The Akashi Project

Buddhism

May all beings be happy and secure. May all beings become happy in their heart of hearts! And think of every being without exception: the weak and the strong, from the smallest to the largest, whether you can see them or not, living nearby or far away, beings living now or yet to arise – may all beings become happy in their heart of hearts! May no one deceive or look down on anyone anywhere, for any reason. Whether through feeling angry or through reacting to someone else, may no one want another to suffer. As strongly as a mother, perhaps risking her life, cherishes her child, her only child, develop an unlimited heart for all beings. Develop an unlimited heart of friendliness for the entire universe, sending kindness above, below, and all around, beyond all narrowness, beyond all rivalry, beyond all hatred. Whether you are staying in one place or travelling, sitting down or in bed, in all your waking hours rest in this mindfulness, which is known as like living in heaven right here and now!

Christianity

In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his law the islands will put their hope
This is what God the LORD says—
he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

Isaiah 42.3-7

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.”

Luke 13.18-20

Judaism

Ecclesiastes Rabbah chap 7 verse 13

‘God led Adam and Eve round the Garden of Eden and said “Look at My works. See how beautiful they are, how excellent! For your sake I created them all. See to it that you do not spoil or destroy My world – for if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you” ‘.

Bible commentaries Ta’anit 23a

‘Once while the Rabbi was walking along a road he saw a man planting a carob tree. The Rabbi asked the man “How many years will it be before this tree bears fruit?” The man answered that it would take 70 years.

The Rabbi then asked the man “Do you expect to live that length of time and eat of its fruit?” The man answered “I found a fruitful world because of what my ancestors planted for me .So I shall do the same for my children and their offspring.”

Hinduism

Sustaining the balance

Hinduism sees God’s creation as sacred and God in every object in the Universe.  We do not have the right to destroy what we cannot create or to use nature’s gifts, such as oil or forests, at a greater rate than we can replenish them.  Hindu religion favours a simple life that does not increase material wants.  Humanity should not disturb the balance of life, but should help to sustain that balance.

Earth as mother

Hindus revere Earth as mother and all creatures as her children.  Earth feeds, shelters and clothes us.  If we do not care for her we act like the wood-cutter who cuts the branch on which he sits.

Non-violence

Hindus believe there is a soul in all plants and animals.  No life is inferior and all play their roles.  Our belief in reincarnation warns us against harming all forms of life.

Breaking the family

Nature and all her creatures are our family.  Through ignorance we destroy our family and that ignorance becomes the root of our suffering.  We must learn the interconnectedness of all beings and understand our moral responsibility to ourselves and the world.

From the Hindu statement on Ecology

Islam

1          From the opening chapter of the Quran

“In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds:
Master of the Day of Judgement. Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek.Show us the straight way – the way of those on whom Thou has bestowed Thy Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath. And who go not astray.”

2

Every religion say do good, do not lie, do not cheat, do not harm anybody, be truthful, help the needy, give charity, help your neighbour, remember God, fear God, etc.  It is truth but which religion is 100% pure truth?  Which religion is the solution of all the problems of the world?  Which religion gives you peace of mind and salvation?  We know that God is one and only The Creator of the world, The Sustainer, The Holy, The Almighty, The Perfect, The First, The Last, The Most Kind, The Most Loving, The Originator, The Lord of the World, The common God.

Let’s  bow down to him, ask for peace, love and harmony all over the world.  Lets make oath in the Name of God, love and respect each others faith and religion, let’s share the knowledge of truth.  We are all equal in the sight of God, we all belong to God.  Our mission is to learn and teach others.  21^st Century is not for blind faith all about true religion of God.  Faith is the greatest remedy.  Faith is life itself.  Accept life as it is.  Things that bring about happiness in True Religion of God.  May God bless all of us.  May God guide us towards true religion of God.

Amen

by Dadhi Ram Chudali Dil

Sikhism

Sikhs believe in living a life which does not harm mind and health of other societies and nature. Sikhism emphasizes that the main objective of humanity is to keep harmony with all existing species and environment.

The first guru of Sikhs, Guru Nanak stresses the inter-dependent relationship of human and environment in the final verse of his composition, JapJi Sahib which is written in the holy book called Shri Guru Granth Sahib.

II Pavan guru paani pita, Maata dharat mahat II

II Divas raat do-e-daaee daa-ia, Khelai sagal Jagat II

I.e. Pavan (Air) is a vital force, Paani (Water) is the progenitor, Dharat (Earth) is the mother of all which provides the bounties that we consume every day. Day and night (Divas, Raat) are the nurses, in whose lap the entire world is fondling.

So awareness to this sacred relationship is necessary for the health of our planet, and for our survival.

In 34^th verse of JapJi, Sahib Guru Nanak explains,

II Raati ruti thiti vaar pavan pani agni pataal tis vich dharti thaap rakhi dharm saal II

God created nights (Raati), seasons (Ruti), thiti (Dates, Months), vaar (Days of the week), pavan (Air), paani (Water), agni (Fire), pataal (Universe) and then in the midst of that he established (thaap) the earth (dharamsaal), as a place for humans to practice spiritual advancement by righteous action. In gist, god asks followers to keep the earth and environment intact for healthy living and to preserve it as that of any other family member.

Nowadays many Sikhs are coming together with other societies to resolve this worldwide problem. Now we know, the unsustainable environmental practices of ours are continuously deteriorating conditions of our planet which affect every community worldwide. So let’s find an integrated approach to sustainability and commit ourselves to save the world from global warming so that this threat of climate change must not go unchecked.

Written by Padamjeet Singh