The Power of Peace, Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche

It is my wish that the spiritual power of peace will touch very person on this earth, radiating from a deep peace within our own minds, across political and religious barriers, across the barriers of ego and self-righteousness. Our first task as peacemakers is to clear away our internal conflicts caused by ignorance, anger, grasping, jealousy, and pride. With the guidance of a spiritual teacher, this purification of our own minds can teach us the very essence of peacemaking. We should seek an inner peace so pure, so stable, that we cannot be moved to anger by those who live and profit by war, or to self-grasping and fear by those who confront us with contempt and hatred.

Extraordinary patience is necessary to work toward world peace, and the source of that patience is inner peace. Such peace enables us to see clearly that war and suffering are outer reflections of the mind's poisons. The essential difference between peacemakers and those who wage war is that peacemakers have discipline and control over egotistical anger, grasping, jealousy, and pride, whereas warmakers, out of ignorance, cause these poisons to manifest in the world. If you truly understand this, you will never allow yourself to be defeated from within or without.

In Tibetan Buddhism, the peacock is a symbol for the bodhisattva, the awakened warrior who works for the enlightenment of all beings. A peacock is said to eat poisonous plants, but to transform the poison into the gorgeous colors of its feathers. It does not poison itself. In the same way, we who advocate world peace must not poison ourselves with anger. Regard with equanimity the powerful, worldly men who control the war machines. Do your best to convince them of the necessity of peace, but be constantly aware of your state of mind. If you become angry, pull back. If you are able to act without anger, perhaps you will penetrate the terrible delusion that perpetrates war and its hellish suffering.

From the clear space of your own inner peace, your compassion must expand to include all who are involved in war, both the soldiers—whose intention is to benefit but who instead cause suffering and death and thus are caught by the terrible karma of killing—and the civilians who are wounded, killed, or forced into exile as refugees. True compassion is aroused by suffering of every sort, by the suffering of every being; it is not tied to right or wrong, attachment or aversion. The work of peace is a spiritual path in itself, a means to develop the perfect qualities of mind and to test them against urgent necessity, extreme suffering, and death. Do not be afraid to give it your time, energy, and support.

Somewhere over the rainbow...

The song, "Somewhere over the rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole is a medley of two classic songs, "Over the Rainbow" from the film, Wizard of Oz and "What a wonderful world" by Louis Armstrong. Although the original purpose of the song, "Somewhere over the rainbow" was written to express the main protagonist, Dorothy's hope to find a new place after finding some disagreement with her uncle and aunt. But, I find it ironic that the film was created in end of 1930s, in the middle of World War II. I think that this song could have been the hope for many soldiers, who were fighting out of their homeland to wish for a new place. In the same way, this song sends a strong message to the people, who live in this era. Especially, added with Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's soft and soothing voice, the song brings out a different sensation in each individual.

What kind of a place did the original writer of this song imagine? Or, what did Kamakawiwo'ole imagined as he was singing this song? What kind of a place do we imagine as we read the lyrics of this song? Our emotion would be slightly different than what Dorothy felt as she was singing this song in the film. But, mutually, we all were hoping for a dream to come true. What kind of world do you dream of? At this time, I think the world that we truly need is a peaceful world. A world where there is no war and a world where we are able to share with others. This world of peace has been in our dream for centuries, but it was never fulfilled in front of our eyes.

As the divine being once showed the rainbow to a man as a sign of covenant or promise, we hope that the world can once see its true beauty through its nature and inhabitant after a flood of war. And truly, Mr. Man Hee Lee and the work of HWPL has made the world of peace come closer into our reality. We hope that as more people join and participate in the work of peace with HWPL, our dream would come true.

Somewhere over the rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

Somewhere over the rainbow

Way up high

And the dreams that you dreamed of

Once in a lullaby

Somewhere over the rainbow

Blue birds fly

And the dreams that you dreamed of

Dreams really do come true ooh oh

Someday I'll wish upon a star

Wake up where the clouds are far behind me

Where trouble melts like lemon drops

High above the chimney tops

That's where you'll find me

Oh, somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly

And the dream that you dare to,

Oh why, oh why can't I?

Pope Francis to Address the United Nations

Pope Francis I, the leader of the world's largest Christian denomination, is in the spotlight as the Pope of Peace, because of his message regarding peace and justice. And last month, it was announced that he will be visiting the United States, in order to address the Congress of United Nations this upcoming September. I am curious to hear what topics he will discuss in his address. Some of the sources tell me that he will be speaking about peace, in response to recent violent activities in the Middle East.

