1. www.heartfulnessmagazine.com
September 2023
How to Manifest
Peace?
DAAJI
Are We Asking the
Right Questions?
DEEPAK CHOPRA
Language of
Peace
SPIRIT OF
HUMANITY FORUM
TAP into
Peacefulness
RANJANI IYER
G
A
R
L
I
C
AND SA
N
D
A
L
W
O
O
D
Peace
Sustainable

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Design, Art & Photography — Uma Maheswari G., Liu
Janmin, Jasmee Mudgal, Ananya Patel, Arati Shedde,
AI
Writers — Ichak Adizes, Babuji, Sravan Banda, Sylvie
Berti-Rossi, Daaji, Charles Eisenstein, Lynn Geddes,
Sharat Hegde, Laya Iyer, Ranjani Iyer, Liu Janmin, Liaa
Kumar, Tracie Pape, Manilal Roopa, Spirit of Humanity
Forum, Students from The Heartfulness Learning
Center.
Interviewees — Deepak Chopra
Support Team — Balaji Iyer, Subash Kannan, Karthik
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Heartfulness

5. Manifesting Peace
Dear readers,
International Day of Peace falls on September 21, so this month is a time to celebrate how far we have
come, and to reflect on how we can keep improving the Peace Quotient of our global human society.
We can feel that consciousness has shifted, despite all the negativity in the media. We are aware of more
and more ways to be peaceful and to radiate peace into our communities. Many of us now send peaceful
intentions into the world every day.
In this edition, Daaji offers tips on how to manifest peace and how to build personality, Deepak Chopra
challenges us to ask the right questions, the Spirit of Humanity Forum comes to us from their recent
peace retreat in Iceland, Lynn Geddes shares the process of manifestation, and Tracie Pape celebrates the
collective process of creating peace. We tap into Peacefulness with Ranjani Iyer et.al., search for peace
with Ichak Adizes, and explore peace greetings with Manilal Roopa. We look at sustaining the soul and
nurturing the Earth with Liaa Kumar and Laya Iyer, bridging the gap with Sravan Banda, creating a
vision for true wealth for one and all with Charles Eisenstein, and the healing qualities of garlic and
sandalwood with Babuji. Enjoy Liu Janmin’s beauty in calligraphy from China, and the peace art of two
students from the Heartfulness Learning Academy.
What will you do this month to manifest peace within you and around you? Please share your stories with
us.
Happy reading,
The editors
September 2023

6. 6 Heartfulness

7. inside
self-care
How to Manifest Peace
Daaji
12
Garlic and Sandalwood
Babuji
15
What We Think
Lynn Geddes
16
Fellow Travelers
Tracie Pape
19
inspiration
Character Builds
Personality
Daaji
24
environment
True Wealth for One and All
Charles Eisenstein
60
Sustaining the Soul,
Nurturing the Earth
Liaa Kumar and Laya Iyer
64
Bridging the Gap
Sravan Banda
70
creativity
Beauty
Liu Janmin
76
Peace
Students from The Heartfulness
Learning Center
80
what's up
82
Are We Asking the Right
Questions?
Deepak Chopra interviewed by
Ekta Bouderlique
32
TAP Into Peacefulness
Ranjani Iyer, Sylvie Berti-Rossi,
Sharat Hegde
39
workplace
Searching for Peace
Ichak Adizes
44
relationships
The Language of Peace
Spirit of Humanity Forum
48
May Peace Be Upon You
Manilal Roopa
55
September 2023 7

8. DAAJI
Daaji is the Heartfulness
Guide. He is an innovator and
researcher, equally at home in the
fields of spirituality, science, and
the evolution of consciousness.
He has taken our understanding
of human potential to a new
level.
LINDA LEOGAH
FORKWA
Linda is finishing an M.Sc.
in International Relations,
and will then pursue an M.A.
in Governance and Regional
Integration at the Pan African
University Institute of
Governance, Humanities, and
Social Sciences, Cameroon.
She is associated with Home
for Humanity. Her approach
is rooted in empathy and
compassion.
BABUJI
Shri Ram Chandra of
Shahjahanpur, affectionately
known as Babuji, was a
revolutionary spiritual scientist
and philosopher. He was the
founder of the present-day
system of Raja Yoga meditation
known as Heartfulness.
MARTIN FRICK
With over 25 years of experience
in the United Nations and
Government, Martin is currently
Director, World Food Program,
Berlin, and has been WFP’s
strategic reach to the European
Union’s Commission, Council,
Parliament, and External Action
Service. As Senior Director of
UN Climate Change (2017-
2021), he oversaw the Paris
Agreement.
ILA MALHOTRA
GREGORY
Ila is a facilitator, speaker, and
weaver, who has co-created
curricula on personal and
emotional awareness for young
people. They also connected
faith and community groups
with farmers to plant and care
for hedgerows. They are the
Community and Allyship Weaver
at YouthxYouth, exploring
meaningful relationships.
DEEPAK CHOPRA
Dr. Chopra is the founder of the
Chopra Foundation and Chopra
Global. He is a world-renowned
pioneer in integrative medicine
and personal transformation, and
has written over 90 books. TIME
magazine has described him as
one of their 100 most influential
people.
Heartfulness
8

9. contributors
LIAA KUMAR AND LAYA
IYER
Laya is a sophomore at Stanford
University, Liaa a sophomore at
the University of Texas. They are
passionate about making mental
health resources more accessible,
by creating mental wellness
apps, and exploring the ways in
which technology can help make
the mental health journey more
accessible and personal for all.
TRACIE PAPE
Tracie is a licenced clinical social
worker, who has been working
in the social service field since
1991. Her work has included
Peace Corps in West Africa and
trauma recovery with survivors in
Chicago. Tracie offers culturally
sensitive treatment focusing on
individual strengths, self-love and
connection.
LIU JANMIN
Liu perceives the concentration,
simplicity, peace and sharpness
that results from both calligraphy
and meditation, which take
daily practice to master the
essence until the mind can freely
express through the pen. He has
learned that perseverance is very
important.
ICHAK ADIZES
Dr. Adizes is a leading
management expert. He has
received 21 honorary doctorates
and is the author of 27 books
that have been translated into 36
languages. He is recognized as
one of the top 30 thought leaders
of America.
NOOR BALFAQEEH
Noor is the Arabia Corporate
Affairs and Communications
Senior Manager at Unilever
GCC. With a high interest in
social service, she helps people
navigate a holistic lifestyle
peacefully and successfully. Noor
is a Saudi national, married with
four children.
LISA REEFKE
Lisa specializes in conflict
resolution and mediation,
with 20 years of professional
experience in peace missions and
at UN Headquarters. She has
focused on conflict situations
in Afghanistan, East Africa, the
Middle East and Timor-Leste.
Since 2019, she has served with
the UN political mission in
Afghanistan.
September 2023 9

10. As soon as I wake up, I remember that
everything is interrelated, the teaching
of interdependence. So then I set my
intention for the day, that this day should
be meaningful. Meaningful means, if
possible, serve and help others. If not
possible, then at least not to harm others.
That’s a meaningful day.
THE 14TH DALAI LAMA

11. self-care

12. How to Manifest
Peace
matter what comes your way. And
in creating peace with others
in your relationships, you can
reconcile differences and establish
friendliness by connecting your
heart with theirs. This radiates
outward, creating a feeling of
unity.
How to manifest peace?
By using the power of intention,
and practicing it every day
with sincerity and feeling, you
will create a new and peaceful
reality for yourself. Here are
three exercises that will help you
manifest a state of equanimity and
peace:
P
eace. This most evocative
word has many meanings.
You may dream of world
peace, the cessation or absence of
war, and the freedom from civil
disorder and dissension. But the
feelings of hatred and violence
all around create anxiety and it is
easy to feel helpless. What to do in
these situations that appear to be
out of your control?
In fact, you are not helpless. You
can manifest and create peace
within yourself and around you.
Inner peace is a state of tranquility
and harmony within the heart,
which leads to acceptance, no
DAAJI shares some simple practices that allow peace to
manifest in daily life. The ripple effect as more of us do this is
already building momentum.
Inner peace is a
state of tranquility
and harmony
within the heart,
which leads to
acceptance, no
matter what
comes your way.
Heartfulness
12

13. 1. The Ocean of Peace
This practice removes emotional
heaviness from your mind,
bringing it back to its original
peaceful state:
Sit comfortably and close your
eyes.
Imagine that you are in a gentle
ocean of peace.
The waves are soothing and
blissful.
Have the firm thought that you
are immersed in this ocean of
peace, and the waves are removing
all your coverings.
Do this for as long as you can, but
no more than thirty minutes.
2. The Tree Pose
This is one of the fundamental
Hatha Yoga poses, a simple
practice of balancing on one leg,
which has many health benefits,
including bringing you to a state
of peace as well as relaxing your
mind and body.
Stand tall with your feet together
in a relaxed and balanced pose.
Take a few deep breaths.
Bring your hands to the Namaste
position at your center.
Start by lifting one leg, bending
the knee, and placing your foot on
the side of the calf of your other
leg. Then with practice, gradually
place your bent leg higher up so
that your foot reaches the knee.
Focus on your breathing and
remaining still as your mind and
body relax.
Note, it can be physically
challenging for hips and ankles, so
be aware of your body’s capabilities
and only do what is comfortable
for you. If you need to place your
foot on the ankle of your other leg,
that is also okay.
3. Radiate peace with
Intentions
I invite you to use any of these
three intentions whenever you
have a spare moment. Feel free
to use your own words and create
new peace intentions.
13
SELF-CARE

14. Intention 1
Among all people in the world
Let there be compassion
Let there be kindness
Let there be love
Let there be peace
Intention 2
Everything around you is
absorbing peace, including the sky,
the oceans, the trees, the people,
the wildlife, the buildings – and
everything is radiating peace.
Intention 3
Everyone is becoming peaceful,
nurturing correct thinking, right
understanding, and integrity of
purpose.
“First, it is an intention.
Then a behavior.
Then a habit.
Then a practice.
Then a second nature.
Then it is simply who you are.”
—Brendon Burchard
By using the power of intention,
and practicing it every day with
sincerity and feeling you will
create a new and peaceful
reality for yourself.
Heartfulness
14
SELF-CARE

