Many more supporters of the SOPP sent messages to this year’s ceremony. Some of them were honored guests at the ceremony and Round Table Discussion held last year at Fuji Sanctuary, while others have been supporting the SOPP in various ways over the last few years.
Dr. Ervin Laszlo, Founder and President, Club of Budapest (Hungary)
In the last ten thousand years, many societies—entire civilizations— reached critical tipping points. Cultures that once flourished have completely vanished—the Babylonians, the Sumerians, the Mayans, and the Easter Islanders are examples. But others met the challenge: they transformed and survived. History testifies that the transformations were often profound. Today, in our age of global information, communication, interdependence and environmental degradation, another transformation must occur. The mechanistic-materialistic concept of nature and society that was, and still is, the basis of modern Western-type civilization has become obsolete and counterproductive. This view of the world has been transcended in the sciences, but the technologies it generates and the behaviors it inspires are with us still. They exploit the environment and exploit people. They produce more heat than light—more side-effects than benefits. The civilization that dominates the contemporary world is no longer sustainable; if it is not to break down, it must transform. We need to create a civilization that enables six and a half billion people to live with dignity, in harmony with each other and with nature. This transformation is possible. We have the insights, the technologies, and the necessary human and financial resources. What we still need is the will and the vision. To muster the will and the vision, we must evolve our consciousness. With a more up-to-date consciousness, we could change our values and priorities—change ourselves and ultimately change the world. Deep prayer and meditation are the way each of us can achieve this consciousness-evolution individually, and the way that all of us can achieve it together. The time is short. The trends and processes that drive the contemporary world toward a critical tipping point are accelerating. The atmosphere is heating up, diversity is disappearing, the rich-poor gap is widening, violence and unrest are growing, and the production of many of the resources needed for life and development have already peaked. Forecasts of when the tipping point will occur have changed from the end of this century, to mid-century, to the next decade.
It may well be that the global tipping point will come at the end of 2012, the much prophesied watershed in humanity’s tenure on the planet. It will certainly come within most of our lifetimes. Whenever it may come, we must begin to evolve our consciousness now, to ensure that a better, more appropriate consciousness spreads in the human family while there is still time—time to co-create a peaceful and sustainable civilization.
Fr. James Channan, OP, Regional Coordinator, United Religions Initiative (Pakistan)
I feel deeply honored to have this opportunity of sending a message to the Symphony of Peace Prayers being held today, the 18th of May, 2008, at Fuji Sanctuary. In my mind I can see all of you, thousands of people—doves of peace— gathered at Fuji Sanctuary to join in this ceremony. Coming from various religions, cultures, nationalities, and backgrounds, you have traveled from near and far to participate in this unique ceremony, manifesting your dedication to peace. I am very much impressed by all of you and your commitment to bringing positive change to the world, making it more humane and peaceful. As Mahatma Ghandi said, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” This is exactly what you are doing. I cannot begin to express in words how happy I am to hear that you are offering peace prayers in the national languages of 192 countries, and also that you are flying the flags of all these nations high in the air. I think many people share my feeling when I say how wonderful it is for me to hear this prayer spoken in my own national language. Your love and your wish for peace have no boundaries. Peace is of prime importance in the world and, in fact, throughout the universe. There is a need for harmony, peaceful coexistence, and respect for all human beings and nature. There is a need to say “No” to war, violence, hatred, and terrorism, and “Yes” to peace, non-violence, and respect for all. Byakko Shinko Kai is creating positive change not only in Japan but around the world. I can feel the vibrations of peace, and I am absolutely certain that it is being felt all around the world at this very time. The people of Pakistan join with you in this peace ceremony. Thousands of school children and teachers are holding special ceremonies simultaneously with the Symphony of Peace Prayers being held at Fuji Sanctuary. I highly admire and salute the great leadership of Mrs. Masami Saionji, Chairperson of Byakko Shinko Kai, the Goi Peace Foundation, and the World Peace Prayer Society for doing such marvelous work to promote peace and harmony in the world. This is what we all need, especially in those countries which are being torn apart by hatred, terrorism, and violence. Let us give a message to the world that peace is possible. May peace prevail on Earth!
Ms. Susan Kaschula, General Secretary of the Theosophical Society in Southern Africa (South Africa)
May humanity awaken to the light of its true spiritual nature; recognize that light in others; and in the realisation that all are one, co-operate in the spirit of brotherhood to manifest goodwill and peace on earth. May our prayers for peace become so potent and magnetic that they invoke the Great Spirit of Peace to energise them with Its Presence, thus creating a vital link between heaven and earth for Peace to manifest through our lives and the world.
