An Appeal

Dear Friends,

Today civilization is standing at a crossroad. The best of the best and the worst of the worst is unfolding in front of our eyes. I pray that God may give us the insight to know what is good and auspicious and the courage to do it. May God give us the strength to actively embrace the bright forces and even more important, may God bless us with the power of discrimination so that we can understand whether it is right to actively confront the dark forces or whether it is right to simply disregard them.

The attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon is an attack not only on New York, Washington, or the United States. It is an attack on humanity-on civilization itself. It has brought pain beyond comprehension, and yet we can clearly see how actively the forces of light are working too-people all over the world are responding to this tragedy with love and compassion. Spiritual organizations of all faiths are holding prayer vigils; individuals are rushing to donate blood and other forms of humanitarian aid; help is reaching the victims from all corners of the world. People across the globe are discussing how to eradicate terrorism and acts of violence once and for all.

The Himalayan Institute is a spiritual organization. It is made of members and students seeking peace and prosperity, in both the inner world and the world outside. We urge you to join us in spirit and pray for those thousands of innocent victims of this tragedy, especially for the 450 children who have lost the tender love and care of their parents. Beginning yesterday, September 12, at 6 a.m. through September 16 at 6 p.m., we are holding a 108-hour akhanda japa-an uninterrupted meditation and prayer in the presence of a sacred flame. We request that you join us in prayer and meditation wherever you are and contribute to creation of a compassionate, peaceful collective consciousness that will guide those who are no longer with us, and heal those who are in hospitals, and comfort those who have lost loved ones. Although I understand that it is not easy to get into or out of New York City, I invite people from the New York area to join us here in Honesdale as our guests.

I humbly request the volunteers of the Sacred Link network in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean to inspire their friends and especially those who have registered for my Discovering the Sacred Link lecture tour, to hold group meditations and prayers whenever and wherever possible.

Almost five years ago, my mentor and the founder of the Himalayan Institute, Swami Rama, left his body. Since then, I have been trying to understand what is the most fruitful way of offering my life to God and God's creation. After long contemplatio
I have concluded that I can best serve creation by discovering-and helping others to discover-the sacred link that connects our minds and hearts and helps us realize that we are all children of God. In this atrocity I see that those who are suffering are from all creeds, faiths, and nations. While this tragedy saddens me, it also strengthens my belief that we must deepen our understanding of ourselves and others, replace hatred with love, and demolish the wall that divides humanity into factions.

How can we do that? Just by sitting and praying? Simply by holding sweet-sounding peace summits? Can we just leave it to others? Does non-violence simply involve not hurting anyone? Or is there an active way of practicing non-violence? Why have violent people gathered the courage to crash planes and end their own lives just to hurt others? Is there any way that peaceful, loving, and kind people can wake up and gather the courage to actively work in bringing hatred to an end? I pray that a ray of light emerges from the cloud of smoke and dust thrown up by these violent acts to guide us in dissolving the destructive forces hiding in the depths of our minds and hearts.

Yours in service,
Pandit Rajmani Tigunait nnn