BK SERVICE NEWS
Dr. Nirmala’s Visit, Philippines
November 24 – December 2, 2009

“Tolerance and Non-Violence”
26 November 2009
Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City

 IT WAS an evening of soothing music, inspirational words, and meditation. The small proscenium theater of RCBC Plaza was delicately lit. Some 350 guests had come for “Tolerance and Non-Violence” a program mounted by the Brahma Kumaris in celebration of the United Nations International Day for Tolerance.

 The select crowd included new contacts from the UN White Helmets of the Philippines and UN Youth Association of the Philippines; Hubert d’Aboville, president and CEO of Paris Manila Technology Corporation (concurrently president of the European Chamber of Commerce); First Secretary Ahimsa Soekartono of the Indonesian Embassy; and representative from the Embassy of The Netherlands. Familiar faces included former Miss Universe Margie Moran-Floirendo.

 Thirty minutes prior to the program proper, the better to prepare the audience and the atmosphere, four Raja Yogis conducted meditation against a powerpoint screen of quotes and images illustrating the virtues of peace and tolerance. At the foot of the stage, a quartet from the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra played breathtaking music.

Sister Becky Ortega presented the Brahma Kumaris’ work in the United Nations to bring peace awareness to various countries. This she related to the urgency of cultivating tolerance and non-violence, especially in these times. In the Philippines, she pointed out, this was recently highlighted by the murder of journalists and innocent civilians in the war-torn southern province of Maguindanao.

 The two speakers for the evening were then introduced: Carmencita Abella, president of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, Asian equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize; and Dr. Nirmala Kajaria, BK Regional Coordinator in Asia-Pacific. 

Ms. Abella told stories of several Magsaysay Awardees, citing how their “transformative leadership have shown how tolerance and non-violence is an approach to peace” in a crisis-ridden world. Abella described these models  as “ordinary individuals who have made an extraordinary difference in their communities”—a medical doctor in Pakistan who has dedicated her life to treating outcast leprosy patients; a Japanese publisher committed to printing  books on stigmatized communities; an Indian policewoman who teaches meditation and self-reliance to prisoners. Abella ended her segment by asking a provocative question: “Where do these people get their strength and staying power?” She offered an answer, suggesting an “informed empathy—the awareness, knowledge and smarts that give focus [too these heroes’] actions.”

Dr. Nirmala, for her part, emphasized: “Intolerance creates violence.” Violence is the fruit of “subtle vices of the soul,” she said, such as greed and ego. Speaking from her experience as a meditation practitioner for 40 years, Dr. Nirmala explained that meditation allows people to positively work on themselves. “I have seen people change, through meditation, from peaceless to calm. Through the power of meditation, the impossible becomes possible. I begin to really understand how to live a good life and become an embodiment of good qualities.”

Underscoring the unique philosophy of the Brahma Kumaris— an organization that teaches not only non-violence but also how to be “doubly non-violent,” Dr. Nirmala said: “It is not enough that we do not hurt others physically. Neither should we hurt through our thoughts, words and feelings. For this, I need control of myself. Through meditation, I speak sweetly, share feelings positively and become a good example to others. This is how I can be doubly non-violent.”

Dr. Nirmala gave the example of foreigners who visit the BK Headquarters in Mt. Abu, India, and who are invariably amazed to see thousands of volunteer residents there who live together and work with so much dedication. It is love for God, she said, that makes these dedicated volunteers embody a culture of peace and tolerance.

After the talk, to the sound of live flute music, Sr. Rajni Daulatram gave a guided meditation on the soul’s original quality of peace.