- Acharya Mahaprajna There is unrest in the world, the basic reason
for it being the acceptance of matter and denial of the soul. Yet other
reason is acceptance of attachment and hatred and denial of freedom from
passion. If we want would peace, let us first salute the soul and the one
who is passionless. The task of peace-making requires
not people representing state power or economic might, but people who
believe in self-restraint, peace, and peace. Others who are engaged in
talking about peace and the way of achieving it are powers in possession of
nuclear weapons. Their talking of peace can be justified if they do so with
a pure heart. But how significant peace talks will be if those involved are
people who have neither nuclear weapons and who are both victims and agents
of fear cannot promote world peace despite holding any number of conference
and seminars, and turning out books after books and report after reports. Acharya Tusi launched the Anuvarat
Movement, a movement aimed at ushering in, and promoting, the values of
morality. This is recogniazed by all, but one essential point has gone
neglected so far. It is that the Anuvrat Movement is a new alternative means
to achieve world peace. Its basic principles are that life is nothing but
“self-restraint”. We strongly believe that no conferences and seminars, and
turning out books after books and reports. Acharya Tulsi launched the Anuvrat
Movement, a movement aimed at ushering in, and promoting, the values of
morality. This is recognized by all, but one essential point has gone
neglected so far. It is that the Anuvrat Movement is a new alternative means
to achieve world peace. Its basic principle is that life is nothing but
"self-restraint." We strongly believe that no conferences or discussions on
world peace can successful without imbibing those above principles. It needs
profound thinking. The present concept of peace is
based merely on wars and post-war agreements. We get embroiled in them
whenever question of peace and unrest are raised. In fact, they are
consequences .We wants to hold on to consequences and to undo the
consequences. We never pay attention to the basic cause. The consequences
can never be done away with, without knowing the cause. You cannot destroy
the consequence; you can only destroy the cause of the consequence. With it
cause eliminated, the consequence will be automatically extirpated. The first and foremost reason for
the unrest in the world is that our education system is defective. The
present – day education does not teach how to control one's emotions. An
education system which does not teach how to control emotions and impulses
always keeps open the danger of wars and unrest. Individuals as products of
such a system neither themselves live in peace, nor let other live in peace.
Therefore we must first examine the entire education system before we talk
or world peace. The second danger to world peace
is the notion of development. No limit has been set to development. Nations,
organization, and business establishments are proceeding on the assumption
that there is no limit to development – no limit, restriction, or attempt to
strike a balance of any kind. This concept of unlimited development is
giving rise to innumerable problems and causing alarm bells to ring. The third cause of world unrest is
pollution of the environment. Here the problem is fewer goods and more
consumers. The first principle of a pure environment is, "consume less since
goods are limited." But today consumerism is fast increasing, it sound
paradoxical to talk or world peace. We are simply at a loss to understand
its grave consequences. Let me relate a small tale. A car was proceeding towards a
traffic constable at a crossroads, who signaled the driver to stop it. The
latter said, "Why?" The constable replied," you are driving without lights."
The driver said, "Keep away unless you want to be killed, since the car has
no brakes either." How dangerous can a car without
lights and brakes be? Today our defective education system too seems to have
got into a similar condition. It has neither endowed us with insight (inner
light), nor has it equipped us with the ability to control emotions
(brakes). No wonder, present-day individuals can be highly dangerous. Is it
appropriate to talk about world peace under these conditions? ANUVARAT AND WORLD Peace can be anew
alternative before the world. Atomic bombs and world peace has been the
subject of massive discussions. Now there is new preposition or hypothesis
before the world –atomic vows (Anuvart or small vows) and world peace. There
should be no doubt that there can be no world peace without observing the
principle of restraint put forward by Anuvrat. We wear a mask. Some people
think that it might be a cover to hide oral surgery. But it is a symbol of
restraint. I want to suggest that let all those inclined to discuss world
peace use this mask at least for an hour a let them put out a message that
other people should use it too. We want to establish peace through
restraint. Number of conferences, take out rallies, undertake long travels,
and organize occasions the mask so that it may symbolically tell the people
that you dream of world peace shall not be realized merely through
discussion, speeches, and other forms of deliberation. All efforts to usher
in world peace will be futile as long as people have no faith in restraint
on our speech. Unrestrained speech becomes a major cause of unrest. Very
often people cause provocation simply by using unrestrained language. Are we
entitled to talk about world peace even when we have no control on our
speech and mind and if we are overambitious? We put no restraint on the good
s we consume. Will it be possible to keep talking about world peace even
when we are at the same time trying to dominate the markets? In view of all
these things, I believe that man committed to nonviolence is truly a symbol
of self-restraint. And it is only a symbol self-restraint which will be a
symbol of world peace. People having faith in world peace and use it when
ever the occasion relates to world peace. It will appear to be surprising,
curious, and new, but it will help us promote our line of thinking. We will also have to consider a
new question for attaining world peace. Shall we take recourse to science or
spirituality? Science is making available to us many things. In fact,
Science has become so dominant that we call the present the age of science.