15. During his lifetime, BABUJI shared a wealth of knowledge to his
associates about the simple natural remedies that he learned
and also discovered during his life in northern India. This month
we share his thoughts on garlic and sandalwood.1
BABUJI’S NATURAL REMEDIES
B
abuji highly recommended his associates to eat two to three pieces
of garlic every day. In the last few years of his life, Babuji used to say
“Garlic is not copper, not gold, not silver; it is diamond.”
Babuji felt that the Sandalwood tree (Chandan) was useful for many
things besides its aromatherapy. He said that the older the tree, the greater
the benefits. Its benefits increase from generation to generation, that is,
they are passed to the next generation.
1
Please note that these remedies are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please
seek the advice of your physician or qualified health provider. The remedies may be used to complement medical
treatment and support recovery.
Garlic and
Sandalwood
September 2023 15

16. WhatWe
Think
LYNN GEDDES explores the
importance of what we
think and how our thoughts
create our own unique
reality. She also shares a
way to change that reality
by working with intentions
and manifestation.
Whether you think you can,
or you think you can’t –
you’re right.
—Henry Ford
We see what we become
and we become our world.
—Deepak Chopra
Heartfulness
16

17. L
ike you, I am a unique
individual. There are no two
people in the whole world
who are exactly the same. Could
it be that this is because the world
I inhabit, the world I perceive,
is created by me and only me?
Based on my beliefs, reinforced by
my experience, and enlivened by
my feelings, the world I come to
know, to live in on a daily basis,
is actually a projection of my
thoughts. And this makes it totally
unique.
Over 30 years’ experience in
counseling, specifically addiction
counseling, has led me to an
awareness that resonates with the
famous Henry Ford quote above.
Clearly there are many factors
involved in creating our individual
world and how we inhabit and
experience it. And one of the core
elements, in my experience, is
what we think.
Time and time again I have
witnessed self-fulfilling prophecies
in action. An individual
experience, the beliefs that support
the thinking, and the intensity of
the feelings that are associated
with the experience all add to the
power of creation.
As we develop a particular way of
being – character or personality for
ease of understanding – our very
own individual way of perceiving
the world develops and we inhabit
our own reality. This in turn gives
us our unique experience of life.
This individual experience of life
is further enhanced by the feelings
associated with that experience,
and the cycle is complete by
reinforcing our thinking of “me,
my life, my world, my reality.”
If we take the beliefs that
support our thinking, it’s worth
investigating what created those
beliefs in the first place. Quite
often they are not actually ours –
we may have inherited them from
our parents or peers. If we believe
something to be true and yet have
no evidence to support that truth,
is it really part of our world or
does it belong in someone else’s
world?
If we take an experience, the
associated feelings that grow and
enhance that experience in turn
form and affect our character
or personality. Good or bad
feelings give us the discernment
of good or bad experiences. We
experience the feelings, and if they
are repeated often enough, they
become part of our world, our way
of being. So, an experience that
is actually neither good or bad,
becomes good or bad depending
on the feelings we associate with
it. How we think or remember it.
Finally, if we think that the feeling
associated with an experience is
true, it becomes our reality, our
life. We have created a unique way
of being that is ours. Can or can’t –
either way we’re correct.
Following these steps of creation,
some of us more consciously than
others, it is possible to create a way
of being through manifesting.
Simple easy steps, when repeated,
are given energy by invoking
feelings. They are unique to you,
and you can develop a new way of
being, new beliefs and experiences,
that in turn create a new reality.
September 2023 17
SELF-CARE

18. So, an experience that is
actually neither good or
bad, becomes good or bad
depending on the feelings
we associate with it. How
we think or remember it.
Illustrations by JASMEE MUDGAL
Create an Intention with
the 3 Ps
Make your own statement that is:
Start with:
I AM – that’s the first two Ps
taken care of.
Now, feel what the experience will
bring you.
Say it frequently, every day, for 6
months. Release the experience of
creation and see for yourself how it
manifests.
P.S. Some thoughts never result in
much; they never make it to the
finish line. This usually happens
because the belief system may
not be based on your personal
experience, but has been taught to
you by another person. Or maybe
it is not positive, e.g. “I can’t…”
Personal – it is only about
you.
Present tense – it has not
been, and is not to come.
Use the power of now.
Positive – feel what it’s like
to have the experience you are
manifesting, really feel it as you
repeat the statement.
Heartfulness
18
SELF-CARE

19. September 2023 19
My Fellow
Travelers
This is an invitation from TRACIE PAPE to
practice Peacefulness and see what the
simple and powerful intentions can create
within you and in others.
“Let there be Peace on Earth and let
it begin with me.”
—Vince Gill
G
rowing up in the Catholic
Church, singing this song
was my favorite part of
the mass. With everyone singing
in unison, a sense of connectedness
would arise each Sunday when we
sang the chorus. For those who
meditate, Peacefulness feels like
this hymn. Many traditions focus
on the importance of love for all
and working for a more peaceful
world.
As a longtime Heartfulness
practitioner and a Licensed
Clinical Social Worker, my
understanding of the role
spirituality plays in our well-
being has evolved. Suffering is an
inevitable part of human existence.
A common reaction to suffering
is to withdraw and isolate in
an attempt to protect others
from experiencing our distress.
Loneliness is one of the most
significant factors in contributing
to human suffering. One of the
greatest gifts we can receive and
offer is presence and bearing
witness to pain. This is support in
its purest form and offers balm for
the soul. Presence is manifested
in Peacefulness and allowing all
to exist as they are, sending out
the intention that we can live in
harmony with ourselves and each
other.
I can practice this even when not
physically connected to others.
I often think of Peacefulness as
a pregnant pause. It is a pause
and an intention full of potential,
unknown and unseen. Before I
meditate, before I work, before
I interact with others, I pause
and enter a state of Peacefulness,
allowing me to connect with my
values and highest intentions.

20. Peacefulness makes space for
stillness, reflection, and intent.
Peacefulness allows me to feel
connected with others and all
beings in that pause, reflection,
and intent. I experience
Peacefulness as self-compassion
turned outward. When I send
out an intention for peace,
kindness, compassion, and love,
I am connecting with that place
within me that experiences that
condition and hopes for others
to experience it. When I practice
self-compassion, I tap into the
idea that I am already enough as
I am, which supports self-love
and self-acceptance. Peacefulness
helps me tap into this idea that
we are all enough as we are, with
the intention of spreading this
awareness and insight.
As we invite others to practice
Peacefulness, it is a collective
intent to see where this can take
us together. Practice pausing and
using the Peacefulness intentions
to stay in touch with what is
really important. This simple act
can reduce reactivity, resistance,
and conflict when engaging with
others. It is possible to set an
intention to focus on connection
and well-being above all else. This
is an opportunity to see what our
collective intentions can create
for us, our families, friends, and
communities.
Peacefulness creates an avenue
to connect with that place in us
that longs for connection, love,
and peace. It also connects with
that place in others. We have all
experienced pain and hardship
that have created barriers to peace
and acceptance. This allows us to
have compassion for the suffering
in others. Peacefulness increases
our capacity to understand others’
pain and have compassion for
suffering humanity.
We may never know the impact
our thoughts and intentions have,
so engaging in Peacefulness can
be an act of hope. Join me in
practicing Peacefulness to channel
hope for humanity, to remember
Peacefulness helps
me tap into this
idea that we are all
enough as we are,
with the intention of
spreading this
awareness and
insight.
Heartfulness
20
SELF-CARE

21. it takes us together. Cheers to my
fellow travelers and I look forward
to this journey together.
“Peace cannot be kept by force. It can
only be achieved by understanding.”
—Albert Einstein
that we are all connected, and
that we all long for self-love and a
sense of belonging.
https://www.peacefulness.org/our-
intentions
For those of you feeling a calling
to practice Peacefulness, we will
create the path and future of this
approach, and we will see where
September 2023 21
SELF-CARE

23. People grow through
experience if they
meet life honestly
and courageously.
This is how character
is built.
ELEANOR
ROOSEVELT

24. Character Is the Foundation
of Life: The Role of Parents
in Laying the Foundation
In 1998, Warren Buffett, the
acclaimed investor, gave a lecture
to MBA students in the University
of Florida.
“Think for a moment that I
granted you the right to buy 10
percent of one of your classmates
for the rest of his or her lifetime,”
he said. “You cannot pick one with
a rich father, that does not count.
You have to pick somebody who is
going to do it on their own merit.
I give you an hour to think about
it. Which one are you going to
pick?”
Buffett raised the stakes by adding
another condition: “To buy the 10
percent, you would have to short
10 percent of another classmate.”
“If you think about it the correct
way,” he said, “the person selected
would be someone who is generous
and honest. Someone who gave
credit to other people even for
one’s own ideas. Also, the person
picked to short would not be one
with the lowest IQ. It would be
someone who turned you off for
some reason. The person who is
egotistic, the person who is greedy,
who is dishonest and cuts corners
and all such qualities.”
Character matters above
everything else. Ambition and IQ
are no doubt important, but to
get to the top and stay there takes
character.
Through his thought experiment,
Warren Buffett helped future
corporate leaders in the room to
understand that character matters
above everything else. Ambition,
creativity, and intellect are all
important, but to get to the top
and stay there takes character.
You may wonder why I began
our conversation about character
development with an anecdote
from Buffett, an investor, and
not with the examples of the
T H E W I S D O M B R I D G E S E R I E S
Character Builds
Personality
In September 2022, DAAJI released his latest bestseller,
The Wisdom Bridge, and throughout 2023 we are sharing
highlights from the various chapters to give you a taste of
the wisdom the book offers. This month the excerpt is from
chapter 14 on Principle 6: Character Builds Personality.
Heartfulness
24

25. Character matters above everything else.
Ambition and IQ are no doubt important,
but to get to the top and
stay there takes character.
25
September 2023
INSPIRATION

