A Permanent Assembly in the United Nations

Peace Times 1

The wish for peace expresses a much felt need in these last decades of the 20th century: peace marches, meditations for peace and other events for peace are ever increasingly being organised in all countries of the world. Although they do indeed represent positive experiences, they do at the same time remain isolated events, and their beneficial contribution is limited to that particular day dedicated to peace. In reality we would like to live in a state of peace with ourselves and with others, and this not only for 24 hours but on a long term basis. The search for this “state of grace”, this pleasant well-being, begs the usual question: how can we achieve it?

The idea for a United Nation’s permanent spiritual forum for world peace is an original proposal by Lama Gangchen. A project which is not only a concrete operative method but which, in its open mindedness also expresses the ancient wisdom which Lama Gangchen wants to communicate to everyone. “My principal spiritual practice” affirms Lama Gangchen in his introduction to the official document, “is based upon the essential morality represented by inner peace. The primary scope of each spiritual tradition, is that of sharing with all, the methods to build peace in the world. It is the responsibilty of religious leaders and of each practitioner to lay down solid foundations, in order to make inner peace education available to all”. This is also a clear invitation to whoever, single or organisations, wishing to collaborate in this enterprise: the means are many, initially one could be to sign a declaration of intent as to the scopes of the spiritual forum from the Lama Gangchen World Peace Foundation. The official presentation of the proposal took place on the 8th of June 1995 in Santiago, Chile, on the occasion of an ECLAC (United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Carribean) roundtable meeting, in the presence of scientists, religious representatives, university lecturers as well as, about 15O United Nations members.

“Spiritual traditions should assist humanity by offering their precious educational methods to the planetary community, in order to contribute to the realization of personal and social peace of both present and future generations: we should obtain benefits at zero cost”, Lama Gangchen says.

Since June 1995 to this day, the proposal for a United Nations spiritual forum was personally given by Lama Gangchen to inumerable personalities of the political, cultural and religious world from all over the globe, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the United Nations; in Perugia, in September 1995 during the peace walk from Perugia to Assisi event (with among others Betty Williams Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Pia Fanfani, Nadia Younes, Director of UNIC Rome); in New York in October 1995, at the reunion of United Nations NGOs and at the opening “Visions for the 21st century” symposium organised by the Temple of Understanding and the Religious Council; at Westminster Abbey in London, England, where he also met Archbishop Desmond Tutu; in Chicago in November 1995, at the Council for a Parliament of World Religions organised by Rabbi Herbert Bronstein. Lama Gangchen also made his proposal known at international meetings in Mongolia, Nepal, Germany and France.

In January 1996 he took part in the 4th International congress for world environment in New Delhi, India. On the 21st of March he guided the meditation for world peace, this spring equinox day, and illustrated the proposal at the United Nations in New York. In June 1996 for the Habitat II international summit held in Istanbul, Turkey, the Lama Gangchen World Peace Foundation was accredited as an NGO by the United Nations, and Lama Gangchen personally handed a copy of his proposal to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Boutros Boutros Ghali, as well as to the Mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Kollek, and Prince Alfred of Luxembourg.

Before leaving for his summer trip to South America, Lama Gangchen spent a week in England where he met with the Bishop of London. He also spent two days in Rome where he met with professor Elio Toaff, Chief Rabbi of the Italian Jewish community. Lama Gangchen’s marathon, which is gathering more and more major agreements for the realization of this project for world peace, recently took him to the Amazon, Chile, Argentina and Venezuela: on the 20th of August in Caracas, he took part in an inter-religious ceremony held at the Monument for World Peace, which was much spoken of by the media. Among those present were ministers of the Presbyterian, Maronite and Evangelist churches as well as representatives of the indigenous community of the mosque of Caracas and of UNESCO.

He then went to Miami where he gave a course on non-formal education at the DADE community college of Miami, illustrated his proposal to the mayor and received an official recognition for his “important contribution to the community”.

On the 17th of September he was in New York for the celebrations of the international day of peace; he was invited to guide the meditation for world peace at the United Nations for the second time, to coincide with the official opening of the General Assembly. He was also invited by the World Peace Prayer Society to ring the peace bell during the Flag Ceremony at the Harvard Club. In the Autumn of 1996.

He will continue with his mission of peace both in China and Indonesia, where he will certainly take the opportunity to invite our Eastern friends to participate in the proposal of the spiritual forum. (Carmen Robustelli)

The principal Points of the proposal

Inner peace is the most solid foundation of world peace.

The United Nations is the main political forum for world peace. Peace-making and peace keeping are its core functions. Nevertheless there is not appropriate room in that forum for the religions and spiritual movements to be represented and to be actively involved in building world peace.

It is time to give them official recognition within the United Nations and to create for them an appropriate forum within the United Nations environment to hear the voices and actively associate them in the noble task of building world peace.

The spiritual forum would be a permanent space for the leaders and representatives of all major and minor religions and spiritual movements for dialogue and concertation, as well as a bridge with the political forum. In order to fulfill its mission, the spiritual forum at international level should be complemented by spiritual forums created at national and local levels which will promote inter-religious dialogue and concerted action for inner and social peace in the communities. Without the active involvement of local communities the spiritual forum would remain only as one more superstructure. The effective operation of the spiritual forum at all levels can be expected to: re-energize all religions and spiritual movements by enabling their voices to remain relevant to the billions of citizens of this planet now and in the future; offer new ideas and re-package old ideas in the field of education for peace; contribute to solve religious conflicts which are now hindering the development of world peace.