HWPL World Alliance of Religions Peace Office Journal June

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HWPL World Alliance of Religions’ Peace Office Journal

June 2022 Issue

June 2022 HWPL WARP Journal

141 WARP OFFICES MEETINGS HELD IN 93 COUNTRIES IN MAY 2022

Africa

26

Europe

33

CIS 4

South Africa

Uganda

Sweden

Estonia

Belarus

South Sudan

Cameroon

Moldova

Albania

Kyrgyzstan

Sudan

Rwanda Kenya

Nigeria

Lesotho

Eswatini

Zimbabwe Gambia

Burundi

Côte d’Ivoire Tunisia

Zambia

Mozambique Namibia Egypt

Ghana

Norway

Romania

Spain

Czech Republic Cyprus

Netherlands France

United Kingdom Portugal

Switzerland Kosovo

Finland

Kazakhstan Russia

Hungary

Middle East 6

Slovakia

Palestine

San Marino

Jordan Yemen

Lithuania

Israel

Poland

Lebanon

Italy

Iraq

Germany

CURRENT WARP OFFICES STATUS As of May 31, 2022 Total of 274 offices in 129 countries Europe 36 Countries 44 Offices

13 Countries 14 Offices 25 Countries 32 Offices Africa

2

Middle East Oceania 3 Countries 7 Offices

Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light

CIS

5

Asia

31

Belarus

India

Kazakhstan

Cambodia

Ukraine

Laos

Kyrgyzstan

The Americas 39 Mongolia

Afghanistan

Sri Lanka

United States of America

Belize

Antigua and Barbuda

Bahamas

Canada Brazil

Thailand

Guyana

Myanmar(Burma)

Nicaragua

Vietnam

Panama

Malaysia

Trinidad And Tobago

Indonesia

Costa Rica

Nepal

Chile

Bhutan

Philippines

Bangladesh Japan

5 Countries 6 Offices CIS 25 Countries 44 Offices The Americas Asia 22 Countries 127 Offices

3

Venezuela Mexico

Grenada

Guatemala Suriname Paraguay

Jamaica

El Salvador

Oceania 2

Ecuador

Argentina

Australia

New Zealand

th HWPL 6June Annual 2022Commemoration HWPL WARP Journal of the DPCW

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HWPL 6th Annual Commemoration of the DPCW

On March 14, we celebrated HWPL’s 6th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War online through a live worldwide broadcast. Under the theme of “Institutionalizing Peace: Building a Legal Foundation for Sustainable Peace,” we shared the efforts of HWPL to establish a culture of peace for the global community and presented a vision for what kind of joint efforts are needed to achieve a global peace era. In particular, we agreed that the institutionalization of peace is essential for the establishment of a peaceful culture and encouraged a joint resolution for this endeavor.

The first speaker for the event was Mr. Rommel Santos Diaz, President of the Dominican Federalist Foundation. Mr. Diaz declared, “I believe that the DPCW is a document of universal value. It is a vital and ideal document to be incorporated into primary and university education programs with the objective and purpose of providing guidance to citizens about peace as a global movement.” Furthermore, Mr. Diaz also explained how he had worked to institutionalize the DPCW in the

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Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light

Dominican Republic by working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Attorney General’s Office of the Dominican Republic and to promote the DPCW in civil society.

He stated that, “An important factor for our work in the Dominican Republic is the DPCW Handbook (to teach the DPCW) in schools and universities and at the same time, we are working with civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations.

The DPCW will be part of the international law university curriculum to help instill in the minds of our future leaders the importance of uniting our voices to promote peace through legislation.

Currently, we are working with the Dominican Republic’s Senate and the Chamber of Deputies to approve the Resolution in support of the DPCW, which was drafted by the coalition with comments from HWPL. We are preparing comuniqués for the President of the Dominican Republic, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of the Organization of American States to request support for the DPCW throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.”

He ended his speech by saying, “I hope that our passion, plans and progress in the Dominican Republic can be an inspiration for everyone present today.

The second speaker for the day was Imam Shafiek Nolan, who is Imam of Westridge Mosque in South Africa. He spoke about the importance of institutionalizing sustainable peace for the religions through the World Alliance of Religions’ Peace (WARP) Offices under the topic of “Institutionalization of Peace for Religions and the Value of DPCW”. Imam Nolan stated that “It should be the mission of all sectors of our global society to aspire to the realization of the DPCW. Articles 8 and 9 of the DPCW emphasize the importance of peace between religions and the cessation of religious conflict. The monthly scripture dialogue hosted by HWPL particularly aims to create a platform to breakdown misunderstandings of religious scripture and practices, mirroring the values expressed in the DPCW.”

Imam Nolan also shared what he felt as a panelist at WARP Office: “Initially I did not know what to expect from the WARP Offices, but after getting involved in many peace activities of HWPL, the peace walks and the peace summit in Korea, it became very clear that there is a noble purpose with a clear goal to create religious harmony and global peace. At that moment, I resolved that this is something that I have to be a part of. As a Muslim and a representative of Islam in the WARP Office, there were occasions where I had a particular understanding and a particular view on a given subject. The discussions and dialogues inspired me to dig in very deep into my own scripture and develop a holistic view in line with Islamic teachings.”

Imam also mentioned that the dialogues are “influences people of faith to instill within them the culture of religious harmony, institutionalizing sustainable peace, and achieving a culture where people of faith understand the importance of communication and consistently interact with people of different religions.” As a religious leader, he also explained that “it is our collective duty as religious leaders to lead our congregants with accurate information and ensure that we advance the true objectives of our scripture. For indeed, all heavenly revealed scriptures have a common goal for all mankind, and that is, apart from others, to inspire wholesome and peaceful living with closeness to the Almighty.”

He also stressed that the newsletter and WARP Office Journals that HWPL sends out to people of faith globally is a wonderful initiative that has “potential to discredit any incorrect narrative that may be portrayed in the media or people’s minds about other religions.”

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th HWPL 6June Annual 2022Commemoration HWPL WARP Journal of the DPCW

Mr. John Rommel Garces, the Chief Branch Manager of HWPL in the Philippines, also presented his speech as the third speaker. He presented on the topic of “The Strongest Foundation in Achieving World Peace: Institutionalization of HWPL Peace Education in the Philippines” and presented the case of establishing peace education in the Philippines.

Mr. Garces explained, “In June 2013, Chairman Lee Man-hee conducted his first visit to the Philippines. He received advice to extend HWPL’s works of peace in Mindanao, the most conflicted region in the Philippines. This eventually led to the establishment of the 1st HWPL peace monument in the Philippines. Therefore, the establishment of the peace monument is also part of peace education.

24th January was proclaimed as HWPL Peace Day in the Province of Maguindanao in honor of the Mindanao Peace Agreement.

By January 2018, HWPL and CHED signed an MOA during the 26th World Peace Tour of Chairman Lee. This has become a huge step in institutionalizing peace education in the Philippines. This led to the release of the CHED Memorandum Order No. 1 series of 2019, an order mandating all higher educational institutions to integrate peace education in their respective curricula. HWPL intensified the training of teachers, raising them to be peace educators to cater to more students. From January 2021 to the present, HWPL Philippines hosted ten training programs and trained 2,079 teachers who became peace educators. Through them, 36 schools are now implementing peace education in their curriculum which covers about 23,000 students.”

Mr. Garces also hinted at the possibility of institutionalization of peace education in the Philippines, citing various figures such as the Philippine Ministry of Education.

Dr. Diosdado M. San Antonio, who is the Undersecretary of Curriculum and Instruction Department of Education, also stated that “The Department of Education is definitely supportive of efforts to ensure that the learners become peace-loving Filipinos. Definitely, we have partners in the division offices, schools especially, and even from the private schools working with your team in making sure that peace education collaborations are effectively implemented.”

Furthermore, Dr. Ronald Adamat, who is Commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) mentioned: “In 2021, I convinced CHED to call on President Rodrigo Duterte, to declare 24 January a regular holiday, being National Peace Day. The CHED Commission En Banc issued an endorsement to President Duterte, urging him to declare 24 January as National Peace Day that will provide for simultaneous celebration and observance of peace through peace activities, events, and ceremonies by all instrumentalities and in agencies of government, including the private sector.”

At the end of his presentation, Mr. Garces expressed his thoughts on DPCW and peace education: “The DPCW Article 10 Spreading the Culture of Peace has paved the way for peace education to reach the hearts of every learner. Therefore, we envision every school, college, university all across the globe, starting in the Philippines, will nurture the students and embed Peace Education in their hearts and minds. Eventually, the leaders of the next generation will rise up and will lead the world with peace and love.”

As a finale, Chairman of HWPL, Mr. Man-hee Lee took to the stand to give his commemorative speech.

Chairman Lee said that HWPL has worked to make peace without war in the global community and make it an eternal legacy for future generations, and that we all hope that our initial determination and heart have not changed at this time of the sixth annual commemoration of the DPCW.

