As I stood there, in the base of Mt Fuji, in the midst of more than ten thousand people, my heart was filled with immense love and joy. In unison of heart and voice, we all fervently prayed and chanted..”May peace prevail on earth”. It was a clear day, sacred Mt fuji was clearly visible as if giving its blessings and there was soft rainbow around the rays of sun, something which I had never seen before. That was the year 2012 when I was invited to Japan as part of peace symposium, its memories still nourish my heart. It’s here where I made a promise to myself, that I will continuously make an effort to move towards light and work for peace. Invited by my sister Yuka san from spiritual organisation Byakko (and Masami Saionji san, Rika san, Maki san, who I met later). During the second world war, when the entire world was in pain, spiritual teacher Masahisa Goi encouraged Japanese people to start praying for the world peace. Peace poles with this universal prayers are now being installed all over the world as a symbol of our interconnectedness and unity.
Bringing this inspiration to our local community, our elder brother Jayesh Bhai offered to have them in Gandhi Ashram and in Environmental Sanitation Institute, Ahmedabad, India. Mahatma Gandhi dedicated his life for removal of untouchability and union of hearts, today these two peace pole have become a symbol of universal friendship (noble Maitri) for us. In every gathering, we collectively pray for world peace here. During our Moved By love retreats, we start our sacred three steps and a bow pilgrimage from here. It was a great moment of joy and honor to have spiritual teacher Masami Saionji San recently unveil the peace pole in Gandhi Ashram.
Here’s few pictures of the peace pole:
Peace pole in Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram, Ahmedabad, India. Made from the old tree from the ashram which died naturally.
Masami San unveiling and praying before the peace pole, started in Jan 2018.
Spiritual teacher Masami San with peace pole
Drawing inspired by Masami San’s poem and Byakko foundation’s annual calender.
Most of our gathering starts with a peace prayer around the pole.
Peace pole in Esi campus, Ahmedabad, India
Remembering Japan and the origin of peace pole in our collective prayer
peace pilgrimage around the campus starting with hugging peace pole
Jayesh Bhai, our elder brother and also trustee of Gandhi Ashram
Bowing pilgrimage from peace pole
Pre-primary school teachers from the villages who are trained in Esi campus
Sharing this beautiful poem and message by spiritual teacher and founder of Byakko movement Masahisa Goi :
May Peace Prevail on Earth – Masahisa Goi
My Life blazed With the desire To serve as a thread Joining Heaven and Earth (Haiku)
Mr. Goi came to understand that words, thoughts and intentions carry energy strong enough to influence the destiny of all living things. By speaking, acting and living in the spirit of the prayer, May Peace Prevail On Earth. Mr. Goi believed that the energy field of love and harmony would radiate forth to all of creation having a positive and purifying effect on the consciousness of humanity.
“If you fling all of your thoughts into these simple words, and, from this prayer keep living your lives anew, before you know it your individualistic or cliquish feelings will diminish, and you will feel yourselves wishing for the happiness of mankind, with a feeling of humanitarian love welling up from within. Gradually, the individual’s character will be approaching wholeness, and the person’s lifestyle will strike a harmonious note — which is the greatest thing an individual can do for world peace.
I believe that prayer for world peace is the single most needed good action in today’s world for bringing peace to the individual life and, at the same time, for playing a larger role in the achievement of world peace.
There has never been a time when each person’s thought activity has been as important as it is today. One human being’s thoughts, whether he or she is emitting light waves of love and sincerity or dark waves of egoistic desires, can move humanity either toward complete peace or devastation.
Therefore, I encourage us all: Through prayer for world peace, let the original blueprint for a peaceful world be carried out to perfection as soon as possible, with the smallest amount of suffering. This is the desire of the great spirit of hope which lives deep within each human being. It was in the great design of the universe for this world peace prayer to come forth at this time and place. By means of this spirit of prayer, the dark waves surrounding humanity will gradually be purified and transformed into waves of bright light.
I would like to ask each one of you to contemplate this truth, and to join in the movement for world peace through prayer, May Peace Prevail on Earth.”
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