“Love of God and Love of the Neighbor”

Over the years, I have noticed that human beings are human beings – it doesn’t matter which country or which religion they are from; we all have a similar nature. We all have two eyes, two ears, a nose, and a mouth – and the same feet and hands. Sometimes we don’t understand another person’s language, but from their body language and gestures, we understand what kind of mood they are in. And when any one of us gets angry, it is the same, as well. When we suffer from attachment, it is the same’ greed is also is consistent; ego and arrogance are the same – it is the same for everybody.

We are able to go beyond the limits of color, race, and culture – and even beyond the differences of nature and personality. Love and honesty help us to belong to one another and bring us into unity. We are one; we are one family, and we are brought together with one motivation: to serve. This awareness of unity brings so much joy. There is so much joy and happiness in unity. When there is unity, a mountain can be lifted.

On my own I can belong to God, and on my own I can also have the motivation to serve, but when it comes to serving our huge world, there is so much suffering that what can I do on my own? When it comes to the subject of service, God tells us that we all have to come together and serve in unity. When there are good feelings of love, trust, and faith through understanding God, then we can come together and create a powerful gathering that is able to serve.

When we come together seeing the specialties and the goodness of each other, there can be unity and strength. Unity means to be able to see virtues, absorb virtues, and donate virtues. Where there is unity, there are no problems. There is great happiness, joy, and love in unity. But when there is quarreling, people say there must be some fault on both sides – one hand cannot create a quarrel. The quarrel arrives when both hands come together. When we clap our hands together, it can be with great joy and happiness. Both hands can come together with humility and respect, too, as a gesture of honor or prayer. But two hands can also come together in conflict – I must never allow that to happen.

It is everyone’s desire that heaven should come on earth. Heaven isn’t up above; we have to create it here on earth. Through our character and behavior, we can create heaven here. Out of multimillions, a few will emerge who want to do this. What is the population of the world now? God says that even nine hundred thousand is enough to create heaven. If nine hundred thousand are ready to change, this world could become heaven very soon. Then there will be victory for truth and non- iolence. Sins will be conquered, truth will return, and we will be able to treat each other with love and respect. Between the earth and the sky, all human beings are actually one family, all children of God. When God sees that there is a gathering of unity – a group that comes together with love – He says, “I will be present in your midst also.” (Dadi Janki, “Is There Another Way?”)

Dadi Janki on harmony and “haar maani” by Judy Rodgers

“The Confucian concept of ‘harmony’ suggests not merely ‘peace’, but also ‘beautiful and dynamic interaction between different elements within a whole.” (UN Declaration)

“Many years ago, Dadi Janki was the spiritual resource at a dialogue in Mauritius. The theme of the dialogue was hope, happiness and harmony. On the opening night, she rose to speak and said that she would like to speak about “harmony” or “haar maani” in Hindi. She said that in Hindi, this word means “to accept defeat” and that this is actually a very useful spiritual notion as it allows for peace and unity. She said that sometimes, when we hold strongly in our own beliefs, we can become quite insistent that others accept them, creating tension and discord. In moments like this, we would do well to move to “haar maani” – to accept defeat in that moment and not to push our ideas on others.

There was a bit of an uproar in the dialogue participants. “Why,” they asked, “would you ever step back, instead of sharing the truth with others?” She was delighted that the subject stirred up so much interest in the group. She promised to talk about it further the following morning. The next morning she raised the subject again, recommending “haar maani” as an important understanding in the creation of peace and unity. She allowed the idea to sink in and then she proceeded, “if it is the truth,” she said, “it will eventually become clear to everyone. The truth is eternal and persistent. When the moment is right, you do not need to convince others of the truth. It will become completely clear to them that this right, that it is the truth, and then they will move towards that truth embracing it effortlessly.”

Filed in: Center Peace - February