect for other humans. It also teaches us our spiritual place in the greatcircle of life; that if we abuse one element of creation, we break the circle.And if we break the circle it is guaranteed that we will abuse our brothers,sisters, children and wives. It also teaches us that in countries where there ispollution there is abuse, and where there is abuse there will always be war. Ina country where there are no more wolves and no more bears, there will bewar. And in countries where there are no free rivers, there will be war. And theelders also teach us that once the earth cannot support the pollutionanymore, there will be great ecological disasters - and we are almost there.That is why we must return to the old teachings of the creator. Because thecreator never gave anything explicitly to one human. It’s like tobacco, it wasgiven to us here in North America but it was given to us so we would share

it. Tobacco abuse is notgood. If we learnt how

to res pect thesesacred things, wecould learn howto take care ofpeace and toconserve it. We always pray to

the four directions. Theeast is vision, represented

by the colour red. Vision is an ideal; it’s a primary objective - it is likea direction guide. We thank the spirit of the east for giving us our

vision every morning. And we thank the south forgiving us heat, clearness, the colour yellow,comprehension and intellig ence. We thank thespirit of the west, which is represented by the

colour black or dark blue. That is the direction ofexpression: maturity, beauty and truth. We thank the north for giving uspurity, force and spiritual guidance. And we thank our grandparents who areat the north. The four grandparents that are there are the common ancestorsof all of humanity. We thank the Great Spirit, our grandmother, and the earth.Those are the four directions. The elders also teach us the four qualities wemust develop: respect, honesty, love and sharing. The elders tell us thatlove is the base of everything – especially in troubled times when respectis not enough.

The use of the eagle feather was given to us by the creator. When we havethe eagle feather we are forced to tell the truth. Not only do we have to tellthe truth; we are not allowed to lie. And we must have the courage to speakfor those that are voiceless: the animals, the trees, the mountains, the rivers.That’s why not only should we tell the truth and not tell lies, but have thecourage to speak the truth.

When we talk about peace we have to have a wider definition of peace,it’s not just peace amongst humanity. In the word peace there is respect. Inthe great circle of peace is everything that surrounds us. We can’t have globalpeace if we are abusing another part of creation. And the fate of the worldwill be decided in the next little while

“ IN TO TH E 21ST CE N T U R Y” PE A C E FE S T I V A L

When we talk about peace we have to have a wider definition of peace, it’s not just peace

amongst humanity. In the word peace there isrespect. In the great circle of peace is

everything that surrounds us.

24

My name is Bernie. I was born inBrooklyn, New York, a little over sixtyyears ago, into a Jewish tradition - butmy parents and family were quite left

wing, socialists, so religion wasn’t a strong part ofmy upbringing. At the age of ten, somethingcompelled me to look for God, so I started to readand explore. Then when I was at college, I readabout Buddhism, in particular Zen Buddhism. Therewas one page on Zen Buddhism and it felt like mylife so I started to meditate and practice on myown. A few years later I went to Israel to experienceliving there, but came back. That’s when I met myZen teacher who was at that time a young monk.That was 1963. By 1970 I had ordained into the Zentradition. My root teaching is in the Japanese Soto-Zen tradition, which emphasizes daily life as thelearning place.

In 1980 I went back to New York to start a Zencommunity there. I’d had an experience in which Ifelt the hungry spirits of the earth and I had madea vow to feed them. I think that was one of themost important moments of my life because it putme on a track of wanting to work with people in allaspects of life and to learn how to make the mealthat’s appropriate in each of those aspects of life,using the ingredients that are present now, insteadof waiting for future ingredients to come. So usingthe ingredients that I had, I tried to find a way tofeed all these hungry spirits of which there are somany. When I moved to New York I decided to workin different areas. I made my center an interfaithcenter; we had a Rabbi, a Catholic priest, Buddhistservices, Jewish services, and Christian services – Iwas hoping to build a mystical city of practice. Itdidn’t quite work. I also wanted to work in areas ofright-livelihood and social action so we formed abroad base, a Mandala, in the area that we wereliving. We worked with people who were homeless– there was inadequate housing, childcare, jobs –and we helped to bring those who wanted to, outof homelessness. I liked that life, but most don’t.Then AIDS became a major issue, so we builthousing and a clinic for people with HIV. That wasin a place called Yonkers, which at that time had

the highest rate of homelessness and of AIDS in theUnited States. Someone else is now in charge ofthat centre and it has about a hundred and fiftypeople working in connection with it.After that was established I felt that I needed to dosomething else in my life. I needed to take anotherstep. Before this I had a practice of bringing peoplewho were going to work in homelessness to live onthe streets, so that they could taste the experienceof living on the streets first-hand, though not ofhomelessness as they knew they would go backhome. This way they could learn from the peoplethat they were going to work for and to serve. Thatwas very important. For me it was a combination ofthe two methods in which I was trained: the Rinsimethod of having stories where you could bite intowhat you were trying to understand, (who am I?what is life? stories you can’t study, but onlyexperience) and the Soto tradition of using daily lifeas the training vessel for the monks.

I called it ‘plunges‚’ using the word plunge tomean putting ourselves into a situation where ourintellect is of no value. We are thrown intosomething that we don’t understand and the onlyway is to experience it. I think meditation is a

plunge into the wholeness of life. When we try tounderstand it, it is not a plunge, but to do it, is. Tolive on the streets is a plunge.

I wanted to know what to do next and I decidedto do a week-long retreat – I felt the place I wantedto go would be the center of the United States insome sense so I chose the White House. I did it asa birthday present to myself and I invited somepeople to join me for my party – we just sat there.I was born on 18th January and if you look at thepapers from this day in 1994, you’ll see that it wasthe coldest day in Washington for fifty years! Wesat outside in a circle covered in snow, but at nightwe slept indoors in a homeless shelter that’s only afew blocks from the White House. It is the largestshelter in the United States; it has one to twothousand beds. It was run by a friend of mine,Mitch Snider, who actually committed suicidethere. We slept in this dining hall which is about

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

BearingWitness forPeace

by Bernie Glassman

Bernie Glassman

25

twicethe size

of thisroom and we

went out atnights to bring

blankets to peoplewho were outside.

Many people used to die inWashington from the cold,

but the shelter eliminated thisby taking care. Though there are

people who still want to live outsidedespite it being so cold, because our

shelter system is so bad. I asked the peoplewho were with me, as something to think about

as we sat, about what they personally were goingto do to work towards eliminating rejection, AIDS,homelessness and other issues. That was what Iwas asking myself, so twice a day we would sit in acircle and share our feelings about this. At the endof the retreat I felt I should start a Zen PeacemakerOrder. The Zen tradition in the United States had noplace for people who wanted to do social action.There wasn’t a container and those who weredoing it were looked at as strange – why are youdoing such a thing? When I came home and spokewith my wife, we decided to co-found it aspartners, and it expanded to become a peacemakercommunity with a few different families. This ishappening around the world. There are religiousleaders getting together and talking about whowould like to have a container that includes manytraditions. Not something that excludes or replaces,but a place where people from different spiritualtraditions who are interested in social action canhave pure relationships, discussions and work

together.There are so

many places allaround the world like

the group I had formed inYonkers – social action groups that

have a spiritual base – and many are notspeaking to other groups and are therefore

feeling quite isolated. We thought that we wouldlike to build a network between these groups, sothat we could meet together, learn from each other,honor each other and empower each other, andthat is happening.

We also decided to start a school. Since therewere all of these beautiful villages and trainingcenters in the Zen Peacemaker Order, we realizedwe could create a curriculum where people coulddo internships in the places that already exist. So ifyou want to work in the area of homelessness,hospice work, contemplative care, prison work,conflict resolution, mental illness, or drug addictionwe have so many groups already doing this workaround the world. We were able create a programwhere one could do a plunge into the differentworks and see how the work is done differently indifferent places: hospice work here, in Poland, inRussia, in Africa, in Asia - then one would comeback and share one’s experience. The emphasis ison the experience, learning from what’s been doneand what new ideas came to you out of theexperience. The thing that ties us together are threetenets that we feel were very important for thework we are doing.

Basically the first one is a willingness to plungeinto the unknown. So in doing work you don’t say“know the answer to your problem” but you startoff by saying “don’t know”.

The second is bearing witness, being ready tobear witness to the joys and sufferings of theworld, to be there; so when you see a homelessperson you don’t walk to the other side of thestreet. There is nobody that goes on the streets withme that can pass a homeless person and not lookat them, because one of the first things that youfind when you live on the streets is that peopledon’t look at you – they turn away. You can’t livethrough that experience and then turn your eyesaway yourself. Just last week, my wife and I were

in San Francisco.There was a homeless

woman and we stopped –my wife gave her a dollar and

asked her name and how are youdoing? And she said “you know,

nobody has ever asked me my name”. Inever pass a homeless person without

asking these questions. This little acknowledge -ment and love is more than money.

The third tenet is doing something about it –we call that healing. Healing of oneself and of theworld. These are the three guiding principles andwe use them even in our meetings. We may thinkwe have things all worked out beforehand butwhen we have a meeting the first thing we startwith is not knowing. We forget all of our rules andeverything we’ve said; we bear witness to what ishappening. And for the healing, if it meanschanging our rules, then we do it.

The retreat we do in Auschwitz-Birkenau is thebest example I can give of these tenets. The firsttime we did this, seven years ago, I wasoverwhelmed by the souls and the place – it isbeyond description. I felt I had to bear witness anddo a retreat. It ended up being about 150 peoplefrom many countries and traditions. I wanted thisvariety of life: people in Germany whose parentshad been SS and had run the camps, survivors ofthe camps. The first thing that happens when youcome to Auschwitz is that you do get plunged intonot knowing. Whatever you thought you knew, orwhatever you thought you would feel – believe meit is more overwhelming than that. It is a place thatis beyond what you can fathom; you can’t believethat such a thing could happen. Of course becausethere were so many different types of people,almost anything that anybody did was an affrontto somebody else. During the day we would sit onthe selection site, which is where people werechosen to go either into slave labor or to the gaschambers. Children and the elderly usually wentdirectly to the gas chambers, but if they looked likethey could work they would go into slave labor.While we sat we chanted the names of people whohad died there. In between sittings we would doservices at the crematorium and at the gaschambers. To begin with, each tradition would haveits own service and people would join the one theywanted, then once a day we would have aninterfaith service. Early in the morning we wouldmeet in small groups of eight to ten, to share whatwas going on.

There was a rabbi, who is also a Buddhist, whocomes every year and whose type of teachinginvolves dance and song from the Jewish tradition.One evening when we met, the rabbi started to singand to dance. People knew I had organised theretreat and from the beginning people had come tome to complain about what other people weredoing – laughing, crying – whatever somebody was

“ IN TO TH E 21ST CE N T U R Y” PE A C E FE S T I V A L

The first thing that happens when you come toAuschwitz is that you do get plunged into notknowing. Whatever you thought you knew, or

whatever you thought you would feel – believe me itis more overwhelming than that. It is a place that isbeyond what you can fathom; you can’t believe that

such a thing could happen.

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doing it was an affront to somebody else. So whenthe rabbi started to dance it was an affront to somany people. Some Orthodox people were thereand said but this is what we do. But not everybodydoes that. What I said to the people was that thisplace, Auschwitz-Birkenau, is the place that wasmeant to get rid of differences. This place was builtto kill all of those who weren’t Aryans, who weren’tof that one type. To kill the Jews, Catholics, gypsies,gays – to kill everybody who was different.Whereas our retreat was to recognise the diversityof each of us, and we bore witness to that for fivedays, with the million souls, remembering them.What happened in that retreat, which was asurprise for all of us, was that a healing arose andwe became one people. So we would like theinterfaith peace order to be houses of onepeople – places where there is somethought given, where as a result of whatwe are doing, we become one peoplewithout differences. So those three tenetswere really very alive at Auschwitz.