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Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light

He also stressed that HWPL’s peace movement was not in vain as it had led to civilian peace agreements, as well as official meetings with former and current presidents, Supreme Court justices, and national parliament speakers to urge them to support and sign their pledge for peace. In addition, he pointed out that HWPL’s peace projects, including international law-making campaigns, the construction of peace monuments, the training of peace teachers, and the production and distribution of peace textbooks, are concrete and practical ways to advance the world of peace.

Finally, Chairman Lee said, “And we should also create a developed country and pass it to our future generations so they can live well. It is what we should accomplish. Let’s not forget this. So, the whole world should transform into a place of love without any war, dispute, or conflict according to the will of the Creator. Family of peace, let’s all take part in this work. We should not just sit on our hands. Let’s exchange letters and cooperate in order to create such a beautiful world.

Look at the flowers out there. These beautiful flowers blossom, and we hear birds sing as well. How wonderful is it? Without this kind of earth, we will all die in pain. Because we were given such a good place to live in, we should make it more beautiful.”

As Chairman Lee ended his speech, he also encouraged participants to join in the mission as peace messengers by saying, “Family of peace, I would truly appreciate if you will shine light to the world as beautiful family members of peace. Let us become the true light that shines on the whole world. This is my true hope and desire.”

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HWPL World Interfaith Joint Prayer Conference

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HWPL World Interfaith Joint Prayer Conference

The HWPL World Interfaith Joint Prayer Conference: Prayer Conference for the End of War and World Peace was held online on April 28th, 2022, which was roughly two months after the Russia-Ukraine war broke out. The prayer conference was attended by people of diverse religions who are also active participants of HWPL’s World Alliance of Religions’ Peace (WARP) offices around the world. Participants of the prayer conference gathered with the same intention to oppose the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and other wars and conflicts arising from a myriad of reasons, such as religion, ideology, territorial and economic benefits. Over 300 people from 46 countries attended this event, and it was a precious opportunity for all to pray together for world peace. Attendees took part in the prayers while adhering to the forms and rituals of each religion they belonged to.

Prior to the prayers, we took the time to look into the reality of the global village stained with conflict and war and videos that illustrated the necessity of peace was shown. The video montage showed young people who lost their lives to violence and conflict, and the victims of

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Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light

unjustifiable wars left behind; the suffering children and women, having their homes and daily lives destroyed. Only devastating and lasting damage was left.

This was followed by speeches and prayers led by seven religious leaders from different religions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Kakai religion, and Sikhism. The religious leaders spoke on the common topic of “About the mind and actions of religious leaders for the realization of peace based on religious scriptures.” After their speeches, the religious leaders also led the prayers.

Each speaker quoted a passage from their respective religious scriptures to discuss what kinds of mindsets we should have to avoid violence and conflict, and to achieve peace. They also spoke on what values we should hold close and what efforts should be made. Vraja Hari Prabhu, a representative of Vaishnavism from Ukraine, said, “We should pray: Let Lord sit in the core of my heart, killing all my bad propensities. Let my mind become clean so that I may peacefully worship the Lord and bring peace to the entire world.” Imam Ali Imran Al-Raschid Arsad, who is Imam of the Imam Council of the Philippines stated in his speech, “I believe peace can be achieved through dialogues through education.”

After the speeches and representative prayers, all participants spent the next five minutes praying.

With earnest and solemn hearts, participants prayed for the end of all wars in the world and for peace to prevail, according to the teachings of their religions and scriptures. Mr. Enayatullah Taha, who is an Afghan Muslim religious leader and a lecturer of Arabic language and Islam at the Yazd International University, commented about his experience in the prayer conference. He said, “I was moved and moved to tears when I saw many people attending the prayer for peace.”

Not wanting to have the 45-minute-long prayer conference to be a one-off event, HWPL planned to launch a campaign to keep the prayers going for the people suffering from conflicts and war around the world and for them to end. Towards the end of the conference, the emcee outlined the suggested prayer campaign to all who attended with the following words:

“Even now, there are many people in the world who need our attention and help and who are desperate for wars to end. But because we may not be in direct contact with conflict, it is sometimes easy to forget that somewhere in the world, there are people who lost their lives and livelihoods because of wars.

War and constant strife take advantage of this lack of awareness and expands. However, if everyone in the world truly thinks that there is no just war, that war must end, that peace must come; it will be difficult to continue such unjustified wars.” With that in mind, the emcee proposed attendees to take part in the Relay Prayers by the continent campaign.

Consequently, people around the world continues to pray for the end of the war and world peace even at this moment.

HWPL has been striving for a world where people around the world are united by peace, avoiding all violence, physical force, division and conflict that hinder peace. As part of such a peace movement, HWPL has hosted the inaugural World Interfaith Joint Prayer Conference where the religious has gathered to pray solemnly for the end of conflicts and war and bring about peace in the world.

All religious scriptures teach the distinction between good and evil, to stay away from evil and to

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HWPL World Interfaith Joint Prayer Conference

love and be at peace with each other. When we come together to become one in truth, transcending beyond religious lines and pray for peace with the same heart, we strongly believe that this spark of hope will spread across the globe and all people will agree to stop senseless wars and the pain and tears; Every single individual should be able to put down our differences and self-interest, and fundamentally learn to have a heart of love and peace for others. Then surely, world peace will be realized.

*F or religious leaders who wish to participate in the Relay Prayers by the Continent campaign, please contact the nearest HWPL staff.

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Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light

03

HWPL’s 9th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of World Peace

On May 25th, an event was held to commemorate the 9th anniversary of HWPL’s Declaration of World Peace. About 9 years ago, in front of the Peace Gate in South Korea, the Declaration of World Peace was proclaimed by HWPL for the sake of world peace and the cessation of war. Since then, HWPL’s message of freedom and peace has spread throughout the world, which could be seen through the speakers’ presentations.

Peace Journalist Report “Thailand South: A Continuity of Peace Talk, But that is Still Far Away from the Realities.”

Supalak Ganjanakhundee, Visiting Fellow of Pridi Bhanomyong International College, Thammasat University, Former Editor of The Nation, Thailand

With Malaysia’s facilitation, an agreement in principle reached by Thai authorities and separatists, Barisan Revolusi Nasionals, or widely known as the BRN on the beginning of April to have a temporary

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HWPL’s 9th HWPL AnnualWorld Commemoration Interfaith Joint of the Prayer Declaration Conference of World Peace

truce during the holy month of Ramadan gave some hope for peace in Thailand’s restive south.

However, the temporary truce might not be able to end the chronic violence for many reasons. One, it is premature to judge whether such an agreement would be effectively implemented by both sides, given that the BRN might not be able to control its new generation fighters on the ground and the militaries maintain its search-and-destroy mode.

Number two, while the truce might create some conducive atmosphere for the further discussion, Thai authorities have consistently showed their reluctance to go further for political dialogues as some officials said they don’t want to uplift the separatists’ status to sit with them equally.

Number three, the truce was facilitated by Malaysian official in Kuala Lumpur for the sake of trust by both parties, but Thailand fears of internationalization of the peace process. Therefore they denied any involvement of international observers. Such attitude would prevent international community from witnessing the implementation and verification of its effectiveness. Nobody knows how and what kind of mechanism implement the truce.

Number four, while Muslim Malays openly call for a certain level of autonomy, Thai authorities are not ready to discuss any sense of self-determination due to the fear of separation from Thailand. The term autonomy, if not independent, is a taboo issue for Thailand’s elite to discuss.

So in conclusion, the history of peace talk has already delivered its verdict that any peace process would lead to lasting peace but address the problem at its root cause. That must be conducted along the democratization with intensive participation of not only stakeholders but also civil society. Thai authorities said they allow participation of civil society to the peace process. But let me take a peace process in the Philippines’ Mindanao for an example to demonstrate how international civil society gets involved.

Back in 2014, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light, HWPL, an international NGO mediated conflict in Mindanao by proposing a peace agreement by local representatives. Witnessed by Chairman Lee of HWPL, the peace agreement was signed by Hon. Esmael G. Mangudadatu, the then Governor of Maguindanao, and Archbishop-Emeritus Fernando Capalla of the Archdiocese of Davao, representing local leadership.

The UN-affiliated NGO, HWPL, has endorsed combined efforts of governments and civil society efforts that leads to the institutionalization of peace in each society. Its DPCW proclaimed in 2016 has provided guides to citizen-led peace advocacy, in line with international organizations including the UN, the African Union, the European Union that have stressed normative guidance as a standard of substantial conflict resolution with the participation of the women and youth.

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Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light

Forming and Putting into Action a Common Spirit for Religious Harmony & Peace

1) The MOU Signing Ceremony and the Establishment of the Peace Monument Allama Syed Abdullah Tariq, World Organisation of Religion and knowledge

Q

What is the significance of the MOU signed between WORK and HWPL?

The main objective of HWPL is world peace. Achieving peace means wars should stop in this world, and prohibiting wars must be legalized and approved by the United Nations as international law. HWPL is making continuous efforts towards this goal. HWPL activities are being continually conducted in different parts of the world, and we must be associated with it. In India, I believe that we should work together, especially after signing an MOU.

Now, it is a union. With this union, there are goals, purposes, and responsibilities. We have had a really good relationship since we started working together, but now we have responsibilities and obligations towards each other. So, now when HWPL and WORK are working as one after this MOU, it will definitely bring good results.