26. where Warren Buffett comes in.
He is at the pinnacle of wealth
creation. After cutting his teeth
on Wall Street, overcoming one
financial crisis after another, he
and his firm have only grown
in stature and net worth. When
Warren Buffett looks to buy 10
percent, he looks for character
over IQ, energy, or initiative.
The other traits are important
but without character, as Buffett
would say, it’s not a value
investment.
Buddha, Mother Sita or Jesus
Christ. Here’s the thing, when
we think of the holy ones, the
skeptic in us tends to box their
teachings and label them “good
but not practical.”The popular
idea is that real-world Gordon
Geckos (Wall Street) and Ricky
Romas (Glengarry Glen Ross)
need smarts and aggression. To
succeed in life and business,
one needs killer instinct and
not kindness. Charismatic
personality matters more than
character integrity. And that’s
Whether it’s worldly affairs or
one’s spiritual development,
character is the bedrock of life.
Parents’ efforts in instilling a
good character are vital for the
child’s future. The moral habits,
etiquette, and life lessons all
help in strengthening the child’s
character. Sometimes parents get
confused between personality and
character. Here is a simple way to
understand the two.
Character will
help children
make wise
choices. Choosing
the right
company, setting
the right priorities,
pursuing the right
goals and making
correct decisions
– all are guided by
character.
26 Heartfulness
INSPIRATION

27. Character and
Personality: The Tree and
Its Fruit
A gardener knows that to enjoy
the fruit, you must take care of
the tree. Nourishing the soil,
watering the roots, preventing
pestilence, and doing this year
after year will ensure that the
tree is healthy, one with deep
roots and strong branches. And
then, on a fateful spring, the
blossoms turn into fruits, and we
enjoy a bountiful harvest.
Character and personality share
a similar relationship. Character
is the tree and personality is
the fruit. Character is the inner
core and personality is the
outer shell. Character is the
cause and personality is the
effect. Someone with a good
character will have an authentic
personality. Someone with a
flawed character will let you
down. If the character is not
attended to, then life becomes a
struggle to establish one’s true
personality. One may end up
donning many avatars as they
go through life without ever
realizing who they are and what
their true potential is.
The word “personality” has
its origins in the Latin word
persona, which means “mask.”
During theatrical performances
in the Roman period, performers
wore masks that personified
either the type (mother,
noble, old man) or nature or
psychological trait (angry, happy,
worried) of the character. If
the character was a warrior, the
mask represented the features
of a warrior archetype. If the
character was jealous, the mask
depicted jealousy.1
In the same
manner, our personality, or
persona, blossoms from and
depicts our character. It makes
sense then for parents to focus
on building the character of
their child. The personality will
develop on its own. In other
words, it will take care of itself.
For parents, the important thing
to remember is that character
formation is a conscious effort.
It takes as much deliberate
effort and attention as
developing other life skills like
STEAM (science, technology,
engineering, arts, and math) and
communication.
Personality traits such as public
speaking skills, networking
ease, general aptitude and so on
are important, but in the long
term, authenticity, integrity, and
good moral values play a more
important role.
Character will help children
make wise choices. Choosing
the right company, setting the
right priorities, pursuing the
right goals and making correct
decisions – all are guided
by character. The important
takeaway here is that character
formation takes a conscious
effort on the part of the parents.
It takes as much deliberate effort
and attention from parents
as developing other life skills
such as STEAM, leadership,
and communication. Character
formation also has immense
significance in shaping the
spiritual destiny of your child.
The Spiritual Significance
of Character
A house is supported by the
ground. The ground is supported
by layers of Earth. The Earth
is supported by the planetary
forces of the solar system.
The solar system, in turn, is
supported by other galactic
forces in the Milky Way. Tracing
this thread of what supports
what, we reach a point where
we realize that there must be a
When we work to
ennoble the
character of our
children, we are
guiding them on
the path of
achieving oneness
and balance.
27
September 2023
INSPIRATION

28. That impulse continues on and
on, and as we speak the universe
continues to expand.
In yoga, the goal of meditative
practices is to create within us
the perfect balance that existed
before creation came into being.
In a human being, the condition
of perfect balance is reached when
character attains perfection.
A perfect character is when
everything in a person is in a
state of balance. The senses, the
tendencies, the thoughts, and the
actions are all in harmony with
the soul. In such a person, the
personality is one with character.
There is no duality. Think of it
this way. There is space outside
a room and there is space
inside a room. How would you
describe the space if the walls
were removed? The outside and
inside are no longer separate.
With the walls removed, oneness
is pervading all around. When
the character is perfect, there is
oneness of being.
common foundation that supports
everything. A common substratum
that acts as the absolute base for
all existence. Science refers to this
absolute base as singularity.
In the Heartfulness tradition, the
elders have referred to the absolute
base as Bhuma or the Center.
Before creation, existence was in
seed form within the Center and
there was perfect balance. When
the time came, a stir in the Center
triggered an impulse of creation
(science calls it the Big Bang).
Heartfulness
28
INSPIRATION

29. and our habits all play a role in
shaping them. For example, we
often ask our children: “How
much did you score on the test?
Who scored the highest?” “Does
your teacher appreciate your
work?” or, the question all children
are asked, “What do you want to
be when you grow up?”
Now consider this. How often do
we ask our children, “Whom did
you help in school today?” “What
act of kindness did you do?” “Did
you give others the chance to
speak before you?” I don’t think we
discuss such questions as often as
we should. We tend to focus more
on the muscles of intellect and
ambition. The same rigor is not
applied to building the muscles of
kindness, empathy, and humility.
Perhaps we assume that these
qualities will develop naturally.
But it helps to emphasize the
importance of character. And there
is a reason for this.
Deep inside their hearts, children
understand what their parents
truly care about. When parents
celebrate good grades, winning
awards in school, and similar
achievements more than their
child’s acts of compassion and
kindness, then the child gets
a subliminal message of what
parents truly care about. This is
how a child becomes conditioned.
I want to share an incident from
the 1990s when I was running
Such a person’s behavior and
etiquette are exemplary. There is
total naturalness in their way of
being. Wherever they go, they
radiate love and spread their light.
They exude lightness and all those
around them benefit from it.
As duty-bound trustees of the soul
that chose us, nurturing the child’s
character is our primary duty as
parents. When we work to ennoble
the character of our children, we
are guiding them on the path of
achieving oneness and balance.
Giving Children the Right
Perspective
When we interact with our
children, our biases, our attitudes,
September 2023 29
INSPIRATION

30. operational role in the business,
and it’s been around fifteen years
since I last filled a prescription.
And to this day, some of the
customers still ask about my
welfare.
Back then, when I was busy
growing the business, I was
working on a deal to open a new
pharmacy in the city. My business
associate had negotiated favorable
terms with a prospective seller.
Both parties were ready to ink the
deal, and I invited the sellers to my
home for brunch on the weekend.
That morning, my associate told
me that the contract had a clause
that stretched the truth from our
side. He told me that it wouldn’t
be an issue because the clause
would be inconsequential in a few
weeks after the deal closed. My
associate was convinced that there
would be no damage to the seller
or to us. But as it stood, the clause
was a stretch. There were other
buyers competing with us for this
deal, and I was coached that if a
question about the clause came up,
I should say, “It’s all good.”
Soon the sellers arrived. We were
having a great conversation and
a feeling of camaraderie was in
the air giving the feeling that the
paperwork was a mere formality.
As we headed to eat, the seller
asked if we were compliant with
the contract. From his tone, I
knew it was a routine checklist
question. And I politely answered
no, and also mentioned the clause
where we had a problem.
No one was expecting this turn
of events and what followed was
a stoic brunch. No papers were
signed that day. After the sellers
left, my associate, who was upset,
asked for an explanation. He was
like my younger brother and his
anger was understandable. Here’s
what happened that afternoon.
As we were having our
conversation, I saw my son playing
in the living room. He was a young
boy, six years old at that time. For
a moment our eyes met, he smiled
at me and continued playing. But
my heart became heavy. I asked
myself, “Why are you doing this?”
“What are you teaching him?” “Is
this what I want to break bread
over?” I was already hesitant, and
when I saw my boy’s face, it gave
me the nudge needed to act on my
heart’s guidance.
After a few months, I met the
sellers at a social event. After some
small talk, the seller told me that
they made a deal with someone
else. He also confided in me that
the new buyer had stretched the
truth and did not disclose it at
the time of the deal. Even though
we didn’t have a deal, our mutual
respect increased. I shared this
story to point out that even if
parents don’t tell their children
what is truly important to them,
my pharmacy business in New
York City. My business was
bootstrapped, and whatever I
earned, I reinvested into the
business. In a short span of time,
the business grew in terms of size
and reputation. Our employees
stayed with us for years. The few
who left us did so to start their
own businesses.
On the days when there was
bumper-to-bumper traffic on the
Verrazano Bridge, which I took to
get to work, my customers waited
for me. Large chain pharmacies
were around the corner, and
yet they chose to give us their
business. I no longer play an
A perfect character
is when everything
in a person is in a
state of balance.
The senses, the
tendencies, the
thoughts, the
actions are all in a
state of harmony
with the inner
guidance.
Heartfulness
30
INSPIRATION

31. the children pick it up. Your moral
dilemmas today can become
theirs in the future. Children
subliminally absorb our thinking
patterns even when we are not
in the same room with them.
Children are like sponges, soaking
up everything. And children want
to achieve whatever their parents
value.
Parents and close family members
sometimes play the role of potters,
shaping the children’s character. At
other times, they are the gardeners,
grooming and nourishing the
child. At all times they are the
guardians of the child’s moral
compass.
Children are like sponges, soaking
up everything. A child’s character
is a result of the environment
and the suggestions their elders
make. It’s up to the parents to
truly value compassion, kindness,
love, courage, empathy, and other
qualities. Only then do we pass on
the right message to our children.
From Chapter 14 of The Wisdom
Bridge.2
To be continued.
September 2023 31
Illustrations by ARATI SHEDDE
1
‘The Mask of Tragedy,’ Memento, 17 July 2018, http://www.diptyqueparis-memento.com/en/the-mask-of-tragedy/.
2
Patel, K.D., 2022. The Wisdom Bridge: Nine Principles to a Life that Echoes in the Hearts of Your Loved Ones. Penguin, India.
INSPIRATION