During the first year I felt I had to dothis and we didn’t know whether wewould continue. I’d like to share some ofthe issues that came up because itdemonstrates what can happen when onedoes something like this, not just inAuschwitz but anywhere. We have a list oftwenty or thirty places where we’ve beenasked to do these retreats now: in Ireland,Israel, the United States, Japanese camps.In putting the retreat together we workedfor two years involving local groups. On the firstday of that first year there were about thirty peoplefrom Poland who had really wanted to come, butduring the first couple of nights they were up allnight talking, saying why are we here, this is notour business? This is for the Jews and the Germans,we have nothing to do with this – they just cameinto our country. But by the third or fourth day theywere saying, this is about us. By the end of theretreat people were asking whether we would dothe retreat again next year, so I said only if the Polesbecame the host. We’d help them to organize it butthey would have to host it. As a result they becameinvolved in a lot of social action programs andvarious other things, whereas until that time theyhad always complained that they could not doanything because the Germans and the Russianswere in charge. The second year the big issue camefrom the Germans – they felt so guilty. We hadname-tags with our name and country on and theGermans all took them off. They were ashamed andembarrassed to say that they came from Germany.There were a lot of tears and they couldn’t reallytalk to us. So, the third year I asked the Germansand the Poles to host the retreat together. So eachyear a new issue arises and we’ll keep moving withthe ingredients, looking at how to heal ourselvesand then others. That’s a little overview but what Ireally wanted to do was to get questions from you,because we’ve never met each other. I have no ideawhat you are interested in, and I would love tospeak to you about your issues. But I felt I had togive you a little taste of who I am.

Questions: Q: You mentioned that in the concentration campsyou have created a healing process amongst thosewho have been either victimised or presentedthemselves in shame of what has been done. Is thesort of healing procedure you are talking aboutindigenous healing? Is it people on the same levelhealing each other?

Bernie: I don’t think so. That is certainly part of it,but I really don’t know where this healing is comingfrom. I feel it is different in different places. I hateto say it’s just this and here is the method. Whenwe go to Auschwitz-Birkenhau I feel that thehealing is coming from the place itself. There areplaces that have energy that heal, and I know it’s

funny to say that Auschwitz could be such a place,but my own personal feeling is that it is, becauseI’m sure that for all of us involved it had a healingeffect. The word for peace in Hebrew is shalom andthe root is shalem, which means to make whole. Ithink remembering is making whole. To re-membermeans to take the members of the body and putthem back together again. At Auschwitz we did alot of making whole again so the remembering wasa big part of the healing process, as was the bearingwitness, the needing to stay together with all thesedifferences. When people go there, it is sohorrendous that they don’t want to stay. But wehave to stay for five days, which is bad enough, andwe have to sit there with people that we don’t like.But for me the strongest healing aspect is the placeitself. What I feel is that if we start with notknowing and bear witness then the healing willarise. It’s almost our job to look at it and say howdid it arise this time? And not to necessarily try tobring that to the next place. That’s the principle thatI use in my social action work.

Q: What would you say is the fine line that gets oneto go from the fear of the plunge to taking theplunge? Where does courage come from? Are weborn with it, is it experience, is it achieved bydevelopmental needs?

Bernie: I ask myself that each time I look at a pooland I ask myself am I going to jump in or not? Idon’t care how you prepare for it, but there will bea plunge with that thin line again. You are going toface that question over and over – you may answerit this time but the next time you walk pastsomeone with cholera you are going to be at thatthin line again. I don’t know the answer. I think wecan keep expanding our boundaries but we arealways going to be at some boundary. I think thatif you practice, whatever practice you are doing, it’sgoing to open up. I’m a funny person – I look forthose places, that’s how I try to grow. What parts ofme am I afraid of? I feel that the part of myself thatI am rejecting is the part of society that I amrejecting. I try to find out how to go past that. I had

an experience in Switzerland. There’s anarea in Zurich called the Letten – it was anexperiment by the government, it’s beenshut down now – it was the largestgathering place for addicts. There is a riverthat feeds into Lake Zurich and the Letten ison the banks of this river, two blocks awayfrom one of the richest areas in the world –the banks of Zurich. Before they shut itdown they were giving out 16,000 needleseach day. Can you imagine that? I went there once. A friend asked my wifeand I if we would like to see the area. Youhave to walk down to the river and alongthe river bank. Up above – two blocks awayfrom where the world banks are, which arelaundering addict money – were Swisspolice. The police were keeping the addictsdown below almost like shepherds withtheir sheep. It was an area about the size ofa football field, packed with peopleshooting up. We had to force our waythrough people. As we walked, there were

people stoned out, in drug ecstasies, peopleswimming in the river. And the dealers selling thedrugs had knives, guns and money – they wereangry with strangers walking through. For me, thiswas such a metaphor for our society. The dealerswere making money from the addicts, but so werethe banks two blocks away. The banks were actuallymaking more money. Dealers from all around theworld came. They actually closed it because it wasgetting bigger and bigger and out-of-hand.

A lot of the messengers didn’t even know wherethey were. They’d been sent from all parts of theworld, from places where the drugs come from,given tickets, flew, were picked up by a limousine,driven to the Letten to sell their stuff and thenlimousined back home. They had to build extraprisons when they closed the area, because all ofthese people. My wife was petrified. The man wewere with said would you like to walk back throughit, or another way to the car and she said, “No, let’snot walk back through it” It was one of those thinlines and I felt I had to sit there to find out whatwas going on, to bear witness to it. I knew if I coulddo this, something would arise and I would have abetter understanding of what to do. Or not a betterunderstanding, but I would do something thatmade more sense. So I’m not looking for

Our retreat was to recognise the diversity of each of us,and we bore witness to that for five

days, with the million souls,remembering them.

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BE A R I N G WI T N E S S F O R PE A C E

understandings, but I’m looking to plunge intoexperience and I know from my previousexperiences that this forces me into directions thatare healthier for myself and for others.

Q: I was wondering whether you would share with ussome of the methods or practices used during theretreat at Auschwitz, that were successful at dealingwith the very sensitive conflicts between thepolarised groups of people that were present at theretreat? Or put more simply how did you get thesegroups who were having conflicts with each other, tofeel love towards each other by the end of the retreat?

Bernie: Again, I don’t know if I did anything. I thinkthe biggest thing was that we bore witness to eachother. We stayed in that conflict; we sat together ina circle; we didn’t run from each other; we livedwith each other for those five days – that was thebiggest part. Each morning we had small groupsand did counsel work. In this each person talks, youcan’t do cross-talking, you’re not answeringsomebody; and each person is speaking from theirheart, and we are all supposed to listen from ourheart. When we talk we talk from our heart aboutwhat we feel; we’re not responding to whatsomebody else has said – that’s the basic principleof the counsel. We do this each morning and we’vefound over the years that this is very important. Inthe evening we have a big group like this, and thatwas also very important, more the first year thanlast year – the dynamics are changing, and we arelooking at how to do things differently. First is tobring the differences into the same mandala.Normally we don’t do that. It’s not that we think,and say we’re not going to bring differences in, butbecause of the very nature of how we set things up,it excludes so many. We put a lot of energy intothinking about how we can bring people ofdifferent persuasions together. First it’s to bringthem to the same place, and second it’s to bearwitness to the differences, and to share them. Tohear somebody say “I can’t stand the fact thatsomebody is laughing here on these grounds – thisis not a place to laugh”. And to just listen, notanswer it – just to hear that this person is in painbecause somebody is laughing. Another person isin pain because nobody is laughing. We heard all ofthese things and we stayed together. I think thatthose are the things that we did that are not alwaysdone: bringing so many differences together,sitting with them for so long, and then sharing ourfeelings about our pain and suffering, what washurting or disturbing us, getting us angry, and justlistening to it all.

Q: I loved your book Instructions to the Cook. It’sone of the best things I’ve ever read – a kind of guidefor everyday living and right livelihood. Are yougoing to be developing any ideas from that at all,tomorrow perhaps, or whenever?

Bernie: Yes, I guess in the workshop. We’ll makesome meals. As it says in the title it’s not the givingof recipes, but learning how to be a cook. Then eachof us can make our own meals with our ownrecipes with our own ingredients, because we all

have our own ingredients. It is a cook book – it’scooking the supreme meal, which is your life.

Swami Mahedevananda: In the beginning youmentioned that when you first went to Auschwitz,you were overwhelmed by a feeling of the hunger ofthe souls. I was intrigued by that and was wonderingif that was the initiative that led to your compassion.Could you say something about that?

Bernie: The experience I had of the hungry spiritswas way before that, in the years before I was ateacher, and that formed this direction of my life. AtAuschwitz certainly I could also feel all the souls. Itwas an immediate feeling – I don’t think anyonecan walk on Birkenau and not feel those souls –crying to be remembered, so that they could gohome. As you read Holocaust literature, the themeis to remember the story, don’t forget me. Therewas one man who was very young, and whosefather was very old, and he wanted to give his foodto his father, but his father said “No, you have toeat it, because somebody has to live, to tell ourstory”. That’s in a book by Berta Lome – one of thesurvivors. You could feel all that, before I read allthese books, just walking in Birkenau. I went thereby accident about seven years ago. A student ofmine, who was a disaster of the Vietnam War,becoming homeless after the war and an addict formany years, now looks after casualties of war,though he’ll never be fully healed and he still can’tsleep at night. He was going on a walk organized bya Japanese-Buddhist group that walks for peace. Itwas a nine-month walk from Auschwitz toHiroshima and they were going to walk throughVietnam. So I went to Auschwitz to do a layordination for him and we did it at a crematorium.I was so overwhelmed that all this work followed.

Swami Mahadevananda: We had a similarexperience when Swamiji flew over the Berlin Wall.We went to an area just on the American/Englishside of the wall, a place called Templedrome, andthere we celebrated puja because both Swamiji andMarilyn Rossner, who is a reputed clairvoyant fromMontreal, said that there were people still fightingagainst each other there from the Second WorldWar. It was in the heart of Berlin. One side was thebunker where Hitler took his life. The whole area wasflattened during the war. Swamiji said we had topray. So possibly when there are good people withgood hearts they can go to a place where peoplehave suffered, and pass positive energy that helpsthe spirits to leave the place. I heard about a similarincident in the Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh. Onenight, as Swami Sivananda started to chant JayaGanesha, he came to the point of Hare Rama andwent on, chanting Hare Rama Hare Rama HareRama, for five minutes, ten minutes, one hour, twohours, then all night. Everybody was saying what isgoing on? In the morning he said thank God, the airis very clear. Everybody laughed, everybody was veryhappy. Highly spiritual people feel a certainpresence and due to their own personality, their ownsaintliness, their own positive approach, they areable to change and release positive energy that willovercome negative energy. In the end, positive

overcomes negative. So bearing witness meansbeing there as a human being, in a positive way, andpraying with one’s own being – trying to release thesuffering that is still there - that takes a lot ofcourage. Because it’s not a place that you can jokeabout: there was death, millions of people died,suffered and were tortured – it is still there. That canbe released with powerful positive energy. But this isnot easy – it takes a lot of energy from positivepeople. That’s what we felt in west Berlin, next to theWall. We could touch the Wall. What SwamiSivananda said on that particular night, was that alot of souls were released. An Ashram is a placewhere the earthbound spirits or suffering soulscome – the chanting, prayers and positive vibrationsare like fresh water in the desert for them. When youreally concentrate hard some of them are releasedfrom their suffering. In a place like Auschwitz there’sa very negative energy, but the positive energy canbe released.

Bernie: Coming back to my student, in formerYugoslavia, as he and some friends were walking,together with a lot of anti-war people, they walkedby a group of soldiers. There was a man on guardwith his bicycle; everyone wanted to walk the otherway. But Claude went up, introduced himself andsaid “how are you? How are you sleeping at night?”,and then the man knew that Claude was also asoldier. He said “I’m not sleeping so well.” Claudewas a gunner on a helicopter; by his eighteenthbirthday he had killed 200 men, women andchildren – they took body counts in Vietnam. Notonly that, but when they went out in the morningthey would do lotteries on who would kill the most.He had a nervous breakdown, then wound up onthe streets doing drugs. When I did the layordination I gave Claude a mala. The soldier saw themala and said “what is that?” Claude explained, andhe said “I’ll trade it for your rifle”. The soldier said “Ican’t do that”. Claude said “I’ll trade it for the bulletin the chamber”, and he said “I can do that”. So forthe rest of his walk Claude had a bullet in his pocketand the soldier had a mala. That’s what can happen.

