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World Peace Summit, Bratislava

The summit addresses achieving peace for the individual and society. Religious conflict is a global problem, from the Middle East to Kashmir. The solution is recognizing one God beyond all theories. Peace is a dynamic state requiring constant work to maintain equilibrium. Conferences foster synergy, but intellectual talk must give way to transformative action that changes the human heart. True peace spreads through personal transformation and living as examples of non-violence. Respect for all cultures and building relationships as family are essential. The goal is positive action, moving from theory to a contagious, lived experience of unity.

"Peace is a dynamic thing; it is not static."

"Solutions through love, not through conflict."

Filming locations: Bratislava, Slovakia.

This Sixth World Peace Summit, organized by the International Yoga and Daily Life Society—founded and initiated by Madhavānandajī Mahārāj Purī—has been successful in every way. All invited dignitaries have made clear to the masses how peace can be achieved, both for the individual and for society at large. For everyone present, including myself, to be here at this summit brings me great satisfaction, happiness, and honor. I feel honored by the invitation from the council and my respected brother, Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Śrī Svāmī Maheśvarānanda Purījī Mahārāj. My wish and message is this: if the media telecasts and highlights this program to the world, to the masses, then I am sure most people will gain a new understanding of life. They will then live peacefully, for themselves and for others. I wish the best for this summit. Good luck to everyone. Salutations to the cosmic light, the Lord of our hearts, omniscient and omnipresent. In His divine presence, you have all said so many good things, and we have received many messages and articles, such as from His Excellency the President of the Republic of Croatia, the Parliament of Slovakia, and the former President of the Czech Republic, Śrī Śrī… Yesterday, Baba Jain said, "Swamiji, your dream can only be fulfilled." Indeed, all the different religious leaders before addressed the problem of religious conflict—the very problem Mahātmā Gandhījī faced. This is the problem in the Middle East, the problem ongoing in Kashmir, and the conflict among different beliefs and faiths. You have not experienced many wars, especially the last one. The same problem exists in America and in Africa. The greatest service or wish is for religion under one name. There are not one god or two gods; there is only one God. Ekobrahma Duttiyanastra. And that is why, my beloved masters, we must move beyond theory. Tons of theories are of no comparison. Again, remember, thanks be here. Welcome. Your book, which has already inspired millions of people, contains wonderful thoughts and guidelines. Life proceeds. Realize, renounce this now. Cease. Enter the kingdom of the Lord. The second deed: renounce this. But your needs have no limitations. If there is no contentment in your heart—for those who are slaves to their senses, slaves to their desires, slaves to their wishes—a slave cannot be happy even in a dream. One who rises above all this desires samīkṣā and begins to join. Respect for every culture is paramount. The mission of the East is something only we can find. This morning, I have learned a lot from all of you. So many words from Gandhiji that you quoted were new to me. And Rambhu, thank you very much. I think you understood yoga and daily life more than I do. But yoga is… Swāmījī, as you know, is a most important spiritual leader in our troubled world. I am very proud to call him my dear friend. The role of religious leaders in assisting this balance should not be underestimated. I have traveled throughout the Indian countryside, a great honor I have had in Swāmījī’s presence. When you do that, you cannot ignore or deny the deep spiritual psyche. When I am here in India, I realize in a stark manner how much Western society has lost the meaning of being human. The Upaniṣads say: even if you are a doctor, without sound sleep, you are no longer a doctor. Without sound sleep, you are no longer a father or mother. In sound sleep, all Hindu religions are on hold. This is what we submit. The presence of all the Slovakian responsibilities… What emerged from this conference is, above all, a synergy. It is a group of people who all share a common goal: world peace. How can we make it like a fever, so it becomes contagious? Then more and more people, millions if not billions, will catch that fever. Mahāprabhujīp Karatā He Kevalam, Mahāprabhujīp Karatā. To work for peace. Peace is a dynamic thing; it is not static. If you have a situation of peace—which is not the normal situation historically—it is always changing. Therefore, we, the people, have to work very hard to constantly maintain a harmonious equilibrium. In this case, I think this type of summit is very necessary. It is only by coming together regularly, uniting as an interfaith group, that we