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Part 1: Yoga and the Path to Nonviolence and World Peace Good morning, Your Excellencies, distinguished speakers, and audience. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the conference "Yoga and the Path to Nonviolence and World Peace," organized by the Śrī Svāmī Madhavānanda World Peace Council. I am the General Secretary of this association. This is our first event here in the UN building. Regularly, every year on this special day of nonviolence and Gandhījī’s birthday, we hold an observance or event. Today is a special day for all of us. I thank the founder of the Śrī Svāmī Madhavānanda World Peace Council, Viśva Gurujī Maheśvarānanda, and especially his reverend master, Śrī Paramahaṁsvāmī Māta Vanandājī, who inspired us to create this World Peace Council and to work for peace, understanding, tolerance, and forgiveness throughout the world. This is also the aim of this session. You know, even minor activities can have a very big impact. If such a gathering, such a meeting where we come together and all think of peace, understanding, forgiveness, and brotherhood, then it shall have an impact outside of this room, outside of this building, radiating to the whole world. In this sense, I hope and I am sure this meeting will be successful. I am very happy to now hand over to our moderator, the director of the Śrī Svāmī Madhavānanda World Peace Council, Mr. Gregor Kroos, who will guide you through this program. Thank you. Thank you very much, Dr. Renate Lavicka. Most respected excellencies, most respected dignitaries, members of the diplomatic corps, respected international delegates, ladies and gentlemen, it is my immense privilege to welcome you all to this international conference in the name of the Śrī Svāmī Mādhavānanda World Peace Council. To initiate this international event, the very respected artist Bhakti Devī is going to perform a special mantra. It would be kindly appreciated if we do not support her during that performance. During her performance, the respected speakers will receive special symbolic flowers and are kindly invited to follow Viśva Gurujī Maheśvarānanda, the conference initiator, to symbolically deliver these flowers to the vase. Due to very strict security regulations, we are not allowed to perform the otherwise traditional peace candle lighting. Therefore, we would like to symbolically inaugurate the successful beginning of our conference. Thank you. Thank you, Bhakti Devī, and thank you all respected international speakers and our guests. Now I ask Dr. Nesirky, Director of the United Nations Information Service, Vienna, to address the audience. Dr. Nesirky, Director, United Nations Information Service, Vienna, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the United Nations Information Service here in Vienna, I am really pleased to welcome you to the United Nations and to the Vienna International Center for the first time, it seems. So welcome. Good morning. Today we commemorate the International Day of Nonviolence. The International Day of Nonviolence is marked every 2nd of October. It is the birthday of Mahātmā Gandhi, who was, of course, the leader of the Indian independence movement and a pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence. According to the General Assembly resolution which established the day eight years ago, it is an occasion to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding, and non-violence. Yoga, the topic you chose to discuss on this year’s International Day of Non-Violence, not only improves individual health but also promotes peaceful relations. Yoga is rightly regarded as an excellent contribution to creating a non-violent environment. This is also why earlier this year, the General Assembly proclaimed the 21st of June as the International Day of Yoga. Let me quote the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, my old boss, who has discovered the benefits of yoga himself. He said, "Yoga offers a simple, accessible, and inclusive means to promote physical and spiritual health and well-being. It promotes respect for one’s fellow human beings and for the planet we share. And yoga does not discriminate; to varying degrees, all people can practice, regardless of their relative strength, age, or ability." End of quote. Indeed, yoga can contribute meaningfully to our efforts to implement the newly adopted sustainable development goals. This is especially important, given that goal number three of those 17 sustainable development goals refers to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages. This is a point the Secretary-General makes in his message to mark this year’s International Day of Non-Violence. I think we have copies of that message available for you. He said that the day has special importance this year, as we mark the 70th anniversary of the United Nations. He urges all of us to renew our commitment to nonviolence and a life of dignity for all. It is in that spirit that I now wish you really fruitful discussions and an interesting conference. Once again, it is really wonderful to have you here with us at the United Nations and to welcome you here. Thank you very much indeed, and namaste. Thank you very much, Dr. Nesirky, Director, United Nations Information Service, Vienna, for your remarks and, of course, for your warm hospitality. Now I ask Dr. Esther Lukas, member of the Presidium, United Nations Association of Hungary, to address the audience. Thank you. Good afternoon, Dr. Nesirky, Dr. Nāgandrjī, ladies and gentlemen. Hindu Dharma Samrat Paramahaṁswāmī Madhavānandapurījī, Holy Gurujī, a self-realized saint and the Mahāmaṇḍaleśwar of the Purī Order of the Daśanāmī Saṁpradāya Pañcanāmī Mahānirvāṇī Akhāṛā, founded and established by Śrī Ādi Śaṅkarācārya, belonged to the spiritual master lineage of the Śrī Om Alakpurījī Siddhapit Paramparā. He attained God-realization through pure devotion and service to his Master. His Holiness Viśvaguru Paramahaṁswāmī Mahāśvaraṇanda Purījī, Viśvagurujī, as we affectionately call him, the spiritual successor of