Q: When talking about this man who was inVietnam and who couldn’t sleep at night, you chosethe words “he will never be healed”. I thought thatwas very interesting and it made me think aboutthe limitations of people to heal themselves,especially if they’ve been in horrific circumstances.I’m sure you think about this as well when you dealwith the homeless. At what point do you say I can’tdo any more? Or better yet, how do you come toterms with that?

Bernie: I never say I can’t do, any more. You canalways do more. I don’t have any expectations ofwhat will happen, but I always do my best. That’sone of the principles in that book Instructions tothe Cook: use the ingredients you have and makethe best meal you can. And if it’s not so tasty, it’snot so tasty. Make another meal, use theingredients you have, make the best meal you can,and serve it. If you don’t make the meal, nobody isgoing to come and eat. So make the meal. If youlook in the refrigerator and say oh I don’t have the

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right ingredients, so I’m not going to make themeal, it’s of no value. See what you have and makethe best meal you can. I don’t think about an end.

Q: In your work with the Auschwitz counsels didyou ever have to deal with people who denied theholocaust or who minimised it saying not somany people?

Bernie: Yes. We had principles of no cross-talk. Welistened to everyone and we listened from theheart. The issue was more that we had childrenwhose parents were saying “It doesn’t exist”. Wehad people who came, from Germany generally,whose parents had told them “What are you doinggoing there? That’s all a lie. It was built after thewar, nothing ever happened there”. They shared thiswith us. Then they went home and talked with theirparents about what they saw. The other kind ofdenial that is very common is that people wouldcome and talk about their work somewhere else –they couldn’t talk about what was happening tothem there. In this situation we do try to insist thatyou talk about what’s happening here. There aresome documentaries, made by Polish, English,Germans, in which a lot of these people are talking,some for the very first time, about what hadhappened to them. There was a woman who camefrom Holland and she talked for the first time abouther experience when she was a little child. Herparents told her that they were going to leave andthat she was going to go with some friends – herfather told her that they couldn’t go together,because Germans were going to be coming. Theythought of hiding and the father told his daughter,aged about eight, “we can’t hide because you’ll betoo loud – we’ll be back soon”. The SS came and shenever saw her parents again, so she was left withher father saying “you can’t be with me becauseyou are too loud”. The Auschwitz retreat was thefirst time she had ever talked about it, and it was soimportant for her. So almost everybody that comeshas some kind of denial – then the place opens youup. Only if you stay there – I don’t think thathappens if you just visit and run. That’s whybearing witness is so important, it’s our meditation.You can’t just sit for a second and say oh I’ve tastedit – you’ve got to sit.

Q: Thinking “love thy neighbor as thyself” what doyou do about friends, relatives, associates who eitherirk you, bother you or take your energy away whenthey are around you – how do you deal with this?

Bernie: I just accept it. I don’t expect everybody tolove me. Again, those are ingredients and I try to domy best meal. I don’t have any pat answers as towhat to do. There’s a practice in Japan in whichevery morning the monks in the monastery go outwith big bowls and people put things into thebowls. The practice is one of accepting what isgiven and you wear a hat so you can’t see who isgiving it to you. The bigger practice is when peoplegive you anger or throw water on you. You have toaccept everything; it doesn’t mean to just ignorethem – you can’t do that. You have to say, what doI do with this? You’ve got new ingredients to make

new meals. Use them, change your menu. I’m notsaying it’s not difficult to have people not lovingyou or showing anger to you, it is difficult.

Q: After the Vietnam War, there was a lot of talkabout how to heal veterans who felt they were toblame and out of that came a lot of healing forvictims and survivors of abuse. One of the very firstprinciples of that is that blaming the victim is a wayto keep people in their suffering situation and intheir exploited situation. Have you been able to workwith that?

Bernie: I would say that most of us are involved inthis blaming issue. I think that the society we are increates oppressors and creates victims. It’s likeClaude walking down and seeing a soldier, andeverybody else leaving and blaming that soldier.Claude killed two hundred people and he reallythought he was doing it for his country and fordemocracy, and then he was torn apart by what hehad done. So now he goes and talks with people –he does as much work with oppressors as withvictims – because it’s the whole system that has tochange. How are we creating these oppressors? I’mnot trying to say one work is better than another –you have to work with it and blaming is one of thebig issues. For many people in the second year ofAuschwitz, the big issue that came up for them was“the other” and how everybody creates an “other”and blames that. I certainly agree with you, wecan’t be blaming.

Swami Saradananda: When you were speaking Iwas thinking of an experience that we had, justafter the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. Our ownteacher Swami Vishnu-devananda had to go toEast Germany; after that he took us to Tel-Aviv. Hewas giving some programs in Tel-Aviv and one dayhe said we are going to Calcillia. There was onevillage on the West Bank, where the Interfada wasgoing on. We all got in the car and Swamiji tookbooks and flowers and we drove there. He said weare going to go there and chant for peace. When wegot out of the car, everyone was shaking. I rememberSwamiji just walking down the street and peoplejust looking at us in amazement. One by one theystarted coming up to us and asking us questions.Swamiji sent me back to the car to get somemagazines. I was walking, thinking any minutesomeone is going to shoot me in the back. As I waswalking some Palestinian women came up to me.They said they were afraid to walk up to the group,but since I was a woman alone they felt that theycould approach me. They said they just wantedsomeone to talk to them, to hear about what washappening and so I took them to Swamiji. They justsat there and talked for a long time. It was a reallybeautiful experience for all of us just being therewith Swamiji. At one point he started talking to oneman – he didn’t speak any English – it was justtalking by eyes. I think that everyone who was there,thirty or forty people, will never forget it. It was sucha heart-opening experience, and it’s only a personwho really has no fear for himself, who really seesthe oneness in all, who is able to do something likethat. I think that is what we are really trying for,

through all of our practice, to experience thatoneness. It was a very beautiful practicalexperience.

Bernie: It seems to me a natural unfolding as youpractice, if you really see the oneness of all. If myhand bleeds I can’t just sit and watch it bleed – I dosomething. I can’t say I don’t have the right things,the right band-aids. I have what I have, so I couldtake out my handkerchief, or take off my shirt, orhold it in my mouth – but I do something becauseit is me. So as our practice unfolds, and everythingis me, it’s natural and we don’t have to think aboutit. If there’s something bleeding we take care of it,if there’s something hurting I don’t just ignore it. Imay not have the proper things to take care of thehurt; I may not understand why I am hurting, but Ido something about it with whatever I have – it justseems very natural

29

I am currently being housed in

the Special Management Unit

of the Arizona State Prison. My

world has been reduced to a

room the size of a largebathroom. I believe that, at any

given time, one is where one

should be and embrace all that

comes their way with openarms. I would be grateful for any

books you would be willing to

share with me on both Yoga and

Meditation. Thank you and may

the blessings be. – M.E.H, Florence, Arizona

Hello!

I have received “The Complete

Illustrated Book of Yoga” that you

people were so generous in sending

to me. I am very grateful and wish to

convey my heartfelt thanks.

I was amazed when I started reading

the book and discovered that I am

48 years old and have been

breathing incorrectly all my life. I

smoked for 33 years and have not

smoked for 2 years. I was concerned

because I couldn’t seem to really see

any improvement in the amount of

air I inhaled and exhaled. Then I read

about using the diaphragm to fill the

lungs and empty them. ... I am just

at the beginning of an interesting

journey, which is where I know that

reading your book and applying what

fits to my life is going to take me.

– F.R., Florence, Arizona

Letters from Prisoners

To Whom It May Concern, My name is L.C. I am presentlyincarcerated for drug abuse. I practicemy sadhana daily but need moreinformation about yoga. It is my beliefthat yoga will help me win my struggleover my inner demons. Thank you fortime and help. - Golden StateCorrectional Facility, California BlessedSelf On Friday Bliss Divine arrived, it isa treasure of heaven. I do not think Ihave ever recognized anything writtenwith such urgency and love before. Inmy first reading from the book directlyI was given the most loving re-introduction to Jesus. This has filledme with joy.

– E.A.R., Rustburg, Virginia

P R I S O N P R O J E C T

Right now, I aman assistantinstructor fortwo ‘Yoga’classes per week.The source for my class is “The

Complete Illustrated Book ofYoga”. I find it very useful and the

students do seem to really enjoy the

exercises as well. I have an Activities

Specialist who oversees the class. She

too enjoys how well the class is being

run and is more of a participant!! I have

one dilemma at hand! Perhaps you may

be able to assist me in some way! My

dilemma is this: each class has 25

participants and our only available

space is on the hardwood floor in the

gym ... all I hear are the sounds of

moans and grunts and groans... - M. T. Reid Jr., Chester, PA

Prison Project Update...Prison Project Update...

We are well passedthe 1,000 mark inletters received.Our Prison Web

page has been extended andincludes many inspiring letters.The rate of incoming mail hasincreased dramatically andmore help is needed to deal with this. Ifyou would like to share in this work, wewould be glad to hear from you. Below isan account of a visit I made to one of ourprisoners and samples of some of themany letters we have received frominmates touched by the project.

In the spring I had opportunity to visit afew of the prisoners involved in the PrisonProject in Virginia. This prison is the lastprison stop for these inmates beforerelease. Nothing may be brought inside;after much persuasion the guard agreedto pass on a folder containing photo -copies of some of Swami Sivananda’sessays.After being frisked we were led into alarge room dotted with tables and chairs,filled with a deafening din. We spent twohours with Emilio, one of the most seriouspeople in the Prison Project. Since Emilio

rarely has visitors, he was asexcited as a child. This meetingwas extremely important forboth of us. Over the years, hehad written over 1,000 letters tovarious organizations, includingBharat Gajjar in Delaware, whointroduced him to the

Sivananda teachings. When wementioned the din, he replied that wasonly one quarter of the noise in hisdormitory! To overcome this dis -advantage, he rises at 4am for sadhana.When the weather permits, he doesasanas outside on the courtyard track,under menacing guns pointed fromwatchtowers. Beside his bed Emilio has analtar with pictures of Master, Swamiji andKrishna. Since our visit Emilio hasintensified his sadhana ardently studyingBliss Divine, Bhagavad Gita and YOGALife.He writes to me weekly. He is hoping to beparoled this fall and I ask anyone readingthis to please say a prayer for him. Whenreleased, he is planning to spend sometime at the Yoga Ranch. – Swami Padmapadananda Coordinator, Sivananda Yoga Prison Project

Any donations towards the prisonproject are gratefully received. Pleasesend them to: Sivananda Prison ProjectSivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch P.O. Box 195, Budd Road, Woodbourne, NY 12788

Swami Padma padananda

30

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

Pilgrimage A pilgrimage involves challenges. It can be physicallydemanding, logistically difficult, materially challenging, andpsychologically annihilating. One must let go ofexpectations and comfort zones, learning to journey inthe moment and respond appropriately wheneverything around is changing. Pilgrimage is an intricatebusiness of receiving and giving. Receiving blessings fromMother Nature, earth, air, sun, water, atmosphere, localpeople, and other travellers. A pilgrim who is open andready, is nourished abundantly by all encounters, gainingthe chance to commune with God, through themedium of a beautiful landscape, a chance encounteror a perfect moment when there is no thought. Theidea behind the Mobile Ashram was to go on a PeacePilgrimage through America with a spiritual destinationand routine. Following is an account of an idea thatturned into a 10,000 mile odyssey, beginning with adonated 1987 RV (mobile home).