32. 32 Heartfulness
INSPIRATION

33. 33
September 2023
ARE WE ASKING
The Right
Questions?
DEEPAK CHOPRA was interviewed in Kanha Shanti Vanam on July
2, 2023, by EKTA BOUDERLIQUE. After an illustrious career bridging
health, science, and spirituality, he tackles the big questions
of consciousness, existence, truth, and human evolution, and
challenges science to re-assess the questions it is asking.
HUMAN EVOLUTION
Q: So hello and welcome, sir. It is such a
pleasure and honor to have you among us
in Kanha Shanti Vanam. You are the face of
health, not just in America, but also here in
India. You have shown Ayurveda to the world.
We are very happy you are here. How has your
experience of Kanha been?
DC: It has been extraordinary. First of all, I’ve
never seen so many people meditating together
in such a beautiful setting. And everyone here is
dedicated to service and sadhana. You have all
three things needed for enlightenment – sewa,
sangha, and sadhana [service, community, and
practice]. You don’t need anything more.
Q: Thank you, sir, for saying that. Our efforts
have been in that direction, and we are happy
when people visit. Even more so, because
you can give us a perspective on what could
happen here. What is the potential that you see
here?
DC: I think if there are enough people having
an authentic experience of reality, and living that
experience, it will hopefully create a critical mass
of consciousness over the planet, toward a more
peaceful, just, sustainable, healthy, and joyful
world.
Right now, it’s not a good situation with war,
terrorism, eco destruction, extinction of species,
pandemics, mass migrations … you name it.
Everything that’s happening is a combination
that could lead to human extinction. It’s not just
theoretical anymore.
We’ve made so many advances in science
and technology, everything is dependent on
technology, including this conversation. Yet, that
technology, in combination with a very medieval
mindset of tribalism, ethnocentrism, racism,

34. 34 Heartfulness
bigotry, hatred, prejudice, is devastating in its bias.
Before we had regional issues, but now every issue
becomes global immediately. There’s nothing that
happens anywhere that doesn’t affect the whole
planet.
So if you can create a conscious community
here, and replicate it elsewhere, which I believe
Daaji is doing, we have the key for collective
transformation.
In the big scheme, I don’t think it makes a
difference if humanity disappears. Nature has
its own way of deciding what’s the next phase of
evolution. Sixty-five million years ago, dinosaurs
were wiped out in a matter of a week or less, and
we are here because of that. So if we disappear,
maybe God has better plans – human evolution
hasn’t worked, so let’s try something else.
Q: Yes, but I guess as part of our
consciousness, it’s important that we take our
responsibility seriously. Doing the right thing
will leave behind a legacy.
DC: We do what needs to be done, but we don’t
control the outcome.
PERSONAL EVOLUTION
Q: How do you see your own life’s journey of
consciousness?
DC: Well, I started as a very traditional medical
doctor. I trained at AIIMS, the All India Institute
of Medical Science in Delhi. Then I went to
the US and trained in medicine, endocrinology,
and neuroendocrinology. I was looking at
the molecules in the brain that correspond
to our emotions. And they turned out to be
immunomodulators. So that led me to Mind-
Body Medicine.
INSPIRATION

35. 35
September 2023
It took me a while to realize that even the phrase
Mind-Body Medicine is not accurate, because it
implies a difference between the mind and the
body. They simply have different frequencies of
consciousness. The body is a particular frequency
that we call perceptual activity, and the mind is
another frequency that we call conceptual activity.
They’re parallel and complementary activities of
consciousness.
Because of my science background, I was led
ultimately to what is called the hard problem
of consciousness. How do neural firings and
neurochemistry create what we call experience
– sensations, perceptions, images, feelings,
thoughts? That’s considered to be the hard
problem of consciousness in science.
CONSCIOUSNESS
DC: If you Google the 125 open questions in
science, number one is: What is the universe made
of? The second is: What’s the biological basis
of consciousness? It’s been a struggle for both
philosophers and scientists, globally. Since Plato
in the West, in many schools we find matter-only
ontology, consciousness-only ontology, and mind
and body as two separate things. But the hard
problem of consciousness exists because we are
asking the wrong questions.
Number one, the universe is not made of
anything. It’s constructed in consciousness as
a perceptual activity. Number two, there is no
biological basis of consciousness, because biology
is an experience in consciousness. If we keep
asking the wrong questions, we’ll never have the
answers.
It took me a long time to understand that our
scientific model is based on something called
naïve realism. Naïve realism means that we
INSPIRATION

36. 36 Heartfulness
assume the world we experience is real, and
objective reality corresponds to human perception.
But human perception is a very narrow band of
activity within a very, very limited electromagnetic
spectrum. Furthermore, it’s species specific.
Furthermore, it’s experienced through what
we call the conditioned mind. Furthermore,
it assumes matter as the ontological primitive
[outside and independent of experience].
Furthermore, it’s based on the concept of subject-
object split.
As you look at these arguments, it becomes
obvious that naïve realism is a convenient way
of doing science and creating technology. But
it has nothing to do with truth. You can create
virtual reality (VR), and extend the VR we already
exist in. Actually, it’s already VR; now we don’t
call it Maya, but it is Maya. Maya simply means
matter. The words Maya, matter, mother, matrika,
meter, time, and music, all come from one idea
that what we see or experience, including our
own body, including our own brain, is an activity
of consciousness. There is no brain producing
consciousness. Consciousness is modifying itself
into mind brain universe.
And while it’s doing that as a human experience,
it’s also doing it as a butterfly experience, as a
snake experience, as a chameleon experience;
every species has its own universe. Then you get
within the species, within our species. You have
your own universe, and I have my own universe.
So, if you walk around New York City or
Grand Central Station, each human being is an
observation deck for the universal experience,
for a particular point of view in space-time.
Furthermore, it is an impermanent point of view,
because by the time you perceive something, it’s
already over. By the time I hear your conversation,
or even look at you, that which I looked at is
no longer there. Everything, everybody you see
is a ghost, and the collective universe that we
experience is a collective dreamscape. This is what
it means to be asleep, the stage of ignorance. And
the goal of spiritual awakening is to wake up from
this.
Wittgenstein, the Austrian philosopher, said we
are asleep, our life is a dream, but once in a while
we wake up enough to know that we’re dreaming.
So waking up is very crucial, but you can’t wake
up if you have the wrong assumption that matter
creates consciousness. You’ll never solve that.
Matter, atoms, molecules, space, time, force fields,
gravity are human names. Who created the word
gravity? Human beings. Who created the words
atoms, molecules? Human beings. But before they
said, “This is a molecule,” there was an experience.
And that experience was a perceptual and
cognitive activity in consciousness. So before I call
this “a glass of water,” it is a sensation, a touch,
a taste, a smell, a sound. And then, as humans,
we call this combination of sensations a glass of
water. We call this a body, we call this the Sun,
that the Moon. We made it up, just like we made
up latitude, longitude, Greenwich Mean Time,
nation states, money.
Q: Actually that’s good news, because if that
is the truth then we can switch it around. And
that’s what I think meditation pertains to.
DC: Correct. You can be free of your constructs
and create new ones, upgrade the illusion.
Q: That’s fantastic.
INSPIRATION

37. 37
September 2023
The body is a particular frequency that
we call perceptual activity, and the
mind is another frequency that we call
conceptual activity. They’re parallel and
complementary activities of
consciousness.

38. 38 Heartfulness
SELF-AWARENESS
Q: What message would you have for young
people? A lot of young people join our
programs and draw counsel.
DC: If you substitute the word “spirituality” with
the word “self-awareness,” then ask yourself:
What is the self? What is awareness? Then ask
yourself: Am I the changing body, or an activity in
the self or awareness? Am I the changing mind,
or an activity in the self or the awareness? The
only thing that doesn’t change is the awareness.
When I say, “I was five years old, 10 years old, 15
years old,” the “I” that says that doesn’t change.
Everything else changes. Self and awareness go
together; there is no self that is independent of
awareness.
When scientists look at anything, they assume
existence, whatever existence, we say, “There is
existence.” Of course, existence is a mystery, but
the awareness of existence is a bigger mystery.
Because if there was no awareness of existence,
then there is no existence. So awareness and
existence go together. They’re the same thing.
Now you add another word to it, truth. Then you
have the answer. Truth, awareness, existence are
the same thing. We call it sat-chit-ananda, and
they’re inseparable, the same thing.
When you speak of God, people have their own
image, unfortunately, and then they go to war
about that image. Even when you speak of the
soul, some people roll up their eyes: “What do
you mean? What is the soul? Where is the soul?
All we have is a brain.” So, I feel that it’s easier
in today’s world to speak of self-awareness, and
inquiry into self-awareness, what we call Atma
Vichara. Then, the ramification of spiritual
practices is both Atma Vichara and Atma
Darshan [true vision of the Self] at the same
time. One is not possible without the other,
because who or what is doing the vichara of
themselves?
Q: I think we could continue for a long time.
But you have a flight to catch, and we are
extremely happy to have these snippets.
DC: I am really thrilled to be here. I’m being
very honest with you, I have stayed away from
the institutionalized guru kingdoms of India. But
Daaji is an exception. He doesn’t even call himself
a guru. He’s very humble, and he is very devoted
to service, which is extraordinary.
Q: We’re very thankful, because it’s not just
the time but the kind of time you’ve given. It’s
extremely encouraging and empowering for
young people to take a few cues on how they
can lead their lives.
DC: Leave them with one message: “Be the
change you want to see in the world,” in the
words of Mahatma Gandhi.
Q: Absolutely. And you’ve done that. Thank you
so much.
Truth, awareness,
existence are the same
thing. We call it sat-
chit-ananda, and
they’re inseparable, the
same thing.
INSPIRATION

39. September 2023 39
TAP into
Peacefulness:
Developing
Peace Inside Out
DR. RANJANI IYER, SYLVIE BERTI-ROSSI, and SHARAT HEGDE from
the Peacefulness Movement explore the need for peace with
globalization and increasingly rich diversity across the world.