Shall we seek refuge in science? Shall we seek refuge in spiritually which
has no arms or weapons, swords, or atomic bombs to boast of? It has only the
felling of unity with all beings, the feeling that impels us, to treat all
others as one would treat oneself – the feeling of equality – which is true
spiritually. The enlightened intellectuals of today shall make use of
science, but shall not seek refuge in it. We will have to seek refuge in
spirituality if we really want world peace. It is not utilization, but
practical to do so. Therefore let us first decide what we shall put to use
and what we shall seek refuge in. There are nine questions relating
to world peace. I have prepared a written statement on the m. Apart from
that what I wan to discuss is how useful our discussion on world peace will
be and what its outcome will be. I am faced with its question also. Since I
know its true answer, I want to present a different point of view before
you. The United Nations was conceived after the Second World War and the
organization came into being. People ideologically opposed to each other sit
together there, deliberate on common matters, and try to solve the problems
of the world. If nations believing in violence and the power of arms can sit
together and deliberate, is it not necessary that all those individuals and
organizations believing in morality, restraint, nonviolence, and world peace
get together and establish and organization where they sit together to
discuss the problem of violence, immorality, and unrest, and find a new way
of solving it, so that their voice becomes so loud and compelling that even
believers in violence may have to think afresh I want to further clarify the
above point. The contemplated organization shall not belong to any religion
or sect. In fact, it will not at all discuss matters connected with sects
and religions. It should address itself to nonviolence, world peace, and
universal moral values, and eventually emerge as a third force. We have
economic power and state power; we should now build moral power. In the
absence of the third, the other two powers are becoming arbitrarily
irresponsible. There is nothing to control them. On their basis, head of
state some fifty to a hundreds people, wielding power, decide the fate of
the world among themselves, they have no humanitarian concerns at all.
Therefore there is all the more need for developing a third force. Without
it the dream of world peace shall not be realized. For once, we should
overlook arms and wars while discussing world peace or not? Is there peace
in the family or not? Is there peace in the nation or not? First the
individual, then the family, then the community and the nation, and finally,
the world ahs to be considered in relation to peace. On the contrary, we
directly go to world peace and overlook all other stages. It may not be
termed a folly but it cannot be said to be wisdom either and, as result,
world peace will not be able to be established. CHANAKYA HAS BEEN a very great Indian
policeman. at that time it was the Nand dynasty which ruled and the war was
on . Chanakya once went to a village and stayed with an old woman. At meal
time the old woman served a dish made of mixture of boiled pulse and rice.
Chanakya thrust his hand in the bowl full of boiling pulse and rice.
Chanakya thrust his hand in the bowl full of boiling hot mixture and scalded
it .The old woman said, "You seen to be a foolish as Chanakya. " Chanakya
asked, "How am foolish like Chanakya, you should have begun eating the
mixture at the middle would have cooled. Your put your hand straight into
middle of the boiling mixture an therefore your hand was scalded. This is
exactly what Chanakya is doing. Nand Empire is so big and Chanakya
repeatedly attacks its capital Pataliputra in the heart of the empire and is
defeated every time. If he had begun overrunning small border villages and
held attached patliputra only after gaining adequate strength and expanding
his army, it would have been a wise step. Are all those talking about world
peace today not foolish, like Chanakya? They come straight to nuclear
weapons like Chanakya thrusting his hand right in the middle of boiling
pulse-rice mixture. We should start from the margins- from the peace of the
individual and gradually we should start from the margins – from the peace
of individual and gradually we should extend it to the whole world. But we
ignore the margins, are drawn into the vortex of problems, and end up
gaining nothing and harming the cause. I would like to tell all my
peace-loving brothers to forget world peace for once and talk about our own
peace. Anuvrat does not talk directly of world peace. It is an exercise in
the power of resolution. It awakens he power to resolve. Let us all talk
about developing the power of resolution. We need not discuss world peace at
conference. We should better talk about the first brick to be laid for
building the grand mansion of world peace. One can build a home without a
foundation, but it will be a dangerous structure. We should talk about the
basic foundation. We should begin with our own individual power. For that it
is necessary that we try to understand the basic idea of Anuvrat, that is,
we should first of all try to develop our power of resolution. Anuvrat has formulated a few basic
principles to ensure world peace:
- I will not kill any innocent creature.
- I will not indulge in inessential violence.
- I will not attack anyone.
- I will not support the aggressive mentality.
- I will not behave cruelly with any man or other living being.
I have no hesitation in saying that man today
behaves much more cruelly towards living beings than ever before. How many
frogs, rats, and other animals are being killed in the name of scientific
investigations. Similarly millions of mute animals are being killed for the
sake of safeguarding human health. Such mind- boggling cruelty is being
perpetrated to save man. Will these cruel acts succeed in saving man?
Man will not be saved by cruelty. On the other hand, cruelty will grow
increasingly and men will kill one anther. Abandoning cruel behavior is the
basic principle of world peace. In the light of anuvrat, world peace can
be based on the following two resolves:
(i) I will set a limit to
individual possessions.
(ii) I will set a limit to the
consumption of goods.
I will ask just one question: Can my brothers
be ready to accept the above vows Anuvrat? Norway is a very affluent nation.
Will it be possible there to limit individual possession and consumption? By accepting these vows, you would
be able to tell people that you have the strength, whereby you would be able
to promote the cause of world peace.Source: Gandhi Marg January–March 1999
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