Preparations The vehicle carried a 100 gallon diesel tank, large watertank, generator, kitchen, and an airplane-size bathroom.It was self contained. Every little space in the RV was

used, in tune with the yogic principles of ‘simple livingand high thinking’ ‘adapt, adjust, accommodate’ Bunkbeds were installed to sleep eight adults – plenty ofopportunities to practice tapas (austerities performedin order to control the mind and senses ). From thetiny kitchen we produced wonderful ayurvedic mealstwice a day – important for creating good energy andkeeping the mind positive. This trip was about peace –including peace of body and mind. We attempted tomaintain a sattvic, yogic lifestyle. A long trip can causeungroundedness, anxiety, instability, and separation withreality. We could not afford to have this happen. Wewere dealing not only with motion, but our emotionsas well. Living in close quarters all day long with a groupof people is challenging. Each pilgrim was asked to havea topic of study, maintain a general attitude offriendship, avoid personal conflicts and tune to acommon wavelength. The Shanti Bus was to be amodel community, traveling through the world, bringinglight and love – exposed and yet shielded fromnegative influences. Painted beige, the Shanti Bus borethe words, in royal blue, ”Yoga for Peace – Health iswealth, Peace of mind is happiness, Yoga shows the way.– Swami Vishnu-devananda.”

The Itinerary The pilgrimage began at the Sivananda Ashram YogaFarm in Grass Valley, California. Our idea was to retraceSwami Vishnu-devananda’s footsteps in North America,visit Sivananda Yoga Centers, past and present, andintegrate other spiritual places including YellowstoneNational Park, The Black Hills and Mount Rushmore;Val Morin, Quebec (Into the 21st Century. PeaceFestival), a Benedictine Monastery in Denver, Colorado;Canyon lands in Utah; and the Grand Canyon. In total,we covered almost 10,000 miles in five weeks.

A challenging trip, it offered plenty of opportunities fortapas, was inspiring, eye-opening and purifying. All feelacutely that the Peace Pilgrimage continues. In thewords of Master Sivananda, We are here as passingpilgrims. Our destination is God. Our quest is for thelost inheritance, the forgotten heritage. Our central aimin life is the coming into a conscious realization of ouroneness with God. Life has no meaning as a separatelife. It has meaning only when it becomes full or whole.Life is a voyage in the infinite ocean of time wherescenes are perpetually changing. Life is a journey fromimpurity to purity, from hatred to cosmic love.

American Peace Pilgrimage

From time immemorialpilgrims have made journeys toplaces that carry holy vibrations.

Nicknamed ‘the flying swami’, Swami Vishnu-devananda was a tireless peace missionaryand pilgrim. For an ordinary mind, continuoustraveling could be the result of restlessness oran incapacity to commit to one thing. For ayogi, pilgrimage involves an inner spiritualseeking an attempt to see God, not meresightseeing or vacationing. Those dedicated touplifting humanity and bringing peace to theworld, have a completely different reason fortraveling: Swamiji went on pilgrimages to blessthe places where he went, not resting evenwhen his body was wearing out.

The Shanti Bus ‘Pilgrims’

31

July 16We are getting used to the logistics of living in a smallspace, cooking, satsangs, asanas and pranayama. On thefirst day, traveling through the beautiful landscape ofOregon, we discover the RV world - so many peopletouring America by RV, many from Europe. On the secondday, we cross ‘the bridge of the Gods’‚ and come toWashington state. We have a mineral hot spring bath, passMount Saint Helens (volcano), have a mystical view ofMount Rainier and end with a satsang organized by Kathy,a graduate of the Sivananda Yoga Teachers’‚ TrainingCourse.

July 18We tour Seattle, driving our big RV through the downtownstreets - nerve wracking - then on to Vancouver. We sleepwell, but get up with the RV floor soaking wet because ofa broken pipe. This morning instead of Vancouversightseeing, we are here doing asanas, laundry and fixingthe pipes with the help of a good neighbor. Very often,when we are driving, people show the ‘sign for Peace’ andpump horns at us. Tonight there is satsang at Janaki’shouse, a devotee who hosted both Swami Vishnu-devananda and Swami Venkatesananda.

July 20thWe skip Glacier National Park and cut down toYellowstone National Park; it is magnificent. We spend twodays in this immense park visiting various formations ofterrain, white crust terraces, vast blue and orange fieldsof living bacteria surviving in waters of differenttemperatures, mud volcano, geysers of different sizesespecially the huge Old Faithful, a variety of hot springs,bubbling pools, rivers and forests, canyons and cascades,and a huge lake. We see elk and bison, and hear a bearnear to our RV at night. This pilgrimage allows us to seethe marvels of the many names and forms of nature. Werealize how immense this country is, and how beautiful.

July 24We arrive in Chicago after an incredible visit to the BlackHills of South Dakota, sacred to Native Americans. Afterthe Jewel Cave, incredibly deep and mysterious, more than100 miles long, filled with crystal formations, we visit a hugeNative American memorial to Chief Crazy Horse. Killed in battlelong ago, he represents the invincible native spirit. About500 ft high, it is sculpted directly on the mountain rock, aslarge as the presidents’ heads of Mount Rushmore, whichwe also visit. Everyone gets a Native American name: Windcave,Fireworks, Dreamvision, Peacekeeper and Snakepower.

July 26Chicago: we visit the Hindu temple, Vedanta Society, Bahaitemple, Sears Tower and the Art Institute where SwamiVivekananda gave his lecture to the Parliament of Religionsin 1893. Nice satsang at Chicago Sivananda Yoga Center.

July 29The RV breaks down 2 hours outside of New York City, soit stays over at a garage. We rent a little car, and all 7 ofus pack in. In New York, we visit the United Nations. Eveningin the New York Sivananda Yoga Center - inspiring puja forGuru Purnima. We squeeze back into the rental car, pick upour RV and drive to the Yoga Ranch for a half day break.

July 30 - August 9A warm welcome at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Camp - awonderful week at “Into the 21st Century” Peace Festival..Re-inspired by the ideal of living in peace by following theteachings of Yoga and Vedanta, we renew our connectionwith the spirit of our teacher, Swami Vishnu-devananda, andhis instruction to chant Om Namo Narayanaya for WorldPeace. The week is intense, with generous day-longprograms of lectures, rituals of different nations andreligions, and uplifting musical programs. It is colorful, rich,positive, light and deep at the same time.

August 9On the return trip, Bren Jacobson, who flew with Swamiji inhis Peace Plane in 1970, is with us. Now, almost 30 yearslater, he and son Jess are helping to pilot the Shanti Bus. InToronto we visit a powerful Ganesha Hindu temple outsideof the city, established by the Sankaracharya of Kanchi.The shrines are beautiful, and we are immersed in thevibrations of Holy India.

August 10An intense day with the contemplation of one of the jewelsof the world, Niagara Falls, followed by a twelve-hourdrive to the Vivekananda Monastery in Ganges, Michigan.We spend the day in sadhana during the solar eclipse.

August 15In Colorado‚s Rocky Mountains, our host at theSnowmass Benedictine Trappist Monastery is FatherThephane. His 49 years as a monk has given him a shiningspirit. Next to the monastery is the world famous skiresort and new age town, Aspen, where we witness themaking of a sand mandala by three Tibetan monks – anexquisite work. After Colorado, comes marvelous Utah,land of canyons - Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, GlennCanyon with its special formations of red rocks, andfinally the Grand Canyon itself. The Shanti Bus is startingto feel fatigued.... maintaining a moving Ashram amongstthe distractions of the world is a difficult task. Atsatsang we are inspired by the simple words of “PeacePilgrim” the American woman who walked 25,000 milesacross the country seven times.

August 18Our last night in a RV campground in a little desert town inArizona is hot and humid.

August 19We planned to be in Los Angeles around 2pm but fifteenminutes after leaving the camp ground, the transmissiongoes out. This trip is possible by the grace of God; if welose that awareness, we are tested.

August 21Finally the Shanti Bus reaches home (Yoga Farm) safely, oneday late. The journey was extraordinary and full ofgrace. Participants had good darshan of God and theDivine Mother in Her countless beautiful manifestations.

“ IN TO TH E 21ST CE N T U R Y” PE A C E FE S T I V A L

The JourneyJournal 1999

For program and dates of other Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center Peace Pilgrimages for 2000, see pp29/32 and www.sivananda.org/peace.htm or write to: peace@sivananda.org

inaMobile Ashram

32

PL A N E T EA R T H PA S S P O R T EX C E R P T S

Guide to Meditation

1. Regularity of time, place and practice are most important. Regularity

conditions the mind to slow down its activities with a minimum of

delay.2. The most effective times are dawn and dusk, when the atmosphere is

charged with special spiritual force. In these quiet hours, the mind is clear

and unruffled by activities of the day.

3. Have a place for meditation, free from other vibrations and

associations. Powerful vibrations will be lodged in the room and, in

times of stress, you can sit and experience comfort and relief.

4. Sit in a comfortable cross-legged position, with spine and neck held

erect but not tense. This helps to steady the mind, and encourages

concentration. 5. Before beginning, command the mind to be quiet for a specific

length of time. Forget the past, present and future. Begin with a

prayer.6. Consciously regulate the breath. Begin with five minutes of deep

abdominal breathing to bring oxygen to the brain. Then slow the breath

down to an imperceptible rate.

7. Focus on an uplifting object or symbol. If using a Mantra, repeat it

mentally, and co-ordinate it with the breath. If you do not have a

personal Mantra, OM may be used.

8. Begin the practice of meditation with twenty minute periods;

gradually increase to one hour.

If you meditate daily, you will be able to face life with peace and spiritual

strength. Meditation is the most powerful mental and nerve

tonic. It opens the door to intuitive knowledge and

realms of eternal bliss. The mind becomes calm

and steady.

Thought Power

for Inner Peace - World Peace

Thought is a living force. Caused by the vibration of

psychic vital energy on the mental substance it is the

most subtle and irresistible power that exists in the

universe. The stronger the thought, the more effective it is in

accomplishing its work. You can move the world through

thought-force. The powerful thoughts of great sages and

rishis of yore are still recorded in the Akasic records.

As you think, so you become. Be careful of your thoughts.

Whatever you send out of your mind, comes back to you.

If your mind is full of hatred for another, hate will come

back to you. If you love others, love will come back to

you.A negative thought harms the thinker by doing injury to

his mental body. Secondly, it attacks the person or

persons against whom it is directed. And lastly, it radiates

out, poisons the general mental environment, and

promotes negativity in the world.

Thought can be used for positive or negative purposes.

Promote your own inner peace, as well as world peace,

by radiating out loving thoughts.

Control your Thoughts

through Meditation

Meditation is really thought control. It is an

indescribable experience which removes all pains,

sufferings and sorrow. Meditation destroys the causes

of all sorrow. It gives a vision of unity and induces a

sense of oneness. Meditation helps the aspirant to soar

high into the realm of eternal bliss, everlasting peace

and undying joy. Just as you grow jasmine and roses,

so also you should cultivate thoughts of love, mercy,

kindness, purity, and other virtues in the vast garden of

your heart through meditation.

Sit in a comfortable cross-legged position. Repeat 'OM'

mentally. Quieten the mind and withdraw it from

worldly objects. Relax the muscles and nerves. Ease the

brain. Still the bubbling mind. Silence the thoughts.

Plunge deep into the innermost recess of your heart

and enjoy the great Silence. Mysterious is this Silence.

Enter into it. Know that Silence. Become that Silence.

Hear the sound of soundless OM in Silence and attain

peace. This is the "Peace that Passeth all

Understanding".

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

33

Humanity is potentially on the brink of agreat catastrophe. Yet Israelis andPalestinians are fighting, Catholics andProtestants continue to fight. Hindusand Muslims. Serbs and Albanians.Russians and Chechens are fighting. All think that they are right and thattheir way is the only answer.

The International Sivananda YogaVedanta Centres has organized aMillenium World Peace Pilgrimage toattract the attention of all those whowant to follow dharma, who want to livein peace.

It began in August, 1999 with ‘Into the21st Century’ Peace Festival. TheSivananda World Millennium PeacePilgrimage is a series of pragmaticevents designed to give participants theinner tools for realizing the freedom ofthe limitless sky above and the goodearth below. Events are designed to helpthe individual realize the true fellowshipof humanity.

January 1Sri Ganesha Homam andInterfaith ActivitiesSivananda Yoga Centre, Blue Mountains, AustraliaSri Hrishikesha Bhattar, highly respectedpriest from the Sri Venkateswara Temple inTirupati, South India, will conduct a GaneshaHomam at 6 a.m. on New Year’s morning.The worship of Sri Ganesha, the remover ofobstacles will precede a series of Interfaithactivities reminding us that “the Paths areMany, but Truth is One”.

