A Moment’s Peace – Newsletter AMP/1983-02 Mar/Apr 1983

Filed under Moments peace - Update Pub & Archive

Content Highlights:

International SECURITY AND THE THIRD WORLD
Excerpts from an address to the Meditation Group by H.E. Mr. Birbhongse Kasemsri, Permanent Representative of ‘Thailand, on 25 February 1983:

Development AND HUMAN RIGHTS – – Javier Perez de Cuellar, (Secretary-General)  “…without development there cannot be a full realization of human rights…”

IN THE BEGINNING – Under-Secretary-General,  Robert Muller discussed his most recent book , New Genesis, at a meeting of the Meditation Group on 4 February 1983….essays on the author’s search for a new global spirituality.

MEDITATION AT THE U.N. (Excerpts)

  • Question: Is there a special blessing of peace for those who work at the United Nations?
  • Question: Does working at the United Nations give us a special sense of responsibility?
  • Question: Is a portion of the soul of the United Nations inside all the people who work for the United Nations in some capacity?

CALENDAR – Ongoing events and April Programme

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International SECURITY AND THE THIRD WORLD
Excerpts from an address to the Meditation Group by H.E. Mr. Birbhongse Kasemsri, Permanent Representative of ‘Thailand, on 25 February 1983:

  • Whatever the perceptions of the major powers happen to be regarding the United Nations, and such perceptions have changed from time to time, the small countries or smaller nations look at the united Nations as a safe harbour. We tend to regard it or use it as a first recourse, rather than a last resort, especially in times of crisis. We attach more importance to the United Nations than perhaps the major powers need to. We can I think derive a source of strength therein, namely the preponderance of members. This strength of numbers should not be detrimental to the United Nations or its image but, on the contrary, it can be used to the advantage of the united Nations to help strengthen its efforts in the world.
  • ‘The smaller states in the united Nations have their share of problems. We feel that since one of the cornerstones of our foreign policy is the United Nations, we would like to see the United Nations respond more positively to our problems. But living in an interdependent world we appreciate the fact that countries have to live together in brotherhood. And it is not the poor who will rule the world nor the rich, but all of us will share in an equitable manner the resources of man.
  • It goes to the crux of the matter if I were to point out that the-smaller countrie5-which-rely 0n the United Nations, can offer a basis upon which the prestige and the effectiveness of the United Nations can be enhanced. There are many crises among small countries in the different regions of the world. If the United Nations can help to resolve these small crises, the regional crises, then these successes will contribute to the building of a better United Nations. The preponderance in numbers of the small countries can then be turned to good advantage. The United Nations has been frequently blamed for exacerbating the problems of the world, not only in failing to contribute to their solution, but also in aggravating those problems. I think this is grossly unjust. Problems are made by man and by nations, and those countries who turn to the United Nations in the last, obviously give the United Nations very little opportunity to resolve these crises. But we ~mall countries always look to the United Nations first, and this is an opportunity, a golden opportunity for the United Nations to try to help us solve these regional problems.
  • The preamble of the Charter of the United Nations is a very well-written document and reads so beautifully. It begins with, “We the people of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war…” and it continues with the very important passage, “And for these ends to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours…”
  • The last phrase I think touches the heart or the soul of the united Nations. It is something most human beings understand, irrespective of their creed, colour, sex and their economic status in life. Failing to follow these precepts may be the major cause of all the trouble we are having today in the international arena. At the United Nations there is a meditation room, and I dare say, if we diplomats made more frequent use of it, we might contribute our fair share in a more effective way toward strengthening peace and security in our world. By the same token, if world leaders would practice meditation then perhaps they could give new strength, not military, not nuclear, not even economic or financial strength, but inner strength which would lead us to contribute much more effectively towards the desired goals…

Development AND HUMAN RIGHTS – – Javier Perez de Cuellar, (Secretary-General)

  • Development, in the final analysis, rests on faith in human dignity. As it is obvious that without development there cannot be a full realization of human rights. It is equally true that economic development by itself is not enough if it does not take full account of human rights. One oftentimes hears that the notion of fundamental freedoms is not uniform in all societies.  I must confess that I am not overly impressed by this argument. The peoples of the Third World are themselves the inheritors of systems of belief and conduct which enjoined respect for the sanctity of the human person. Moreover, in our own age, these peoples have participated in movements for independence which derived their elan from an impassioned
    belief in human equality.
  • Then again, it is obvious that the promotion of human rights and the rule of law is not only an ethical imperative, it is a practical necessity if a people are to be given the confidence in themselves and in their future which is essential for their morale and political stability. I would appeal to all Governments to work for policies and promote trends which ensure the fullest flowering of human rights.

