Global Peace on the Move II
Peace Revolution Fellowship for Youth - February 2010
On the 20th of February 2010, 30 young adults from 23 countries (including: Kenya, Italy, Liberia, Australia, USA, Uganda, Switzerland, Pakistan, Malawi, Ethiopia, Mongolia, Canada, Nepal, South Africa, Bhutan, Romania, Paraguay, Peru, UK, Hong Kong, Ghana, Bulgaria and Brazil) met in Bangkok Thailand to set global peace in motion.
The Peace Revolution, under the direction of the World Peace Initiative, organized this two week meditation retreat and conference, for a selection of global peace agents to study the art of inner peace through meditation, and how to incorporate this art into daily life and their community.
The conference kicked off with a week-long meditation retreat, at the picturesque and idyllic Suk Sawang Retreat Center, situated in the serene hills of Chiang Mai. The location provided a peaceful, secluded space where peace rebels could deepen their inner peace by learning the finer arts of meditation, to focus on the “peace in”, or inner peace, aspect of the Peace Revolution. Experienced Thai and international teaching monks shared ancient wisdom and principles of living a life of peace, that still applies to a modern society.
“The meditation has impacted me in a great and amazing way. I am now more aware of my acts, my communication and the energy that I generate. My habits are different my body, mind and soul feel different. My self-esteem has grown a lot.” Jacqueline Hurard, Paraguay.
“It is a privilege to be with the monk’ presence and feel their pure energy. The monks are easy to talk to and their wise words are gratefully received. It is also a delight when humour is used and we can laugh together.” Emma Lau, Hong Kong.
“I feel amazing, like I’m in a fairytale, like I’m Alice in Wonderland! The nature is astonishing, the people are so nice, kind and polite. Everything is extraordinary. And here I am now, surrounded by mountains, forests, birds, butterflies…Doing meditation with Buddhist monks. When you open up your heart to all the wonders around you, when you open your mind to the “impossible”, then you understand that life is the most exciting adventure and you should live it with eyes wide open!” Stefi, Bulgaria
The group could explore Thai Buddhist culture by visiting a Lanna Monastery (Wat Baan Kuun), one of the largest novice training temples. The temple is famous for its grass-root ethical development project for the local community. The visit ended with a beautiful floating lantern ceremony, symbolizing the brightness of a mind cleansed through meditation and the light of peace that exists within them, and every human being.
“It was WOW! I was jumping and singing when we lit the lanterns” Bereket, Ethiopia
“I had never been to such a peaceful place before” Chhetin, Nepal
Next the rebels took part in the Magha Puja ceremony, one of the most important Buddhist ceremonies of the year, at Wat Phra Dhammakaya in Bangkok. Thousands of candle lights were lit, starting from the sharing of a single light. This was a powerful metaphor for the rebels about the power of inner peace, which shines like a light within every human being. A stream of lanterns flowed around the Dhammakaya Cetiya representing the flow of wisdom when recognizing the Truth within.
“The Light of Peace Ceremony is uniting people to show global peace in the world” Kondawni, Malawi
The second part of the conference focused on “peace out”, or how to bring inner peace to the family, community and environment around them. It consisted of a 4-day series of seminars and forums with interactive discussion between peace rebels and distinguished guests. The workshops included topics such as, ‘How to incorporate IPT into your professional life’, ‘Science of the Mind: My Stillness System’, : ‘Complete Your Life with Meditation’, ‘Inner Peace and Human Security’, ‘Meditation and Mediation’ and ‘Community-based Peace Project & Networking’. All the rebels were encouraged to share their own cultural views on these topics, rebels could learn from each other and find the common ground of peace that exist within all diversity.
“It was great to hear from real people giving their real experiences and discussing the tangible results they had experienced. This has begun to tie in the meditation theory to practice.” Claire Holland, Australia.
“learned a lot from the workshops, especially about designing a culture of peace. How different each culture might be, or what peace means in any culture, there will be a common element among them all.” Bonface Witaba, Kenya.
In many ways peace is one of the most sought after commodities in the world, this is perhaps because true peace is so rarely found. The greatest miracle of a human being is that peace is always within reach, in fact, it does not lie any further than where we are right now.
“Global peace on the move is a movement of young people coming together all over the world for meditation and attain inner peace in their lives and bring it to communities or countries which they are coming from. ” Wisdom Addo, Ghana
“With Peace Revolution, I think global peace is on the move and on the right track. This also promotes unity though we are from different backgrounds. This really shows that we have one commonness and a collective cause that made us one family.” Karchung, Bhutan
With peace in and peace out, a peace revolution is set in motion.
