–peace is the path—
Civilizations
have flourished on man’s ability to control the physical world. There is
yet another side to the development of human beings and that is refinement of
his inner self. The quality of life in a society is determined by a harmonious
synthesis of both these elements.
In
India, man recognized the manifestation and presence of Life in everything around
him. And hence, he acknowledged equal right of existence for all. From this
realization was born the concept of non-violence--Ahimsa.
Mystics,
saints and reformers all over the world have preached non-violence for individuals.
In India, more than 2500 years ago it was accepted as a way of life by a large
number of people. This resulted in the acceptance of vegetarianism.
It
was indeed a turning point in the cultural history of mankind. This was supported
by royalty through edicts and proclamations, by teaching of many a saint, reformer
and by daily practices of people in the past.
The
twentieth century took one stride further when nearly one fifth of the population
of the world opted to introduce non-violence in the political field under the
leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.
This
war weary world was looking for a path to peace. He revealed to them through
this experiment that there is no path leading to peace.
Peace itself is the path
Contact
the Webmaster Dr. Raj Mehta:
rajm@stanforalumni.org