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Chapter VIII -
Sivananda on 'Peace' - A Summary
1) Many are working today for the promotion of world peace
without having peace in themselves. Their loud propaganda, big
talk and lectures cause more confusion, conflict and discord.
2) A proper understanding of the essential unity of religions
is the most effective and powerful factor in bringing about
peace in this world. It will remove all superficial
differences and conflicts, which create restlessness, discord
and quarrels.
3) If everyone turns to the Supreme peace within, there will
be peace everywhere. A glorious new era of peace, amity, love
and prosperity can be ushered in, only if the youth of the day
is educated in the methods of self-culture. Educate the moral
conscience of the public. This will bring lasting world-peace.
4) You can elevate others only if you have elevated yourself.
This world can be saved only by those who have already saved
themselves. A prisoner cannot liberate other prisoners. One
realized sage can do more for the promotion of peace than a
thousand missionaries preaching and disputing, day in and day
out.
5 There will be no war, if all people practice truthfulness,
universal love, purity, mercy, contentment, self-sacrifice,
self-restraint and tolerance. Ahimsa (Non-violence) is the key
to peace.
6) Peace is the happy, natural state of man. It is his
birthright. War is his disgrace.
7) Peace is a state of quiet. It is freedom from disturbance,
anxiety, agitation, riot or violence. It is harmony, silence,
calm, repose, rest. Specifically, it is the absence or
cessation of war.
8) All over the world, great conferences are held for bringing
about universal peace, universal brotherhood, and universal
religion. It is the vanity of man that goads him to reform
society without first reforming himself. Vanity rules the
world. When two vain people meet, there is friction and
quarrel.
9) In the case of social reform, self-styled enlightened men
started interfering with the customs and manners of people, in
an effort to civilize them. The people lost their old
moorings, and the reformers could not offer new, sound ones.
Masses of people drifted away into chaos. How can blind men
lead other blind men?
10) No piece of paper called a treaty can establish peace in
this world. The way of peace is very simple and straight; it
is the way of Love and Truth.
11) Money cannot give you peace. You can purchase many things,
but you cannot purchase peace. You can buy soft beds, but you
cannot buy sleep. You can buy good food, but you cannot buy
good appetite. You can buy good tonics, but you cannot buy
good health. You can buy good books, but you cannot buy
wisdom.
12) Perfect peace cannot be promoted by anybody who does not
have perfect peace in himself. No political 'ism' can ever
solve the problem and bring about real peace. Each new 'ism'
creates only more problems and more quarrels.
13) Love alone can bring peace to the world. Therefore love
all. Only if everyone practices the religion of love, can
there be peace in the world.
14) Ethics should be put into practice by all. This alone will
contribute to peace, universal love, unity, proper
understanding, world harmony and brotherhood of mankind.
15) Everlasting Peace can be found only within your own Atman
or Self, or God.
16) World-peace is possible when all the people of the world
wake up to the facts governing universal life and when there
is a heart-to-heart feeling of goodness, love and oneness
among the inhabitants of the world.
17) Peace, to be lasting and constructive, must be achieved
through God. There can be no peace without the Lord or God.
God is Peace. Root yourself in Peace or God. Now you are fit
to radiate peace.
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