February 6-12Yoga-Peace SymposiumSivananda Yoga DhanwanthariAshram, Neyyar Dam, Kerala, South India A symposium accompanied by a YogaTeachers’ Sadhana week. Graduates of allSivananda Yoga Teachers’ Training Coursesworld-wide are invited to attend. Speakers will include:Dr. Amit GoswamiDr. Uma KrishnamurthiLakshmi ShankarSachdev and others

In 1969 Swami Vishnu-devananda had a vision of theworld being destroyed by fire.

People were running in all directionstrying to get shelter. He ‘saw’ thatnational boundaries, such as those ofFrance-Spain-Germany, USA-Canada,India-Pakistan are only mentalcreations. Birds fly over without a

passport and human beings should be as free. Realizing thathumanity must learn to live together, Swamiji embarked on ‘peace missions’ around theworld. He flew over such trouble spots as the Suez Canal and Belfast, dropping flowers andleaflets calling for peace. In the 21st century, with our increased nuclear potential there willbe no victor, no vanquished.

Into th

e

21st Cen

tury

The P

eace

Miss

ion co

ntinu

es...

...and Swami Vishnu-devananda’s Peace Mission continues....

P E A C E P R O G R A M S W O R L D W I D E

The International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres

S I V A N A N D A

MILLENNIUMWORLD PEACE

P I L G R I M A G E

34

April 16-29Easter Peace SymposiumSivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat,Nassau, BahamasSpeakers include:Dr. Yvonne Kason: How extraordinaryexperiences change ordinary life, Dr. JamesMullaney: Search for Intelligent Life in theUniverse, Synn Kune Luh: Awakening ofConsciousness, David Oates: Revelation inReverse Speech Research

April 20-30Peace Festival/Easter Retreat at Gaunts House, DorsetOrganised by Sivananda YogaCentre, LondonYoga and Meditation, International InterfaithMulticultural ProgrammesGospel Choir, Dr Robert Svoboda, Sunrise atStonehenge, Tibetan Peace Choir, NativeAmerican Traditions, Celtic Music, VandanaShiva, Ranchor Prime, African Dance andDrumming with YaYa and Harlina Diallo,Classical Indian Dance with Uma Sharma,Druid Traditions, Nigel Shaw, Sant Venugopalji,P. Unnikrishnan, Sivashakti, Caroline Arewa

April 28-May 8Pilgrimage to Machu PichuExperience the magnificence of SouthAmerica’s Andean Mountains – trek to the‘Lost City’ via the ancient Inca Trail. Silenceand the beauty of nature will be ourexcellent companions. The walk takes 4-5days. Travel light of luggage and full ofenthusiasm to experience the sacred. Nativeguides and an anthropologist willaccompany us. The walk will be combinedwith our yoga practice: meditation, mantrarepetition and kirtan. Organised by Montevideo Sivananda Center

May 1-7Peace Retreats in EasternEuropeKrakow, Poland and Dresden, Germany.Classical Yoga Teachings for Inner Peace.The yogic message of Universal Peace.Spiritual music; prayers for World Peace.

May 24-30Unity in Diversity FestivalSivananda Ashram Yoga Farm,Grass Valley, CaliforniaSpeakers include Eric Weiss, cosmologist; Dr Amit Goswami, quantum physicist;Fernandes Rolph, Franciscan monk; Ligia Dantes, Zen teacher; John Dobson,astronomer and vedantin.

May 26-29Peace CampJust outside of Kathmandu, Nepal

June 1-28Kailas /Mansrovar YatraA pilgrimage to the centre of the earth.Mount Kailas (Lord of the Snows) abode ofthe gods, the world’s most sacred mountain,the ultimate place of spiritual power. Onewho circumnambulates the abode of LordSiva with perfect devotion and concentratedmind finds all prayers for world peacemagnified.

June 4-25West Coast USA PeacePilgrimage in a MobileAshramItinarary includes Lake Tahoe and the SierraNevada, the National Parks of Yosemite,Sequoia and Death Valley, the Arizona GrandCanyon and the Sivananda Centres andAshrams of California. Starting immediatelyafter the Teachers’ Training Course, theAmerican Pilgrimage continues (see reporton pp 26). Open to all, places limited.Contact Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm.

July 30 - August 6Sowing Seeds for theFuture:Making Peace for theChildren of the World Sivananda Ashram Yoga CampVal Morin, Quebec, CanadaCeremonies, music, talks and workshops tocelebrate the Spirit of Peace in the World forfuture generations. Speakers from diversespiritual and cultural traditions will sharetheir insight and enlightenment with theaim of developing greater understanding,love, and respect for one another as wework towards a peaceful future.

August 24-27Yoga, Music and Peace FestivalSivananda Seminarhaus – Tyrol, AustriaFour exceptional days-Talks on religion, spirituality and holistichealth methods-Introduction to yoga and vedanta: open tobeginners-Concert and workshops with worldrenowned Indian artists.

September 8-10Peace Pilgrimage of DelhiParticipants will offer prayers for peace atthe Ayyappa Temple, Bahai Lotus Shrine,Buddhist Vihara, Christian Sacred HeartCathedral, Digambar Jain Temple, HanumanMandir, Moslem Jamma Masid (oppositeRed Fort), Lakshmi-Narayan Temple, SikhGurudwara Sisgani, Sufi shrine of Nizam-ud-in Ankias, Parsi (Zoroastrian) AnjumanDharmasala, Raj Ghat (cremation site ofMahatma Gandhi), Jewish Synagogue andCatturpur Temple.

Oct 9-15Gangotri Peace CampMeditations for Peace in Swamiji’s cave:hear the Silence: see the Silence: smell tasteand touch the Silence. That Silence is God.That Silence is the Peace that passeth allunderstanding. Close your eyes and becomeOne with that Silence.

November 9-11Samadhi CelebrationsSivananda Kutir, UttarkashiTo mark the seventh anniversary of themaha-samadhi of Swami Vishnu-devananda, special pujas and bandara forlocal sadhus will be attended by allExecutive Board Members of the SivanandaYoga Vedanta Centres.

December 15-January 14,2001Sadhana CampSivananda Ashram Yoga Camp, ValMorin, Quebec, CanadaFinale of the Sivananda World MillenniumPeace Pilgrimage – celebrate Christmas, theNew Year and the anniversary of Swamiji’sbirth. You are invited to join for a week, aweekend or a month of meditation,chanting and prayers for world peace.

...and Swami Vishnu-devananda’s Peace Mission continues....

35

Exhilarating moments in the World Peace Prayer ceremony,when the group of 200 flag-bearing participants gatheredaround the ‘earth’ flag, calling upon every nation of the world tofind peace (below and right)

YaYa Diallo and his wifeHarlina Churn Diallo,electrified participants withpowerful vibrant drummingand dance performances. ”I come from a culture thatworks, worships, lives andbreathes to the beat of adrum”— the Festival vibratedto the rhythms and sounds of Africa

The Peace Pole, carried inprocession, embodying alasting symbol for peace

Images of the ‘Into the 21st Century’ Peace Festival held this summer at SivanandAshram Yoga Camp, Quebec

The highly charged and inspiring ‘planting’ of the Peaby its creators Bob Bourdon of the Mi’kmag andMetis/Illinois Nations and Roger Echacuan of the AtiNation

36

Rolph Fernandes, an embodiment ofpeace and compassion, talking of hisown spirit ual journey during one of theafternoon workshops

Representatives of various spiritual traditions offerprayers and messages in a moving and spirituallyuplifting closing ceremony

Jorge Alfano, conducting the IncaSpiritual Wheel ceremony, a stunningand powerful sunrise ritual, awaken -ing the connection with MotherEarth, Father Sun and the Four Winds

da

ace Pole

kamekw

37

Domination of natureAt the core of Mount Rushmore Syndrome is the belief that

humanity is superior to all else on the planet. This notion is so deeplyingrained in the Western psyche that for many it is self-evident andirrefutable. Yet it is worth recalling that thousands of indigenouscultures, both past and present, have not held this view. It is not ‘natural’for human societies to assume they are above nature. Even within theJudeo-Christian tradition, as many environmentalists have pointed out,a hierarchy has existed consisting of God, angels, humans, animals,plants, and inanimate objects. Modern science has continued thistradition, but with God and the angels removed.

The obsession with human superiority is reflected in a commondiscussion found in scientific textbooks and the popular media, adiscussion that has become a kind of short story or parable. The story

begins with theidentification of acharacteristic thatqualitatively dist -inguishes homo-sapiens from allother species. Common candidates include intelligence, creativity,culture, self-awareness, technology, and adaptive flexibility. Thesignificance of this characteristic is then traced throughout human pre-history and history, with an emphasis on how it has been responsible forhuman ascendancy on the planet. By the end of the story, the impressionis given that this feature confers far more than an adaptive advantage.It makes human beings more worthwhile, more intrinsically valuable,

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

Mount RushmoreSyndrome When Narcissism Rules the Earthby Allen D. Kanner, Ph.D.

Allen D. Kanner proposes a theory in which the urban-industrialsociety’s stance towards the natural world is likened to the mythicalNarcissus who became so absorbed by his reflection in a pool of waterthat he fell in love with himself and, forgetting the greater universearound him, pined away. Kanner draws a parallel between the mythand the western attitude that humans are superior to nature, destinedto dominate it, and entitled to exploit its resources. Kanner terms thisthe ‘Mount Rushmore Syndrome’. An impressive monument, MountRushmore features the heads of four American presidents carved outof the South Dakota hills - a symbol of human domination overnature. As with Narcissus there is the danger that one can become soabsorbed by the sculpture that the trees, the hills, the cliffs and eventhe surrounding sky are all reduced to a backdrop for human grandeurwithout thought for the social and ecological disintegration of thesociety that such self-absorption may cause.

The following discussion of Mount Rushmore Syndrome emergesfrom a new field, ecopsychology, that is concerned with thepsychological processes that bring people closer to, or alienate themfrom, the natural world. Although there are many historical, political,and economic trends that contribute to this global tragedy, anarcissistic thread runs through them all.

Students of the SivanandaYoga Centres pose in frontof Mount Rushmoreduring the recent ShantiBus Peace Pilgrimage

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than all other forms of life. The parable concludes that as the only specieswith high intelligence, self-awareness or advanced culture andtechnology, in its own unbiased opinion humanity is inherently superiorto all the rest.

The grandiosity does not stop here. Implicit, and sometimes explicit,in these stories is the sense that the purpose of the planet, the apex offour and a half billion years of evolution, has been the creation of thehuman race. The destinies of the Earth and of the human species haveconverged and are now one and the same.

Of course, this is bad evolutionary theory. Every species that nowexists is the current endpoint of its own evolutionary path; there is no“crown of creation.” Scientists do not believe that evolution has apurpose or goal.

Denial of responsibilityOther forms of grandiosity are evident in Mount Rushmore Syndrome.

There is the tendency among narcissistic individuals to deny theirresponsibility when things go awry and instead toblame others. In these instances they can becomeparanoid and accuse otherpeople

of intentionally harming them or their projects. In theSan Francisco Bay Area where I live, in the last fifteenyears we have experienced an earthquake, a majorfire, and several winters of flooding. Before thesecatastrophes occurred, people knowingly built homesand communities on fault lines and in the middle offire zones and flood plains. When the inevitabledisasters happened, the media reported on the“cruelty and wrath of nature” and bemoaned “itsimperviousness to human concerns”.True to narcissistic form, there was little mediadiscussion of whether people ought not live in certainareas, thereby respecting the land and its concerns.Earthquakes, fires, and floods all contribute to theoverall ecological health of the region. Instead, people

feel victimized and angry, and redouble their efforts to construct homesthat will withstand future ‘attacks’ from the natural world.

Ecophilosopher Karen Warren has described the fallacious reasoning,or ‘logic of domination’, that is characteristic of narcissistic thinking.According to this logic, superiority justifies domination. If humans deemthemselves to be more intelligent or creative or self-aware than the restof nature, they are justified in mastering it. In the logic of domination,superiority does not imply responsibility, compassion or appreciation ofthe other.