can talk about and find solutions for a positive outcome for our world. The main outcome, in my opinion, from this peace conference this weekend, is the need for positive, affirmative action. We attend many conferences around the world, yet we are still not nearing peace. Our problem of violence is still growing. We are better educated. We have more democracies now than before. And still, there is no hope that violence will diminish. In this sense, looking at this conference, I feel there are two parts to it. One part is the intellectual part, represented by many different speakers from different parts of the country and world. There is another part, and that part belongs exclusively to Swāmījī and his disciples. If you look at these disciples, nobody is violent. Now, as Swāmījī holds this conference in different countries every year, this message of non-violence and peace is going deeper and deeper, at least in this part of the world, say Eastern Europe. This approach of changing the human individual is very important. If you speak in theories, in grand, ornamented language, it cannot touch anybody’s heart. I saw a great transformation: people had been sitting for more than ten hours, yet at the end of the day, they were full of energy. Even then, they were still wanting more; they were yearning for more. I think that in itself says everything. I could see the light in their eyes; they truly wanted to do something. Solutions through love, not through conflict. That, I think, is the most important message we can give to the youth today, who are the destiny of tomorrow. That things can be resolved not through violence and war, but through love and reconciliation. That, indeed, is the message of the Mahātmā, Mahatma Gandhi, whom we regard as the father of our nation. We are very proud that his message is being recognized in the world today and that the United Nations has declared October 2nd as the International Day of Non-Violence. Thank you. After a very successful world peace conference in Croatia, where we planted beautiful peace trees, this is now the third conference in the capital city of Slovakia, Bratislava. There, we also planted a wonderful peace tree in a beautiful park with the mayor of Bratislava. It is one of the most beautiful recreation places where all the citizens go. We held a conference with many dignitaries, which was very successful, and they asked to have such conferences in their countries. We have already received an invitation to hold the next World Peace Conference in Wellington, New Zealand, in 2008. The Governor of New Zealand and the Mayor of Wellington are willing to host this conference, and we have accepted the invitation. A representative from New Zealand, Mr. Nagin Patel, received the peace light at the conclusion of this conference. The media was very kind, and the programs were wonderful. All in all, it was very positive and a great success. The speakers were excellent, especially as it marked the 100 years of Satyāgraha of Mahātmā Gandhījī, and we saw a Gandhi film. It was beautiful. We also had cultural programs from various countries. Artists came, including from India, and a large group came singing folk songs. These are examples of merging into oneness. We are very thankful, especially to Europe, because even now you essentially have more teaching of the culture of Jesus. The Christian tradition is very important. We talk about being bridge builders, able to connect with other cultures and religions. Swāmījī has this incredible ability and great gift from God to be a bridge builder, not only with other religions but, as we see more and more, importantly… Mahāprabhujīp Karatā Mahāprabhujīp Karatā… see and perceive. What we are learning here… but we should learn the education, the teaching of the Buddha. We are taught from the very beginning; we have university education. Universities? When you see an elderly person, about twenty years older than you, you should say, "Hello, Mother, Māṭājī." Why? She is not your mother. But the background for this is that it creates a relation. Mother and child: she will see you as a child, and you will see her as a mother. What you say is called Śabda Brahma. Your inner self is self-talking, and that is true. So you have to behave with her as your real sister. And for someone younger than you by twenty or thirty years, automatically you will see a daughter (betī) or son. When this little boy came here… it doesn’t matter who is who in India, you will see a daughter or son. "Come, my son, here." What does this mean? Here we will see, "Oh, Swāmī said, ‘My son.’" This boy came. He was nearly 25 years old, a young man. He said, "Grandmother, what are you searching for?" She held her head back, holding her stick, and said, "My child, a needle." Then you sit down, I will search for you. He searched for a long time, an hour, every centimeter, but found no needle. Then he sat down beside her, massaging her legs, and asked, "Mother, where did you lose your needle?" She said, "Inside."

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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