His Holiness Swastishree Karmayogi
* Charukirti Bhattaraka Maha Swamiji
Lord Jaina Bean, Shravanabelgola
His-Holiness Shri Charukeerti Bhattaraka Swamiji, the presiding Pontif
of Shri Jaina Matha, Shravanabelgola since sixteen years, is one of the
chief propagators of world peace. With a deep sense of understanding and
clear vision of the maladies and evils of the world, His-Holiness
believes in constructive solution for the problems and dedication for
the cause of promoting the ethical standard of human society, Swamiji, a
foremost thinker and reformer of our times is a philosopher and a man of
action in one.
In these days of academic rivalries between philosophers and scientists,
Swamiji�s approach to the burning problems of society is one of synoptic
vision and catholic attitude. This could have been possible only for
Swamiji, who could rightly view things in the light of real truth and
translate what he says in action. The greatest dictum that the greatest
saint is not the man who does extraordinary things, but does ordinary
things extraordinarily, has been realised in the life of Swamiji.�
We stand on an isthumus of time hopefully reviewing the changeful
features of chaotic world, which destructive forces have carried away a
long way to a near disaster. Many thoughtful minds all the world over
despair of lasting peace and already talk of world war third. They feel
no series of peace conferences and not merely external tinkering with
league machinery and international committees can do anything positive
to world peace. They feel perhaps vaguely that the Common Consciousness
of the nations must be inspired from within, that unless the soul of man
is aroused, political leadership will do little more than reflen.
conflicting interests and confused thoughts of the day.
Religion and World Peace:
So Einstein says � We stand at the parting of the ways. It is for us to
find the way of peace or as an alternative to continue along that path
of brutal force which is unworthy of our civilization. On the one side,
there beckons to us the freedom of the individual, and the security of
common wealth�s, on the other the servitude of individuals, and the
collapse of our civilization. Our fate will be as we deserve.
Many thoughtful observers believe that they see the doom of our
mechanised civilization in the repeated failures of disarmament
conferences and the ill-starred performance of the League of Nations.
These are indeed discouraging set backs to the cause of the World Peace.
Especially so, since the peace movement is so closely associated with
the fortunes of League of Nations. However, disappointments need not be
fatal if we learn the lessons of the past. It is evident that Peace
cannot be had for the mere asking and that we cannot risk another
World-war. Peace can neither ho bought nor sold because its price is
Peace, and that is our Goal. So also human dignity and religion are the
essentials of any sane society. What Kant wrote in his treatise on �
Perpetual Peace� is significant at this hour. � No treaty of peace shall
be regarded as valid, if-made with the secret reservation of material
for a future war�. The rights of men as citizens of the world should be
respected and universal hospitality extended to all with no
discrimination of caste, creed, colour with dignity and respect.
There is kind of peace advocated by some philosophers which is beyond
good and evil and the moral struggles of the world. Morality is a
perpetual fight against evil and this state of our experience though
very valuable, cannot bring peace. At the level of morality we are still
in the world fighting against evil. It is only religion that can give us
peace, that surpasseth the understanding. It is for this reason that
great founders, Darshanas of the philosophical systems sought for peace
as the highest value of the realised soul. International peace and well
- being, like national peace and well -being can be secured only through
self-elevating institutions. capable of life and growth such as
religious institutions. If religious institutions bring spiritual values
of life, economic institutions bring Food, Shelter, Clothing etc., with
dignity and respect in any nation.
Pitrim Sorokin the famous American Social Philosopher classifies world
cultures into,
1. Sensate.
2. Ideational and
3. Idealistic types.
Each culture represents a well marked practice of Social life. Each
again is based on a major premise which serves the fundamental principle
for outlook on life arid its values.
The people brought up in a sensate culture do not believe in any truth
beyond the senses. Their needs and ends are mainly Physical. The
scientist is their ideal man and epicureanism is their ideal life. For
such people neither religion, peace nor human dignity is understandable.
The people who are brought up in an Ideational Culture too believe that
truth is beyond the senses. Their needs and ends are mainly spiritual.
They reject normal pleasures of life and retire into solitude. The
ascetic or the solitary man is their ideal man and Stoicism is their
ideal life. One who gives up this world and lives in a transcendental
state does nothing to humanity except remaining in an imaginary ideal.
