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SPIRITUAL-SCIENTIFIC PERSONALITY / 233
STATEMENTS MADE ON THE OCCASION OF THE SURAT SPIRITUAL DECLARATION
15th OCTOBER, 2003
The President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, in the company of Acharya Mahapragya, had a dialogue on the problems of the country with other Acharyas, maulvis, priests, saints, and philosophers on 15 October 2003. This dialogue on the subject of "Unity of Minds" culminated in the form of the Surat Spiritual Declaration dedicated to the people. The statements made by Acharya Mahapragya and President Kalam are reproduced here for the benefit of the readers.
Acharya Mahapragya's Address
In his message prepared for the Conference, Acharya Mahapragya said, "Awakening of spiritual consciousness and development of moral values - this is the platform of the universal religion. From this platform, all religions can send out a message of unity." Communal harmony
"Each religion can have its own modes of worshipping and devotion and nobody can have any kind of objection with regard to this. The divergence in religious concepts is actually on account of different modes of worship.
If we bring ourselves to value freedom of thought and devotion to faith, then in spite of the divergences we can come close to each other, can share the same platform of spirituality and morality and engage ourselves in identical pursuits. If we can prepare the background for such contemplation, a new sun can arise on the horizon of the world." Why do we neglect moral values?
“In the field of religion, moral values are not being given importance. As a result, a religious person does not hesitate in resorting to unrighteous conduct. Similarly, in the field of religion, spirituality is not being given importance either, and as a result the dream of the unity of mankind is not being realized. No improvement is taking place in human relations." Spiritualisation of religion
“Spirituality is the path to the development of pure consciousness. The
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