40. Heartfulness
40
A
ccording to the Oxford
English Dictionary,
“diversity” is defined as “the
practice or quality of including
or involving people from a range
of different social and ethnic
backgrounds and of different
genders, sexual orientations, etc.”
We see diversity as a huge strength
in developing creative and critical
thinking to promote excellence,
efficiency, and overall well-
being. This applies to corporates,
educational institutions, and
other organizations that
work collaboratively to utilize
diverse perspectives to increase
engagement and robust
interactions.
With diversity comes the need
for conflict management due
to differences in perspectives,
knowledge, and points of view.
One of the ways to embrace
diversity is to “TAP into
Peacefulness” and learn to
maintain an attitude of mutual
respect, open-mindedness,
willingness to listen, and
collaborative working in peace.
TAP into Peacefulness can build
skills to connect within and with
each other. By becoming peaceful,
by being peace, we radiate peace
and become peaceful ambassadors.
Here is how to do it:
1. Take a moment to pause:
Research suggests that the practice of pause helps in creating the space
to relate emotions and activates the parasympathetic nervous system
to induce the feeling of calmness. Self-awareness lies at the root of
strong character, giving us the ability to lead with a sense of purpose,
authenticity, openness, and trust.
You can use a daily check-in to create self-awareness and develop an inner
connection to understand your feelings and emotions, use the power of
pause practice to schedule a one to two minute break in between your
busy schedule, or even take an unscheduled short break to avoid mental
fatigue. A calm and reflective mind leads to correct thinking and right
understanding, that will help you be more efficient, avoid stress and be at
peace.
INSPIRATION

41. September 2023 41
2.Adopt the attitude,
be one with yourself:
A positive mindset promotes creativity, empathy, connection, and
resilience to overcome difficulties more quickly. Working toward a
positive attitude and an attitude to excel, you will connect with self and
others by expressing gratitude, heartful affirmations, setting short-term
and long-term goals, working towards them, and creating a community
that offers a sense of belonging. Finding time to reflect, relax, and
rejuvenate opens up space for reflective thinking as well as prioritizes
self-care. Heartfulness practices take us on an inner journey, and that
journey starts in the heart as we develop the 5 Cs of Contentment, Calm,
Compassion, Courage, and Clarity, which are the foundation of our
mental, emotional, and social intelligence.
3.Practice
Peace,
your way:
A variety of resources and
intentional ways to practice peace
can be utilized to connect with the
heart and think peaceful thoughts
that can promote peace from the
inside out. Peace is our true nature
and, when we connect with peace
within ourselves, we radiate it to
others and to our environment.
Peaceful Intentions will give
you time to center and ground
yourself, connect to your heart,
and finally choose an intention.
Silently repeat the words of the
intention, and go slowly enough
that you can both imagine and feel
its true meaning. Let it spread to
everything and everyone around
you.
Everyone can benefit by learning
ways to tap into peace, as it
promotes interconnectedness and
inclusion that help us to handle
conflicts and collaborate in a more
empathetic and effective way.
In this complex world, as new
perspectives are developed, they
can provide better opportunities
for innovation, creativity, and
problem-solving.
INSPIRATION

42. Workplace
Three Rules of Work:
Out of clutter find
simplicity.
From discord find
harmony.
In the middle
of difficulty lies
opportunity.
ALBERT EINSTEIN

44. DR. ICHAK ADIZES is nostalgic for a time when he
could be in tune with the natural world, at peace
with himself, and unrushed by modern life.
Searching for
Peace
JUST THINKING AND FEELING

45. WORKPLACE
O
ver thirty years ago, I
took a vacation in a place
called Capitan Lafitte,
which was somewhere between
Playa del Carmen and Cancun in
Mexico. We slept under palapas on
the sand. There was no electricity,
no phones, and no television.
We woke up with the sunrise,
snorkeled, walked on the beach
collecting seashells, and talked a
lot. After sundown, we sat around
a fire, talked some more, did some
singing, and went to sleep. We
were fed the fish that was caught
that day and vegetables bought
from the farmers market that
day. It was a vacation I will never
forget.
I went looking for it some years
back. No more. There is a building
like a Motel 6 there instead...
Also, thirty years ago I went on
a walking safari with my sons.
We walked and canoed down
the Zambezi River. It lasted two
weeks, during which we saw no
people except the small group
we were with and our guide. We
slept out in sleeping bags around
a fire. I will never forget the sky
at night. The stars, an endless
number of stars twinkling from
above. I have never seen so many
stars before or since. The only
sounds we heard were the sounds
of nature. Time did not move. It
felt as if it was already afternoon
when in reality it was only 9 a.m.
What happened to these places? I
am desperately trying to find one.
I thought I found one in a remote
hotel in Mexico, but no luck.
Piped music, endless piped music
everywhere at least sixteen hours
a day trying to relax me... Does
anyone know of a place like I am
describing above? A place where
human hands have not reached yet
to enrich my experience. No wi-fi.
No phones. No television and yes
no electricity. If it does not exist
would someone provide it please?
Just thinking and feeling,
ichak@adizes.com
https://www.ichakadizes.com/post/
searching-for-peace
September 2023 45

46. 46 Heartfulness
Happiness is not a matter
of intensity but of balance
and order and rhythm and
harmony.
THOMAS MERTON

47. 47
September 2023
relationships

48. The
JOHANNA VILHJALMSDOTTIR and
SYLVIE BERTI ROSSI offer us a glimpse
of this year’s Spirit of Humanity Forum's
retreat in Iceland. They also share
insights from some of the participants
on the final day.
Language of
PEACE

49. T
he 2023 Spirit of
Humanity Forum was held
from 31 May to 3 June
in Reykjavik and Hveragerði,
Iceland. One hundred and
twenty leaders from 27 countries
and diverse fields came together
to explore the theme “Healing a
World in Crisis – Leading with
Authenticity and Love.”
After ten years of existence,
this sixth edition of the forum
moved away from the usual
panel discussions to embrace a
retreat format, offering us all
a unique and transformative
experience that had a lasting
impact on our lives. The
commitment, confidence,
and courage of the group to
embark on a profound journey
surpassed the expectations of the
organizers and made their dream
a reality.
The opening reception was
hosted by the City of Reykjavik
at City Hall, and an atmosphere
of authentic sharing was
established, fostering unity
among participants from all
corners of the world. Over the
next three days, the retreat
provided an opportunity to set
aside roles and titles and engage
at a purely human level. We
delved deep into the exploration
of authenticity, love, and healing.
We cultivated trust, exploring
authentic dialogue, the art
of listening, and moments of
silence, creating an atmosphere
conducive to personal growth
and collective transformation.
One of the highlights was
an online interview with the
Prime Minister of Iceland,
Katrín Jakobsdóttir, who spoke
on spirituality, self-reflection,
and the importance of care
in governance, and her words
resonated with the participants,
highlighting the significance
of personal experiences in
leadership.
The emphasis on love and
compassion as essential elements
for a better world was prominent
throughout. Guðni Thorlacius
Jóhannesson, the President of
Iceland, stressed the importance
of genuine care for one another
in restoring peace globally.
His message catalyzed many
to share their experiences and
perspectives, reinforcing the
notion of a shared humanity and
the hope for a brighter future.
The forum concluded with “The
Language of Peace,” a public
event organized in the Fríkirkjan
church in Reykjavík, where some
of the participants shared their
reflections.
As we approach the
International Day of Peace
on September 21, we invite
you to listen to some of these
touching voices from different
continents, cultures, languages,
and professional backgrounds.
Each voice speaks of peace in
their own way, through a poem,
an experience, an encounter,
an action, a life situation, or a
reflection. But they all carry the
same hope in their hearts: that a
more peaceful world will come.
49
September 2023
RELATIONSHIPS

50. Lynda Leogah Forkwa
A typical crisis situation reveals
a disconnect at all levels. What
do I mean by this? Political
disconnect (we can see that
all over the world), economic
disconnect, social disconnect,
cultural disconnect, and sadly,
spiritual disconnect.
The big question is, how do we
encourage the language of peace
in our current situation? How
do we co-create a regenerative
future for all? How do we enable
a peaceful coexistence on Earth
for all Earth’s citizens? How do
we create a global atmosphere
where all cultures are respected
in their diversity?
In my own little way, I
encourage the language of
peace by tapping from within;
tapping into my inner values,
tapping into my inner home.
What about you? What are the
differing levels of contributions
to this Earth? How do you
intend to make a gesture for
others to follow? If you’re unsure
about how to go about it, I
invite you to join me on the One
Home Journey, a course that
intends to connect cultures, to
build a regenerative future for
all. We need a new framework
for the future, to save the
future, save citizens, and shape
the future of our children, our
children’s children. The time to
act is now.
We cultivated trust, exploring
authentic dialogue, the art of
listening, and moments of
silence, creating an
atmosphere conducive to
personal growth and
collective transformation.
50
RELATIONSHIPS

51. We polish our
heart to unveil the
interconnectedness
of creation, to
embrace the
places within us
where love lives
and compassion
flourishes.
Noor Balfaqeeh
This is the first time I am
speaking in a church. Coming
from an Islamic background,
it’s really an honor, and I can’t
describe in words how proud I
feel of being here with you today
in this Forum.
I would like to share a quote
from a book I read at the
beginning of the year, The Secrets
of Divine Love. It is written
by a Muslim lady, A. Helwa,
who tried to redefine Islamic
teachings in a very unique way.
I’ll share a quote about love, as
love is what we’ve been talking
about for the last few days.
“We polish our heart to unveil
the interconnectedness of
creation, to embrace the places
within us where love lives and
compassion flourishes. And to
see that beneath all outward
defenses we all originate from a
single seed of divine vibration.
When we fully face Allah [and
Allah, by the way, is how we call
God in Arabic], we become like
a holy mirror that contains the
entire world within our love.
After all, our journey here is not
to just connect with the Divine
in worship. But once we do
this, to return to that creation
as a sign of Allah’s unending
love on Earth. You are not just
a pottery fashioned from dust
and water. You were sent to be
Allah’s eyes on Earth. You were
sent as a reflection of love and
compassion for all those with
hurting hearts. You were sent to
reflect Allah’s mercy upon the
entire universe.
“As the 9th century Persian
mystic, Iman Junayd said, ‘A
Muslim is like Earth. Even if
impurities are thrown on it,
it will blossom into a green
pasture.’ We are called to be like
a date tree so rooted in the love
of Allah that when people throw
stones at you, you reply with
food that tastes sweet.”
Thank you.
51
September 2023
RELATIONSHIPS

