The Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders convened in New York City in September, 2000, with more than 1,000 religious and spiritual leaders from around the world attending the opening ceremonies at the United Nations. Over the next three days these leaders and invited delegates attempted to fashion an agenda for promoting world peace and reconciliation.
Welcoming the attendees at the United Nations, Bawa Jain, the Secretary-General of the Peace Summit expressed its goals: [t]o send a strong message of commitment to those heads of state who gather at the United Nations, to work with them for the transformation of conflict into peaceful coexistence; for the healing of past injuries; for the formation of a new culture of acceptance and respect for all and for a renewed commitment to the spiritual values that form the basis of all the great religious traditions.
Following Bawa Jain's welcome, 30 religious and spiritual leaders shared prayers, invocations and meditations for peace. These leaders represented the many faith traditions that included Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Shinto, Taoism and Native American.
The two featured speakers of the opening ceremony were His Holiness, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the founder of The Art of Living Foundation and the Reverend James Forbes, Senior Pastor of the Riverside Church in New York City. In his address Sri Sri Ravi Shankar spoke of the importance of combining prayer with responsibility. Of the three aspects of every religion -- values, symbols and practice. His Holiness recognizes that the growth of intolerance, fanaticism and fundamentalism results from being stuck in symbols and practices.
For Sri Sri Ravi Shankar it is the spiritual and human values, common to every religion that must form the foundation of peace and reconciliation. Accordingly, the real subject of the Peace Summit is "How can we enrich the spiritual and human values without which this earth cannot be sustained?"
Suggestions offered by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar are to "enjoy, honor and love the diversity of creation and to go deep in one's religion while at the same time having an understanding and love of every other religion." He concluded his address with a challenge: "The previous century has been an era of uniforms and unions. Now let us move to an era of communion. With these words I pray and take responsibility, both at the same time."