Q

What does the establishment of the peace monument mean to you?

At least four times every year, people will gather in large numbers to where the peace monument is erected. They will see the messages of the Declaration of World Peace proclaimed by Chairman Man Hee Lee engraved in the peace monument. It is the story of how he started the big task of peace in 2013.

I see that it was a cornerstone of making history. WORK will be the part of that history in which we go ahead. Additionally, I am sure we will not remain in history, but we will make history together, and the people will remember us for that.

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HWPL’s 9th HWPL AnnualWorld Commemoration Interfaith Joint of the Prayer Declaration Conference of World Peace

2) HWPL Religious Youth Peace Camp Raeessa sheikh, Ansari Qadiri Rifai Tariqa(AQRT), South Africa

Q

hat kind of programs were there at the Religious Youth Peace Camp program, and W what was the most memorable?

The HWPL Religious Youth Peace Camp was fantastic, and I really enjoyed attending it. We looked at videos of various faiths. These included Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism and my faith, Islam. The activities involved a board game as well as the history on the Mindanao conflict, and a pop quiz at the end.

All the activities were rich in information sharing as well as opening our minds to various perspectives. The board game left an indelible impression on me. It was fun and looked at major and minor religions. Specifically it focused on school life, religious freedom, places of worship, work life. And it was comprehensive in that it provided various scenarios for participants.

Q

hat was the board game Put Yourself in Someone Else’s Shoes, and what was your W impression after participating?

As a minor religion, one of the scenarios that I faced playing the board game and this happens in real life, so it was a really good way for us to put ourselves in another person’s shoes, so to speak.

So you were faced with a choice. And the choice that I was given in the board game was that you choose to wear your religious attire and could be denied entry into school, so you are denied education, or you choose [not] to wear your religious attire, and you lose points. And in real life, we know that, often, people are discriminated against based on how they are dressed.

I very quickly started to see how it was going to be very difficult for me not just to win, but to even come out of that game feeling good about myself, feeling understood, feeling accepted.

Q

How did you feel after participating in the Religious Youth Peace Camp?

What I realized is that when we join these spaces of Youth Peace Camps, Interfaith Scripture Dialogue, when we put ourselves in another person’s shoe, when we look at things from various perspectives, we are able to then keep an open mind and understand differences, and not discriminate based on those differences but rather to look at those similarities and then come together so that we can ultimately live as God wants us to live, as brother and sister, as a community, as a nation, as humanity. And, I think that the Youth Peace Camp was a really great opportunity for us to learn about religions that we might not have in our local community.

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Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light

Fostering Citizens of Peace for the Institutionalization of Peace: HWPL Peace Education in India Using Metaverse HWPL has been conducting Peace Education in around 62 countries – including Israel, Palestine, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Myanmar – where people are suffering from conflicts and wars. HWPL has also been trying to make a culture of peace in the world. And there is a case where Peace Education was taught using the Metaverse, which was conducted in Jagran Public School, India. This is how the students learned about peace through the Peace Academy in the virtual world called the Metaverse, while students have been struggling to have face-to-face education because of the pandemic.

“Metaverse” is a compound word that combines meta – meaning virtual or transcending, – and universe. It refers to the virtual world where people can take part in social, economic, and cultural activities. What is unique about the Metaverse is that it has been developed to a higher level where people can interact with other through their avatars just as they would in reality.

From three rounds of Peace Education conducted through the Metaverse, students learned that a law-abiding spirit is necessary to institutionalize peace, and the necessity of a law for peace. Students introduced themselves in each group, played a racing game where they learned how to be considerate and respectful, and took a quiz on HWPL’s three main peace initiatives. They also learned the necessity of having a law to achieve peace and cease wars through the video of the war that recently broke out. Furthermore, they came up with a law for peace through group discussion.

Q

What did you learn in the Metaverse peace education class?

Chetna Sharma, Jagran Public School Student

In the lesson, I learned about the need for international law to achieve peace. We need a law that can achieve peace. It is important that people abide by the law and if all people become citizens of peace, we would not even need the law.

Q

What was most memorable thing in the Metaverse peace education class?

Jaivik Sharma, Jagran Public School Student

The most memorable thing for me in the peace education class was the first video at the stadium.

So, it proves that there is no benefit in war from any side even the winning nor the losing side. So, we should stop wars and live very peacefully.

These are the students’ response after taking the Peace Education through the Metaverse. Every participant stated that the class was valuable. Not only that, but they also said that they became interested in taking classes through the Metaverse and they showed their support for the DPCW becoming a legally binding document. The platform, Metaverse, allowed students to discuss a matter of peace actively and voluntarily beyond the circumstantial limits caused by the pandemic.

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HWPL’s 9th HWPL AnnualWorld Commemoration Interfaith Joint of the Prayer Declaration Conference of World Peace

Peace can be Realized by Action

Nathan Musonda, Springs of Poetry President

Zambia is a Christian nation and it is a smallest country in the continent of Africa. And half of the population is consisted of the youth. Zambia is small country which has got 72 tribes in 10 provinces. And to talk about these tribes, they have got different cultures, different traditional ceremonies yet they live in peace and harmony with each other. So Springs of Poetry, it is a group that has been affiliated to IPYG. And whatever that we learned from IPYG and HWPL we are implementing it in Kalulushi and we are also implementing it in such with a we are using our activities such as drama, poetry, dancing and singing.

It’s true that Zambia is facing a lot of challenges such as unemployment, drugs and alcohol abuse, especially conflicts. But last year, through our special program with IPYG YEPC, I discovered a way of solving this issue in our community. So I moved to the Kalungwishi where we are gathering, and most of the youth could not manage to attend online classes so we began to have offline classes. And through that a lot of youths have gained knowledge and also sharing the message of peace in our community. And some of them could not understand the language rather than the lessons in English.

So we were translating all our messages of lessons into our Zambian local languages.

When I was teaching, all of the participants liked it, and they were so passionate about learning and even though it was more than an hour walk, but everyone managed to complete the YEPC class. So last February, 44 people from the Springs of Poetry completed the YEPC program.

Melody Mukabo, Springs of Poetry member

So the first of all, I would like to say thank you to HWPL and IPYG for the great lessons that you’ve been offering to us. Personally, I have learned a lot. In my perception about the world has changed. So the main purpose of HWPL peace education is to train and educate people to become citizens of peace and peace messengers so that they can work together with HWPL to spread a culture of peace in all parts of the world. So just as war and conflict starts from the mind, we should also instill the mind of peace in the minds of the young ones. Therefore, let us work together to create a world of peace and leave it as a long-lasting legacy for the future generations. We are one and thank you.

Q

Can we also hear about Nathan’s future plans? I’d like to know what you’re really up to.

Nathan Musonda, Springs of Poetry President

As I shared, youth can practice and contributes to peace building. Especially, Young people who have experienced conflict first hand have a vital role to play in peace building. They have a clear vision and strong desire for peace that could look like in their countries and communities and have the drive to work towards it. Youth can play a greater role in peace building. Supporting education and capacity building for peace is need for peace building. I definitely think educational programs such as YEPC should reach a larger population as well. Ultimately, policies for peace must be institutionalized and expanded.

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Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light

Commemorative Speech

by HWPL Chairman Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of the Family of Peace, Isn’t it to have no more wars in our world that we are doing the work of peace? If so, for the sake of our conscience, we must not seek violent aggression ever again. As people born into one world, why should we kill one another?

And, as for us, we made a promise to God and the global citizens, pledging peace activities and the cessation of war. We must keep our promise, ladies and gentlemen. Please be the ones to call for peace in your respective countries. And one day, we would have fulfilled our promises. Don’t you agree? Think about it. There are young lives born into our world every day. For those babies, for the future of those young children, should we give death? We should give them life. We should give them hope, shouldn’t we? Shouldn’t we give them freedom and peace?

In this regard, I invite the family of peace to write to the president of Russia. Let’s write letters to stop the war immediately and explain there must be no more killing. No matter how many letters it takes to deliver the message, we must keep writing to the Russian president. The current situation cannot go on. Also, let us keep our work to submit the DPCW to the UN and have it implemented as international law. Furthermore, change is needed for the five standing members of the UN Security Council because those five member states were the ones that had a stake in instigating aggression as you all know.

Now, the Declaration of World Peace of May 25 must carry on without stopping. Until the day it is fulfilled, let us garner our minds and hearts. Let us invite many more to join the cause of peace, to become a family of peace. Let us keep campaigning.

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HWPL’s 9th HWPL AnnualWorld Commemoration Interfaith Joint of the Prayer Declaration Conference of World Peace

We are a family of peace. We are a family of God. Wouldn’t God come and dwell when the world becomes a world of peace? A world of fighting and killing will not be ready for God to come. And when God does come, He will bless us since He is the source of all blessings. When God comes and dwells with us, everything will be good. So, we must prepare for God to come and build a world of peace.