52. If we work
together to
restore the barren
land for
agricultural use,
we will improve
food security.
Martin Frick
When I was invited to speak
about the language of peace,
the first thing I thought about
was food, because when there
is no peace one of the starkest
consequences of war is hunger.
Today we have 350 million
people who are acutely hungry.
Despite Covid, despite climate
change, the biggest driver of
hunger is still war. And hunger
is what you get when everything
goes belly up with international
cooperation. In the end, it’s
always the same people going
hungry.
I also want to speak about food
because it’s the most essential,
human, and connecting thing
I can think of. We are in a
Christian church, and breaking
bread is the most Christian
gesture there is. In every single
religious tradition food has a
special meaning, because food is
not a given, it’s a gift we share.
If we are conscious about it,
it’s actually a way out of many
crises.
For example, food connects
to climate change in a very
direct way. Every year we
are losing three times the
size of Switzerland to land
degradation. If we work
together to restore the barren
land for agricultural use, we
will improve food security,
we will bring communities
together, we will bring herders
and farmers together, we will
bring Christians and Muslims
together. It is around food that
we can do that.
The most beautiful thing is
actually what makes plants
grow. The biggest miracle for
me is carbon dioxide. Plants
take carbon dioxide out of the
atmosphere and use a process
called photosynthesis that has
been working for 3.5 billion
years to bind CO2 and at the
same time produce food.
So I want to conclude with
hope. I’ve been involved with
the climate crisis since 2007
52
RELATIONSHIPS

53. in the southern part of Southern
Africa, the tip of our continent.
The language of peace is love,
and that’s the language we speak
here.
As I say these words, and offer
you this prayer, it’s a reminder
to myself that we stand on holy
ground. It is all holy ground, you
are holy ground; you are made
of the Earth yourselves. We will
all go out into the world to feed
the hungry spirits and be the
love that our world needs. The
language of peace is love. If we
get the love right, we’ll get the
peacemaking right.
when I framed the notion of
climate justice. Equitable and
fair food production can lead
to climate justice. If we get it
right, the climate crisis is our
common enemy and nothing
unites us more than a common
enemy. It’s not one human tribe
against another human tribe.
It’s the human race against an
existential threat, and that is my
hope.
Lungelwa Makgoba
I greet you all in the language of
peace and love. I am immensely
blessed to be here in this
community where I have felt
welcomed and experienced
love. I would like to share a
prayer from my faith tradition
in my mother tongue, Xhosa, a
language spoken by the majority
Lisa Reefke
Hello everyone. I have been
asked many times over the past
three days, “Who are you?”
I’m Lisa, an international civil
servant. I’ve been on a journey
of inspiration and humility. I so
wish I could take you all on this
journey and see the incredible
moments I’ve lived while
traveling and serving in different
conflicts across continents,
talking to presidents, ministers,
political opposition leaders,
community elders, women,
and young people. I feel deeply
privileged for this opportunity.
I’ve chosen two examples – one
at the very onset of my career,
twenty years ago, and a more
recent example.
Shortly after the independence
of Timor-Leste, I traveled there
to see what it would be like to
build a country, to work with
the people. I was invited to a
meeting with the President of
this newly born country. You
imagine presidents living in big
palaces, but he did not; he was
working from a palace of ashes,
a burnt down building. He
worked from there for years. He
would sleep with the people in
the park. He was the President.
He was a former fighter for the
country’s independence. He
wanted to be close to his people.
What a humbling experience.
Now I’m working in
Afghanistan, and I’ve been there
53
September 2023
RELATIONSHIPS

54. for a number of years. I talk
to the Taliban and it’s hard. I
think the place has really taken
me to my limits. I feel at times
frustrated, and sometimes
angry, but who am I to be
angry? I have spoken with some
amazing women, and one of
these brave young women told
me, “Life isn’t about waiting
for the storm to pass. It’s about
learning to dance in the rain.”
Over the years, these and many
other experiences, day-to-day,
have humbled me, have made
me believe in our common
humanity.
As I have continued my journey,
I have often asked myself,
“Who am I to judge?” I keep in
mind what a beloved poet, very
well known in Afghanistan,
said centuries ago, “Out beyond
ideas of wrongdoing and right
doing there is a field. I will
meet you there.”Thank you.
Ila Malhotra Gregory
An Invitation to Mirror/
Mirrors
we are both portals and mirrors
windows to where we could go
and
reflections of where we are
smooth, honest, jagged, shattered
the truth of this mirror
dependent
on our hearts
to mirror asks us to live in our
heart
in the nia that abides in each one
residing in the makeen, expansive
and gracious
recognizing all as empty and full
the paradox of this complex life
We will all go out
into the world to
feed the hungry
spirits and be the
love that our
world needs.
can we hold this?
can we come as we are and reflect
from
a place of pure love?
can we dance with the shards?
united in deep devotion for
creation
let us be both one and many
loosening our grip on the
distinctions
they may dissolve
we may flourish
our beings rest in bhakti
our mirroring is devotion
in service
of the world we long to see
of the beings we long to be
54 Heartfulness
RELATIONSHIPS

55. MayPeace
BeUponYou
MANILAL ROOPA lives in Port Elizabeth, Eastern
Cape, South Africa. He is retired after a career
as an educator and facilitator for over 50
years, and continues to work as a Heartfulness
trainer, which he has done for over 30 years. As
a “colored” under Apartheid in South Africa, he
has been through much and seen a lot of social
change during his life, radiating peacefulness
and love throughout.
“As-salamu alaykum.”
May peace be upon you.
“Wa alaykumu s-salaam.”
And may peace be upon
you too.
September 2023 55

56. O
ver two billion people
around the world
exchange this beautiful
greeting. It is in Arabic and
uttered by every Muslim several
times a day. Over a quarter of the
world’s population are greeting
each other with this prayer for
peace. I am honored that many of
my Muslim friends greet me this
way.
Over a billion Hindus greet each
other by joining their palms and
saying “Namaste,” meaning “I bow
to the Divine in you.”
Over three billion Christians refer
to Jesus as the “Prince of Peace,”
and many say the prayer of Saint
Francis of Assisi:
Lord, make me an
instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let
me sow love;
where there is injury,
pardon;
where there is doubt,
faith;
where there is despair,
hope;
where there is darkness,
light;
where there is sadness,
joy.
O divine Master, grant
that I may not so much
seek
to be consoled as to
console,
to be understood as to
understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we
receive,
it is in pardoning that we
are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life.
Amen.
My silent prayer is that more and
more of us embrace this idea of
peace every day of our lives.
Daaji, the global guide of
Heartfulness, encourages us to
send out subtle suggestions daily
into the universe:
Everything around me is
absorbing peace; the air,
the oceans, the trees, the
structures, the animals and
humans. All are radiating
peace.
All humanity is becoming
peaceful, showing more
compassion, more kindness,
and more love.
The world may be in turmoil, the
antithesis to peace: Russia and
Ukraine, the conflict in Sudan,
Palestine, North and South Korea,
the riots in France, and political
turmoil in several countries.
Our past is replete with similar
chaos, skirmishes, invasions, and
wars. What we are witnessing
is not new. A few centuries
ago, European countries were
constantly at war. Furthermore,
in as much as religions advocate
peace and harmony among all, the
spread of some major religions are
premised on brutal conversions.
Heartfulness
56
RELATIONSHIPS

57. With half the
world’s population
praying for peace
every day, I
envisage a state of
peacefulness
reigning in the
hearts of humanity
in the not too
distant future.
Babuji, the founding spiritual
guide of Heartfulness, summed it
up poignantly:
“Religion divides, spirituality
unites.”
The term peacefulness is nuanced
on the noun peace. It connotes
more than individual peace – a
world full of peace. As our hearts
become full of love, serenity, peace,
gratitude, and humility, our world
will be transformed into a world
of peacefulness.
Om Dyauh Shantir-
Antariksham Shanti
Prathivi Shantir – Apah
Shantir
Omshadayah Shanti
Vanaspatayah Shanti
Vishve Devah Shantir
Brahma Shanti
Sarvam Shanti
Shantireva Shanti
Sa Ma Shantiir-Edhi
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
It means, “O Supreme Creator,
may there be peace in the sky, may
there be peace in all the celestial
regions, may the earth be at peace.
The water, the medicinal and
nutritious herbs, the trees and
plants all be at peace. Let there
be peace in all the elements of
nature. Let everything in which
You exist be at peace. Let peace
reign everywhere. Finally, may that
glorious peace abide in me. May
there be peace, peace, peace.”
This is a prayer for peace uttered
by over a billion Hindus.
With half the world’s population
praying for peace every day, I
envisage a state of peacefulness
reigning in the hearts of humanity
in the not too distant future. May
more and more of us embrace this
idea of peace every day of our lives.
September 2023 57
RELATIONSHIPS

58. The best time to plant a tree was
twenty years ago.The second best
time is now.
CHINESE PROVERB

59. Illustration by ANANYA PATEL
Environment

60. TrueWealth
for
OneandAll
CHARLES
EISENSTEIN
challenges our
reliance on money to
cater to all our needs,
and asks, “What is the
corollary to such a
life?”
Heartfulness

61. ENVIRONMENT
A
privileged person is
somebody who doesn’t
have or doesn’t need
community because they can
meet all their needs with money.
If you have enough money in
modern society, you don’t need
anybody or anyone or anything.
You don’t need the people
around you because you can pay
somebody else to do whatever
they’re doing. You don’t need
the ecosystem around you, you
don’t need the soil around,
because you can pay to import
food from somewhere else.
You’re completely independent
of your relationships, except
for the one relationship that
matters in modern society to
sustain life, which is money, or
so it seems.
But as studies demonstrate,
it’s not actually true that we
can meet all of our needs with
money. What money does is
replaces human relationships.
So, in an Amish community,
there’s no such thing, as far as
I know, as insurance on your
home. Because if your home
burns down, the community
will get together and build
you a new home. That’s your
insurance. And your insurance
payment is all the times that
you helped somebody else build
their house. So you don’t need
insurance in that community.
Well, any society that lives in
that way is a ripe target for
development, as it’s called, for
economic growth, because you
can replace that community
function with a paid service. So
what’s happened in the modern
era is that, one after another,
human relationships have been
replaced with paid services.
Everything from growing food
to taking care of children to
making entertainment. It’s not
just the survival needs, it’s also:
What does it take to live well?
To be fully human? And if you
don’t make your own music any
more but you download it from
Spotify, then that’s another
service that’s been converted
into money. And also ecological
services get converted into
something that you purchase.
And that strips away what
actually makes life rich.
61
September 2023