As the Secretary-General of the United Nation, Ban Ki-moon, is also Korean, could there be a possibility that Mr. Ban would introduce Mr. Man Hee Lee to Pope Francis? If these two progressive leaders of peace meet, I think the result will be outrageous. With the large and specific connection (in terms of difference religion and ethnicity) that Mr. Lee has through HWPL and his recent activities, I believe that the Pope will be able to reach more people, who are non-Catholic. It is not about who represent what, or how one identifies him or herself as, but it is what we hope for, and this I believe is peace. I hope that as the Chairman said that we would be able to unite under the banner of peace.

This would also allow the United Nations to achieve its purpose: to mediate peace in the world.

Quote: Chairman Man Hee Lee

"Could there be a person, who hates peace? Everyone says that they love peace. But, just because one shouts, "Peace, peace" repeatedly thousand times, it does not mean peace will be fulfilled."

What kind of voices were there in the history of mankind that wished for peace? Many people from variety of religions and ethnicity preached over peace and worked to achieve peace. And the society agrees that peace is necessary for the well-being of their family and community. But, out of those who agree peace, who actually works for peace? Do we see people working for peace in their given time? Although it is important, it is also ignored equally as well. In some way it is similar to diamond-water paradox in Economics. Although water is essential to life, its value is lower than diamond, which is not an necessity to our life. In a similar way, peace is essential to the survival of mankind, but it is taken for granted just as water in its paradox.

Symbolism of the World Peace Gate

World Peace Gate is one of the architecture that represented the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics. The gate became more meaningful when HWPL Peace walk was held in 2013. The peace gate obviously embeds the meaning and the hope for peace. However, it is somewhat surprising at the same time. The beginning of the Republic of Korea started with a war that took away the lives of many Korean citizens by their own kin. And still in the 80s, Republic of Korea was recovering from the war and in the process of modernization. Despite these circumstances, choosing peace as a symbol in the Olympics was wonderful and at the same time, it displayed the true essence of Olympics. The theme song of the 1988 Summer Olympics, "Hand in Hand" is regarded as the best Olympics theme song of all times, because it focused on the aspect of coming together and competing with a good heart. In the time, when Korea could have wished for its own prosperity, it hoped for world peace after learning from the disastrous war. I think this is why the involvement and the participation of the Korean people is huge, because they are one step away from achieving world peace with HWPL and Chairman Lee. And with the peace walk held in South Korea, with everyone rejoining the Korean citizens with hand in hand annually since 2013, is an affirmation that world of peace has started to arose. I look forward to the peace walk this year in May, in front of the World Peace Gate. In a peninsula, where two divided countries exist, this World Peace Gate became a symbol in the world that serves as a gate towards peace.

Mother Teresa: Reflects on Working Toward Peace

The fruit of silence is prayer; the fruit of prayer is faith; the fruit of faith is love; the fruit of love is service; the fruit of service is peace.

Let us not use bombs and guns to overcome the world. Let us use love and compassion. Peace begins with a smile. Smile five times a day at someone you don't really want to smile at; do it for peace. Let us radiate the peace of God and so light His light and extinguish in the world and in the hearts of all men all hatred and love for power. Today, if we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other-that man, that woman, that child is my brother or my sister. If everyone could see the image of God in his neighbor, do you think we would still need tanks and generals?

Peace and war begin at home. If we truly want peace in the world, let us begin by loving one another in our own families. If we want to spread joy, we need for every family to have joy.

Today, nations put too much effort and money into defending their borders. They know very little about the poverty and the suffering that exist in the countries where those bordering on destitution live. If they would only defend these defenseless people with food, shelter, and clothing, I think the world would be a happier place.

The poor must know that we love them, that they are wanted. They themselves have nothing to give but love. We are concerned with how to get this message of love and compassion across. We are trying to bring peace to the world through our work. But the work is the gift of God.

I noticed similar thoughts and point of views after reading different writings and songs from important figures from the 20th century and 21st century. They all propose and suggest similar solution for achieving peace. Regardless of their belief and ethnicity, peace approaches and befriends them in the exact same manner. Until now, I have been writing about the figures from the Christianity and their views on peace and from next few posts, I hope to discuss about the thoughts on peace from other religions, so that we may be able to see that peace truly is ecumenical and how it relates to the works of HWPL and Chairman Man Hee Lee. Because it seems that the wave of HWPL is spreading across the globe and it seems to be the organization with the largest activities regarding peace in this decade. 

Imagine... the World of Peace

When I first heard the song "Imagine" by John Lennon, I was somewhat skeptical about the phrase "Imagine there's no heaven". Although at one point of his life, Lennon denied his identity as a Christian, the lyrics denying heaven seemed to decrease my enthusiasm for the song. But, I believe that John Lennon included this with a deeper meaning. In his song, John Lennon suggests his listeners in three stanzas on things to imagine: no heaven, no countries, and no possessions. In someways, these are the things that causes conflict between nation to nation and person to person.