Holy Gurujī, established the Śrī Svāmī Mādhavaānanda World Peace Council to commemorate and pay homage to his Master. The 2nd of October, the International Day of Non-Violence, is the UN’s tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of the Indian independence movement and pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence, who was born on this very day, 160 years ago. Intriguingly, Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-moon launched the "UN at 70," the celebrations of the UN’s 70th anniversary, in New Delhi on the 12th of January this year. On the previous day, the Secretary-General paid a visit to the Sabarmati Āśram in Gujarat to reflect on the legacy of the Mahātmā and record his words. Gandhījī once said, "India would be morally bound to help the United Nations." The Śrī Svāmī Māta Vānanda World Peace Council and Yoga in Daily Life, two humanitarian philanthropic NGOs in consultative status with the UN ECOSOC, overseen by Viśva Gurujī, have taken up Gandhījī’s call and have been committed to fulfilling the MDGs and supporting the UN’s post-2015 development agenda. This is to briefly assess the Śrī Svāmī Māta Vānanda World Peace Council’s and Yoga in Daily Life’s major UN-related activities. In 2002, to contribute to the achievement of universal primary education, a primary school was established on the premises of the Om Āśram, Jodhan, Rajasthan, to enroll the underprivileged children of rural India. Jodhan School now delivers education from preschool levels to bachelor’s degrees for over 1,500 students. The Gyānputra scheme of the Jodhan School provides free transportation, textbooks, uniforms, and free meals to the most deprived children to help them emerge from extreme poverty. To bridge the digital divide and contribute to the knowledge society, Jodhan School is equipped with 21st-century information technology. To promote gender equality and the empowerment of women, educational services are offered free of charge to all girl students. The Śrī Svāmī Māta Vānanda Hospital, a further initiative on the grounds of the Om Āśram and Jodhan School, offers a joint community health and educational care program for women. In line with the UN’s new 2030 development agenda, voluntary health mentors are trained at the hospital to protect and empower children, disabled and older persons—the most vulnerable people of society. To improve maternal health, ensure healthy lives, and promote well-being for all at all ages, the Śrī Svāmī Māta Vānanda Hospital operates with numerous departments, including a 24-hour ambulance service, helping people with serious life-threatening conditions and providing treatment for tuberculosis, malaria, hepatitis, and other waterborne and communicable diseases. Under the framework of ensuring environmental sustainability, the Śrī Svāmī Māta Vānanda World Peace Council launched its Desert Rainwater Harvesting Initiative at the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, 2002. The program, which was further introduced at the Rio+20 and the Budapest Water Summit, ensures water for drinking and agricultural purposes for Rajasthan’s poor rural communities in a state that spans 10% of India’s geographical area but has only 1% of the country’s water resources. The water gained through the Desert Rainwater Harvesting Initiative is additionally taken advantage of by the program’s fire and rescue services. Climate change is directly affected by the carbon released into the atmosphere due to deforestation and forest degradation. The joint forestation and tree planting program of the Śrī Svāmī Mādhavaānanda World Peace Council and Yoga in Daily Life, which led to the planting of well over 15 million trees, was initiated by Viśva Gurujī as an integral part of the Voluntary Commitment titled "Awareness in Action – Peace Conferences, Tree Plantings, Cleanups and Vegetarianism," pledged at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio 2012. The Śrī Svāmī Māta Vānanda World Peace Council is further engaged to join the Partnership for the SDGs, a programme launched at the Sustainable Development Summit in New York last week. To protect, restore, and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and halt biodiversity loss, a seed bank initiative has been recently established. The project primarily focuses on the protection of native heritage seeds and medicinal herbs. Again, in line with the 15th Global Goal, a campaign titled "Save the Birds" has been launched to draw public awareness to how unsustainable agricultural production patterns, like the excessive use of pesticides, and equally unsustainable consumption models, such as natural habitat destruction for sport activities, endanger the lives of uncountable bird, bee, and butterfly species. The moral impetus for animal protection derives from the principle of non-violence. The Śrī Svāmī Māta Vānanda World Peace Council and Yoga in Daily Life International Fellowship run and fund the so-called Goshala Sanctuaries, which charter and provide veterinarian care for abandoned cows, horses, and goats in three districts of Rajasthan, India. On the 9th of September this year, at the General Assembly’s High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace, Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-moon appealed to the members of the global community by asking people to open their hearts and not to turn their eyes away from suffering. In the form of eight peace summits and innumerable peace forums, peace prayers, and inter-religious initiatives, the Śrī Svāmī World Peace Council has promoted the culture of peace ever since its conception: world peace is possible when all religious and political leaders practice tolerance, recognition, and respect for all religions, cultures, traditions, races, languages, and nations. Our prime duty is to awaken the consciousness of forgiveness, brotherhood, and oneness—that we are all children of one God. There is one religion to which we all belong: humanity, Viśvagurujī says. 2015 is the year of assessment at the United Nations. On the 70th anniversary of its