62. ENVIRONMENT
So what to do about it? On the
broadest level, it’s to reclaim, to
restore, to recover, to regenerate
the lost relationships to come
into relationship again... but
to turn that idea [of privilege]
on its head and embrace the
knowledge of what actually
makes life rich, what makes
life good, and to say, okay, it’s
time to enrich ourselves again.
It’s time to reclaim the lost
relationships.
ideas of progress on the rest
of the world. It approaches
development with the smug
certainty that our way of life is
better than theirs.
Certainly the life of an
affluent American suburbanite
is preferable to that of a
starving Somali villager, an
incarcerated inmate, or a
sex-trafficked Haitian child.
But is it superior to that of
Consider an example of NGO
philanthropic development
work, the boring of wells for
Africans living in remote areas.
Everyone would agree that
access to safe drinking water is
a positive good for all humans.
Is it, however, an advance to
have running water in every
home? From the perspective of
an American, it seems obviously
so, as we are reminded when a
power outage cuts off the water
Here is a corollary to my point.
In a subtle way, the assumptions
that the privileged take for
granted are part of the very
conception of privilege. The
privilege discourse takes for
granted the desirability of
the lives that the privileged
occupy. This is part of the
ideology of development that
imposes Western, modernist
the relatives of my Amish
interlocutor? Is it superior
to the lives of indigenous
peasants in the remote Andes?
Traditional villagers in Gabon
or Bangladesh? If so, then why
are people so often palpably
happier in those places than in
America, where prescriptions
for psychiatric medications
exceed one per capita?
supply. But traditional villagers
say that the spring or river or
well is central to village life, one
of the primary gathering places,
especially for women. Are we
better off sequestered, each in
our own homes, never needing
to interact with each other to
procure food, water, play, child
care, or entertainment?
In a subtle way, the
assumptions that the
privileged take for
granted are part of the
very conception of
privilege.
62 Heartfulness

63. ENVIRONMENT
Illustrations by JASMEE
MUDGAL
And what about the wealth that
is connection to non-human
beings like plants, animals,
wind, rain, and soil? Progress
has distanced us from all those
things. As money mediates
our relationships to these
other beings, it grows into our
primary relationship with the
material world. We end up
alone.
In a society where courts
and police settle our disputes
instead of village councils and
wise elders, then it is preferable
to be among the privileged
races and classes that suffer less
police violence than the poor
and Black.
Then we remember the wealth
we have lost. Our sense of
poverty within affluence is
validated. We are no longer
satisfied with the money-
mediated, technology-mediated
substitutes for what we have
lost. We no longer tolerate the
ongoing destruction of the
species, habitats, places, and
cultures where such wealth
still resides. Our choices orient
naturally to the recovery of true
wealth for one and all.
The privileged at least have
money. The rest, living in a
society of separation, suffer
much of the same distancing
from nature and community,
and lack money as well. If we
take the distancing for granted,
then yes, to have money is
better than not to have it. To be
privileged is preferable to being
without privilege.
Must we take all that for
granted though? Can we
envision a different kind of
society? Some of us have
seen it, in remote places or
in remnants in developed
societies. Some remains even
in small-town America. It is
possible, but the path from here
to there disappears into the
mist. The first step is always
a step back into connection.
https://charleseisenstein.
substack.com/p/
notes-on-privilege?utm_
source=substack&publication_
id=427455&post_
id=130521854&utm_
medium=email&utm_content=sh
are&triggerShare=true&isFreemai
l=true
The first step is
always a step back
into connection.
63
September 2023

64. Heartfulness
64

65. Sustaining
the Soul,
Nurturing
the Earth
LIAA KUMAR and LAYA IYER explore the relationship between
peace and our connection with the natural world.
In Kanha, the trees arch gracefully
overhead as they hang heavy with
fruit ripe for plucking; stars sweep
across the night sky, undiluted by
any light pollution. The breeze
is gentle and scented sweetly by
the gardens bursting with colorful
flowers weaving amongst the rows
of endangered plants. Amidst it
all, there is a striking sense of
peace, simplicity, and profound
connection with the natural world
all around you.
I
t’s an unlikely story: a lush,
ecological paradise in the middle
of a desert. Kanha Shanti Vanam,
the global headquarters of the
Heartfulness Institute, emerges
from the barren landscape like a
mirage. A few hundred sprawling
acres of dense forest, rich soil
and an abundance of greenery
is situated, almost improbably,
just forty kilometers outside the
bustling and smog-filled city of
Hyderabad.
Kanha opened its gates in 2017
with a world-changing vision:
to create a modern model of a
sustainable spiritual life guided
by innovative technology in
conservation and ecology. It’s a
global center of spirituality unlike
any other, built to be a refuge not
only for the soul but for nature
as well, allowing people to tune
into their inner and outer worlds.
Looking around, it’s easy to
forget that before the ashram was
September 2023 65

66. introduced to the world as a fertile
sanctuary, it was home to nothing
more than endless acres of dry and
barren land. So how did a physical
and spiritual oasis take root here?
The first obstacle to transforming
the land was enriching and
nourishing the soil’s fertility. This
was achieved by implementing a
combination of traditional farming
techniques. This emphasis on
using natural farming methods
and treating the Earth gently is
rooted in the ethos of Kanha. Over
the past few years, it has yielded
incredibly fertile soil that is a
sanctuary to the crops and gardens.
By the time we arrived in the
summer of 2022, Kanha was in full
vibrant form. We had planned our
visit primarily as a spiritual retreat,
to recharge, reflect, and connect
within ourselves. We did not
anticipate the surprising role that
nature and connecting with our
surroundings would play in our
spiritual growth that summer.
Mornings in Kanha often began
with a walk, as we explored new
parts of its beauty each day.
But more than just morning
strolls, each outing was an
eye-opening lesson on the true
nature and culture of Kanha.
Each morning brought with it
a new understanding of how
powerful nature could be, and
how monumental change could
be created through peace and
compassion.
Heartfulness
66
ENVIRONMENT

67. We began with the hydroponic
farms, where the initial water
constraints of the area and an
emphasis on prioritizing natural
techniques led to Kanha becoming
a leader in innovative farming
techniques. Kanha is currently
home to seven hydroponic farms
that are able to grow vegetation
year round, without the use of
any fungicides or pesticides. This
culture of agriculture was vastly
different from anything we had
experienced in the States. We
had grown accustomed to the
same fruits and vegetables being
available year round, which meant
depending on imported produce
that had been treated by pesticides
and various treatments at every
stage of its life cycle. Here the
attitude towards produce was
slower and much more purposeful.
In Kanha, the natural course of the
seasons determined what would
grow when, and cuisine came in
and out of season in time with
what was growing. When you’re
here it’s almost impossible to
escape the draw of the ecosystem
all around you. Every part of life in
Kanha is intimately connected to
the nature that surrounds it, even
when it comes to mealtime!
As we continued to explore,
we learned that the trees lining
Kanha’s pathways had been
rescued from various construction
and road-widening projects around
the city. The Heartfulness Tree
Conservation Center and the
Heartyculture Nursery worked
September 2023 67
ENVIRONMENT

68. contributing to the natural balance
of the larger ecosystem and thus,
in preserving biodiversity, we also
help to create greater harmony
and balance in our natural
surroundings.
That feeling of balance emanates
past the garden walls of Kanha
and into the rhythm of day-to-
day life. Life revolves around the
values of simplicity, spirituality,
and connection. Everything
is conserved and used to its
fullest extent, from water to
food waste to energy. People are
mindful that when they take a
full plate, they return an empty
one. Water is collected along
roadside canals when it rains,
used in homes, and then returned
to the Earth to nourish new
plants in their growth. Early
morning meditations were often
accompanied by a chorus of
birdsong, the sounds of different
endangered species of birds or
the pitter patter of rain during
monsoon. Understanding and
experiencing the different parts of
these sustainability efforts created
a profound sense of harmony,
connection and ultimately peace
within us.
We are not the only ones to
have observed this connection
between sustainability and peace;
in fact, it is an ongoing area of
research. Hiroshima University
recently conducted a study which
displayed the interconnected
nature of “environmentalism and
Positive Peace, as well as how
improvements in one area can aid
improvements in the other.” As we
continue to tune into the natural
world around us, helping it to
grow and thrive, we find profound
connections to something within
us as well.
Protecting our ecosystems and
doing our best to preserve the
natural world are increasingly
important missions for all
humanity as the effects of climate
change become ever present. The
fact remains that abundant natural
resources and secure ecosystems
around the world are cornerstones
of stable and healthy communities.
Sometimes, thinking about the
overwhelming work ahead, it can
feel like a losing battle. But as we
envision the world we want to live
in and leave behind, we look at
Kanha as a symbol of spirituality
and sustainability. And most
importantly, a reminder of the
powerful changes that can take
place when a community comes
together to create peace.
tirelessly to cultivate rare and
endangered plants that were on the
verge of extinction. Over six acres
of land are dedicated solely to this
cause, providing plenty of space for
the two hundred thousand fragile
saplings to take root.
Like many things at Kanha, it’s
an ecological project rooted in a
spiritual purpose. There is a real
socio-cultural, educational, and
environmental value in preserving
biodiversity, but there is also
a spiritual one. Every unique
species of flora and fauna holds
irreplaceable, intrinsic value.
They each play a small part in
Protecting our
ecosystems and
doing our best to
preserve the
natural world are
increasingly
important missions
for all humanity as
the effects of
climate change
become ever
present.
Illustrations by ANANYA PATEL
Heartfulness
68
ENVIRONMENT

