Religions for Peace Australia has a mission statement. In that statement is the task to work through its networks for the well-being of vulnerable groups, including women and young people, and the well-being of the environment. In light of the current environment that is against the peace and well-being of women, Religions for Peace Australia gives one address toward the needs of our nation, this day, this age. We begin with Gandhi:
Where there is righteousness in the heart, There will be beauty in character;
Where there is beauty in character, there will be harmony in the home;
Where there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation;
Where there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world. (M.K. Gandhi)
What is the cause of conflict within man?
Can we look at this issue from a spiritual point of view?
The downward spiral to ruin consists in the following process:
- Inability to regulate emotions, poor skills in resolving disagreements
- Brooding on (or merely thinking about) worldly attractions develops attachments to them.
- From attachments to sense objects come selfish desires.
- Thwarted desires cause anger to erupt.
- From anger arises delusion.
- This cause confusion of the mind and makes one forget the lessons of experience.
- Forgotten lessons of experience clouds reason, which results in the loss of discrimination (between Truth and non-Truth, real and the unreal).
Gandhi said of righteousness in the heart: This righteousness is right-action, right conduct, the action in the community that is affirmed as life-enhancing, life-giving. Right behaviour does not give sorrow to anyone. Love seeks to alleviate pain and not cause it.
Gandhi speaks of beauty in Character. Character is what others attribute to the human person, from their actions, their words and their thoughts. Good character is the foundation of human integrity. Good character is when words, actions and thoughts are in alignment – or we know how to bring them into alignment.
When words and actions are not in alignment with thought, we do not have good character.
When actions and thoughts are not in alignments with words, we do not have good character.
When thoughts and words are not in alignment with actions, we do not have good character.
Therefore, according to Gandhi, character is most important for harmony in the home.
We began by saying “Brooding on (or merely thinking about) worldly attractions develops attachments to them“.
Right from this day, try to reduce your attachment to the world to every extent possible. Be happy and make others happy. Do not hurt anybody. Consider difficulties as passing clouds. You have developed family relationships and there are bound to be some worries. But do not be perturbed by them. When you look at the vast sky, you find many clouds. Likewise, in the sky of your heart there are clouds of attachment. They just come and go. Do not worry about them. What is the shape of worry? It is a mentally created fear. It is the result of your imagination. Every man is bound to encounter difficulties and losses. We should face them with courage.
Religions for Peace Australia urges all networks and organisations involved in taking action to address violence against women and domestic violence, to include non-violence training for men in their delivery of activities. Non-violence was the foundation value of all activities taken up by Gandhi, including the Salt March. Gandhi gave expression to satyagraha, grasping of truth.
The truth that Australia needs to grasp is that it is not right – at any time – to visit violence upon women, or in the family home.
“Ahimsa (Non Violence) is the highest duty. Even if we cannot practice it in full, we must try to understand its spirit and refrain, as far as humanly possible, from violence.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Where there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in character;
Where there is beauty in character, there will be harmony in the home;
Where there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation;
Where there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.
(M.K. Gandhi)