The people who are brought up in an Idealistic Culture too believe that
truth is beyond the senses, but that it is very creative and dynamic and
expresses itself in the form of the universe. The needs and ends of
people in an Idealistic Culture are organised into a balanced harmony of
spiritual and material activities. They do not reject sense pleasures
but at the same time they do not overact their place in human life. The
benevolent Saint is their ideal man and creative social work is their
ideal life. When man finds thus the fundamental truth, peace, security
and human dignity with the help of self realisation is possible. This we
can achieve when the objectives of the convention are as follows:
1. To invite the leaders of different religions of the world to discuss
the fundamental unity underlying the apparent diversities, various
faiths, to discover a sure foundation for establishing, understanding
and fellowship among men and women professing different faiths and to
suggest ways by which the religions of the world can help 1n bringing
about inner fulfillment and strengthening spiritually the process of
national and international peace.
2. To invite the leaders of the religious groups belonging to various
faiths to evolve a universal form of spiritual practice which is not
harmful to any system of theology or any form of worship. So that all
people seeking transformation of their consciousness and behaviour can
come together to establish a relationship of give and take on a
spiritual level.
3. To invite theologians, philosophers, thinkers to elaborate a
spiritual way of life and international relations, the religions of the
world can promote individual and collective peace and fulfillment,
suggest relationship for happiness and welfare of all living beings and
set forth the principles of a spiritual civilization that can cover the
whole world for establishment of peace.
4. To invite distinguished preachers, philosophers, artists, scientists,
statesman and Economists to discuss the problem of World Peace, so that
world unity can be conceived on the basis of reconciliation on a
spiritual foundation and a desirable social system ensuring the secular
and spiritual happiness and fulfillment can be universally advocated.
5. To invite thinkers who are specially interested in ethical
transformation of the world, to present comprehensively the principle of
non-violence from the standpoint of different faiths, to discuss the
forms for the application of the principle to all individual and
collective pursuits, to show the bearing of the principle on achieving
world peace, and to clarify the contributions of the achievement for
total disarmament in this nuclear age.
To achieve the above aims these ideas have to be developed.
1. The fundamental unity of faiths lies in tranquility which brings
inner freedom and peace; unity with mankind all forms of life and all
forms of existence, fellowship with all, and service in various forms.
These must be free from all doctrines and dogmas and can ensure
spiritual fulfillment to all, no matter whether they are believers or
non-believers.
2. To make the people realise and practise self culture with a feeling
of fellowship and dedication to serve and respect all living creatures
acceptable to the followers of the faiths.
3. Realisation of the fundamental unity of all faiths can enable us to
remain true to our own faiths and at the same time to be respectful to
all other faiths and the common spiritual principles can elaborate a
spiritual way of fife and develop a spiritual civilization throughout
the world. We can feel ourselves in others and realise ourselves in all
and all in ourselves which is the highest dignity that any one enjoys in
such a spiritual culture. This ideal will transform the social,
political and economic life and international relations.
4. Peaceful co-existence of the nations will become easy in this nuclear
age for the security of mankind and there may not be any class conflict
or exploitation. In such an atmosphere there will be true understanding,
trust and total disarmament will be an accomplished fact. The arms race
will cease and all money and resourses now misspent will be used for
common welfare and world peace.
5. If this noble idea! is achieved men and women may follow their own
faiths, but at the same time feel at one with all other faiths. The
unspiritual emotions of racialism, aggressive nationalism, class
snobbery, apartheid, ethnic problems, and religious fanaticism
responsible for most troubles in the modern world will be transformed by
the ideal of human unity that all faiths preach.
So in this nuclear age non-violence which is the message of every faith
has to be accepted both as a policy and a principle. The non-violent way
is the way of moral and spiritual persuasion with readiness to conscious
selfsuffering. !t is desirable that this religious means is applied to
all problems at the national and international level. To practise
non-violence in daily life, the principle of eliminating every form of
avoidable and necessary cruelty and killing has to be kept before us.
1. To share the common fundamental principles of all faiths and feel
that the great faiths are the manifestations of the wonderful spiritual
potentialities of human conscious ness and this universal legacy must be
properly made known to all the people.
2. International peace through religions is the spontaneous expression
of universal brotherhood and love of all faiths.
Hinduism : Do naught to others which if done to thee would cause
thee pain.
Jainism : A man should treat all beings as he himself would be
treated.
Buddhism : Hurt not others with that which pains yourself.
Sikkism : As thou deemest thyself so deem others.
Jesus : Whatsoever you would have men do to you, do you also to
them.
Judaism : What is hurtful to yourself do not do to your
fellowmen.
Mohammed : No one of you is a believer until he loves for his
brother what he loves for himself.
Confucius : Do not unto others what you would not they should do
unto you.
Laotse : Regard your neighbour�s gain as your own gain, and your
neighbour�s loss as your own loss.
Shintoism : The suffering of others is my suffering; the good of
others is my good.
( Collected by the Late Rev. Meyer-Klugel and Mrs. Meyer-Klugel of
Exeter )
