Training in Nonviolence

Author(s): Mahapragna Acharya
Publisher: Anuvrat Global Organization

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thinking. It makes it imperative for us to go in for the training of the mind and transformation of human consciousness. Acharya Shri has been in the forefront of nonviolence training campaign for the last two decades. In 1991 Acharya Shri and his predecessor, Acharya Tulsi instructed ANUVIBHA to organize the first ever International Conference on Training in Nonviolence. The objective was to share their joint visions with nonviolence thinkers at global level. It was held at Children's Peace Palace Rajsamand, India from Feb. 17 to 21, 1991 and was attended by leading Gandhian and Sarvodaya thinkers, professors, peace educators and nonviolence grassroots workers hailing from 30 countries. They issued Rajsamand Declaration on Training in Nonviolence, which among others, expounds the strategies and tools of nonviolence training. The Declaration reads: "Training in nonviolence has both its individual and social dimension. It should employ such methods as meditation to bring about a change of heart and attitude in the individuals, by persuasion, personal example, willingness to suffer rather than injure another, moral uprightness, practice of sharing one's resources with the other, faith in the essential goodness of all humans and regard for the basic human rights of all. The other tools of training may include regular classes, lectures, self-study, workshops, panel discussions, community living, games and sanitation."
Later in 1992 a dialogue on Nonviolence Education and Training was organized at Ladnun, India, in which eminent nonviolence thinkers of the world including Acharya Mahapragya, Acharya Tulsi, Prof. Johan Galtung and the Dalai Lama took part. All agreed that the only antidote to the rapidly increasing culture of hatred is nonviolence training. The Dalai Lama's optimism about human nature and global vision stood out.
Acharya Mahapragya didn't stop there. He continued to think and gave a concrete shape to his plan of nonviolence training. He developed a globally acceptable course module, which is being followed in hundreds of nonviolence training centers across the country today. In continuation to our search for ways to enrich our approach to ahimsa prashikshan we organized the First-International Nonviolence Leadership Training Camp at Rajsamand from Dec. 26 to 28, 2007 under the auspices of Acharya Shri Mahapragya and Yuvacharya Mahashraman. It was attended by more than 100 trainees including 30 overseas participants hailing from 13 countries. It was preceded by the 6th International Conference of Peace and Nonviolent Action, which began on December 23 and was concluded on December 25. His Holiness Acharya Mahapradya delivered seven highly inspiring discourses during his stay at the Peace Palace on this occasion. It was then we decided to bring out a complete manual for nonviolence trainees and trainers based on our experiences during the period. In addition to the discourses we also selected some other important discourses on the conceptual background of nonviolence training delivered by Acharya Shri on different occasions. Before the commencement of this nonviolence leadership training camp Acharya Shri prepared some background material in which Prof. Muni Mahendra Kumar participated commendably. It has also been included in this highly informative and illuminating resource book "Training in Nonviolence - Theory and Practice." It contains not only Acharya Shri's insightful writings but also practical tools to train the trainees. At the conclusion of the Camp, a complete course module prepared from a western perspective had been given.
I hope this resource book will fill the vacuum in this area and will prove useful to nonviolence trainers as well as trainees.
- Dr. S.L. Gandhi