70. Bridging the Gap:
Biophilia as a Path to
a Sustainable Lifestyle
SRAVAN BANDA is an architect with a strong awareness of
Nature and its role in building. He shares some basic principles
of biophilic design.
B
iophilia refers to our
innate human connection
to nature. This connection
has always been essential for
human survival. Today, as
we become more urbanized,
we have become increasingly
disconnected from nature,
leading to a range of health
and social problems. However,
there is growing recognition
of the benefits of biophilia
in architecture and urban
design. In this article, I will
explore biophilia’s relevance to
sustainable architecture and
urban design, and share some
examples.
Biophilic design incorporates
natural elements into the built
environment, such as natural
light, plants, and water features.
It creates a connection between
people and nature by bringing
natural elements into buildings
and public spaces. The
benefits of biophilic design are
numerous, including improved
health and well-being, increased
productivity, reduced stress, and
enhanced creativity.
Research has shown that
biophilic design can reduce
stress and anxiety, lower
blood pressure, and increase
productivity. One study found
that employees in an office
with a green wall were more
productive and had lower stress
levels than those in a traditional
office setting. Another study
found that patients in a hospital
room with a view of nature had
lower levels of pain and anxiety
than those in rooms with no
view.
In addition to the health
benefits, biophilic design can
also contribute to sustainability.
Buildings with natural light,
ventilation, and water features
reduce energy consumption
and improve indoor air quality.
Urban design that incorporates
green spaces can reduce the
urban heat island effect,
mitigate stormwater runoff, and
improve the overall livability of
urban areas.
Kanha Shanti Vanam, a
Platinum-rated Green Campus
located near the city of
Hyderabad, India, is a unique
example of biophilic design
in practice. This 1,400-acre
Heartfulness meditation
center is designed to provide
a connection to nature and
promote well-being through its
biophilic design features.
Kanha is in a natural setting,
filed with rainforests, lakes,
and open spaces. The architects
Heartfulness
70

71. ENVIRONMENT
greater benefits than simply
adding any old plant to a space.
One of the key benefits of
using native and indigenous
plants in biophilic design is that
they require less maintenance
and resources than non-native
species. Because they are
already adapted to the local
environment, they require less
water, fertilizer, and pesticides
than plants from other regions.
This not only reduces the
environmental impact of the
design, but also makes it more
cost-effective in the long run.
Another benefit is that they
provide habitat and food for
local wildlife. By incorporating
these plants into biophilic
design, we can create a more
balanced ecosystem that
supports a diverse range of
species. This is particularly
important in urban areas, where
development has often led to
the loss of natural habitats.
In addition to these ecological
benefits, incorporating native
and indigenous plants can have
cultural and educational value.
By showcasing local plant
species, we can celebrate the
unique biodiversity of a region
and create a deeper connection
to the local culture and history.
This provides educational
opportunities for visitors and
residents to learn more about
the local environment and the
importance of preserving it.
Moreover, using native and
indigenous plants in biophilic
design can help create a sense
of place and identity. By
incorporating plants that are
specific to a region, designers
create a unique and authentic
atmosphere that reflects the
local culture and traditions.
This, in turn, contributes to
a sense of community and
belonging and fosters a deeper
connection to the environment.
Water Features: Fountains,
ponds, and streams provide
a sense of tranquility and
relaxation, while also creating
a habitat for local wildlife.
They improve air quality by
increasing humidity levels and
can even help reduce noise
pollution.
sought to create a sense of
harmony between the built
environment and its natural
surroundings. Kanha features
numerous biophilic design
elements, including a
meditation hall that is designed
to resemble a cave, with a
natural rock formation as the
backdrop.
One of the most striking
features of Kanha is its
extensive use of greenery. There
are more than 700,000 plants
and trees, which have been
strategically placed throughout
the campus to create a sense
of calm and tranquility. The
greenery also helps to reduce
the urban heat island effect and
improve air quality.
In addition to the extensive use
of greenery, Kanha also features
a variety of water features,
including four large lakes
and numerous smaller water
features. Water helps to create
a sense of calm and relaxation,
and also serves as important
habitats for local wildlife.
Kanha also features numerous
outdoor spaces for relaxation
and recreation, including
walking paths, gardens, and
open spaces. These outdoor
spaces provide opportunities for
visitors to connect with nature
and enjoy the benefits of being
outside.
Another example of biophilic
design is the Singapore Changi
71
September 2023
ENVIRONMENT

72. Airport, which features an
indoor garden with a four-story
waterfall, a butterfly garden,
and a sunflower garden. The
airport’s green spaces not only
provide a connection to nature
for travelers but also improve
air quality and create a sense of
calm and relaxation in what can
be a stressful environment.
As more architects and urban
planners embrace biophilic
design, we can expect to see
more buildings and public
spaces that enhance our
connection to nature and
promote a healthier, more
sustainable future.
Here are some of the essential
features of biophilic design:
Natural Light and
Landscape:
Natural light is essential for
health and well-being. Exposure
to natural light can improve
mood, increase productivity,
and promote healthy sleep
patterns. Many of us spend
our days working in artificial
environments, surrounded
by fluorescent lighting and
computer screens. One of the
primary benefits of natural light
is its impact on our circadian
rhythms, which regulate our
sleep-wake cycle. Exposure
to natural light during the
day helps keep our circadian
rhythms in sync, leading to
improved sleep patterns and
overall health. In contrast,
exposure to artificial light,
especially at night, can disrupt
our circadian rhythms, leading
to sleep disturbances and other
health problems. Outdoor
spaces such as courtyards,
gardens, and balconies can
provide opportunities for
outdoor recreation and
relaxation. Views to the
outdoors provide a connection
to nature and promote
relaxation and well-being.
Views of natural landscapes
and outdoor spaces have been
linked to reduced stress levels,
improved mood, and increased
productivity. They also improve
air quality and create a sense of
calm and tranquility. Architects
and designers can use a variety
of design strategies, such as
skylights, windows, and open
floor plans, to maximize natural
light and views of the outdoors.
They can also use materials and
finishes that reflect and amplify
natural light, creating a bright
and airy atmosphere.
Plants and Greenery:
Plants and greenery not only
improve air quality but also
create a calming atmosphere
that reduces stress levels.
Incorporating native and
indigenous plants can have even
Outdoor spaces such
as courtyards, gardens,
and balconies can
provide opportunities
for outdoor recreation
and relaxation.
72 Heartfulness
ENVIRONMENT

73. ENVIRONMENT
Natural Materials: The
use of wood, stone, and water
creates a sense of connection to
nature and promotes a calming
and restorative atmosphere.
These materials also have
a positive impact on air
quality and can reduce stress
levels, leading to improved
productivity and overall well-
being.
Sensory Experiences:
Biophilic design emphasizes
the importance of sensory
experiences, such as the
sound and smell of nature.
Incorporating birdsong, the
sound of flowing water, and
the scent of plants can create
a sense of calm and relaxation,
while also providing a
connection to nature.
73
September 2023
ENVIRONMENT

74. AI generated illustration

75. Creativity
Beauty is a light in
the heart.
KAHLIL GIBRAN

76. THE BEAUTY OF
Nature
AND
Spirituality
Heartfulness
76

77. CREATIVITY
LIU JIANMIN is a Heartfulness practitioner and calligrapher. He
has taken a quote of FEI XIAO TONG (1910-2005), one of the
founders of Chinese sociology and anthropology: “Be inspired
by others and cherish your value. Share the fruits then always
endeavor for harmony.” Liu has written the quote in three running
calligraphy images.
I
have practiced Heartfulness Meditation for ten years. My experience
with the practice went from curiosity and ignorance to gradual
acceptance, and then to becoming a part of my life.
In the process, I found that perseverance is very important. I can clearly
perceive my concentration, simplicity, peace, and awareness. It is similar
with the calligraphy practice, which takes serious daily practice to master
the essence until the mind can freely be expressed with a pen.
September 2023 77

78. CREATIVITY
Running script
Calligraphy is an ability to
express the beauty of nature and
the beauty of human spirituality.
It stresses the overall harmony
between words and lines.
Practicing calligraphy can help
to achieve relaxation and to repel
outside disturbances.
Heartfulness
78

79. CREATIVITY
Chinese script generally comes in
five styles:
Seal script, 篆书
Official script, 隶书
Regular script, 楷书
Running script, 行书
Cursive script, 草书
This work is running script. Its
strokes are smooth, the lines are
varied, and the form is concise.
September 2023 79

80. Artwork by AVIYUKT
Peace
Students' Contributions From The Heartfulness Learning Center
Heartfulness
80

81. September 2023 81
CREATIVITY

82. Master the habit of meditation
The Heartfulness app offers daily
practices to awaken the potential for
a joyful existence. Download it at
heartfulnessapp.org
Heartfulness Yoga
Teacher Training Course
Learn to teach the eight limbs of
yoga. Merge the traditional art of
yoga with a modern professional
approach.
heartfulness.org/yoga/
Designing Destiny by Daaji
#1 BESTSELLER
How meditative practices lead to
changes in lifestyle, both personal
and in relationships, which lead
to greater freedom in designing
our destiny.
designingdestiny.com
Meditation Masterclass
In these 3 online masterclasses,
you will learn the practical
benefits of meditation and other
yogic practices. Masterclasses are
available online each day after you
sign up and accessible throughout
the day.
heartfulness.org/masterclass
The Wisdom Bridge
by Daaji
From the bestselling author of The
Heartfulness Way and Designing Destiny
Daaji offers nine principles to
guide you, the reader, to live
a life that inspires your children
and your loved ones.
wisdombridge.com
Find Your Community
Find a trainer or meditation
center near you!
heartfulness.org/en/
connect-with-us/
Heartfulness
82

83. Learning,
The Heartfulness Way
Explore simple Heartfulness
practices through our
self-paced courses for
beginners and advanced
learners alike.
learning.heartfulness.org
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to make your life simple and
convenient.We offer a set of
curated partners in apparel,
accessories, eye-care, home
staples, organic foods and more.
The affiliation of our partner
organizations with Heartfulness
Institute helps in financially
sustaining the programs which we
conduct in various places across
the world. hfnlife.com
HFNLife
September 2023 83