Philosophy of Peace

‘Today you have completed one year of sadhana and tapasya in this Ashram, my son. You have done very well so far. But we have to continue deepening our spirit and broadening our consciousness. It is an ongoing process that we should continue till the end of life….

‘We will discuss in our next seven sessions about a holistic philosophy of peace that is so much needed in this present era. Your own life-mission, my son, is to be a prophet of peace in a violent world….You have to lay a strong foundation for a new World Order for a culture of peace…

‘People all over the world are hungering and thirsting for peace today. They seek peace through acquisition of wealth and power, and also through enjoyment of pleasures, only to be disillusioned at the end. They come to realize late in their lives that wealth, power or pleasure is not the real source of peace. These are often obstacles in the path of true peace. But this realization comes sometimes quite late in life, when there is no possibility of retracing one’s steps and reorienting one’s life….

‘Nations talk of peace in terms of absence of war. They create strong Armies, Navies and Air Forces, and pile up more and more deadly bombs and missiles as deterrents of war….. Religions are promoting divisions and conflicts rather than harmony and peace in the world…..

‘All things put together, we realize that nation-states and religions, as they are today, cannot create a culture of peace in the world.’ The Baba looked at Atma Prakash. 

He was listening attentively.

‘Then how can we hope to find peace in the world, guruji ?’ Atma Prakash asked.

The Baba seemed to be reflecting on the question. 

Then he said: ‘First of all we will need a holistic spiritual philosophy of peace. That is what we are trying to provide through the seven spiritual laws of peace that we will be discussing later….

‘We will also need sovereign spiritual persons and integrated basic communities of peace. They will have to live by and promote this spiritual philosophy of peace. Such sovereign spiritual persons and integrated basic communities will be the catalysts and seedbeds of a true and lasting culture of peace in the world….’

The Baba stopped and looked into the eyes of Atma Prakash who was all attention…..He continued:

‘More than 80% of people all over the world believe in the transcendental dimension of life and follow one religion or the other. That means religion still plays an important role in the lives and affairs of people all over the world. This will also imply that peace in the world will be impossible without peace among religions in the world. For us in India, it is very important to remember this truth if we are to build a great new India of peace, prosperity and power….. 

‘Religion is very important for us. We cannot root them out from the society, as they tried to do in erstwhile USSR. Religion gives meaning and purpose to our lives. Without it, we can be totally lost…

‘But today religions have also become divisive and destructive forces. We need to go beyond religion to spirituality if we are to find a way out of the present crisis. It is spirituality that can unite religions and humanity at large. Spirituality is also the goal and aim of all religions. We need today, more than any other time before, a spirituality of unity and peace. …..

‘We need to build our nation and the world on the strong foundation of a socio-spiritual philosophy of peace. I have over the years formulated seven spiritual laws that can together provide a strong foundation for such a socio-spiritual philosophy of peace. I have termed these seven spiritual laws of peace as ‘Sapta Rishi’ and the socio-spiritual philosophy constituted by them as ‘Dharmodaya’, my son.’ The Baba stopped and was silent as if recollecting his thoughts. 

Excerpts from Integral Revolution