formation, the most comprehensive international organization evaluates its achievements and outlines roadmaps for our common future. Viśvaguru Paramahaṁswāmī Maheśvarānanda was incarnated in the year of the UN’s founding. He has been in service to his Sadguru, His Holiness Paramahaṁswāmī Madhavānanda, and the whole of mankind for 50 years. On behalf of all members of the World Peace Council bearing the name of Holy Gurujī, we would like to take this opportunity to remember Viśvagurujī’s birthday and express to him our infinite gratitude and affection, and wish him a long life in perfect health. Thank you. Thank you very much, Dr. Esther Lukas, member of the Presidium, United Nations Association of Hungary. Now I would like to ask Dr. Manfred Steponat, President of the International Śrī Dīp Mādhavānanda Āśram Fellowship, to address the audience. Thank you. On behalf of the International Fellowship of Yoga in Daily Life, I warmly welcome you to this peace conference. Peace—a condition mankind has been longing to reach for thousands of years. Unfortunately, in many places around the world, peace has not always been a part of history, neither in the past nor in the present. In these days, many refugees remind us of this fact. The reasons for this are as complex and diverse as human nature itself. Outer life circumstances are merely a reflection of the inner world of human beings, and vice versa. Therefore, it is necessary to attain a peaceful condition which harmonizes physically, psychologically, socially, and spiritually. Our children should be given the opportunity to grow in a peaceful world. We should serve every living being, lead a vegetarian life, and protect our mother nature. The royal path to achieve all of this is yoga. Nowadays, everybody has the possibility to read about yoga, to practice yoga, to serve, and to pray with devotion, so one can form his inner and outer world. Especially through Yoga in Daily Life, and with the guidance and wisdom of a self-realized master, such as His Holiness Viśvaguru Mahāmaṇḍaleśwar Paramahaṁsṛī Svāmī Maheśvarānanda, we have the opportunity to gain true knowledge and individual benefits. Providing additional support are all bhajans, satsaṅgs, seminars, and especially the webcasts from Viśvagurujī. This gift to mankind should be called to everybody’s mind. My gratitude for all of this goes to Viśvagurujī and his spiritual ancestors, our Siddhāpit Paramparā. Hindu Dharma Samrāṭ Paramahaṁśrī Svāmī Māta Vānandā, Viśvagurujī’s master, was a great example to all of us who have known him personally. His selfless serving, all the satsaṅgs and bhajans he has given to us, testify to his known knowledge and wisdom. Therefore, the Śrī Svāmī Māta Vānanda World Peace Council was founded in the year 2002 together with Holy Gurujī and with Viśva Gurujī. It has continued every year onward. I wish success to everybody in their efforts to bring peace to our world. And I hope that this year’s peace conference will again be an inspiration for many people on this planet. Hari Om. Thank you very much, Dr. Manfred Steponat, President, International Śrī Dīp Mādhavānanda Āśram Fellowship. Allow me now to read the message from Ms. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of the World Peace Council Conference. "I am honored to send a message of support to all participants of the conference 'Yoga, Path to Nonviolence and World Peace,' held on October 2nd, 2015, in Vienna, Austria. Yoga is a path to peace, which proposes a holistic and healthy lifestyle by revealing the union between body and mind, with nature and the world. This year, we celebrated for the first time the International Day of Yoga, a proposal by His Excellency Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which was co-sponsored by an overwhelming number of member states in the United Nations General Assembly. I believe that it is symbolic and important that this celebration is held in the year when states reach the deadline of the Millennium Development Goals and shape a new global sustainable development agenda. These are turbulent times, when societies are transforming, conflicts are on the rise, and the planet faces increasing pressure. Yoga embodies a humanist vision for the world, a vision that bears the imprint of the great leader Mahatma Gandhi in its commitment to the principles of compassion, conviviality, solidarity, reconciliation, and peace. Born in India, yoga now belongs to all humanity, representing today a truly transformative force, accessible to every woman and man, aspiring to contribute to more peaceful, inclusive, and harmonious societies on the basis of a shared conviction that peace begins from within. This idea echoes UNESCO’s Constitution, whose opening line states that since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed. More than 6,000 years old, yoga is a remarkable example of intercultural dialogue, taken forward within the framework of the International Decade of the Rapprochement of Cultures that UNESCO is currently leading across the world. In this spirit, I wish to congratulate the World Peace Council for its work to share the power of yoga all around the world through the teachings of Śrī Svāmī Madhavānandajī on tolerance, peace, non-violence, and the protection of nature. I wish you a very fruitful conference. Irina Bokova." Now, I would like to invite Dr. Renoldner, Chairman, NGO Committee on Peace at the United Nations Vienna, to address the audience. Thank you. Your Excellencies, dignitaries, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I am speaking here as present Chairperson of the NGO Committee on Peace. This reminds me of a very interesting fact I discovered when I joined this committee more than 20 years ago. I learned that there are already, or there were already, committees on disarmament at the UN in New York and at the UN in Geneva, but in Vienna the decision was intentionally to call this committee the Committee on Peace, as peace is much more than mere disarmament. But let me talk about my personal experience. In the 70s and 80s of last century, I