Month: February 2017

Universal Peace Prayer….PCDN….Peace and Collaborative Development Network.

| Chandru Gidwani

Universal Prayers For Peace! Let Us Pray For Peace And Give Thanks For Life On Earth!

Universal Prayer

May all religions find a common ground of unity.

May all beings be happy.

May the poor be fed.

May the naked be clothed.

May the thirsty receive the waters of pure light.

May the deaf hear.

May the warmongers find refuge in peace.

May all beings love one another.

May all children be protected.

May all beings find simplicity.

May all beings realize their true nature.

May all races come together in brotherhood.

May the blind see.

May the lame walk.

May all beings that are lost find their way.

May all beings that are miserable surrender to truth.

May all beings that are sad find happiness.

May all beings that are unconscious be awaken.

May all beings that are lonely find perfect companion.

May all beings that are mute be able to speak.

May all beings that are uneducated received knowledge.

May all beings that are weak find strength.

May all beings that are brave be rewarded.

May all beings be blessed..

May all beings be enlightened.

May peace prevail in all hearts.
Amen.

“May Peace Prevail on Earth“

Does saying prayers for world peace help create world peace? How? Consider a 30 day experiment: Pray for the wisdom to create world peace and for the power to carry that out!

Should we ask God for help & guidance in achieving the extraordinary goal of creating world peace in a nonviolent manner?
Would it help us to focus our mind on what is needed to be done to create a lasting world peace if we use a universal prayer for world peace or any prayer for peace of our choosing?

Does it help more if we pray for peace and take actions toward creating peace as well. Is it more powerful if we combine the two together take actions and pray as well?

Combining actions & prayer may be infinitely more powerful than just doing one without the other. Consider trying an informal experiment for 30 days. Consider both praying for the wisdom of how you can help contribute toward world peace and the power to carry that out. Then take the actions coming to your mind help humanity to reach a goal of achieving world peace. See if you believe combining prayer and action worked to be more powerful than if you just took one of the two actions alone.

I realize it is hard to really judge since we can only take one pathway at a time so we will never know what may have happened if we took the other road but just generally comment on your sense of the power and effectiveness of combining prayer with action toward attaining an insurmountable goal of peace on Earth.

Can humans ever achieve world peace while we are alive on Earth? Can Praying for God to help us actually work in attaining peace?

Many people are unsure if God exists at all, & if so does God hear and answer our prayers? Many people wonder if prayers have any effect at all. We may believe strongly one way or the other.

Some may question if God created the Universe or did it evolve on its own. Our conception of the evolution of the universe may go back to the big bang but we still have no answer to the question of how did the bang start and how the miracles in the universe, the earth and nature are possible.

Should we be thankful to God for the wonders of life & ask God for help with all?

Would making an experiment be an effective way to find out if it is effective to ask God for help & guidance in achieving the extraordinary goal of creating world peace in a nonviolent manner for 30 days to see what happens.
Consider trying an experiment of your own. One example of a 30 day experiment consists of actually praying each day for the wisdom to know how to help create world peace in a non violent manner and for the power to carry that out. Then you may write down the actions coming to your mind. Consider taking those nonviolent actions toward creating peace that come to your mind after saying the prayer as well.

It may be best to keep a log if possible of your prayers, the ideas you had, actions you took to carry them out and the result of those actions that you took! The experimenters may then look back and see for themselves if they feel it is powerful to combine prayer and action. You may be surprised about the results of your own experiment. You may find out if is a helpful combination or not?

For those needing more data and proof a comparison maybe made by continuing the experiment for 60 more days to try the other two options.

For the next 30 days experimenters may just think of all the non violent ideas they can about how they can contribute to world peace, write them & do them but without the prayer. After 30 days they may look over entire log see the difference between the two months.

For the people still curious they may extend the experiment for 30 more days. This time just praying for world peace out but NOT actually taking any other actions to further that goal. Experimenters may write down in their log book each day your observations about the power of the prayer alone.

After this process the experimenter may be able to comment on his or her feelings in an article or book but as we all know these things are all virtually impossible to scientifically prove or disprove and the bottom line comes down to faith and taking actions!

Build Bridges not Walls….Sulha Peace Project

| Chandru Gidwani
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Yoav Peck: Peacemaker, Psychologist
Yoav Peck is the co-Executive Director of the Sulha Peace Project, a group of Israelis and Palestinians who meet regularly "to encounter the other in our full humanity." Recognizing the mutual fears, alienation and suspicion that exist between Israelis and Palestinians, the Sulha Peace Project brings together such diverse factions as soldiers, stone throwers, young professionals, academicians and laborers for face-to-face encounter.

A native New Yorker, Yoav has lived in Israel for 40 years. Migrating to Israel in 1973, he lived on a kibbutz for 15 years before moving to Jerusalem in 1988. Professionally, he is an organizational psychologist, coach and consultant who specializes in systematic programs for the advancement of human dignity. He is also a lifelong peace activist, beginning in the 1960’s with the movement to end the war in Vietnam.

As co-Executive Director of the Sulha Peace Project, Peck helps bring Palestinians and Israelis together for person-to-person contact. Once a month, Sulha holds "Tribal Fires" in which 100-150 Palestinians and Israelis gather to reach beyond arguments and political posturing to the essential humanity longing to be heard. They work in listening circles, praying, singing, eating, and talking.

According to Yoav, "We painstakingly work with an often uncooperative military to obtain entry permits for West Bank Palestinians so that we can be together. Sometimes we meet in the territories, to make Sulha accessible to those Palestinians who cannot leave. As we depart from the Tribal Fire, we are profoundly empowered, carrying with us renewed inspiration, hope, and determination to continue working to bring the conflict to an end."

Several times a year, Sulha also sponsors "Sulhita," a gathering of 40-80 youths (ages16-21) who spend several days discussing the issues that concern them. Young Israelis, pre-army service, and their Palestinian peers discuss how they feel about the fact that they may soon find themselves facing each other in confrontations at roadblocks, or in battle. The youths hike in the Judean desert, prepare meals together, sing, drum, dance, and talk deep into the nights, sharing their visions of possible futures. They attain a sense of commonality that lasts well beyond Sulhita, and many of them become volunteers at adult Sulha events.

In addition to Sulha and Sulhita, the Tent of Sarah and Hagar brings women together to provide a safe environment for religious and secular Jewish and Palestinian women to reach out to each other.

Yoav writes: "Through shared prayer, song, circles of listening, active translation…we reach across gulfs and connect, inspiring profound hope in all present. While we avoid polarizing political declarations, we know that any political future must address the human needs of both sides, and we stand on the front lines of the struggle to return decency and compassion to our shared land.

Yoav received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Sociology from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master’s in Organizational Psychology from Norwich University.