In the first thing to imagine, why did John Lennon mentioned "no heaven"? The question of after-life, either heaven or hell, is a huge controversy among religions and even inside one religion, different proposals exists on how after-life is going to be. In other words, this is a religious conflict. It is a philosophical conflict of after-life that divides people. And instead of arguing about a world that we will eventually meet, Lennon suggests that we must make the world that we live in today a better place first. As the classic poet Horace writes, "Carpe Diem". To some extent, it does not mean John Lennon does not believe in heaven, but the main point of his message is that it is pointless to argue about something that we cannot see, when there are other visible problems that lies ahead of us.

(What kind of world did John Lennon see behind his glasses?)

The second thing to imagine is "no countries". This resolves the problem of political conflict. It is clear that there has been many deaths that arose from political conflicts. And John Lennon sings even after his death, through his lyrics, "Imagine all the people living life in peace." Then, no longer people do not have to die for a cause that will not benefit them in any ways. To the people of this era, dreaming of such utopia, a peaceful world is only considered as a dream in this culture, as John Lennon writes that people may refer to him as a dreamer. This culture seems to be dominated by pop culture, but what would be a more meaningful cause to work for? On the last stanza, Lennon writes, "Imagine all the people sharing all the world...". We are often referred as a global family. I hope to see that the global family can set an example to the smaller families in the world by sharing with one another.

And these three things match with the vision of HWPL. Only difference is that the world is no world is no longer being imagined for some people. It is now being created through reality. Religions are coming to together accepting the fact that we are from one divine Creator. And politicians are becoming one under the banner of peace by working towards enacting an international law on ending all wars, so that no youths need to die. This idea was first proven through what happened in WARP Summit. And this message is what the Chairman preaches all over the world.

Imagine by John Lennon
Imagine there's no heaven

It's easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace...

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will live as one

The Road to Peace

Recently, I came across a book called "Road to Peace" and "Peacework" by Henri Nouwen, a priest considered to be one of the greatest figure on spirituality inside the Catholic Church. Although peace work does restrict itself to only religions, the thoughts that Nouwen suggested in his book was ideal and similar to what the Chairman was doing. In "Peacworkd", Nouwen wrote, "For Jesus, there are no countries to be conquered, no ideologies to be imposed, no people to be dominated. There are only children, women and men to be loved." Jesus Christ also taught of peace and to love your neighbors as yourself, in a time where conflicts persist, just as today. In other words, I would like to say, in terms of peace, there are no countries to be conquered, no ideologies to be imposed, no people to be dominated. When everyone is under the banner of peace, nothing matters, in terms of political ideology or religion. There are only children, women and men, who are our neighbors, waiting to be loved. 

Peace does not restrict itself to one type of group. It approaches all people in same way and thought. But, no matter how much the thought of peace visits our minds, if we do not act upon it, will we reach our destination? We have to start walking. We have to start meeting different people, who have different ideals and views about the world. This reflect the actions of the Chairman, who have been travelling around the world, in order to make peace a reality. Peace, in other words, is love and grace. The Chairman addresses, "Dear global family, I know that we have many things to learn from the heaven. The heaven provides human with light through the sun, moon, and stars. This life given to us is grace. And we, who live on earth with this grace of heaven, must also love one another and become the messenger of peace, by showing grace to others, in order to walk the path of prosperity".

In addition to Nouwen's love of our neighbors, the Chairman extends the idea of love and peace, insofar as the origin. He exaggerates the grace that we have received from heaven and how it provided mankind with sunlight, rain, and wind for sustaining life. Likewise, we must also show our love, since we received love from heaven. Nouwen also wrote, "Peacemaking can be a lasting work only when we live and work together [and that] community is indispensable for a faithful and enduring resistance." As we see a common ground in two figures, who are both Christians from different denominations, we can see that the road to peace comes to us in same path. Although our starting points maybe different, because of our different backgrounds, our ending point, which is peace, is same. It does not mean that we will all end in our each destination of peace. It all leads to the same ending, when peace is achieved.

The sense of community is portrayed through the vision of HWPL by gathering different people from different background. I hope that people can accept the difference, but recognize the love for peace, in order to work together with HWPL and the Chairman.

Quote: Chairman Man Hee Lee

"If one person delivers the message of peace, then the two becomes one in thought and vision. As we all deliver the message of peace, then everyone will become one and pace will be achieved."

