Master Sheng-yen Speaks at the UN Millennium Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders

By Carolyn Hansen

With the objective of furthering world peace, over 1,000 leaders of the earth's religions and spiritual practices gathered from Aug. 28 to 31 in the first UN Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders. The United Nations and the gathering were first called by drumming by the Shumei Taiko Ensemble, and then blessed by prayers from native peoples and representatives of many organized faiths during the opening ceremony on August 28. It was hoped the sacred space created in the opening would benefit the government leaders scheduled to gather there the following week for the Millennium Summit of Heads of State. The leaders wore colorful and diverse gowns, robes or religious attire from Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the homelands of the native people. The thoughtfulness and reverence they demonstrated became a powerful backdrop for the conference. On August 29, Shi fu was a keynote speaker in the UN General Assembly Hall. He proposed to those gathered at the UN that "If you find that the doctrines of your faith contain something that is intolerant of the other groups, or in contradiction with the promotion of world peace, that you should make new interpretation of these relevant doctrines . . . Because every wholesome religion should get along peacefully with other groups so that it can step by step influence humankind on earth to stay far away from the causes of war. " His speech is attached to this article. Other speakers that day included Goenka; leaders of the Tibetan Schools; the Shinto High Priest, the Most Reverend Kuni Kuniaki; leaders of the Jainist, Zoroastrian, Hindu, Christian, Jewish, Muslim and native faiths; Jane Goodall; as well as Secretary General of the UN, Kofi Annan; Maurice Strong, Chair of the International Advisory Board of the Millennium World Peace Summit, Chair of the Earth Charter Council and organizer of the 1992 Earth Summit; and Ted Turner, founder of CNN and sponsor of the Summit. The following two days were spent in plenary sessions or working groups at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The working groups focused on Conflict Transformation, Poverty, the Environment, and Reconciliation and Forgiveness. Ven. Sheng-yen also was a main speaker in one of the workshop sessions on the environment. Shi fu and his delegation were also invited to the awards dinner of the Thomas Berry Award. Father Thomas Berry wrote DREAMS OF THE EARTH and spoke at the banquet, which honored Tu Weiming, a friend of Shi fu's and professor of Chinese history, philosophy and Confucian studies at Harvard. The Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association sponsored the closing reception on the 31st. During the conference Shi fu was invited to serve on the advisory committee that will plan the mechanism to connect the UN Secretary General to spiritual leaders in areas of conflict. It is intended that this will allow the spiritual leaders to help the UN further world peace.