Throughout my 31 rounds of the peace tour, I have met many of you, and all of you I have met, I keep close to my heart. You are close to my heart. The fact that we are a family of peace and the freedom we want – these never leave my thoughts, and you are always in my prayers. I ask that you also pray for me so that God can hear your prayers. And let us remember. With our bond as one family, let us remember. I believe we all know the cause that we work for.

Today is the day the Declaration of World Peace was proclaimed to the global community nine years ago. It’s already been nine years. We want to complete this race as soon as we can. My prayers go to you, your families, and your countries. I pray that your countries will be in God’s protection and be strong, just, and truthful nations full of comfort and freedom. In God, and under the banner of peace, we are one!!

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04 69th HWPL India Pune WARP Office

Panelists

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2

3

1 Salim Engineer / Islam 2 Anurag Chhabra / Hinduism 3 Joshua Meyer / Protestant

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Introducing WARP Offices worldwide

Topic: Nature/All Creation and Mankind On 26th March 2022, India’s Pune WARP Office was held with the topic of “All Creation and Mankind”.

On the topic, we may wonder, do nature and Man communicate and interact with each other only in our imaginations? Or is it an unbalanced power struggle over each other where one side unilaterally controls everything?

Creation and Man have always existed alongside each other. However, at many times, Man seemed to conquer over everything in this world but in the face of natural disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons, and floods, we become infinitely weak. There have been various perspectives on the relationship between people and creation since ancient times. In some myths and fairy tales, people overcome difficulties with the help of God or nature.

Can religion, which deals with all of Mankind’s fundamental questions about the world, explain the fundamental basis for the relationship between Man and Creation? Let us take a look through the answers of each religious leader who participated in this discussion. Our panelists offered many scriptural references and shared their wisdom on the topic.

Q1. How does your scripture define the relationship between all creations and mankind?

Joshua Meyer / Christianity

According to the Bible, when God created mankind, He gave them the authority to rule all creations.

(Genesis1:26, 28) Ruling over here, is not talking about a literal sense but a spiritual one. Mankind is created in God’s image and likeness, and was able to interact with all nature. This is not talking about a symbiotic relationship with creation but the ability to communicate with all creation. This is what ‘rule over’ means.

The first man that God chose to create was Adam. God placed him in the Garden of Eden to take care of all things in it. Adam had a close relationship with all creation. (Genesis 2:15, 19) But because of sin, he lost God’s image and likeness, and the relationship between mankind and creation was broken.

Because of his betrayal against God, the one who became a living being after receiving the breath of life from God turned to dust, thus losing the image and likeness of God.

God is the creator and the father of all things. Creator and creation are one family. We, as the children, need to be filial to our Creator and love all creations as our family. The fundamental purpose of creation is to live together with the Creator and creation, and not to destroy each other. God the Father gave his children freedom, peace and love. People should love all things and let all things enjoy

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freedom and peace. We can see birds, plants, and fish which God created and nurtured, all thrive and prosper in freedom, peace and love. Sadly, mankind who were supposed to be the lord of all things fight and kill and destroy each other. Mankind is becoming worse than all of creation. This is because of the result of sin. And because of sin, all creation are also suffering.

Anurag Chhabra / Hinduism

Rig Veda presents the noble concept of man’s nature relationship in the universe. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is a Sanskrit phase appears in Maha Upanishad and also found in Rig Veda. Its meaning is ‘Earth/World is one family’. This verse defines the connection between all beings of the world. Brahman is the underlying unity of the terrestrial diversity.

In the same context the below verse taken from Isha Upanishad also defines that this world (all creation) is one family.

Om poornamadah poornamidam poornaat poornamudachyate Poornasya poornamaadaaya poornamevaavashishṣyate

Meaning – That (transcendental existence) is complete, This (terrestrial existence) is complete, From the completeness comes the completeness. If completeness is taken away from completeness, Only completeness remains.

All creation are made up of consciousness and matter. Five elements are the fundamental building blocks of matter. Consciousness is the omnipresent, omniscient element.

Salim Engineer / Islam

According to the last revealed book we called it is Quran. He(God) has created all these creation and universe, and we human being are also part of this universe. It is said that, he has created this universe and human with a plan, and this plan is revealed through revelation, through all the prophets.

When I look through the Quranic scripture, and in Quran – I find the Creator – God, and one kind creation is angels, and the other creation is human being.

And one more kind of creation mentioned in Quran is Zin, they are also a kind of creation like human being, but Quran says, we cannot see them. As Human being has been created through clay or earth but the Zin have been created by fire or light. And Quran says that except the human being or human kind and Zin which we cannot see, they have been given the freedom in this limited life.

And when someone is given freedom, they have to be examined, and there have to be a reward and punishment depending upon how we use freedom. Therefore, for human being, we have been given for this worldly life, but this freedom is guided according to principles and path, and if we follow the path, this is the path of submission – path of obedience – path of worship. And if we don’t follow that, we are going on the path of the devil/satan/evil. The result is hell. And the path of Submission leads to pleasure of seeking, pleasure of creator and finally leads to heaven/paradise.

With this principles, God has said in Quran that, we have made human as a wise representatives of God on this Earth. Therefore, God is implementing all His plan and all his scheme through the human beings, and through this he is testing the faculties – the freedom that He has given us. And the objective of all these is to establish Justice and Peace.

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Q2. Is there any record about the past or future era, when all creations and mankind can communicate with each other?

If so, what is the condition to be able to do so?

Joshua Meyer / Christianity

There are a few examples of this in the Bible. But we should remember that each of these miracles that happened, each of these events that took place also have I spiritual meaning, when we look at the Old Testament in the Bible, there are many things in there that are a shadow of the good things to come.

In the book of Mark there is an example of this communication, Mark 4:35-41 says the following:

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.

38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

So here we can see that the storm listened to Jesus, he was able to control nature, Jesus spoke to the storm and it listened. If we think of this interaction between Jesus in nature it’s quite amazing, we know that for sure this is not a thing that mankind is used to or is able to do on a regular basis.

However the promises made regarding the end of the era and the recreation of what there was in the beginning all involve people being healed, there will be the resolution of sin and this is an era that we look forward to.

This is what it says in Romans 8:19-22:

19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that[h] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

This speaks about how creation is eagerly awaiting the children of God to be revealed, it speaks about how the creation was subject to frustration and also the liberation from bondage to decay. People need to be healed spiritually and restored, and at that time mankind and nature we’ll all live in harmony with God just like it was originally created and intended.

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Anurag Chhabra / Hinduism

Language is not a barrier in communication. Even in the gross world an animal, a pet dog or so understands the language of the master. At the subtle level, all creation are interconnected with energy.

Like for e.g. energy of love can be felt without speaking any words.

As per Rig Veda:-

catvāri vāk parimitā padāni tāni vidur brāhmaṇā ye manīṣiṇaḥ | guhā trīṇi nihitā neṅgayanti turīyaṃ vāco manuṣyā vadanti || Four are the definite grades of spech; those Brahmanas who are wise know them; three, deposited in secret, indicate no meaning; men speak the fourth grade of speech.”

These are vaikhari, madhyama, pashyanti, and para

Each degree of speech embodies a different kind of perception; each transmits a different reality.

Vaikhari, which is ordinary verbal speech, the kind we all hear and use daily, is an expression of kriya shakti, the power of action. You speak in vaikhari when you focus on deeds past, present activities, exploits to come.

Madhyama is mental speech, verbalized but unspoken, the internal monologue and dialogue; it expresses jñana shakti, the power of knowledge and wisdom (or lack thereof). Madhyama measures, evaluates, questions, harnessing your rational and emotional minds to formulate the intentions that precipitate into words.

Pashyanti, single-minded speech, is perceptible but not particularized. It is the vehicle for iccha shakti, the power of desire. When you speak at the pashyanti level, you are sure of your message; your intentions (selfish or altruistic) are always clear.

Para is pure intention – pure because it is a direct expression of the will of reality, unadulterated by any personal preference. Para is the power of ambika shakti, the supreme Mother Goddess, speech that flows directly from the cosmic creatrix. Abhinavagupta, the great genius of a thousand years back, eulogizes para as the form of speech that displays absolutely no thought of this, thus, here, or now.

Para (which means, literally, “beyond”) is beyond all objects, of any sort, motionless, eternally equipoised, so subtle that it is commonly perceptible only to those who are highly evolved. Pashyanti does not distinguish between subject and object. Perceptible but not yet particularized, it covers the middle ground between para’s pure intention and madhyama’s verbalized but as yet unspoken mental speech. Madhyama is particularized into phonemes, directed to mental objects, the objects of the inner senses. It straddles the gulf between the noiseless conviction that is pashyanti and the spoken word that is vaikhari. Vaikhari, the speech of maya, is physical speech, the outward, audible manifestation of phonemes that refer to and are directed toward physical, external sense objects.

Salim Engineer / Islam

One thing, I would like to mention that human being has been given some faculty to talk, think, see, feel and communicate verbally. So, these faculties have been given some limitation also, and as a science student I know that you can listen to only a very narrow range of frequency. With eyes, we cannot see everything, we can only see that visible part of life with lights. And of course, we can feel

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few things but we cannot feel everything with our senses. Whatever we think and feel in our heart and mind.