Mr. Fumihiko Katayama, Chief Priest of Hanazono Shrine (Japan)
At this time, when the peace of the world is facing a crisis, we need to combine our modest individual prayers and together perform a Symphony of Peace Prayers. This spring, during the cherry blossom season, a number of our staff were granted an opportunity to visit and offer prayers at the three shrines inside the Imperial Palace. For hundreds of years, Emperors of Japan have prayed at these shrines for the prosperity of the country and the peace of its people. On many occasions of national crisis or disaster, the Japanese people united around the Emperor to face the situation. Today, however, no one country can achieve progress and prosperity for all humanity. The subprime loan crisis in the United States hints at another Great Depression, while the coordinated terror attacks taking place in various parts of the world show no signs of being resolved. There is no longer any geopolitical advantage for Japan in being an island nation in the Far East. Our parish is located right in the middle of Japan’s busiest commercial district, and the shrine grounds sit in the shadow of many tall buildings. But just nearby is the Shinjuku Imperial Garden, where the funeral of the Emperor Showa was held. As I walk in the woods of the park nearly every day, I can feel in the lush growth of a single tree the presence of great nature, removed from the urban bustle. Every day at every Shinto shrine, a priest offers a prayer of great purification. I cannot help but feel that these daily prayers exert even a small amount of a power to purify the disharmony and mistaken actions in this world. It is my wish that the day will come when these sincere prayers bring about actions which contribute to world peace. As I visited the Imperial Palace, with its cherry blossoms in full bloom, I keenly felt that this must be the same prayer the Emperor offered day after day. As the saying goes, ‘persistence is power.’ The prayers for peace that have been offered here at Fuji Sanctuary for many years are truly precious, and I cannot begin to fathom the light they have brought to humanity. Your accumulated prayers, I believe, will create a beautiful symphony that will bring the world even one step closer to peace. Congratulations on the 2008 Symphony of Peace Prayers.
Mr. James O’Dea, President, Institute of Noetic Sciences (United States)
Peace is our destiny. All of humanity’s suffering and challenges are not to be considered pointless, for everything in our past gives birth to who we are and the possibilities we represent for the future. So we thank all the ancestors, all beings of all nations who came before us, for they have given birth to us. We are the people of the Great Shift, a time of massive transition on planet Earth when human beings collectively see there is no other road for us, or for the survival of life, but the road of Peace. No other time has been more pivotal in human evolution—because we have been given the opportunity to choose life and to choose peace; we have been given the opportunity to take the next leap in human development and end war, greed, and violence to each other and our beloved home in Nature. That is why finally, a generation of peacemakers is being born as an expression of the long journey of human evolution. Hold up your sons and daughters and honor them as the peacemakers we have waited so long for, and then look into each other’s eyes with confidence and gratitude and say, ‘we are the mothers and fathers of the peacemakers.’ Peace is our destiny.
Dr. Nirmala Kajaria, Director, Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Meditation Centres, Asia-Pacific Region (Australia)
Greetings of peace. In our present society, most people want peace, and there are many organizations trying to achieve that goal. Nothing is impossible for human beings. The only thing we need is guidance and strength from the Almighty. Love is the key quality needed to unite people and accept each other. Overcoming one’s negativity—ego, anger, and a thirst for wealth power—will definitely help the individual, and finally the society, to be peaceful. The intrinsic nature of every individual is peace. This realization helps the peaceful nature of each individual to re-emerge. One’s spirituality helps one to connect with the self, with other human beings, and with the Almighty—the ocean of Peace. I am one hundred percent sure that peace in the world is not far away.
Dr. Ashok Gangadean, Professor and Chair of Philosophy, Haverford College (United States)
The collective wisdom of our planet teaches that we humans are truly beings of love and light, and that the ego mental stage of human development is the source of violence, polarity, fragmentation and cultural pathology. A true prayer flows from our higher nature, and not from our ego voice. As we now advance to a global age and our human family enters ever intensive interaction across all borders it is all the more imperative that we pray from our awakened heart mind as our great teachers have modeled. True Cultures of Peace can only come forth as we rise together in global awakening and realize our true human potential and destiny. Let us join in this awakening global prayer as our human family gathers in peaceful coexistence and mutual compassion. May Peace prevail on Earth.