Do you want peace? Everyone wants peace. This is the common ground that all people, who are terrified by the war have. If we unite under this vision and disregard every other difference, then peace can be achieved. Does it mean that difference is wrong? Difference means variety. There are different type of people in this world. It does not mean it is wrong, but we must learn to accept the difference and respect the difference. And also use it as an opportunity to learn something new. Because the difference in nation, ethnicity, and religion became the origin of all conflict, if this mindset becomes resolved than anything is possible. The reason I follow the thoughts of Chairman Lee and HWPL is because of this vision. It does not limit to one group, but openly invites everyone to join. And their vision does not only stay in their thoughts, but it is being applied in front of our eyes, as the Chairman reaches to different places on earth. The Summit is one of these example. I hope that the Chairman's message can reach more people on earth.

Speech: The Great Dictator

Charlie Chaplin - Greatest Speech Ever Made

Although I was intrigued by the process of developing a philosopher king in The Republic, I do not agree with dictatorship. It is true that dictatorship can often benefit a nation with a right minded leader. Considering the era that he lived in, Chaplin also lands a satirical attack on fascism and dictatorship by portraying as one specific dictator in an ironic way. But the message does not seem to be intended for future dictator, who might be watching his film in their palace, but he shows the current state of the society and world at his and our time. And the points that he delivers is priceless. 

"I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone - if possible - Jew, Gentile - black man - white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness - not by each other's misery. We don't to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone."

His messages are similar to the message of the renowned peace advocate, Mr. Man Hee Lee, who have be gathering the attention of the world recently for his works and visions. Chaplin starts by declining the position to power. But, rather he longs to help people, who are different than him. He proposes peace. And states that it is actually human's innate characteristic to help one another. Wars only bring misery to each other. It does not benefit the dominant population. Would it be possible to find pleasure living next to one another? According to Chaplin, greed for wealth and power changed a man. And the achievements that mankind made is notable in the history and it had made a significant impact in our world. But, did our character and respect also increase? We spend countless nights to research for a new discovery, but do we spend countless nights thinking about treating others well? And Chaplin concludes his speech by saying,

"Let us fight to free the world - to do away with national barriers - to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance."

He asks the soldiers to fight not with each other, but to free the world and to overcome the barriers and the boundaries that cause such conflicts. Chairman Lee once said, "We must keep the will of living together as one with the people. We must not lean towards evil, trick others or lie." We have to learn how to live with others and tolerance.

Heal the world to make a better place

Heal the World - Michael Jackson

Despite other negative opinions or prejudice against some of his decision, Michael Jackson is truly regarded as the 'King of Pop', but this name does not suite not only because of his musical talents and brilliance, I would like say that because of his characteristic to love and embrace the world. It is easy to become arrogant and fall astray, when one reaches in such recognition like Michael Jackson. But, Jackson also sought for a better a place. He used his fame to guide his musical followers to something meaningful. Through his music, he embraced a powerful idea that was needed at his era.

The chorus of the lyrics, it asks its listeners to take care of the people for themselves and the entire human race and to heal the world. We are not doing this that benefits others, but for ourselves and for the neighbors. Or else, we would see more people dying day by day. The wrong people will face the consequences. For the sake of the human race, we should truly make a better place. Michael Jackson's song fits with the motto and the vision of HWPL, as they work for the human race by working together with others. We hope that more people from different background could join HWPL and the Chairman to heal the world.

Heal the World by Michael Jackson

Heal the world

Make it a better place

For you and for me

And the entire human race

There are people dying

If you care enough for the living

Make a better place

For you and for me

Quote: Chairman Man Hee Lee

"It is the will of heaven and the hope of mankind that the work of peace is happening at this era. It must be the world of peace, where all youths become one and all women become one to erase all wars on this earth."

Peace is when everyone becomes one. It is when there are no two sides, but only one. The resources that HWPL has is IWPG (International Women's Peace Group) and IPYG (International Peace Youth Group). By gathering the youth and women together, we will be able to prevent one catalyst that begins war. The reason is because the wars are not fought by old generation, but by the youth. However, if the youth gather under one banner in IPYG, then wars cannot be fought. Likewise, IWPG unites all women together, as they are mothers to the youths, who are sacrificed in the wars. When everyone focuses on becoming one, then we would be able to become ultimately one.

In Pope Francis' visit to to South Korea, he commented "Peace is the result of justice." How can we bring justice into our society? Justice, according to one philosopher, whose thoughts became the fundamental foundation of political ideology, is briefly when everyone is doing their job. What is the right job for everyone? What are youths supposed to do? Are they destined to die in wars with each other? The chairman was felt sorrowful for the youth, who died before they could blossom and before they could achieve their dreams. This gave him the inspiration to start this peace movement, in order to allow the new generation to dream such a dream.