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It was agreed that the path of protection of environment should not be such as creates road blocs in the development of developing countries. Equally, development should not repeat mistakes of the past in which the environment got polluted in the name of development. 170 countries participated in this grandiose Earth Summit organized by the United Nations. Nearly 120 countries were represented by their President or Prime Minister. Along side, there was a significant coincidental presence from all nooks and corners of the world of the representatives of leading Non-Governmental Organizations. The simultaneous and parallel debates at Governmental and Non-Governmental levels heightened acute global awareness about the need to preserve and protect the environment.
The unique phenomenon was that along side UN Earth summit, seminars and brainstorming sessions took place among leading representatives of different countries, societies and religions. At the Sacred Earth Gathering held at the Monastery on hilltop in Rio, leading saints, monks, philosophers, thinkers, diplomats, social workers sat together to consider in-depth the environmental crisis in the backdrop of the divine relationship between Nature and Human beings. The declaration adopted at this gathering sought to awaken human consciousness on the spiritual dimensions of the environmental problems. Unless they are fully grasped by the human conscience, human beings will not be able to arouse the right faith in and respect for Nature and universal life in their actions.
Jain religion was represented at the Sacred Earth Gathering by H. H. Acharya Sushil Kumarji Maharaj, a Jain monk of international repute fondly called by all as 'Guruji' and Dr. Narendra P. Jain, who has served as India's Ambassador to many countries in the last forty years and who has been Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. In the history of the world, it was in fact for the first time that at an international platform at Summit level principles of Jain religion and philosophy were espoused in their comprehensive universal context and with particular relevance to global environmental issues. The awareness was aroused that Jain religion is a universal religion-a religion of relevance
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Ahimsa: The Ultimate Winner
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