Dr. Gerald Schroeder, Professor of Nuclear Physics and Earth Sciences (Israel)
Peace can prevail and will prevail when all humanity accepts its shared heritage of life and liberty. In the physical world, we see vast diversity, and yet all existence in every form, whether living or not, is ultimately constructed from the energy of the big bang creation. So too, in the spiritual realm, all humans—in fact all existences—arise from the wisdom inherent in that creation, a wisdom that underlies all existence and is made manifest by the universal mind toward which all strive. When we access this Mind, the physical and social differences that seem to separate us melt into trivialities, and Oneness prevails.
Bibi Guru Inder Kaur and Singh Sahib Bhai Hari Singh Khalsa, Co-founders and Directors, Yoga Dharma Community (Italy)
WAHE GURU. WAHE GURU. WAHE GURU.
We lift our arms up to the sky and soon we are there with you, united in the same desire for peace on earth. Peace is possible. Peace means to train ourselves, in body and mind. We human beings must train ourselves with peace, to convert all that is violent within us into acts of peace. Peace is not only the absence of war; peace means to triumph over violent words and convert them into kindness. Peace does not mean stopping violent acts, but also to conquer our fears. Peace is training ourselves every day, and we must be disciplined in order to succeed. Our bodies are a resource for creating peace; our minds understand what life actually is, and our minds are open to peace. The mind must be guided beyond the ‘I,’ so that an awareness of ‘We’ arises. To surpass our inner conflicts, we must practice every day; we must use words, thoughts and gestures of peace, because the seeds of peace are already inside us. If we care for them, they will grow. This is the goal that dwells in the core of humanity. May peace prevail on Earth, and in our hearts.
Fr. Randall Nolan, St Alban’s Church (Japan)
I send you greetings from St Alban’s Church in Tokyo. Today in our worship, we will, in solidarity with you at this gathering, be offering special prayers for peace and mutual understanding between peoples. Peace in the world depends on many things, but above all, it depends on prayer and communication. It is necessary for people to cross over boundaries and to celebrate differences—through dialogue, through listening and talking together, through trusting, and by taking the risk of friendship. We also need to pray together, to reach beyond ourselves, for we are not our own creators, and the achievement of peace ultimately depends on Grace. I wish you well in your celebrations.
Ven. Dr. Tenzin Jangchub, Centre of Traditional Tibetan Science of Healing and Herbal Treatment (Poland)
With great and humble respect, on behalf of or Centre of Traditional Tibetan Science of Healing and Herbal Treatment, I am sending you all the best wishes, highest regards, and deep respect. From the bottom of my heart, I wish you very good health and all the best. I deeply appreciate Ms. Masami Saionji, the Chairperson of Byakko Shinko Kai and her daughter Yuka Saionji, Mr. Jacek Kozlowski, Peace Representative in Poland, and all guests and participants of the SOPP in their activities for the peace all over the world. To all of you, I dedicate my prayers.
Dr. Maria Sagi, Scientific Director, Club of Budapest (Hungary)
“Be the change you want to see in the world,” said Gandhi, and today this means ‘be the peace you want to see.’ For, in the absence of peace, you cannot be whole, and if you are not whole, you cannot relate to the greater wholes that
embed your life. Our family needs to be whole, and so does our community, our nation, and the community of all nations. Wholeness starts with peace, and peace starts with you. Be at peace! is our first commandment as we face the challenge of transforming our unsustainable, conflict-prone civilization into a civilization of peace and wholeness—a civilization of Holos.
Mr. Munehiro Yamazaki, Chief Priest, Shirayama Hime Shrine of Hakusan Hongu Shrine (Japan)
On the occasion of the Symphony of Peace Prayers, we wholeheartedly pray for the success of the event. While the global environment is crying out in crisis at this very moment, what we can send out to the world is the ‘heart’ to feel the existence of God and Buddha in the mountains, the rivers, the seas and the earth. This ceremony, in which we pray together for world peace, transcending our religious differences with a mind that acknowledges the radiance of all life, has a significant role. It is my wish that your prayers will reach all lives on earth, and that a peaceful world will be created. Although I am very disappointed that I cannot attend this event, I sincerely pray for its great success. Global prayers and National prayers After praying with the religions of the world and hearing individual messages from guests and supporters, participants and guests alike focused their attention on uniting their hearts and voices to offer prayers for peace and harmony throughout the world. They began with two Global Prayers, created at Fuji Sanctuary specifically for the SOPP. These prayers were introduced with the following explanation: “Words, thoughts, and prayers have the power to change the world. If a great many people share the same vision, focus their consciousness on it, and pray for its realization, they will create a powerful energy that will work to manifest that vision. Let us now focus our prayers on the critical global problems facing humanity today…with the intention to reverse the current trends and create a positive future.”
