Surat Declaration Towards Unity of Mind
Towards this direction, I participated in the Surat Conclave on
October 15, 2003. I met Swamijis, Maulavis, Rev. Fathers, spiritual leaders and
devotees in Surat, Gujarat, in the venerable
presence of Jain Muniji Acharya Mahaprajna. I discussed with the religious
leaders the vision of a developed India. They explained the rich culture and
civilization heritage of thousands of years
that our country is proud of; the traditional bonds in a well-knit
family system, where love, affection, mutual help and service are the
prevailing emotions particularly in the rural India of 700 million people.There are two components of religion.
One is the theological component as put forth by saints and prophets. And the
other is the moral codes, particularly the good way of life. In almost all religions, the good way of life is generally
reflected by compassion and love. The signing of the Surat Declaration by 15
religious leaders was a testimony to the existence of a single noble core
of all religions. This declaration has
come out of two days of deliberation and discussion of the higher plane. It is
a good experience for me. I have gained new insights into the ascent of man
from a body running on breath and driven
by sensory inputs to a networked entity on the earth, in the solar system and
around the cosmos.The Surat Conclave discussed the enrichment of religions and worked by plowing the essence of
religion. They saw a bridge of love and compassion of connectivity as a garland
for all religions. Finally, the Surat Spiritual Declaration outlined five
Garland Projects. These projects
included celebration of inter-religious festivals; multi-religious community
projects; education in and with the ambience of unity of religions; interfaith
dialogue; and finally a national-level
independent and autonomous organization managed by religious and spiritual
leaders as well as scholars and enlightened citizens. Hence the developmental
mission has to have a focus on the
spiritual way of life. The meeting led to the release of the Surat Spiritual
Declaration aimed at transforming India into a developed nation in partnership
with the spiritual community.