Following the logic of domination, humanity’s ability to create

powerful technology is often used as proof of its innate superiority,which in turn justifies its attempts to conquer the world. In fact, a wholephilosophy or Utopian vision has emerged based on the belief thatparadise can be constructed through the proper application of scienceand engineering, an ideal that flies under the banner of ‘technologicalprogress’.

The narcissistic mind-set that underlies technological progress spawnsa type of technology that upsets the ecological balance of the planet. It isno coincidence that the more powerful the inventions of urban-industrialsociety, the more pollution and environmental damage they generate.These inventions are based on the premise that nature can be fullycontrolled and tamed. Each time such technology backfires, modernscience and industry propose even more drastic attempts at control. Nowwe have bioengineeering as the next miraculous ‘solution’ to worldhunger, even though this gene-altering technology could reek far moreenvironmental havoc than the chemical pollutants that are itspredecessor. This is akin to a dictator approaching every national problemby further subjugating the populace.

Elsewhere, I have discussed an alternative called technologicalwisdom, that is based on co-operation with the natural world.

Technological wisdom recognizes that people are always in atwo-way relationship with their inventions that they can

neither fully control nor predict. It includes a healthyrespect for technology’s ability to remodel its creators

in directions the creators did not intend. Thecontrasting idea that technology is neutral, thatits effect is entirely a consequence of the mannerin which people use it, is an example of humanhubris.When guided by technological wisdom, each majorinvention is introduced slowly, on a modest scale, todetermine its spiritual, psychological, political, andenvironmental effects. Such an approach wouldcertainly lead to creative new technologies, but onesdifferent from those that emerge from an urgent desireto conquer the cosmos.

Alienation and entitlement Mount Rushmore Syndrome involves another hallmark of narcissism,

which is an emotional distance or cool detachment from others that isoften hidden by a charming or polite exterior. Such distance is theinevitable result of a need to feel superior and to dominate. It is difficultto feel close to those whom one disdains and wishes to manipulate.

Similarly, the alienation from nature that Westerners so often reportis a direct result of narcissistic arrogance. It is challenging to feelsimultaneously superior and in charge of the natural world yetconnected and ‘at one’ with it. In other words, narcissism breedsalienation.

Human beings are totally dependent on the Earth. If you doubt this,try holding your breath for twenty minutes. Complete autonomy andself sufficiency is an illusion, but one of great import to the false self.

There are many ways to engulf the Earth and deny any dependencyon it. One way is to turn land into property and then ‘take credit’ for itsbeauty and bounty. The natural world is thus subsumed through the actof ownership. Another is to remake nature through technology and,forgetting for the moment where the ‘raw materials’ came from,pretend that the built environment has freed one from dependency onthe Earth. Living in a city with relatively little direct contact with thenatural world helps to maintain this illusion of autonomy.

When people subsume their environment, they reduce it tosomething less than they are (resources, property, etc.) andtherefore become less identified with it. Ironically, the act ofengulfment leads to further distance and alienation.

The destinies of the Earth and of the humanspecies have converged and are now one and the same.Of course, this is bad evolutionary theory. Everyspecies that now exists is the current endpointof its own evolutionary path; there is no“crown of creation.” Scientists do not believethat evolution has a purpose or goal.

MO U N T RU S H M O R E SY N D R O M E

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Narcissistic individuals are well-known for their sense ofentitlement, their belief that the universe owes them pleasure andgratification with little effort put forth on their part. We can certainlysee from the previous discussion that most Westerners feel entitled toexploit the natural world as fully as possible. Now I would like to focuson an aspect of modern life that has a huge impact developmentallyand emotionally, yet receives scant attention in mainstreampsychology: corporate advertising.

Corporate advertising and consumptionFirst World consumer habits are responsible for vast amounts of

environmental destruction. These habits are generated in large part bythe enormous amount of advertising produced by corporate marketingdepartments, with most of us being exposed to up to 3,000 ads a day.Commercials are psychologically quite sophisticated, manipulatinghuman desire, weakness, need, and fantasy all in the direction of greaterconsumption.

Advertisers narcissistically wound their audiences by convincingthem that they are inadequate or inferior if they do not purchase anunending array of new products. The typical consumer alternatesbetween feeling momentarily satisfied when a purchase is made andused, but relatively quickly slipping back to a state of dissatisfaction andmaterial want as new products are advertised and the novelty of the oldwears off. This state of dissatisfaction is absolutely necessary ifcorporations are to keep people in a buying state of mind.

Since love, companionship, esteem, peace of mind, spiritualequanimity, and other non-materialistic requirements of the psycheand soul cannot be met exclusively through consuming, the return toconsumerism is thus guaranteed.

Advertising encourages people from a very young age to neglectand even disdain those parts of themselves that require non-materialistic nourishment. When advertisers claim that people’sgreatest needs can be fully met by purchasing the right products, theyconvince people to misinterpret the more subtle stirrings of the psyche

as an urge to go to the mall.

Beyond RushmoreMount Rushmore Syndrome is

especially toxic for the planet when itoccurs among the rich, for on a percapita basis their consumer habits leadthem to use up the Earth’s resources farmore extensively than their poorer counterparts. The wealthiest peoplein the world, the corporate elite, pose the greatest threat to the Earth’sviability. These individuals are acting very much like that avariciousnarcissist of old, King Midas, who turned everything he touched intogold (or in today’s language, into marketable products). Soon his entireenvironment was valuable beyond belief and completely unlivable.

Moving beyond the Mount Rushmore Syndrome means tearing ourgaze away from the image carved on the rocks and paying attention tothe trees, the hills, the cliffs and the sky that surrounds us. Perhaps whatwe encounter may be painful and may make it more difficult toparticipate in mainstream society. To deepen our connection to nature inthis day and age is to share in both its beauty and tragedy. Encounterswith the natural world often promote feelings of interconnection andbelonging that soften narcissistic defenses.

Ecopsychology proposes a broad but humble picture of the humancondition, one in which the planet has provided our species a home butnot a throne. When we see past our own reflection, we realize we are notalone. The mountain is still thereA longer version of this article first appeared the The HumanisticPsychologist, 1999, volume 26, nos. 1 and 2.

YOGAL i fe Summer ‘99

Alan Kanner is a practicing ecopsychologist in Berkeley, California andco-author, with Theodore Roszak and Mary Gomer, of Ecopsychology:Restoring the Earth, Healing the Mind.

Shop OnlineInternet YogaStore■ Numerous Yoga Books■ Yoga Instruction, Audio and Video■ Yoga Mats & Other Accessories■ Spiritual Music■ Yoga Asana Screen Saver

In U.S., 800-731-2522

www.sivananda.org/YogaStore

S I V A N A N D A Y O G AV E D A N T A C E N T E R S

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When I was a child, my mother would oftenadmonish me to try to find contentment inmy life. As I grew older, the word‘contentment’ itself began to repel me,

bringing to mind the image of fat cows lazily chewingtheir grass in a sun-drenched field, with nothing else inthe world to do and nothing to think about. It wasdifficult for me to understand why my otherwiseenergetic mother would want to encourage me to giveup all my driving ambitions to ‘make something’ ofmyself. My mind equated the words ‘fat,’ ‘lazy’ and‘contented’; I couldn’t understand her wishing me to beany of these things.I felt a burning desire to see everything and doeverything and learn as much as I could. Even when Istarted practicing yoga seriously, when I was around 21

years old, I saw it as an energetic means to know theworld as well as all that is beyond it. For me the goalwas to reach that state of Satchidananda(existence, knowledge, bliss absolute). It seemedsome high and distant goal that I must exertvery hard to achieve.Then I embarked on a diligent study of RajaYoga. To my surprise I found right there in thesecond of the eight limbs, under niyamas,the contentment (Santosh) that mymother had been telling me about. Howwas I to reconcile this with my ideal ofconstant and energetic striving? Aftermuch deliberation the real meaningand spiritual value of Santosh started

to clarify itself in my mind.I came to understand that my mind

was always restless on account ofgreed: greed for new

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

SANTOSH Contentment

By Swami Saradananda

The Most Misunderstood Niyama of Raja Yoga

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SA N TO S H

experiences, new tastes in food or new acquisitions that I didn’treally need. On account of this, I could feel myself being burnedby an internal fire that was consuming my prana slowly butsurely. Although I was diligently doing my yoga practice, Ifrequently found myself exhausted without knowing why. OftenI found that that I put out more energy into obtaining thingsthan I received in return. It was not unusual to find myselfdissatisfied with my own behavior and that of others. The relishwith which I surrounded myself with things didn’t seem to last.Santosh came as a powerful antidote for the poison of greed. Itseemed like I had been for a long, hard walk in the hot sun and wassuddenly refreshed by a delicious plungein the Ganga. Then I read in a book bySwami Sivananda that ‘There arefour sentinels who guard thedomain of Moksha (liberation).They are Shanti (peace), Santosha,Satsanga (company of the wise)and Vichara (right inquiry). Byencouraging myself to befriend oneof these guards, I found myself inthe company of his colleagues. My lifeand sadhana took an upward turn.The wonder is that although we all know that contentment is avirtue that gives peace of mind, few of us try to develop it. It seemsthat the increasing speed of modern life has caused many of us tolose our powers of discrimination. Our understanding gets clouded,intellect perverted and memory gets confused by greed, as well asits accompanying passion. On account of this we find it increasinglydifficult to develop the basic virtue of contentment - or evenunderstand it. As a yoga teacher, I have found that many people actually fearcontentment, as I did. They worry that it will make them lethargic andlazy. Without it they see themselves as exerting and energetic.However, contentment can never make anyone idle. It is a sattvicvirtue that propels the individual towards peace. It gives strength ofmind and checks unnecessary and selfish exertions. It calms the mindand opens the inner eye of intuition. The contented person is able towork energetically and peacefully, with a one-pointed mind. All thedissipated rays of the mind are collected and available for use.

Santosh means never looking back, being content in the presentand striving to improve the future. As I began to develop thisvirtue, I realised how much time and energy I had wasted inreprimanding myself for mistakes that I had made last year, lastweek or yesterday. Some days a vast portion of my energy wouldbe consumed by the thought that I shouldn’t have donesomething, or I should have done it in a different way. It seemedthat I regretted so much and, instead of learning from my mistakesand moving on, I was letting them devour me.Through my daily meditation and introspection, I began tointuitively understand that past is past; no one can change it. Even

one split second after an action has taken place, it cannot beundone. Once something is said,

it can never be unsaid.Even the present, thatfleeting instant when thefuture becomes the past,cannot be changed. By thetime you realise what ishappening, it has happenedand is in the past. But I foundthat this was not a depressing

train of thought. In fact the understanding andpractice of Santosh was quite a liberating experience. It helped me tolearn the true meaning of contentment. It showed me a practicalmethod to stop wasting precious energy on which I could notchange. It enabled me to focus on positive improvements in my life,on how I could best use my energies.More and more I began to realise that by my present effort, I couldchange the future. I could do so with increased vigour because myenergy was not being drained.This is, of course, an understanding and acceptance of the law ofKarma. The knowledge that I myself was the author and creator ofmy present situation taught me how I could guide my future. It gaveme solace, peace and strength. It helped me to solve my owndifficulties and problems in life. I began to understand that Santoshis bliss, the divine nectar that brings peace and happiness in life.

Loka Somasta Sukhino BhavantuMay the Whole World Attain Peace and Happiness

“Past is past; no one can change it. Even onesplit second after an action has taken place,it cannot be undone. Once something is said,it can never be unsaid.”

A senior disciple of SwamiVishnu-devananda, SwamiSaradananda is a member of theexecutive board of the SivanandaYoga Vedanta Centres. Shesupervises the centres in Londonand north India – and is theeditor of YogaLife magazine.