IN THE BEGINNING – Under-Secretary-General,  Robert Muller discussed his most recent book , New Genesis, at a meeting of the Meditation Group on 4 February 1983. The book is a collection of essays on the author’s search for a new global spirituality. Excerpts from his talk follow.

  • My fascination, my enthusiasm, for the United Nations I have had since the beginning of my career. But trained as I was as a political man, there was one very important dimension that was missing, and I acquired this through two persons. They have transformed my life without any doubt. Thanks to U-Thant and to Sri Chinmoy I have seen that there is more to life than even this planet, that there is more even than humanity.
  • I have seen that  there is the universe, that there is eternity, that there is God, and that this human family cannot succeed if it doesn’t place itself in the eternal stream of time and into the vastness of the universe.
  • These were the two great lessons I received without which I would not have been able to make the many speech­es and write the many essays which I have in the past two years. They would have been very imperfect if they had been only political or eco­nomic, however vast the vis­ion of one world might be. It is a dimension which I will never forget until I die.
  •  I have come to conclude that t this dimension is the only one which will give us the answers to all of our problems. It is not the mind, it is not even the heart, it is not interest,it is not-negotiation that will do it. It is the reali­zation that on this little planet God has something special to do. We must know what are the laws of God which we have to abide by in order to not kill each other and finally to practice jus­tice and love towards each other. This, I believe, is the ultimate objective of the United Nations in spite of images to the contrary.
  • Mr • Muller’s book, published by Doubleday, is available in the U.N. Bookstore.

CALENDAR – Ongoing events

  • Introductory meditation classes
  • Silent meditations led by Sri Chinmoy, twice weekly
  • April programmes:
    •  14 April — Thirteenth anniversary of the Meditation Group at the United Nations.

MEDITATION AT THE U.N. (Excerpts)

Question: Is there a special blessing of peace for those who work at the United Nations?
Sri Chinmoy. Yes, there is a very special blessing of peace for those who work at the United Nations.

  • Those who work at the United Nations either consciously or unconsciously are hoping for a peace-loving oneness-world. Those who want oneness founded upon peace will naturally have a special blessing from above.
  • This world has everything except peace -peace in the mind. The heart has peace to a great extent. The soul embodies peace in boundless measure. But the mind, the ordinary human mind, has practically no peace.
  • Those who are crying for peace, and who are sincerely aware of the capacity of peace and the fulfilment that a peaceful oneness-world can offer, will without fail bring down peace from above and be recep­tive to the descent of peace. Naturally, they will be blessed with peace.

Question: Does working at the United Nations give us a special sense of responsibility?.

Sri Chinmoy. Working at the United Nations does give us a special sense of responsibility.

  • The United Nations is the vision of world unity, which will eventually be manifested as a divine reality. When we work for a higher cause such as this, naturally we get a more powerful sense of responsibility.
  • This sense of responsibility eventually leads to aston­ishing self-perfection. And what is self-perfection? The self-perfection of mankind is God’s complete Satisfaction inside the heart of humanity.

Question: Is a portion of the soul of the United Nations inside all the people who work for the United Nations in some capacity?

Sri Chinmoy: Yes, a portion of the soul of the United Nations is inside all the people who work for the United Nations in some capacity.

  • But those who are consciously and soufully serving the United Nations are receiving from the soul of the United Nations more inner assurance, more illumining thoughts and more fulfilling promises than those who are not fully conscious of what they are here for.
  • The soul of the united Nations dreams of a beautiful, peaceful and fruitful world in and through each individual worker at the United Nations.
  • Depending on the receptivity  of each individual who works here, the soul of the United  Nations brings down light and spreads the message of peace  in the countries that are already spiritually awakened and the countries that are longing to awake.

Sri Chinmoy Meditation at the United Nations is an association of U.N. Dele­gates, staff, NGO representatives and accredited press correspondents who believe that inner reflection and meditation can bring us in touch with the founding spirit of the United Nations and inspire renewed dedication to its ideals.

In operation since 1970, the Meditation Group has had since its inception the kind guidance of Sri Chinmoy, Internationally renowned philosopher, meditation teacher, artist, musician and author of over 500 books on meditation and related subjects.

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