Write Spirit

Ancient wisdom and modern inspiration

World Peace Day 21st September

September 21st is world Peace Day. Dedicated to promoting peace throughout the world.

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The International Day of Peace was first established by a United Nations resolution in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly, was first inaugurated on the third Tuesday of September, 1982. Beginning on the 20th anniversary in 2002, the UN General Assembly set 21 September as the now permanent date for the International Day of Peace.

In establishing the International Day of Peace, the United Nations General Assembly decided that it would be appropriate

"to devote a specific time to concentrate the efforts of the United Nations and its Member States,
as well as of the whole of mankind, to promoting the ideals of peace and to giving positive
evidence of their commitment to peace in all viable ways? (The International Day of Peace) should
be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all
nations and peoples."

International Peace Day

Resources on Peace at Write Spirit

Zen Story – The Holy Man

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The Holy Man

Word spread across the countryside about the wise Holy Man who lived in a small house atop the mountain. A man from the village decided to make the long and difficult journey to visit him. When he arrived at the house, he saw an old servant inside who greeted him at the door. "I would like to see the wise Holy Man," he said to the servant. The servant smiled and led him inside. As they walked through the house, the man from the village looked eagerly around the house, anticipating his encounter with the Holy Man. Before he knew it, he had been led to the back door and escorted outside. He stopped and turned to the servant, "But I want to see the Holy Man!"

"You already have," said the old man. "Everyone you may meet in life, even if they appear plain and insignificant… see each of them as a wise Holy Man. If you do this, then whatever problem you brought here today will be solved."

Zen Story from: Zen Stories

Photo by: Abhishek, Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries

 

 

There is a saying that a thief sees everyone else as a thief but a saint sees others as saints.

It can be difficult to implement in practise when we see the actions of others. The human mind is always quick to judge and usually in an unfavourable way.

However a person who has attained a certain level of spiritual understanding looks beyond the outer form and sees the heart and soul of others. If we feel others as part of our own extended reality we are inclined to adopt an attitude of forgiveness and tolerance.

Spiritual Teacher Sri Chinmoy says this

"Always take the whole world as part and parcel of your own existence. Do not take the world as a third party. If you take the world as a third party, then competition comes forward. Always see the world inside you- not before you, around you or behind you. See the world inside your own heart, inside your own divine reality. This divine reality is all beauty. Beauty is blossoming sleeplessly and breathlessly inside your heart."

https://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/sri-chinmoy-answers/part26/17.html

 

Meditation Help Prison Inmates

The inmates of Gwalior Central Jail recently had a day long session of taking lessons in spiritualism, relieving stress and how to shun violent tendencies by a visiting team of volunteers representing a New York based organisation.

The inmates serving various jail terms in the Gawlior Central Jail attended a six hour long session on spiritualism to develop and realise their inner selves. It was organised by the Krishna Bhavnamat Sangh, the New York based voluntary organisation.

The nearly six hour long session was attended by almost all of the 2,800 inmates. About 200 jail staff was also present during the programme.

The initiative was taken to make them learn how they can rehabilitate themselves in society after being released. Inmates were motivated to participate in spiritual meets to overcome emotional stress and sense of guilt.

A musical programme was also conducted in the jail premises.

"We have conducted these spiritual meets in the jail at Agra and many prisoners have been able to change this lifestyle and outlook. Some prisoners were creating nuisance in the jail but it was spiritual interactions with us that changed their attitude. Those prisoners have started meditating for about eight hours a day," added Jankiram, Campaign Secretary of Krishna Bhavnamat Sangh.

Following this experimental spiritual programme, the prisoners serving jail terms beyond five years or serving life terms felt an urge to transform their lives.

It was hoped that the programme would help the inmates shun criminal tendencies and reorient their attitude and outlook in a positive way.

According to Jail officials, such programmes may be very helpful for the prisoners to think positive and reshape their lives.

From: https://www.zeenews.com/nri/inner1.asp?aid=197818&sid=BUS

Nations Favourite Poem

Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep

Do not stand at my grave and forever weep.
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn?s rain.
When you awaken in the morning?s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and forever cry.
I am not there. I did not die.

– Author (Mary Fyre)

– See more

In 1995 a BBC radio programme conducted a survey to find the nations
favourite poem. They decided the nations most favourite poems was

Ashrita Sets new Record

World record breaker gets inspiration for 119th record.

Ashirta Furman, of Queens, N.Y., established a record for running a mile on tin pots earlier that afternoon, with a time of 18 minutes and 26 seconds. The pots were held against his shoes by hand-held strings. A stipulation of the record was that the tin pots musn’t fall off.

The record was set at POWNAL Green Mountain Race Track on Friday 8th September. After setting and submitting a record it usually takes about 6 weeks for it to be ratified by Guiness.

Furman credits his study of meditation, under the tutelage of Sri Chinmoy, for his ability to break so many records.

“It’s all in fun, but there’s a serious side because there’s physical conditioning and a lot of mental focus required,” he said. “You really have to focus deep within yourself. I really have to use the training I got from meditation to be very one-pointed and not allow other distractions to stop me.”

Bipin Larkin, a friend of Furman’s, was present for the record attempts.

“It’s
the spirit behind the thing that keeps you going, and it’s like an
adventure,” said Larkin. “(Furman) believes in transcendence, in going
beyond his restrictions.”

from: https://www.benningtonbanner.com/localnews/ci_4305679

Self Transcendence

Many people take an interest in spirituality because of a feeling that “there has to be more to life than our ordinary every day experiences” It is when we start seeking for a deeper meaning and understanding of life that we become drawn to meditation and spirituality.

Spirituality in essence is a journey of self discovery, we can also use the term “self transcendence”.