worked as a doctor and researcher in developing countries, first in Congo, in Africa, later in Latin America. My interest as a physician was fair access to health for everybody, but health is not only a question of medical infrastructure. We have already heard about yoga and health, but health is much more also a question of living conditions. During my work, I learned how land grabbing and deforestation are not only violating the living conditions, and therefore the health, of indigenous people in Latin America, but are also contributing to climate change and therefore to environmental destruction. The interest behind this ongoing process is the business with soybeans and meat production, aiming at higher and cheaper meat consumption in industrial countries, as well as the production of agrofuel from sugar cane. For the sake of more and cheaper meat consumption in rich countries, not only the life and landscape of the most sustainably living indigenous people, but also the ecology and climate are degraded. Do we, as consumers, really want to be a part of this unfair and destructive world order? Violence even occurs without the use of arms, through structures and conditions of production and trade in many parts of the world. Just think of the textile industry. Later in the 90s, however, I learned that all the enormous amount of deforestation of rainforests makes only about 20% of anthropogenic climate change. The remaining 80% is caused by burning fossil fuels. And wars for fossil fuels in the Middle East and in other regions, and their consequences, have meanwhile killed millions of people, destroyed homes, and engulfed millions more in fear and misery—forced to leave their homes. So violence creates fear, and fear creates new violence again. A culture of nonviolence is much more than mere disarmament. Although disarmament is extremely important and needed, we have learned that ten thousand nuclear weapons, capable of destroying the whole planet, have not made our globe safer. Small arms produced in wealthy regions are killing several hundred thousand people each year in poor regions of the world. At first view, it may seem that having an arm for defense makes us feel safer. However, we know from statistical data that a high density of weapons in a population correlates with high rates of injuries and killings. And there is a growing gap between the rich and the poor on our globe. We know from the research of Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett that unequal societies suffer more crimes and more violence, have worse health conditions, even if they have more money. I suppose we will hear more about Mahatma Gandhi, or Christianity, or Buddhism, or other religion-motivated nonviolence, and about yoga today, and about the necessary permanent process of training in nonviolence. But let me close by quoting the observation of David Steindl-Rast, an 88-year-old Benedictine monk experienced in the dialogue of Eastern and Western philosophies. He says there is one thing we all have together, independent of our religion and orientation: we all want to be happy. And he found that it is not happiness that makes us thankful; it is rather our thankfulness, our ability to be thankful—an attitude that makes us happy. We have to cultivate it. The awareness that we receive so many gifts in our lives, and that every moment gives us a chance to be thankful. And the interesting observation of Steindl-Rast: gratefulness takes away fear, which is a main creator of violence. Really, thankful people are not violent. So I thank you for your attention at this conference, and I hope that the spirit of this conference will contribute to the creation of a culture of non-violence. Thank you very much, Dr. Renoldner, Chairman, NGO Committee on Peace at the United Nations Vienna. Now I am asking Professor Vacek, Director of the Institute of South and Central Asia, former Dean of the Philosophical Faculty at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, to address the audience. Thank you very much. Your Holiness, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a great honor for me to speak here today. While hearing some of the papers before, I realized that peace has so many dimensions. And perhaps I may add one aspect of it. There was a word, "cultural communication," used in one of the papers, which is perhaps very relevant. No doubt, one of the most important conditions for the survival of our civilization is peace in the world. In the last few centuries, this world has become too small, and in spite of many sincere and serious efforts, the globe has been repeatedly shattered by many roars of war. Mahatma Gandhi was one of those strong personalities of the modern age who did not hesitate to combine a deep spiritual insight with an active participation in public life and with a personal engagement in various activities for the sake of the public good and mutual understanding. In fact, it is mutual understanding not only of individual people but of the large, culturally different communities populating this world, which is the essential requirement for achieving global benefits, including peace. Of course, there are many more benefits. In everyday general communication, we use one of the more or less widely known world languages, as we do now, and we seem to be able to achieve some level of practical understanding and agreement. But it is essential that we start to know each other more intimately, in order to be able to understand each other’s "world" more deeply. Our thoughts and general attitudes are conditioned by our various local traditions, using different languages. We have to understand properly many of their subtleties in order to be able to respect these traditions and, consequently, to respect each other. This will provide the catalyst for an atmosphere of harmony, and in the first instance, which is the condition for our peaceful coexistence in this world of predominantly material values. Not that material well-being is not an important aim or aspect of everyday life, but it is certainly not the only one. The