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The early morning sounds ofnature are interrupted by theresonating church-like bellsignalling to the yoga camp

guests, staff and one hundred andforty plus teacher training studentsthat 5.30am has come and it istime to get up. The moon is stillvisible, the dew caresses theground, and the sun peeks over thetip of a far-off peak of theLaurentian Mountains. Many greetthe day from tent openingssituated within the six hundredacres of forest, lush gardens andcommunity gathering spots.Others merge from rooms in thedormitory and lodge. Laurie, anelementary school teacher fromVancouver enrolled in the monthlong Teachers’ Training Course(TTC), rings the bell again at5.45am. Gradually the ruggedbarn-like yoga hall silently fills. By6.00am the morning meditationhas begun. The orange-drapedswamis are seated on the platformfacing students, guests and staff. Agentle breeze dances its waythrough the window into theawareness of some, while othersnotice the chickadees’ serenade.Like passing clouds, a steadystream of thoughts waltzes through eachmind – I’m tired. Where’s Martha? I’mstarved. Twenty two days left. In momentsof awareness, the mind is brought back toone’s breath and to a mantra. Individualsslip into their own realities while divingdeeper into the Self. The meditation fallsgently into chanting in Sanskrit and thechanting flows into readings written bySwami Sivananda and Swami Vishnu-devananda. The time passes quickly,announcements are made, and sharedtribute is offered to Jesus, Moses, Buddha,Sivananda, Vishnu-devananda, and otheruniversal teachers. At 7.45am, Laurie ringsthe bell indicating it is almost time forasanas. The English, French, German and

Spanish classes are held outdoors in variouslocations throughout the Camp. The air iscrisp and fresh, the flowers are vibrantlycolorful, and a huge cumulus cloud makes

the shape of a grizzly bear standing on hishind legs. The translators, each with radiantsmiles, orchestrate the familiar sequence ofmovement – pranayama (breathingexercises), sun salute, asanas, and finalrelaxation. The sun blasts down, anadjustment is offered, a demonstration isshared. The inner body is nurtured andawakened. Asanas are a love affair with themovement of energy, the movement of thebody, the connection with a creator and the

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

Shaping Yoga Teachersthe Sivananda WayBy Jody Tyler

Siromani

Awareness of the bodydisappears along withall sense of time andspace. One’s heightenedinvolvement becomes acommunion with thatwhich never changes - the soul.

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stilling of the mind. It is the ultimate in holyretreat. Awareness of the body disappearsalong with all sense of time and space. One’sheightened involvement becomes acommunion with that which never changes-the soul. As the mind begins to reconnectwith its body and the eyes slowly open, theair smells sweeter, colors are even morevibrant, and appreciation prevails - for theclass, for the transformed sensations, andfor brunch. Soups, salads, rice, casseroles,tea and cookies. All vegetarian, all organicand mostly all delicious. Enough, always, foran army of seekers. The food is fresh andprepared in selfless service by the lovinghands of guests, students, staff and culinaryguru, Ben. While Laurie’s ‘karma’ yoga is bellringing, others are assigned work in thekitchen, chopping, serving, or washingdishes. An enormous circle is formed aroundthe dining room, hands are held, and ablessing of the food is enthusiastically sung.The view from the large picnic tables ispanoramic. The mountains and ever-revealing sky provide an inspiring backdrop.Friendships are sealed through livelyconversation - laughter, tears, heartyhugs. For many the bonds becomerooted, tested and strengthenedduring meals and karma yoga. At11.00am sharp, a crew of twentypile into a pickup truck headedfor the mountain top to helpcomplete a timber staircase thatwinds its way back down to main Camp.Some scrub floors, windows and toilets.Others tend to gardens, work in reception orcomplete a variety of other chores. Karmayoga is at the heart of the Camp and afoundation of the Sivananda philosophy. Byoffering selfless service one discoverslimitless opportunities to learn a skill whileobserving and tweaking one’s ownattitudes. Chris, a TTC student from Londonsays, “The real challenge for me is tomaintain a positive attitude - to stay openand connected to what I’m doing and to thepeople I’m with. For me, an hour of hardwork everyday is a real test because everybutton gets pushed.” Laurie rings the bellat 11.45am. Time to take a quick refreshingswim, fill the water jug and get back to theyoga hall for lessons from the BhagavadGita. Swami Durgananda has a mischievoussmile and a twinkle in her eyes. The scholar-turned-comedienne pokes fun at ourintense and full schedule, comparing it to aspa and assuring us that we’ll be missing itwhen we get home. Obviously sensitive tothe energy level of her audience, she fills theroom with fun, laughter and sincerity. It is amuch-recognized and appreciated breakfrom the fierce note-taking of previous

days. With the timing of a pro, shecommunicates the lessons to be learned.She shares a bit of herself and why she lovesthe Gita so much. “It’s about a war thatevery person alive fights at one time oranother. It is the dynamic tension betweenthe higher self and the lower self. Theanswers are all in this book.” A quickshower, a nap and a trip to the laundryroom. Hassles, joys, sorrows, frustration, allthere for the taking. At 1.45pm Laurie ringsthe bell. The hour break leads into the2.00pm lecture given by SwamiSwaroopananda. “Today we are going to talkabout the three Gunas. Rajas consists ofrestless creative energy. Sattva consists ofinvigorated yet peaceful energy. Tamas islazy and resistant to change and is attachedto illusion. We all bring to any situation allthree of these qualities in varying degrees.Each veils the truth. Are you with me?” Hislecture is dense and intellectual. He wastesno time. His love for learning andknowledge is profound and his standard, asa teacher, is inspiring and demanding. Most

realize that he teaches the AdvancedTeachers’ Training Course and is a keymotivator for taking the additional month-long program. “The rajasic student is willingto discuss any subject without personalexperience. Rajasic religions claim “My Godis best, my religion is best, and my belief isbest”; much like believing the tulips to besupreme over all other flowers in thegarden. The sattvic student wants spiritualexperience, not only theories. The sattvicreligions appreciate beauty in all religions.The tamasic student makes the teacher’s lifemiserable, loving to argue only for the sakeof argument. The tamasic person’s religiouslife is impure and destructive.” Laurie runs toring the 3.45pm bell in preparation for the4.00pm asana class. Today two students ineach group of six teach the class. Someteach with notes in hand, some withunusually hushed voices, still others withlong explanations. All are eager to be theirown personal best, which means, in theSivananda tradition, consciously puttingone’s ego aside, acknowledging one’steachers and serving as their instrument.This cornerstone creates an environmentfree of competition and openness tofeedback, whether from a peer or fromSwami Sivadasananda, the asana teacher

for this TTC. He is extremely focused, yetchildlike and whimsical. He loves to laughand enjoys poking fun at himself. He is askilled yogi and teacher. “You all are gainingexperience as teachers and are much moreconfident today. Can you feel it? The benefitof yoga comes from breathing, relaxing, andexperiencing the proper position of theasana. Remember to teach mostly withwords, and make very few adjustments -especially with beginners. Let me show you.”He wishes to demonstrate the form of anadvanced position and finds that he is notable to extend as fully as he would like. Heasks a volunteer to go into the pose. Bypermitting himself to be seen as imperfectin the process, humility, a subtle andpowerful value of the Sivananda yogapractice, is conveyed. The dinner bell hasechoed. Another feast, no doubt. A crowdgathers around Swami Sivadasananda,each hoping to have a question answered ora comment heard. Others make their waydown the path, through the hugeevergreens, into the clearing that leads tothe lodge where dinner is served. Themusicians gather around the piano to singBroadway favorites. The food line movesfast. It is difficult not to overeat. Theboutique is filled with browsers searchingthrough CDs, spiritual books, clothing fromIndia and assorted Sivananda yoga wear.The adjacent snack shop has remedies for asweet tooth, as well as fruits, chips andsmoothies. The after-dinner line is long andthe two couches are already occupied. Anart portfolio is shared. An original poem isrecited. A tearful teenager is consoled by acaring friend, a foot is massaged over anarm of the couch and a carefree childchants joyfully. The Sivananda communityis a collage of people from all over theworld. It is ageless, heart-centered, hardworking and remarkably simple. Thiscommunity was the vision of SwamiSivananda, an Indian medical doctor whodevoted his life to the teachings of classicalyoga. He established his first Ashram inRishikesh, India in 1924. Twenty-five yearslater he inspired Swami Vishnu-devananda,his disciple, to go to the United States andCanada, exposing the western mind to yoga.Wasting no time and with no money, SwamiVishnu-devananda convinced a Canadianbank to loan him enough to purchase sixhundred acres of land north of Montreal, inthe Laurentian mountains. This is now theSivananda Ashram Yoga Camp at Val Morin.Swami Vishnu-devananda was the forcebehind centers opening in Montreal, NewYork, the Bahamas and most major citiesthroughout the western world. He was aholy man, a writer, adventurer, innovator,

SH A P I N G YO G A TE A C H E R S T H E S I V A N A N D A WAY

Hassles, joys, sorrows, frustration,all there for the taking.

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thinker and teacher. He was charismatic, drawing people to himworld wide and from all walks of life. Swamis and yogateachers still pay tribute to him daily. Having left his body in1993, his guiding influence continues through the leadershipof the executive board (consisting of swamis he trained) andthe Teachers’ Training Course, offered annually in India, theUnited States (California and New York) Canada, the Bahamasand Austria. This July’s 1999 graduating class contained the10,000th student to earn the Sivananda Yoga teachingcertificate, a life affirmingmilestone that holds morepersonal significance, formany, than other dis -tinguished credentials. Laurierings the 7.45pm bell.Tonight has been designateda silent meditation walk. Alarge group gathers at theentrance to the Camp.Gayatri announces that shewill be leading the walk andthat all should focus themind on the breath and themantra during the next hour.She begins the trek down thesteep road that leads tothe bridge that leads tothe mountain lake. Mostmove together andresist the temptationto talk. From silencemuch is noticed -crisp fresh air, sweetfragrant honeysuckle,blossoms bursting with color, steam rising from the winding river,the hollow call of a loon perhaps welcoming uninvited guests whohave appeared at her doorstep. The group is seated on the bank ofthe lake meditating. Then the chanting begins. The reflection of themountains in the water dims as dusk wins. Gayatri leads the groupback to Camp. The pace is slow. People engage in varied discussions.It’s late and morning comes early. The group winds down their

conversation and wanders offto bed. It has been a full day. Tomorrow will be the same butdifferent. It holds a promise of more of a good thing, more of aworthwhile, fun and wise way of life. Except for the croaking frogand the occasional mosquito buzz, all is quiet. The stars shine brightwhich means a sunny day tomorrow. In a flash, the morning bellrings and it’s time to begin again

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

July 1999’s graduating class honored the10,000th Sivananda Yoga teacher.

Swami Vishnu-devananda was a holy man, awriter, adventurer, innovator, thinker and teacher.

He was charismatic, drawing people to him world-wide and from all walks of life.