When you are feeling something in heart like love for someone or hatred to someone. This is also radiating and affecting ourself as well as the person or thing whether it is living or non-living. Then it is also affecting in some manner, but the thing is that, since we have been given some limitation and something we are not able to understand in some manner about what is the response. Let me tell you that this limitation is not the weakness of human being but rather it is a blessing from God because He wants you to listen only a portion or part of it, otherwise our life can become very complicated – for example if I know what a person is thinking of me and what a person is conspiring about me, them my life can become very complicated and therefore it is a blessing of God that he has given us some faculty and limitation.

In Quran scripture, it has been mentioned that, Prophet Moses wanted to seek God – God says you cannot see me. Then, God put some light on the mountain, and Moses fainted just because he saw some light of God. Our physical existence is not capable of seeing God who is full of energy.

And secondly, the same prophet Moses also talked with God like “what is in our hand – the rod, throw it and then it will become a snake and when you hold it, it will become the same stick or rod”. So, this way of communication was there. Prophet Solomon story mention in Quran – his army was passing though some route – and group of ants were talking and saying go into your house, otherwise Solomon army will crush you. The whole conversation of ants was heard by prophet Solomon and he smiled, this was mentioned in Quran.

Prophet David was given the ability to understand the language of the bird. There are so many examples that the whole creation are connected and communicating, and may not be in a formal form of communication which we understand as a communication. And even the whole nature, if we are doing something, the whole nature is reacting. For example, in the things like pandemic, natural calamities.

These are reaction to what injustice we are implying on nature. And when we do this, the nature will react and would manifest and communicate in this manner.

We looked at the relationship between creation and mankind from a religious point of view, and we searched through the scriptures for a time when creation and mankind would come together and become connected. We found that the relationship between them goes beyond the governor and the one being governed. However, we are meant to interact with each other and communicate with each other in ways we have not known before.

Unfortunately, when we look at the condition of the current global village, there are so many things in the world that are being destroyed and are suffering under human greed. Shouldn’t peace be enjoyed not only by mankind, but with all creation? Let’s all work together and work tirelessly for a world of peace. We are one!

*D isclaimer: To encourage free speech in an open interfaith dialogue, we have shared minimal information of participating panelists in our dialogues.

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05 70th HWPL New Zealand Auckland WARP Office

Panelists

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1 Shital Patil / Hare Krishna 2 Murray Stentiford / Theosophy 3 George King / Christianity 4 Shafiq Rehman / Islam

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Topic: Music & Poetry Sacred music has been a prominent part of most faith traditions for centuries. For example, most Christian congregations sing hymns during church services and see music as a way to share their devotion to God. Congregational singing is not limited to hymns to the Creator. Catholic priests sometimes sing the prayers they offer during communion, and Jewish scripture readings are usually sung instead of read. The Islamic call to prayers, or Adhan that are broadcasted from mosques follow certain melodies as well.

Music and poetry engage us almost immediately at the emotional level, and quickly reaches certain parts of our human emotions. Particularly with spiritual music and poetry, they quickly connect us to spiritual aspects of our faith, even to the Creator to some extent.

Through the 70th New Zealand, Auckland WARP Office meeting that was held on 22 March 2022, panelists of various faiths joined to share their insights and perspectives on the topic of “Music & Poetry”.

We hope to share with readers what our panelists shared about the significance of music and poetry and their meanings in their respective faiths.

Topic Question: Music and poetry are often used in religion/ spiritual beliefs in specific and deliberate ways. What traditions does your religion/spiritual belief have that revolve around music and poetry? And what significance does music and poetry have in your religion or spiritual belief?

Shafiq Rehman / Islam

Music and poetry can be said to be tools to touch people’s hearts. However, there is no specific mention of music and poetry in the teachings of Islam as such. Some schools of thought such as Islamic mysticism employ music (as an important part of their spiritual practice).

We can find some elements of poetry in the Quran, in the style of the texts, which we can find in its original form from the time of Prophet Muhammad, as it was given to him over a period of 22 years.

That is why if you have ever heard the recitation of the Quran, it is beautiful. It’s always beautiful.

The intonation of the Quranic text is also very important. And that is why when we read, we read it in homo recitation. Music is not quite emphasized but it is also not discouraged.

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Shital Patil / Hare Krishna

I think everything is musical in a way. Our founder, Sharabupad explained that this non-conscious process is very blissful and joyful to look at. He said that when we sing, dance and eat prasad, it is like a party. Devotional music is quite different from modern music. It is an integral part of the whole Krishna consciousness process, and the central part of this is the Sankirtan, which is congregational chanting, where we sing the whole Mahamantra mantra: Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare.

The lead singer leads the Mahamantra and all the devotees follow him. Hare Krishna devotees sing this chant in the streets, and play traditional musical instruments. They use the Rotunda, which has a spiritual significance. It represents one of the expansion of Krishna. You also use hand symbols. They also use the harmonium, which is a hand pump, which is a musical instrument.

Our main aim is to actually attain the pure love of Godhead. And there are nine different processes that are recommended in our scriptures. There is the sanskrit shroka that actually defines this, which includes the shavanum (hearing), and kirtanum (singing). Hearing is a very important sense. It is one of the first things you develop when you are born and the last sense that goes away when you die.

So, hearing the holy name of Lord Krishna is very important and it has a high spiritual significance.

Furthermore, there are four different Yugas, and different processes that are recommended for the different Yugas. In this Kali Yuga, the process that is recommended is the Sankirtan. It is a very engaging and electrifying experience.

Murray Stentiford / Theosophy

Theology society’s aim is to have a global view of society as a description of energy and consciousness. With regard to music, later theosophical writers like Leadbeater, Besant and Hodson, have described the energetic music forms they saw when music was played. They are not physical, they are in around us; especially when secret music or uplifting piece is played, they produce beautiful energy that helps to lift us. But no specific music exists as a part of Theosophical practice, apart from playing an uplifting piece before a lecture at times. But the thought or teachings of Theosophy has had a wide influence on certain composers like Alexander Scriabin, Cyril Scott and Luigi Russolo, who saw Theosophy as a powerful inspiration for their music.

However, music is used prominently in the Anthroposophical Society – an offshoot of the parent Theology Society – where it is used as an accompaniment to eurythmy and to set the tone for whole-person education. Because they realize music can speed up the learning process for people. (*Eurythmy is an art of movement essential to Waldorf (Anthroposophical) education, brought into being by Rudolf Steiner.)

But it’s not all theoretical with the parent Theology Society. Certain poetic invocations have become much loved down through the years and are often used at the start of a meeting. For example, ‘O Hidden Life’, written by Annie Besant in 1923.

O Hidden Life, vibrant in every atom; O Hidden Light, shining in every creature; O Hidden Love, embracing all in Oneness; May all who feel themselves as one with Thee,

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Know they are therefore one with every other.

In conclusion, mantras and prayers which use the vibration of the voice or music provide a vehicle of embodiment of a higher aspiration. The spoken word may also be in-built with the power of intent.

For example, when we chant ‘OM’, the sacred word of the East. It is a representation of the vibration that create, sustain and finally absorb the universe again. Chanting can be a way to tune your whole body and mind to align with the energy and the presence of God. George King / Christianity

The main tradition that Christians have revolving around music is singing songs while giving service to God. There are a few reasons why we sing songs of praise during service. There are hundreds of references of singing within the Bible. God’s people have sung throughout history. In the Old Testament, the Israelites didn’t read the Bible but it was recited and taught by singing it. Some songs are recorded in the Bible. The book of Psalms is a compilation of poems and songs the Israelites sang, and Christians continue to sing songs during service today.

We are also reciting our doctrine and theology through singing songs. Hymns and other Christian songs ideally contain our theology which is based on the Bible. The act of singing these songs is an effective way to engrave God’s words in our hearts and minds. It also helps us to emotionally connect to God and His word. Songs of celebration have the power to lead us to feel joy, while songs of lament help us feel God’s heartache and pain. Music has a way of piercing our soul. Also, singing in unison has the power to unite all the believers together as one body.

However, the Bible not only speaks about literal songs with melodies and such, but it also speaks about figurative songs which represent the words of God. Songs are learned by one person singing them to another. They are also a useful way to help a person retain the contents of the song.

Songs are figuratively used in the Bible to represent God’s words. We learn God’s words by one person preaching them to another, and God wants us to learn them so we are able to recite them like a song.

In Deuteronomy 31:19-22, we can see that Moses was the messenger to convey God’s words to the Israelites. God instructed Moses to recite his words in a song so that the Israelites would remember them. This song is known as the song of Moses, and it is recorded in the following chapter. They contained God’s promise to His people. Therefore, we can see that the Bible not only speaks about literal songs and written in poetic prose, but they carry God’s words and intentions.

As we pondered upon the answers given by the panelists, we realized that the common denominator for most religious practices is the expression of the heart that the faithful and devout have towards the Creator. Music performed or even heard in the form of sacred mantras can have high spiritual significance. Poetry can show the beauty of the words of the Creator. All of these serve as a way for believers or followers to express their devotion and to feel a sense of closeness to the Creator. However, more than just a feeling, we also learned that songs can serve as important transfer of knowledge to educate about the words of the Creator.

