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GLOBAL NEWS
"Changes only take place through action - not through prayer, not through inter-faith relations"
THE DALAI LAMA
"Non-violence is a culture to be used as an effective weapon in the
challenging task of not only protecting the environment, but upgrading it"
DR. N.P. JAIN
"JI congratulate the millions of
unsung men and women who courageously refuse to bow to humanity's baser instincts"
NELSON MANDELA
Acharya Chandanaji, Dr. Singhvi, Sadhvi Shilapi, Mr. Nemu
Chandaria and other dignitaries.
"... there is a ray of hope in the resurgence of spirituality and global ethics, which joins us all through our common humanity..."
DR. L.M. SINGHVI
faith traditions, Dr. Singhvi commented that "Humankind may have become less religious in the traditional sense, but we cannot allow ourselves to become less ethical or less spiritual".
The same day saw Dr. N.P. Jain give an address on global commitment to the culture of non-violence. Dr. Jain spoke about the Supreme Religion of Ahimsa, and encouraged its practise as an effective weapon in the protection of the environment,
Sunday 5th December saw Judy Sole, founder and leader of the South Africa Green Party, give an inspiring address on non-violence, and the need to re-address our attitudes to the animal kingdom as well as fellow humans. Her speech, emotively entitled "Auschwitz for Animals”, talked of the suffering of animals who are the victims of factory and battery farming. She ended her presentation with a call to all the world's religions to firmly advocate the proper treatment of the environment. "A climate of non-violence to animals", she explained, "will automatically extend to non-violence towards human beings".
Delegates were also addressed by Satish Kumar, who participated in the
assembly of 300 selected religious leaders where he contributed ideas on the relevance of Jainism in solving the environmental problems of the world. Satish was also on the stage together with the Dalai Lama, Vinod Kapashi, Bava Jain and Natubhai Shah (as part of a gathering of 40 religious leaders from around the world) for a blessing of the Parliament.
Later the same day, Nelson Mandela addressed the parliament on the subject of religions, saying of the coming century, "religion will have a crucial role to play in guiding humanity to meet the tremendous challenges we face" Mandela also received awards from the Temple of Understanding and the World Movement for Non-Violence, which he dedicated to "the millions of unsung men and women who courageously refuse to bow to humanity's baser instincts".
The closing plenary on December gth was given by the Dalai Lama, known world-wide for his non-violent philosophies. His short address took the form of a call to positive action to combat religion-related conflicts, poverty corruption and other worldly
"A climate of non-violence to animals will automatically extend to non-violence towards human beings"
JUDY SOLE, SOUTH AFRICA GREEN PARTY
ills; "Changes only take place through action - not through prayer, not through inter-faith actions". He also commended the parliament, however, complimenting the "genuine respect for each other's traditions seen in this gathering". His sentiments were echoed by South Africa's Deputy President Jacob Zuma, who challenged members of the parliament to raise their ideals from the level of private morality" to "values of common good".
VINOD KAPASHI
March - May 2000. Jain Spirit
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Jain Education Intemational 2010_03
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