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In the well-known Bhagavad-Gitasection of the Mahabharata, Krishnaelaborates a view of duty and actionintended to convince Arjuna that, as a

member of the warrior caste, he mustovercome all his doubts and take up armseven against his relatives. As anyonefamiliar with India's epics knows, martialarts have existed on the South Asiansubcontinent since antiquity. Both epics arefilled with scenes describing how theprincely heroes obtain and use theirhumanly or divinely acquired skills andpowers to defeat their enemies: by trainingin martial techniques under the tutelage ofgreat gurus like the brahmin master Drona,by practicing austerities and meditationtechniques which give access to subtlepowers, and/or by receiving a divine gift orboon. The ideal heroic warrior is the"unsurpassable" Arjuna. He was trainedboth in martial techniques as well aspracticing severe austerities to obtainaccess to single-point focus and subtlepowers. Along with Manipuri thang-ta,Kerala's kalarippayattu is one of twocomplete systems of martial practice stillextant and practiced in South Asia today.For the past twenty three years I havetrained, practiced, and taught this fluid,dynamic, and powerful form of martial artwhich is based on both a yogicunderstanding of the body and bodymind,as well as on Ayurveda's complementaryunderstanding of them as well. Primarilyunder the tutelage of GurukkalGovindankutty Nayar of the CVN Kalari,

Thiruvananthapuram, and C.MohammedSherif of Kannur, I have learned andabsorbed a style of traditionalkalarippayattu which emphasizes, likeArjuna, the active, energetic means ofdisciplining and "harnessing" (yuj, the rootof yoga) both one's body and mind, i.e., Ihave learned and absorbed kalarippayattuas a form of moving meditation. Ascomparative religions scholar Mircea Eliadeexplains, "One always finds a form of yogawhenever there is a question ofexperiencing the sacred or arriving atcomplete mastery of oneself..." Drawing onboth the antique systems of Tamil(Dravidian) martial culture, as well as theSanskritic Dhanur Vedic tradition,kalarippayattu had emerged with itsdistinctive basic forms and traditions bythe 12th century A.D. Like theancient warriors trained inDhanur Veda, the kalarippayattupractitioner who has masteredthe basic psychophysiologicalforms of his discipline therebyconcentrates his "mind,eyes, and inner vision,"thereby "conqueringeven the god ofd e a t h . "

Through the psychophysiological forms ofdaily practice, the martial artist grad -ually discovers and controls the innerenergy/breath (prana-vayu), gains mentalpower (manasakti), manifests one-pointfocus and complete doubtlessness,discovers and raises the innerenergy/power of kundalini sakti, and is ableto channel and use this energy and powerfor healing in massage therapies, or forharming an opponent in combat. As intraditional yoga practice, knowledge of thebodymind begins with the physical or grossbody (sthula-sarira), discoveredthrough exercises and massage.The exercises include a vast array

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

Practicing kalarippayattu, the martial/meditation art of

Kerala, South India

MAKING THE BODY ALL EYES

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By Phillip B. Zarrilli

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Nof poses, steps, jumps, kicks, and leg movements performed inincreasingly complex combinations back and forth across the floor ofthe training space (a kalari or pit dug in the earth). Collectively theseexercises are considered a "body art". Individual body exercisesequences (meippayattu) are taught one by one, and every studentmasters basic forms before moving on to more complex and difficultsequences. Most important is mastery of the basic poses (vadivu),named after animals and comparable to basic asanas of yoga, andmastery of steps (cuvadu) by which one moves into and out of theposes. The body exercise sequences are linked combinations of basicbody movements including poses, steps, kicks, a variety of jumps andturns, and coordinated hand/arm movements performed inincreasingly complex and swift succession back and forth across thekalari. Gurukkal P.K. Balan explained to me the importance of theanimal poses: "When any animal fights, it uses its whole body. Thismust also be true in kalarippayattu. For example, the horse is an animalwhich concentrates all its powers centrally, and it can run fast byjumping up. The same pause, preparation for jumping, and forwardmovement that are in a horse are in the 'horse pose' in kalarippayattu."The vigorous practice of basic exercises, combined with the completesystem of full-body massage given with the master's feet as well ashands, renders the body supple, flexible, balanced, and controlled. Indaily practice, "the sweat of the students are the water to wash thekalari floor!" Chirakkal T. Balakrishnan describes the results ofpracticing one form (pakarcakkal) as "like a bee circling a flower. Whiledoing this sequence a person first moves forward and back, and thenagain forward and back. It should be done like a spider weaving its

web!" Repetitious practiceof these outer forms eventually renders

the external body flexible(meivalakkam), and, as one

master said, "flowing like ariver." As master AchuthanGurukkal explained, "one-point focus is developed byconstant practice of correctform in exercises." "Correctform" includes directing

one's external focus to a specific point atthe opposite end of the training space,and eventually internalizing that focusso that it becomes "internal" as well asexternal. Once the physical eye issteadied, the student begins to discoverthe "inner eye" of practice, a state ofinner connection to practice. Behind

the fluid grace of the gymnastic forms is the strength and power ofmovement which can, when necessary, be applied with lightning-fastspeed and precision in potentially deadly attacks, or for healing."Hidden" within all the preliminary exercises and basic poses arecomplex combinations of offensive and defensive applications whichare eventually learned through constant practice. Students areeventually introduced to weapons’ training, beginning with the long-staff, and continuing with a short stick, daggers, swords and shields,spears, maces, and then empty-hand combat. Eventually a studentshould begin to manifest physical, mental, and behavioral signsresulting from practice. At first the exercises are "that which isexternal." But like hatha yoga, daily practice of the forms leads toextraordinary physical control, and eventually inward – the exercisesbecome "that which is internal." One master explained that "first arethe outer forms, then the inner secrets." Exercises and weapons’ formsare repeated until the student sufficiently embodies the "inner life"(bhava) of the technique, i.e., until the correct form gets "inside" thestudent's bodymind. Once the forms are "effortless," one experiencesthe "inner action" behind the external form. Even thoughkalarippayattu "from the outside" looks very much like a dynamic andvery physically demanding physical form of training/practice, as myprimary teacher, Gurukkal Govindankutty Nayar explained,"kalarippayattu is 80% mental and only the remainder is physical." The80% mental is further developed through a variety of forms ofmeditation including everything from simple vratam – sitting andfocusing one's mind on a deity, name chanting, or focusing on one'sown breath – to more complex forms of moving or stationarymeditation. Ideally, the practice of kalarippayattu gives physical healthas well as balancing the body's three humors. The mental calmresulting from practice gives one "mental courage" (manodhairyam),

i.e., the power to face anything that is dangerous to my health ormind. In Kerala, there is a folk expression which summarizes the

martial art's ideal state of accomplishment – a state wherethe "body becomes all eyes." In this state the bodymind

responds intuitively to the sensory environment. It is theanimal-bodymind in which there is unmediated,

uncensored, immediate responsivity to stimuli.Like Brahma, the "thousand-eyed," the

practitioner who is accomplished can "see"everywhere around him, and respond. In my own

teaching and practice of kalarippayattu, I emphasize allof these traditional elements and concepts which inform

this unique, yoga/Ayurveda-based system of bodymind workfrom Kerala, India. I invite you to consider taking this training asa complement to the practice of yoga and Ayurveda eitherin one of my intensive workshops or weekly training(in London or at my West Waleskalari/studio). As I complete writing thisshort essay, I hope to open my owntraditional kalari in Llanarth, West Walesduring this year where traditionaltraining and massage will take place onan earth floor

MA K I N G T H E BO DY AL L EY E S

Like the ancient warriors trained in DhanurVeda, the kalarippayattu practitioner who has

mastered the basic psychophysiological forms ofhis discipline thereby concentrates his "mind,eyes, and inner vision," thereby "conquering

even the god of death."

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NContact information:

P. Zarrilli57B Herne Hill Rd., London SE24 0AXTel: 0171-326 5196

Tyn-y-parc, Llanarth SA4 70PBTel: 01545-580376email: P.Zarrilli@surrey.ac.uk

47

Detachment - true and false

If we do not practice meditation, nochange will come. We will remain withour mind, dwelling in the past and inthe future. There will be a lot of

tension because we are not doinganything about our mind. When we go ona yoga vacation, we leave our home withjust one suitcase feeling as free as a bird.When we return, our whole life comesback to us as soon as we put the key in thedoor. We look in our cupboards, at ourties, shirts and shoes. We decide to put

everything into a big bag and give it to the Red Cross. Then, as soonas the next pay check comes, we go up and down the shopping mallwith our credit card in hand and comeback home laden with many bags. Of course, this is not the way tochange. Reduce wants and desiresslowly. If we have twenty shirts, reducethe number to eighteen, then to sixteen.Detachment has to go along with our own inner experience. If ourmind and heart are not practicing detachment and dispassion, ourcredit card will not be able to handle it. Real detachment is still havingthe objects but with a feeling of indifference towards them. We mustnot change too much externally. Whatever life presents to us, weshould try to accept. This is real detachment. If we can do somethingabout it, we should do it; but if nothing can be done, we must acceptwhat we have. The same applies to our body. If the body does not havethe same curves that we see in the magazines, and we’ve tried all thediets, then we have to accept it as it is. God wants us to be that way.We should not be happy about it but then nor should we be unhappy.We should just feel content. Giving up material things is relatively easy.But to be natural and free, to be oneself, is the highest detachment. Swami Vishnu-devananda trained yoga teachers, first in their personalpractice and secondly in sharing yoga with others. When you stand infront of a yoga class you are really sharing yourself. You worry aboutwhat people will say. It is a very high training in detachment. Maybesome of you work in companies and have to give talks. But at work,you can hide behind a role. Just being yourself is more difficult.Practice with your friends and colleagues, be honest and don’t makeany show. Detach yourself from false identification. If you arepracticing this in your sadhana you will advance well in your evolution.You will have to reflect daily on your actions. First try to simplify yourlife and move towards a purer life style. The next step is to detachyourself from your ego-identification. This means you continue withwhat you are doing, you do your best, but you don’t identify yourselfwith the actions. Be yourself, full of love, patience and respect.Swami Sivananda says that viveka (discrimination) and vairagya(detachment) are the two main sadhanas, those which you willcontinue to practice until the end of your life. This is because themind is constantly moving, the ego is going through newexperiences and is waiting at every moment to catch you.

Accepting the TeacherFor someone starting on the spiritual path, it is absolutely necessaryto have a teacher, otherwise we will not find our way through theforest of life. The teacher can come in disguise, he is not alwaysapparent. When I met Swami Vishnu-devananda, I thought: “well, I

have seen better ones”. I was arrogant and ignorant. I had already seenmany teachers. The day I met Swamiji, he was very tired. He had justreturned to California from India, suffering from jetlag. He gave alecture that same day which did not impress me. But afterwards, whenI saw how he was dealing with people on a personal level, with suchlove, this I will never forget. It was very simple. Swamiji put themicrophone aside and spoke to the students and staff : “How are youall? You want some pizza and ice-cream?” The way he said it meltedthe heart. It was so personal and at the same time not too personal, itwas pure love. There was no barrier in the way Swamiji treatedstudents. After the pizza and the ice-cream, everyone sat together onthe floor chatting away. It was like a family. It was that love whichreally caught me, not the knowledge. That true love, that honestywithout games, that purity, this is what we need in the guru. He givesyou the inspiration and impetus to carry on. The ego is always ready

to come out and grab you. Dishonestyis waiting at every corner. It is because

of that love that I decided to stay withSwami Vishnu-devananda. I went to him

and said, “I would like to stay here.” Helooked at me and said, “Welcome to the

family!” He gave me a big hug, like only amother or father can give.

Sharing the ExperienceSwamiji had a vision in 1969. Such a vision is not a dream, nor is it adesire. Saints can project their vision into the future. Swamiji was avisionary. He saw that the whole world was going to be on fire. Now,there are some parts of this world which are literally on fire. Even if, inour part of the world, we are all right, it is an illusion to think, “Oh, ifwe are OK and not on fire, the rest of the world will not be on fireeither.” Swamiji reflected: “What can I do ? What can one man do ?”He remembered his guru, Swami Sivananda who used to sit by theRiver Ganges meditating, doing asanas and pranayama, and radiatingjoy. People would say, “How do you create this joy?” Swami Sivanandawould reply, “Come and stay with me.” Swami Vishnu-devananda alsowanted to know who this man was, this man who said, “An ounce ofpractice is better than tons of theory!” He soon saw that the Masterwas only teaching what he was practicing. The Master was in effectteaching what we now call our Yoga Teachers’ Training Course, whichat that time Master called the Yoga Vedanta Forest Academy. Aftergoing through this training, one acquired a thorough understandingof yoga, as one does now in our current four-week course. Swamijiremembered what his Master did, and this was how the present YogaTeachers’ Training Course started. It has a pure motive: to bring peaceto each individual. Once you are peaceful, your husband or wife ispeaceful, your children are peaceful. When the family is peaceful youcan work peacefully, without greed, anger and jealousy; there will be apeaceful environment. The peace spreads from person to person, likecells dividing and multiplying. One person can touch thousands ofpeople. This was one of Swamiji’s greatest ideas for promoting peacein the world. If we teach yoga with this motive, we will carry spirituality within.Spirituality means we do not think only of ourselves, but of others. Thismotive to carry on the peace of the world in the midst of fire is mostimportant. Nobody will recognize your work. Swamiji used to call it thehighest yoga: ‘Bear insult, bear injury.’ We learn to serve others withoutbeing attached to the fruit of our actions. This way we find peace. ThePeace Movement is to give, purely and simply

YOGAL i fe Winter 2000

Swami Durgananda

Whatever life presents to us, we shouldtry to accept. This is real detachment.

Thoughts on a Yogic Life