key to a deeper understanding of various cultures is their concrete languages. Therefore, devoting more attention to a thorough study of the languages of Asia, a continent which is rapidly becoming more and more important on the global stage, is one essential means by which we may be able to support mutual understanding and respect. Developing the studies of Asian languages from a global perspective, with the aim of improving the chances of mutual understanding for the sake of mutual benefit, is one important condition for building a solid foundation upon which world peace can be established. One of the important and ever-growing Asian countries with a long tradition is India. Part 2: The Spiritual and Practical Foundations of Peace The profound insight of the Indian tradition into the spiritual background of human life has been widely recognized. While some may view this as an idealistic approach, the tradition has always equally perceived the practical and realistic foundation of spiritual vision. This balance is perhaps why it has been so inspiring across the world. As a verse in the Indian epic, the Mahābhārata, states—though there are textual variants—one version is: Suparasan-iva. This means: "He who does not have knowledge of his own and has only heard much, he does not know the meaning of the śāstras or textbooks, scientific books, as the spoon does not know the tastes of the soup." May this metaphorical image inspire further reflection on how to approach our surroundings. I believe "Yoga in Daily Life" is a movement deeply rooted in the Indian tradition. Beyond offering deeper spiritual insight, it can also help people achieve their own practical knowledge. We hope this will facilitate greater mutual cultural understanding, a precondition for world peace, which is perhaps the most essential condition for our civilization to survive. I conclude with the word with which I began. Thank you for your attention. Thank you, Professor Dr. Vacek, Director of the Institute of South and Central Asia and former Dean of the Philosophical Faculty at Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. I would now like to invite Professor Dr. Földesi from Hungary to address the audience. Thank you. Your Holiness, respected Paramaśramī Maheśvarānanda, board members of the Śrī Svāmī Madhavānanda World Peace Council, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of Széchenyi István University in Győr, Hungary, both Chancellor Dr. Brian Phillips, seated there, and myself feel humbled and privileged to be invited to this conference titled "Yoga, a Path to Non-Violence and World Peace," organized on the occasion of the International Day of Non-Violence. Last year, to acknowledge the peace endeavors of Paramahaṁsa Svāmī Maheśvarānanda, we jointly planted a world peace tree in front of our university library. Széchenyi István University, a rapidly developing institution in Hungarian higher education with over 15,000 students, bears the name of Count István Széchenyi, the greatest statesman and most generous nobleman in Hungarian history. Count Széchenyi, a great reformer who traveled extensively in Europe, was primarily fascinated by Britain's rapid modernization in the early 18th century. He realized the growing gap between the modern world and his native country and committed his life to Hungary's industrial development and economic reformation. We, the present leaders of the university, wish to live up to the standards of our forefathers. Today, we cover a wide range of scientific fields: automotive engineering, architecture, civil engineering and transport science, economics, law and political science, mechanical engineering, informatics, electrical engineering, agriculture, and the food industry—which is very important from our point of view—and also tourism and catering, which is a brand new field. I recall your advice that cooking and catering must be part of the higher education system, so the time has come to launch new courses starting next year. Thank you very much. We are also engaged in health and society, and musical arts. Széchenyi University has developed as a 21st-century university model: an open, service-providing institution of higher education, as opposed to a degree-issuing factory or bureau. Our university ensures active compliance with the spirit of social and economic responsibility. We take wide-scale responsibility for the next generation, supporting their professional, intellectual, moral, physical, and spiritual development to explore the unknown—both inside and outside—because the unknown sometimes generates fear. As we heard, fear can generate violence. We have a fundamental responsibility to support a new generation without violence. Beyond our professional mandate, we provide various facilities that contribute to a balanced, healthy lifestyle. Our "Good Student, Good Sport Person" scholarship acknowledges students with outstanding academic performance who observe the principle of fair play and excel in a sport. We have established extensive sports capacities to support both competitive and leisure activities. "Yoga in Daily Life" has been acknowledged as an optional program at our Center of Physical Education and Sports since 2006. A large number of students opt for it over four terms for their benefit. The university chaplaincy provides special support and pastoral care for staff and students of all faiths and none. It is a place for relaxation, unwinding, and quiet contemplation. We also feel obliged to pay our duties to the elderly members of our local community. In 2010, we initiated the "Pensioner University" or "University for the Elderly," which entails approximately eight university lectures per semester tailored for seniors. Over 1,000 pensioners have registered for the 2015 academic year to learn about the latest scientific developments. There is a slogan in our city: "The future is being built in you." A cooperation triangle of the city leadership, the municipal government, local authorities, industry, and the university ensures our city's success. A few words about success: in economic terms, our region far outperforms other Hungarian cities. Per capita GDP is 22% higher than the Hungarian average. Other indicators, such as per capita foreign direct investment, unemployment rate, and gross wages, are also much more favorable. Consequently, the crime rate is low. The key to our success lies in cooperation and understanding. We realize that without collaboration we cannot thrive. The city, industry, and university rely on each other’s resources, ensuring parallel capacities are not duplicated. Our local cooperation pattern is often referred to as best practice on national, EU, and United Nations levels. According to our understanding, UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-moon defined six essential elements for delivering the Sustainable Development Goals: planet, people, dignity, prosperity, justice, and partnership. These are the cornerstones of the post-2015 Development Agenda. The 17th Sustainable Development Goal defines the revitalization of global partnership for sustainable development. The new development agenda suggests a partnership between governments, the private sector, and civil society. These inclusive partnerships build upon principles and values. A shared vision and shared goals are needed at global, regional, national, and local levels. That is what we are doing here in Hungary. This partnership and mutual understanding work, and I can proudly report it. If any of you wish to have a personal and direct experience, we welcome all visitors and guests to our city and our university. Our university is a founding member of the United Nations Academic Impact initiative. Annual programs are organized under its framework. We further observe the ten basic principles formulated by the UNAI. The seventh principle—a commitment to advancing peace and conflict resolution through education—resonates with the aim of today's conference on the International Day of Non-Violence. Since 2000, the Śrī Svāmī Madhavānanda World Peace Council and Yoga in Daily Life, two international NGOs under the supervision of Paramaśramī Maheśvarānanda, have contributed significantly to the enormous progress the UN has made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. They contributed to the decline of poverty, to school attendance of children and young adults, and to the expansion of access to safe drinking water. We respect and acknowledge these endeavors. I thank him for the invitation to this noble hour. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Dr. Földesi, Rector of Széchenyi István University, Győr. I would now like to thank Dr. Nisirki, Director of the United Nations Information Service, for his attendance. He has to leave for other commitments, so thank you very much. Please allow me to read another message we have received, from the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr. Miro Cerar. "Respected initiator of the Śrī Svāmī Madhavānanda World Peace Council, Viśvagurujī Māheśvarānanda, it is my sincere privilege to write this personal address for your respected international audience at a time when I am attending the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015 here in New York. I have joined other world leaders for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda and the much-expected and overall needed Sustainable Development Goals. Since the topic of this year’s United Nations General Assembly is 'The United Nations at 70: The Road Ahead for Peace, Security, and Human Rights,' I see an exceptional correlation with the topic of your respected conference, organized at the premises of the United Nations as well, just on the other side of the globe. Core messages of non-violence and world peace, as well as yoga as an instrument for reaching inner tranquility and leading to outer peace, are inevitably resonating worldwide. I cannot help thinking that the year 2015 is somehow special. Marking and celebrating the United Nations’ 70th anniversary and presenting the Sustainable Development Goals made me think even more of our role as leaders of individual countries. I have thought a lot about Slovenia, which already was a country of great respect and international recognition, and in many sectors a true role model. However, in recent years, some of that particular fame was lost. In this respect, I started looking for answers on how to re-establish that reputation and how to bring a decent lifestyle back to Slovenia’s citizens—not just to a few who are able to afford it. Together with my team, we have soon discovered that the answer to that particular question lies not far away from us. Therefore, respected Viśvagurujī Māheśvarānanda, please do allow me to take this opportunity to present to your distinguished audience the decision of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia to be a pilot country among pioneer countries to officially recognize the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals as the basis for our country’s long-term development strategy. We are committed to carrying out the mapping of the Sustainable Development Goals and to building a structure that will continue to ensure good governance. Slovenia will strive to become the model country for sustainable development, and through that, will try to inspire millions of people to follow the path of sustainable development. I firmly believe that in the times in which we are living and in the world surrounding us, the decision we undertook was the only rightful and responsible one. Respected international audience, I truly wish you a successful conference. The more of us acting responsibly, the higher are the chances for our common positive goals to become reality. Yours sincerely, Dr. Miro Cerar, Prime Minister of the Government of Slovenia." We have also received several messages from the Czech Republic. The first is from the Office of the President of the Czech Republic by Hynek Kmoníček, Director of the Foreign Affairs Department. I will read a paragraph: "Yoga means much more than just a lifestyle with its social impact; yoga is also a spiritual