We hope that through WARP office meetings, we continue to have open discussions of our faiths and practices, and therefore see the pure hearts of the religious beyond denominational and religious lines. *D isclaimer: To encourage free speech in an open interfaith dialogue, we have shared minimal information of participating panelists in our dialogues.

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06 70th HWPL USA Vacaville WARP Office

Panelists

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1 Harbans Sraon / Sikhism 2 Jeremy Juntilla / Christianity 3 Subhash Jain / Jainism 4 Tenzin Yeshe / Buddhism

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Topic: Mysteries in Religious Scripture On February 28, 2022, a scriptural comparison dialogue was held under the theme of ‘Mysteries in Religious Scripture’ at Beckerville, USA. For this topic, each panel representing Sikhism, Christianity, Jainism, and Buddhism talked about what mysteries are written in their own religious scriptures, and how they view those mysteries. The contents are as follows:

Q1. Does your scripture teach about mysteries? If so, please explain what they are? Why do mysteries exist within religious scripture? When are the mysteries able to be understood?

Harbans Sraon / Sikhism

Everything is very apparent in Guru Granth Sahib and there are not many mysteries in it, which consists of 1430 pages. It starts with the verse: “Ik Oankaar Sati nāmu karatā purakhu nirabha’u niravairu

akāla mūrati ajūnī saibha gura prasādi.”

Here, there are many definitions of God in Sikhism. Starting with “Ik Oankaar”: “Ik” means one. God is only one. There are different languages (names) and pronunciations (for God). He is called Allah, or Karta. It could be Paramātmā, etc. I think there are as many names of God as there are languages.

But God is only one. So, there is no mystery about it. And “Oankaar” is the name of that basic description of God’s omnipotence. “Satnam” means ‘(God’s) Name is truth’. ‘Sat’ means truth. ‘Nam’ is name (identity). “Karatā” stands for creator. He is the creator of the universe. “Nirabha’u” means He is fearless. And “niravair” means he doesn’t have any enemies. “Akāla mūrat” means he doesn’t have any time frame. Nobody knows when God was born and when He dies. He is there forever. “Ajūnī” means that He is not born and he doesn’t die. “Saibhan(g)” is self-contained. It is realized through understanding.

It doesn’t help to just simply read for the sake of reading. The most important thing is understanding.

There are many misunderstandings in this world. But if you remove that misunderstanding, then you are able to truly understand. So, there are no mysteries left.

There are no mysteries in the six scriptures, as far as I know. I must admit that I may not know everything. However, as far as I know, it is an open book to all. Anybody who reads the Gurmukhi (Sikh script) of our scripture, which is 1430 pages long, can understand. Translations are also available.

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Jeremy Juntilla / Christianity

There are many mysteries within the bible. Right from the first book of the bible, the first chapter of Genesis speaks of creation: On the first day, there was light. On the third day, there were plants. And then on the fourth day, the sun was created. But if you think about it, how could there be light before the sun? How could there be plants before the sun? In the next chapter, it talks about how God was with Adam and Eve, and God gave them a command to not eat from a specific tree. If they do, they would surely die. Then what exactly is this tree? There are many mysteries that confuses many people. This is because if we take things literally in the bible, then it would not make sense.

But who actually knows the answer? Only the author is able to give the exact answer. It is just like when you tell a riddle to a friend. You would know the answer because you are the one who made the riddle. In the same way, God is the author of the Bible and he’s trying to convey something through these mysteries. And so, we should want to understand what these mysteries mean. And when would we be able to understand these mysteries? We can understand them when they actually happen in reality.

If you could imagine, 2,000 years ago, how would people describe things from our time today. How would one describe a plane? They wouldn’t say, “like a machine that can fly and bring you from you China to America”. But they might describe it with things that they know. They might say, “oh look, it’s a silver bird!” or “it’s a silver dragon!”. Likewise, God borrows and uses physical creation in nature to describe what’s to come in the future so that we can understand it through their characteristics.

That’s also how God makes himself known to people.

One last example: Mysteries in the bible are like promising to meet up with a long lost relative. You might not necessarily know that person. But if you have a checklist of the things that you should expect from that person, such as where you are supposed to meet, which gate at the airport they will be at and what they will be wearing on that day. You can rely on all of these details as a checklist to solve the mystery.

“My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:2-3)

Jesus is described as a mystery of God. He fulfilled the prophecies written in the scripture and through him, one could understand the mysteries of the Old Testament and thus, God, the author of the scripture. But it does not stop here. Jesus also left us mysteries in the New Testament that will happen.

Subhash Jain / Jainism

Jainism do not believe in God. There is no supreme being controlling everything. From the Jainism perspective, every creature, or living being, is a mystery. We move from one body to another until we reach our ultimate goal, based on our karma. A soul remains a soul. And this is the mystery.

We have to know that we are a soul and not a body. How do we know that we are souls? Let me give you an example. Ask your five senses one by one, if they know what they are. “Do you know you are a mind?’ And you give 15 minutes to their thought and see whether you get an answer.” There is no answer from our minds, our hands, or our eyes, etc. And Lord Mahavira said, “I see you as a soul. I see

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you as the same person, like me. I do not differentiate. I don’t look at your karmas. I look at you as a soul.” We look at things from the perspective of a soul.

So, how do we know this? From knowledge. Knowledge is the soul. There’s no right or wrong. An example is like the six blind people looking at an elephant. Everybody is correct through what they know. Nobody is wrong. It is just a different perspective. That is why we need to keep looking at ourselves. True knowledge is within you. If you want to be enlightened like Mahavira or Buddha, to know everything, the ultimate knowledge, then you should not look outside. You have to look inside.

We say, jinendra which mean “I’m a soul, and you are a soul, and we are all connected to each other.”

There is no hate. There is no love. There is one world and one soul. And I think I would say within Jainism that’s where the mystery is. You have to look at yourself. And that’s where you see all the jane temples their eyes are half closed. Which means jinendra is looking at himself. He’s now looking outside. He’s within. And when you are within, you will feel a joy. However, the problem is the material world that we are after, like we are after some ghost. We never catch the ghost.

Tenzin Yeshe / Buddhism

Buddhism has a different view, mainly that there is no Creator God. No one is hiding anything from us on purpose, for any reason, whatsoever. However, there are mysteries. Mysteries are things we do not understand. For example, I do not understand black holes. But if I had the understanding, intelligence or tools, it would no longer be a mystery to me. However, mysteries do exist and they can shake our confidence or faith in the path we are pursuing, because we might think that does not make sense.

As I mentioned before, Buddhism is very logical and practicial. Buddhism teaches about the laws of cause and effect as a basis for all of our teachings. And the biggest mystery is rebirth, but I would not have the time to explain in detail now.

(On a related note, regarding miracles); Buddha actually performed twelve miracles. But Buddha did not do them to try to prove himself or show off his powers. Buddha was responding to those who attacked the dharma and he was explaining it to them.

Through this topic, we could see the characteristics of the teachings of each religious scripture.

It was said that the Sikh scriptures, the Guru Granth Sahib, were written with clear, unambiguous content, and teachings of Jainism tell us to be wary of falling into the trap of right and wrong.

Buddhism has many mysteries, but it is also related to Karma. Buddhism focuses on more logical and practical teachings. The mysteries in scriptures, when interpreted too literally, can also lead to misunderstandings as pointed out by the Christian panel. Mysteries are prophecies and tools to hide their true meaning until the time for the mysteries happen in reality and the meaning is obvious.

Whether the religious texts contain a few or many mysteries, the commonality is that the true meanings must be clearly understood. Through the topic of “Mysteries in Religious Scriptures”, we were able to examine the importance of a correct understanding of the contents of the scriptures once again. *D isclaimer: To encourage free speech in an open interfaith dialogue, we have shared minimal information of participating panelists in our dialogues.

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Appendix HWPL WARP Office Religious Exchange Letter

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Appendix

Topic: The Prophet of Promise

In each religious scripture, a prophet who received a special mission from the Creator appears and begins a new era. Wisdom and the prophet’s teachings that open this new era are recorded in the scriptures and passed on to future generations. What is the evidence that a special prophet who opened a new era for each religion could be considered as one sent by the Creator? Was the appearance of this prophet foretold in the scriptures? Why would the things the prophet did is important when the prophet appears?

The next topic for discussion is the question of ‘The Prophet Opening a New Era’.

1. D oes your scripture have a record (predictions) about a prophet who is to come to open a new religious era? What are the contents of such a prophecy?

2. H as a prophet ever appeared as predicted by your religious texts?

When and where did the prophet appear and what did the prophet do?

To further discussion for the topic above, we are gathering answers to the discussion questions at the email address below. We ask for your cooperation in sending us your answers so that it can be utilized for in-depth discussion of scriptures and to contribute to peace and harmony through a deeper understanding of the religions.

Send to: warp_office_hq@hwpl.kr

Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light

The following are answers from religious leaders to the discussion topic, “New Era”, as shared previously.

