OK, so I added the “really cool Ninja” moves part…

40 years on, world interfaith peace body petitions for ‘arms down’
ENI-10-0670

By Hisashi Yukimoto
Tokyo, 4 October (ENI)–A world interfaith organization marked its 40th anniversary with a conference aimed to inspire “mahoroba”, the ancient Japanese concept of harmony and unity.

The Religions for Peace and its youth network were also concluding a global petition for “shared security,” which calls for a reduction in nuclear weapons and the reallocation of the world’s military spending by 10 percent to help achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

The network has collected more than 13.5 million signatures, many of them in Japan, which are to be presented to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, the permanent members of the Security Council, as well as to world leaders.

The Mahoroba Statement was adopted on 28 September in Japan’s ancient capital city of Nara, where the New York-based organization, known as Religions for Peace, held its first world assembly in 1970.

Traditionally Nara is known for fostering life and faith, abundance, beauty and harmony.

The conference theme was, “To inspire the concept of “mahoroba” throughout the world – A message from Japan: The last outpost of the Silk Road”. The Silk Road is a network of ancient trade routes across Asia connecting it with the Mediterranean world, as well as North Africa and Europe.

“The rich diversity which arrived by the Silk Road was fused into the Japanese traditional culture,” the statement said. “With respect for diversity and the harmonious spirit “wa”, this process cultivated the historical ‘mahoroba mind’.”

“However, we must admit that we have at times regretfully forgotten the ‘mahoroba mind’ and created unfortunate history,” the statement continued.

“We are facing many types of violence, conflicts, antagonisms and disputes. These horrendous threats are severely impacting human life and dignity and the natural world,” the statement added.

• English link to 1300th anniversary event in Nara: www.1300.jp/foreign/english/index.html

• History of the Religions for Peace: religionsforpeace.org/about/history.html [324 words]

© Ecumenical News International