lift of a modern man to a non-Euclidean world, etc. But even with all irony in me—irony is an inherited quality of every Central European, Kundera used to say—the connection between yoga and peace seems very natural to me. It makes sense. Yoga really helps to spread and keep peace in the world." Hynek Kmoníček, Director of Foreign Affairs Department. Another is from Dr. Jan Zahradník, Member of the Parliament of the Czech Republic and former Governor of the South Bohemian Region. I will again read a paragraph: "In the spirit of Śrī Madhavānanda’s motto, 'One in all and all in one,' as well as Mahātmā Gandhījī’s, 'Be the change you want to see,' your conference pleases me while endorsing efforts for a peaceful, non-violent, and free world." Dr. Jan Zahradník, Member of Parliament of the Czech Republic, former Governor of South Bohemian Region. From the Presidium of the Congress of the Czech Republic, Dr. Zdeňka Marečková writes: "Let your conference touch the hearts not only of its participants, but of all countries, including our homeland. It is now your quiet and loving voice which we hear and need over the frontiers." The Presidium of the Congress, Czech Republic, Dr. Zdeňka Marečková. In the name of Śrī Svāmī Madhavānanda and the World Peace Council, I would like to thank you very much for all the messages we have received. Of course, you are able to read all the others in the conference booklet you received. To conclude, a message from Stjepan Mesić, President of the Republic of Croatia between 2000 and 2010: "Respected Svāmī Madhavānanda and the World Peace Council, organizers and participants continue the relentless efforts of His Holiness, Viśvagurujī Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Paramahaṁsa Svāmī Maheśvarānandapūrī, aiming to improve all aspects of life on our planet. They inspire us and teach us that in order to make changes happen, we need to reach both the minds and the hearts of as many people as we can. This sets an example which every human being should follow, and it serves to light the spark within every one of us. The work of His Holiness can be described, both in Western and Eastern terminology, by an interplay of two great quotes. He’s actively reminding us to be aware that 'the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,' and to 'be the change you want to see.' With love and best wishes for all future projects of His Holiness and the Śrī Svāmī Madhavānanda World Peace Council." Stjepan Mesić. I would also very much like to welcome among us Dr. Bawa Jain, Founder and Secretary General of the World Council of Religious Leaders, United States of America. Welcome. Now, I would like to ask the conference initiator, and of course also the Śrī Svāmī Madhavānanda World Peace Council initiator, Viśvagurujī Māheśvarānanda, to address the audience shortly. Thank you. Hearts omniscient and omnipresent, a beautiful day to your excellencies, the delegates, sisters and brothers. Today is the day which is worshipped or remembered, the day of non-violence. The next step of non-violence is peace. Today we are all here, and many dignitaries from America, India, Australia, all of Europe, and many other countries are with us. I would like to thank the United Nations for giving us this hospitality to provide this beautiful conference hall for this celebration of non-violence and peace. We have received support from many, many friends, professors, holy saints from all walks of life. This is a continuity of the Śrī Svāmī Madhavānanda World Peace Council, which we have been celebrating for the last 14 years, as it was established in 2002. Otherwise, our peace and non-violence activities began long ago, first in Turkey, and then in other countries like Konya. The purpose of this, as our great speakers before said very clearly, is to ask: what are we here for? What would we like to do? The answer is education, which is also a subject of the United Nations for a sustainable world. Education in this modern world has lost some wings, and these wings are, in my opinion, very important. Three wings are lost. The first is the education in the lap of the parents. Nowadays, parents are only parents. They can’t give that education to their children—the education of being human. The world would look different if parents took care and gave them that love and that education. Second, spiritual education. Third, ethics. These three wings are lost, and that’s why we have to struggle and have such conferences; otherwise, it is not necessary. The aim of the United Nations is "from many, one," and that is education. My master, Harigurujī Dharmasamrāṭ Svāmī Madhavānandajī, his main point was education: to educate equally. Well, the problem was that for a long time in the British era, we did not have schools in all big cities. Children were studying under the trees with a few people who got it right. But now, 70 years later, of course, we have schools and education and everything. But we had the education of the Vedas and Upaniṣads. The respected Professor Vacek spoke very nicely and taught something about the Mahābhārata in Sanskrit, as well as another fellow who was talking before. That language is very important. We have to learn a language which can bring non-violence and peace. In every language of the world, there is that language, but somehow it is getting lost. In the Upaniṣad it is said: jīvam madhu mātma. The Upaniṣad said, "Jīvā me mādhū ātmā." On the tongue, we should have honey. Whatever we speak should be sweet words, kind words. Then it is said: the whole world is a family of one God. The whole world is a family. Modern education has changed because the world is a family, and now they say the world is a market. Whatever we can earn is our world peace? Gandhījī said there is no way to peace; peace is the way. And peace comes from our own heart, and from our heart it comes out through the tongue with the honey—the sweet words, kind words, humble words, non-violence. Gurujī said, my master and many others also, we should have love for all. If we don’t have love, then fear is there, and fear brings