Q1. There is a saying in Oriental scriptures, “The good era of passing away the old and welcoming the new; the new fortune of the heavens every creature has been eagerly awaiting.” Does your religious scriptures explain the passing of an era and the coming of a new era?”

Christianity Edward Rappayan / Priest, Malacca Johore Diocese

The most significant change in era is the coming of Jesus Christ, as he made it possible for mankind to be in friendship with God once again. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

In the Catholic faith, the most significant change of an era is found in the coming of Jesus Christ.

Prior to His coming, all creation was overwhelmed by a helpless separation from God because of sin (rebellion against Him). When God Himself came in the person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, He made it possible for mankind to once again be in friendship with God. This was the most significant change in human history, thus marking the beginning of a new era.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “So for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation: the old order is gone and a new being is there to see.”

Charles Omollo Owidi / Pastor of International Churches of Christ in Nairobi, Kenya

God was in direct relationship with humans, but due to the fall of Adam, this relationship was broken.

Jesus became the source of salvation to mend this relationship between God and Man, as he was crucified, and ascended to heaven. Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit as a counselor and guide.

When Jesus comes again, no one will know about the day or hour but only the Father and he will come like a thief. Therefore, we need to get ready and make every effort to enter heaven.

God in direct relationship with humans

1) Creation of humanity, in flesh (Genesis 2:7 lower: clay/soil) and spirit (superior: breath of life).

Genesis 1:27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

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2) Gen 3:1-24 Fall of man (Adam and Eve) deception by Satan, man eats forbidden fruit.

3) Gen 12: Restoration journey begins through Abraham…. Egypt journey

4) Deuteronomy 31:24-26 Moses: Laws given to adamic descendants to guide them to Jesus

5) Priestly community

Jesus in direct relationship with man

Isaiah 53:5 Jesus’ birth a fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecy

1) The crucifixion of Jesus – transitional change from the old law to new law 2) Jesus becomes the source of salvation

˙ Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

˙ Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

3) Jesus ascends to heaven, promised to send the holy spirit 4) Apostles as shepherd

˙ Luke 6:12-16 Jesus choosing of the 12

˙ Paul: 1 Corinthians 15:8, ESV : Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

Holy spirit (our counselor and guide).

Come on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2

1) Received at after repentance then baptism acts 2:38 2) He lives in me/us

1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

3) His work , To counsel, guide and intervenes on our behalf

John 14:26 Jesus told his disciples, “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you

The 2nd Coming of Jesus:

1) No one knows about the day or hour but only the father

Matthew 24:36-37 “But no one knows the day or the hour. No! Not even the angels in heaven know.

The Son does not know. Only the Father knows. “When the Son of Man comes, it will be the same as when Noah lived.”

2) He will come like a thief therefore get ready/make every effort for only a few will enter.

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2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies[a] will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

Matthew 24:26-27 “So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look.

Or ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes.”

Islam Dris Mohamed Amar / President of Intercultural Association Saladillo

Change of eras occur when a worldly power disappears for not following the divine rules on earth and this gives rise to a new empire.

The change from one era to another as I understand it is that a worldly power disappears so that another can appear. Every time an empire disappears, it gives rise to the creation of a new one. The punishment is supposed to be disappearance for not having followed the divine rules and have corrupted on earth what Allah commanded to protect.

“And We struck Pharaoh’s people with years of drought and dwindling fruit, so that they would reflect” (al-A’ráf 7:130).

“We annihilated each one of these peoples according to their sins. We sent a hurricane wind to some, others were surprised by a crash, others we made the earth swallow them and others we drowned.

Allah was not unfair to them, but they were unfair to themselves” (al-’Ankabut 29:40).

Buddhism Bhikkhu Buddhapala / Director of Mahabodhi KGF (Kolar Gold Fields) Branch

Buddhism started in India. It was popular all over India, but it suddenly decreased in popularity in India around the 12th, 13th century. This reflects the teaching of impermanence; that everything will change. In fact, the central teaching of Buddha is Aniteja (impermanence or constant change). So, when we look at centuries or thousands of years, there is nothing that is permanent. Also, Gautama Buddha predicts that his teaching will disappear in 5 thousand years. Already, 2500 years has passed and there is still another 2500 years.

In Buddhism, this kind of prediction cannot be calculated by human calculation. We call the time periods or eras, “aeon” or “kalpa”. All conditions and things are impermanent. Our life, our world is a condition made up of so many things. And because all of it is changing in motion, some changes will happen, and the end will happen anyway.

It is predicted that when the next Supreme Buddha comes, he will teach about Dharma and then people can liberate again. As for destruction, it is literally not overnight but over time. But Buddha did not say when it will happen but it will probably take a very long time.

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Hinduism Maltesh Motebennur / Rajiv Gandhi University Librarian This is the famous verse from Shrimad Bhagvad Gita:

“Yada yada hi dharmasya glanirbhavati bharataAbhythanamadharmasya tadatmanam srijamyahamParitranaya sadhunang vinashay cha dushkritamDharmasangsthapanart- hay sambhabami yuge yuge” which means:

“Whenever, O descendant of Bharata, there is decline of Dharma, and rise of Adharma, then I body Myself forth. For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked, and for the establishment of Dharma I come into being in every age.”

Let’s first understand what Shri Krishna is meaning by “I”. “I” is the creator, and creator is none other than the creation itself. Let’s now understand what “DHARMA” is. “DHARMA” is not being referred to any religion or sect, but the cosmic law which is prevailing, and is everlasting in the process of Creation is “DHARMA”. There is no one in the sky, sitting and organizing things, but it is the cosmic law.

Gautama Buddha called it, “DHAMMA”, while Guru Nanak called it “HUK(A)M”.

Balachandran Annamalai / Secretary of Malaysia Hindu Sangam Sarawak

The Bhavishya Purana foretells: The Savior of the entire universe, Maha Vishnu will be born on Margashirsha Month, Krishna Ashtami, 8th day after the full-moon day. (Bhavishya Purana, Canto IV, Chapter 23, Text 15)

In the cosmology of Sanadana Dharma, the term Yuga (meaning: “age” or “epoch/era”) refers to a specific division of time. For sanadanas, time is measured in terms of cycles called Kalpas (cosmic round), Maha-yugas (great ages) and yugas (ages). A Maha-yuga also known as Divya-yuga or chatur-yuga, which is equals to one Kalpa (4 billion 320 Million human years). One Kalpa is said to be the duration of a day/night for Brahma (the creator).

Each great age of the cosmos is divided into four smaller eras: 1) Satya Yuga (Golden Age), 2) Treta Yuga (Silver Age), 3) Dvapara Yuga (Bronze Age) and 4) Kali Yuga (Dark Age). Since the sanadana’s notion of time is circular rather than linear, the universe is considered to be in a continual flow through these four periods of time. After Kali-Yuga, another Kalpa Begins.

Name of Yuga

Krita/Sathya yuga

Treta yuga

Dwapara yuga

Kali yuga

No. of years for Devas

No. of years for Manushya

3,600

1,296,000

1,200

432,000

4,800

2,400

1,728,000 864,000

As time progresses from stage to stage, human society degrades to a level lower than before, culminating in the destruction of the existing order at the end of the Kali Yuga. After this, the blissful Satya Yuga begins anew. The devolution from the Satya Yuga to the Kali Yuga is associated with a progressive deterioration of dharma (or “righteousness”), manifested by a pronounced decrease in the qual-

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ity of human moral standards and religious piety.

According to the prevailing Hindu calculations, we are currently living in the Kali Yuga (Dark Age).

Sikhism Manjit Singh / Community Member of Ottawa Sikh Society

The holy Granth Sabih like some other scriptures does not talk about different eras, rather it talks about good and evil in every era and at all times However Sikh history throws light on the different eras and are broadly classified as:

The truthful era, the self-aware era, the selfish era, and the greedy era (Today/current times)

In the truthful era, the human mind had high ethics and morality. There was fear and humanity in the air, people respected and loved each other in communities and prayed together for peace, tranquility and blessings. There was harmony on the planet In the self-aware era, man acquired knowledge and power, become self-aware, self-conscious and started to think away from the ordinary to achieve these. It widened the man’s knowledge and made man powerful but also started to drift man from peace, tranquility and truth

In the selfish era, man become self-interested, so much so that he would often forget about the others around him in the society, there by become selfish and self-centered to the extent of forgetting service to mankind, drifting away from his holiness and coming closer to evil to realize selfish motives In today’s era, man is overtaken by greed, so much so, that he has totally forgotten between good and bad, between the holy and evil, between the right and wrong. Everyone seems to be selfish and self-centered, lacking love and care for the others, constantly drifting towards the devil and his evil motives that takes man away, far away from God. The lord created both good and bad and gave man the freedom to choose and choose wisely.

Zoroastrianism Ibrahim Zrary / Member of High Council of Kurdistan Zoroastrian

The value of human condition and life In Zoroastrianism, the value of human status is considered equal to the rank of Ahura Mazda, provided that men and women promote righteousness, goodness and improvement of life. In this belief system, the world is a sacred place and life is a gift from God. Therefore, the preservation of life in good faith is absolutely worthy of protection and preservation.

