Excerpts from "Compassion: The Only Way to Peace,"
Amma's Address upon Receiving the Cinema Verite Award,
12 October 2007, Paris, France
"The main reason for some of the conflicts in today's world is the separation between science and religion. In reality, religion and science should go hand in hand. Both science without religion and religion without science are incomplete.
"But unfortunately, society is trying to segregate mankind into religious people and scientific people. Scientists say religion and spirituality are based on blind faith. Conversely, they argue that science is fact and has been proved through experimentation. The question is: Which side are you on: faith or proven fact?
"It is inaccurate to say religion and spirituality are based on blind faith and that their principles have not been proven. In fact, spiritual masters may have conducted even more exhaustive research than modern scientists. Just as modern scientists research the external world, the great sages conducted research in the inner laboratories of their minds. Looking at it this way, they were also scientists. In reality, the foundation of true religion is not blind faith; it is 'sraddha'. Sraddha is enquiry; it is an intense exploration within one's own self.
"What is the nature of the experienced world? How does it function in perfect harmony? From where did it come? Where is it going? Where will it lead? Who am I? Such was their enquiry. Who asks these kinds of questions - people of faith or people of science? Both do."
***
"If only our minds, eyes, ears and hands could understand and feel the sorrow and pain of others! If this were so, how many suicides could have been avoided? How many people could have received food, clothing and shelter? How many children could have been kept from becoming orphans? How many women who sell their bodies for a living could have been helped? How many sick people suffering from unbearable pain could have been provided medicine and treatment? How many conflicts in the name of money, fame and position could have been avoided?
"Nature is a huge flower garden. The animals, birds, trees, plants and people are the garden.s fully blossomed flowers of diverse colours. The beauty of this garden is complete when all of these exist as a unity, thereby spreading the vibrations of love and oneness. May all minds become one in love. Let us work together to prevent these diverse flowers from withering away, so that the garden may remain eternally beautiful."
***
"If the source of war is in the mind of man, then the source of peace resides there also. If we want to prevent war in the future, then we should inculcate values in our children beginning at a young age. If we want to make yogurt, all we need to do is add a small amount of yogurt to some milk, stir it and allow it to sit for some time. Similarly, parents should set a good example and impart good values to their children. Then those qualities will naturally arise within them.
"Amma has heard women from war-stricken areas say, 'We wake up in the morning to the sounds of gunfire and cries of people. Our children cling to us in fear and cry; we also hold onto them and cry. It's been so many years since we awoke to the chirping of birds.' Let us pray that the crackle of gunfire in such places is soon replaced by the chirping of birds, and that the young and old alike burst into laughter instead of tears.
"Amma often feels that it would be so beautiful if - like in some child's game - instead of shrapnel, bombs scattered chocolates and candy, or if they spread a beautiful fragrance, or if they illuminated the sky with all the colours of the rainbow. If only the flashes of destruction were flashes of compassion. With modern weapons, man can pinpoint targets with deadly accuracy. If only we could compassionately reach out to the poor, the hungry and the homeless with the same precision!
"Let us stand together and show the world that compassion, love and concern for our fellow beings have not completely vanished from the face of the earth. Let us build a new world of peace and harmony by remaining deeply rooted in the universal values that have nourished humanity since time immemorial. Let us say goodbye to war and brutality forever, reducing them to the stuff of fairytales. Let us be remembered in the future as the generation of peace."
These are excerpts from Amma's speech "Compassion: The Only Way to Peace," delivered in Paris, France on 12 October 2007, upon the occasion of Amma receiving the Cinema Verite Award. The entire speech has not been released yet on neither on the Internet nor in book form. If you are interested in reading the entire speech, please send an email to mam@amritapuri.org [subject: Compassion, The Only Way to Peace].
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