all kinds of problems in the world. And fear is out of ignorance. So, definitely, we can achieve what we want to achieve, but our achievement should not be based on our pride, our ego: "I achieved, I did it. I will do." No, we will do. We will work. We will achieve. In the last 40 years of my being in Western countries, there’s been a lot of struggle. But all the friends who I made, the practitioners of yoga in their life, are supporting, and we came to this point. So my inspiration, my knowledge, my strength, my spiritual power is given to me by my Guru. And Gurujī met Gandhījī because Gurujī also had an āśram in Sabarmati, where Gandhījī also had an āśram. They had a dialogue many times. So Gurujī said, "One in all and all in one." If we see everyone as ourselves, we will not do bad things to anyone. And so the inspiration, guidance, and blessings are from the Gurudev. We all have a master. Every master is a master. Don’t think the master is a physical form. The master, the guru, is called knowledge, who leads us from darkness to the light, to knowledge. No system can function in this world without the guru system. All would collapse, and that is what the guru system means. Even someone who teaches you how to drive a car is your driving guru, your music guru, your football guru, your yoga guru. Guru means your teacher, your master. So the problem is language. Language brings confusion and fighting and violence. If the language is understood, then it is the same. So if you speak in the Western world, "guru," they say, "Oh my God." Thank you. At least remember God, yes. It’s guru, oh my God, yes. You are correct: sect. My God, and what is this act? It is a sector. Sect is a sector, and this word was given at the time of St. Francis of Assisi in the Vatican, and the Pope said, "Well, that can be your sector," about the Franciscans. So, sector is a—this sector, second floor in a hospital, we have a heart, I accept, are different sectors. So, misunderstood language is a problem. Without a guru, we can’t do anything. In Western countries, the systematically accepted guru system in India is sometimes neglected. We don’t learn. Finished. In India, there is no compulsory education system. They said, "I don’t want to study. I’m human. I’m a human, right? Okay, finished." What they have is knowledge from parents. So guru means "gu" means darkness, "ru" means light, who leads us from the darkness to the light of that knowledge—that’s a guru. And so, my master, I came to him at a very early age, and he taught me many, many things. So, I feel thankful to him, and I would like to express and explain, tell my master that I give you a token of a flower, that I took your knowledge to bring into the whole world that beautiful aroma. So there is one thank you, there is one song: I want to give you one flower, but I couldn’t find that flower. I was searching from door to door, but I didn’t find that flower which I want to give you. Definitely, there is that flower, but it was my mistake that I couldn’t find it. So that we have within us non-violence, ahiṃsā, and śānti. Both we can realize: jīva mein madhu mātmā, sweet words, kind words. If you think of someone bad, you are already doing violence. If you write a bad word about someone, it is already violence. So Gandhījī said, "Therefore, be the change you want to see." If you think negative about someone, then you are not that one, what Gandhi said. So, thank you very much. Thank you, everybody, for coming. Welcome. And there are great speakers waiting, so I don’t want to take more time. I only wanted to welcome all of you, and now we have among us Bābā Jain. He came from America, New York, and he is the General Secretary of the World Religious Parliament. In 2000, a millennium conference was held at the United Nations in New York, in the main hall, where 5,000 spiritual leaders came from the whole world, from all different kinds of religions. That was such a beauty, that vision. Why? Because all religious leaders were there, and all had a darśana of each other. It was great. So he’s all the time in the aeroplane, so today he missed his aeroplane, he landed in Vienna. So thank you all. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, most respected Viśvagurujī Māheśvarānanda, initiator of today’s conference and of the Śrī Svāmī Madhavānanda World Peace Council. Due to your extreme patience, and because time is still allowing us, please do allow me to also read you the resolution that the respected speakers have already started to sign. The main aim of Śrī Svāmī Madhavānanda and the World Peace Council is to support and fulfill the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; and global partnership for development. The United Nations has declared June 21st as the International Day of Yoga, celebrated for the first time by millions of people of all nationalities and denominations around the world in 2015. For the purposes of continuation of the strongly supported will of the peoples, Śrī Svāmī Madhavānanda and the World Peace Council have organized a dedicated conference on October 2nd in Vienna, Austria, titled "Yoga: A Path to Non-Violence and World Peace." On this special occasion coinciding with marking the 70-year anniversary of the United Nations, we entreat all world leaders to be united in their efforts towards lasting world peace by stronger acknowledgement and support for peace, education, environment, health, water purification, human rights, and a world without poverty. Stronger and more active support is also needed for all the organizations around the world that actively advocate and promote the heritage and wisdom of humankind. Thank you, and as I announced a few minutes before, now it’s time for our break. (Interjection from the audience) I'm sorry, you know, you read this resolution, it’s just wonderful, but I would have a small suggestion. In the beginning, you said "Millennium Development Goals." Change that to "Sustainable Development Goals." They were just adopted yesterday at the UN General Assembly, so it makes it more current. Thank you very much.