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IILM ACADEMY OF HIGHER LEARNING

JAIPUR CAMPUS

We cordially invite you to participate in a vitally important two-day conference being organized in New Delhi under the auspices of His Holiness Acharya Mahapragya and Yuvacharya Mahashraman - the two apostles of ahimsa who have been telling the world that survival of humanity will be difficult if the principles of modern economics are not recast and moulded in view of the galloping poverty and rapidly crumbling ecological and environmental system. Acharya Mahapragya, a celebrated spiritual thinker and head of a great spiritual movement AnuvratMovement believes that the commitment of the people to the observance of basic vows propagated by it will go a long way in protecting environment, preserving ecological and social harmony, ending economic exploitation and disparities and in abolishing hunger from the planet.

In reality the world today is sitting on the mouth of a volcano. If nothing is done to check the growing menace, a time will come when humans will lose control over everything. We believe that it is time the political leaders, spiritual thinkers and leaders of civil society turned their attention towards these critical problems which are threatening our existence and generating a wave of hatred across the globe. Non-sustainability in our ways of living might result in wiping out many precious species from the planet. Those who are causing this harm are blissfully unaware of the fact that they are destroying their own lifeline. Global warming and unusual changes in the climate that have already begun to create difficulties for us might push the world back to the dark days.

A culture of peace can be created only through sustainable living and global nonviolence. The inhabitants of this planet will have to switch over to a new lifestyle embedded in a sense of universal responsibility and ethical conduct. According to Prof. Glenn D. Paige, the author of the best seller Nonkilling Global Political Science, ‘the pursuit of human aspirations by violence in the modern era has resulted in incalculable bloodshed, material deprivation, and psychological traumas reverberating across generations. The hopes of humanity in the past two centuries have been emblazoned on banners bequeathed by the French Revolution - “liberte, egalite, fraternite.” Killing for freedom has been the legacy of the American revolution. Killing for equality has been the legacy of the Russian and Chinese revolutions. Killing for peace has been the heritage of two centuries of war, revolution, and counterrevolution. The lesson to be learned is that true freedom, equality, and the fraternity-sorority of peace cannot be realized without fundamental uprooting of the legacy of lethality. The mountains of massacred who have been sacrificed for good and evil cry out for us to learn this lesson.’

We would like to quote from another significant work entitled World War III by Michael Tobias. It is a passionate, convincing portrayal of our planet in crisis. Tobias explains how the collision course between humans and the biosphere has escalated to full-blown warfare, and argues eloquently that humankind has the power, enthusiasm, and conscience to alter this course.

The Dec. 2005 Convention of concerned citizens of the World, irrespective of their work and profession, will not only probe into the root causes of violence from an economic perspective but will also evolve an achievable action plan for a sustainable world.

Acharya Mahapragya has, all along, been emphasizing that the roots of economic system should lie in ahimsa. His classic ‘Economics of Mahavira’ has in it a complete blueprint for a new economic outlook capable of sustaining the life on the planet. Addressing a round table conference on Economics of Mahavira Acharya Mahapragya said that money is essential for life but it can bring about both happiness and sorrow. One must be careful about the use of money. The solution of the critical situation lies in limiting our wants and desires and in promoting a restrained lifestyle so that even those who are starving or economically disadvantaged might survive. It is the first ever conference to explore the domain of economics in the context of ahimsa.