The burning torch of life will be passed down to future generations, brighter and shining than before.

The ultimate purpose of life is to become one with Ahura Mazda.” (Gathas 11-45) “Ahura Mazda is the good friend and savior of all.” (Gathas 14-43)

Zarathustra said: Hear with your ears the highest truth, consider them with carefully luminous minds, then every man and woman choose for themselves and freely between the paths of good and evil.

Zarathustra did not mention in the Gathas, a physical place or existence of heaven and hell, but rather a spiritual existence in order to motivate man to enjoy his life and not be afraid of the future. With gifts

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and gifts after death, He did not terrify them with a promised punishment after death. good spirit.

It returns to the Lord, and the evil spirit is lost in the dark, and there is no physical separation bridge, and that its existence, which was mentioned in the Gathas, is a spiritual existence in order to differentiate between good and evil. The wicked man, his bad words, and his evil deeds, cannot cross this moral bridge and fall into the evil of his deeds, and he will live a bad life with no peace of mind and an unhappy heart.

Q2. If so, how does an era end and start anew? What kind of era is the one we are living in according to your scriptures?

Christianity Edward Rappayan / Priest, Malacca Johore Diocese

The new era begins when a person enters into relationship with Jesus Christ. It is this relationship that starts a new way of life, a new way of viewing the world, and a new way of relating with God and our fellow human beings.

But this is not the end. We are awaiting yet another new episode of history unfold (or another era), and that is the era of heaven. Jesus Christ will come again at a time when people do not expect. When He returns, He will govern over the entire creation and establish peace and justice forever. The era that we are currently in is an era of waiting for His return.

Matthew 16:27 “For the Son of man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward each one according to his behavior.”

Charles Omollo Owidi / Pastor of International Churches of Christ in Nairobi, Kenya The Old Testament era ended by shedding of the Blood of Christ.

Hebrews 9:11-15 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance – now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

Answer:

We are currently in the NEW TESTAMENT ERA Under guidance of the Holy spirit

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Islam Dris Mohamed Amar / President of Intercultural Association Saladillo

Many scholars and believers think or believe that there are signs that the day of reckoning is near due to the calamities that plague the world… wars, famine, earthquakes, volcanoes… etc, etc.

In a well-known Hadith, it is said that the angel Gabriel appeared to Prophet Muhammad and asked him among other things.

He then asked: ‘Tell me now about Ihsan’. He replied: ‘It is to worship Allah as if you saw Him, since, although you do not see Him, He does see you.’ The stranger said: ‘Tell me about the Hour.’ The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “The one asked does not know more than the one who asks.” Said the other: ‘Tell me then about his signs’. He said: ‘When you see the slave give birth to her mistress and barefoot and destitute herdsmen compete in the construction of lofty buildings.’

“The one asked does not know more than the one who asks” That answer makes it clear to us that no one has the power except Allah to know when the day will be when the world and the universe cease to exist, to move on to another existential plane.

Buddhism Bhikkhu Buddhapala / Director of Mahabodhi KGF (Kolar Gold Fields) Branch

There will be New Buddha after so long time and previous teachings will be gone. The teaching will be totally the same. If it is different, then it will not be dharma. It is 100% the same. Buddha says if people do not practice my teaching, it will be gone. Let’s say after 5000 years, people are still practicing Buddhism. But people will be misrepresenting the teaching; Because of some philosophical, doctrinal differences, there is northern and southern Buddhism. The pure form of Buddha’s teaching is only for roughly 500 years, after that it deteriorates. And that is why in those days, there were lots of Arahan (saints enlighten people). But now, it’s very hard to find and that enlightenment is very far away.

Hinduism Balachandran Annamalai / Secretary, Malaysia Hindu Sangam Sarawak

The Kali Yoga is related to the demon Kali. “Kali” in the Kali age means “dispute”, “disagreement”, and “fight”. There were prophecies made by Krishna about Kaliyuga. They are as follows:

(1) R eligion, truth, cleanliness, tolerance, compassion, longevity, physical strength, and memory will fade day by day due to the powerful influence of the Kali era.

(2) I n Kali Yuga, only wealth can be regarded as a sign of a person’s good origin, correct behavior, and excellent quality. Law and justice will only be applied based on the power of the individual.

(3) M en and women will live together because of apparent attraction, and business success will depend on deception. Femininity and masculinity will be judged based on a person’s sexual experience. A man can be called a Brahman by just wearing a thread.

(4) A person’s spiritual status is only determined according to external symbols. If a person cannot live a good life, his manners will be seriously questioned. A person who is very good at juggling is

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considered a scholar.

(5) A person without money is considered impious, and hypocrisy is considered a virtue. The marriage will be arranged simply by verbal agreement, and if a person takes a bath, they will be deemed fit to appear in public.

(6) A sacred place will be considered only a deposit located in the distance, and beauty will be considered to depend on a person’s hairstyle. Filling your stomach will become the goal of life, and bold people will be considered real. A person who can provide for his family is a capable person who obeys religious principles only for the sake of reputation.

(7) A s the earth fills with people and so many corrupt people, whoever proves that they are the most powerful of any social class will gain political power.

(8) S uffering from hunger and excessive taxes, people will have to eat leaves, roots, meat, wild honey, fruits, flowers, and seeds. Encountered by drought, they will be destroyed entirely.

(9) C itizens will suffer significantly from wind, cold, snow, heat, and rain. They will be further afflicted by fighting hunger, thirst, disease, and severe anxiety.

(10) T he longest life span of human beings in the age of Kali will be 50 years.

(11) M en will no longer protect their ageing parents.

(12) I n Kaliyuga, even for a few coins, men will hate each other. By giving up all friendly relations, they will be willing to sacrifice their lives and even kill their loved ones.

(13) T he uneducated will receive alms in the name of the Lord and earn a living by showing asceticism and wearing beggar’s clothing. Those who don’t know anything about religion will climb to the top and dare talk about religious principles.

(14) T he servant will abandon the master who has lost his wealth, even if the master is a saint with noble character. The master will abandon an incapable servant, even if that servant has passed from generation to generation in the family. When cows stop producing milk, they are abandoned or killed.

(15) T hieves will rule the city, atheist speculative interpretations will taint the Vedas, political leaders will indeed swallow up citizens, so-called priests and intellectuals will become devotees of their abdomen and genitals.

“At that time, there will be monarchs reigning over the earth; kings of churlish spirit, violent, and even addicted to falsehood and wickedness (…) Wealth and piety will decrease day by day, until the world will be wholly depraved. Then property alone will confer rank; wealth will be the only source of devotion; Passion will be the sole bond of union between the sexes (…) and women will be objects merely of sensual gratification.” (Vishnu Purana IV: 24).

The Kali Yuga is personified by the demon Kali (not be confused with the Hindu goddess Kali), the source of evil who oversees the final phase of humanity’s chaos. At the end of the cycle, the demon Kali, however, will be defeated in a climactic apocalyptic battle by Kalkin, the tenth and final avatar of Vishnu, who will then reestablish the righteous order of dharma, thus beginning a new Satya Yuga.

References: SB 12.2.1-11, SB 12.2.12-17, SB 12.2.19-20, SB 12.2.21-44

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Sikhism Manjit Singh / Community Member of Ottawa Sikh Society

Every time a fundamental change occurs in man’s overall outlook and behavior, a new era is born and the old one retires.

Accordingly, today we are in the greedy era, where by man has been attracted to the devil and his evil deeds so much so that he has been drifted far, very far from the Lord, his holiness and his virtues.

What is alarming is that man does not realize this and hence see’s nothing wrong in it, leave alone turning back.

However, like in every era, there are men, even though few now than ever, who still abide by his holiness and his virtues. It is them and their deeds that is still holding the world together. It is their prayers through which the lord continues to have mercy and spare the world for another day, such is my strong belief otherwise we would have perished long time ago. In every era there have been such god-fearing people who have constantly guided the world and mankind. Some noticeable examples include Lord Buddha, Lord Christ, Prophet Mohamad, Guru Nanak Dev Ji of the bygone eras.

Zoroastrianism Ibrahim Zrary / Member of High Council of Kurdistan Zoroastrian

The Zoroastrian religion believes in the soul and its existence, and they believe that the mortal is the body and the movement of the body is the soul, and that the rest is the Farruhr. (The secret of the human soul.)

Death is like the beginning of life (it means that man returns to the elements from which he was created) on the same principle that energy is neither destroyed nor created.

The human soul is from (Amesha Spenta) eternity, and when a person dies, its parts return to the isthmus. The good spirit ascends to Ahura Mazda to be a part of it, and the evil spirit is lost in darkness, and man does not live after death.

For these reasons, the Zoroastrians believe that man after death cannot live again and there is no life after death because man did not want death and was created for himself. And if these three principles are not valid, he will be lost and lost in the darkness and be dependent on evil thoughts; that is why thought, action and righteous speech are the basis of all religions to build the right person.

The human mind is the ruler of his behavior, his sciences, and the knowledge of religion affects his mind, just as he is at the crossroads of two paths, the path of good (Septimino) and the path of evil (Ankramyano or Ahriman).

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