World Peace Telesummit host Elaine Christine interviewed Swami Sankarananda, who is walking 10,000 miles for peace. His book, Pilgrimage Home: Journey to the Heart, is offered as a free download at www.peace-kindness.org. Swami is dedicated to the great potential within each human being and to all Peacemakers who practice peace through kindness in thought, word, and deed.
Click this link and listen to the audio replay: World Peace Telesummit With Swami Sankarananda. To download the interview and read in Adobe PDF format, click here: World Peace Telesummit With Swami Sankarananda Transcript.
Elaine welcomed Swami Sankarananda as a special guest to make a difference for world peace through education and awareness of a six-step Peace Process. Swami shared how he became very frustrated with life and despite a successful career, realized that striving to make more money wasn’t going to bring happiness. “I had to really look at myself because I came to know that the suffering I experienced was inside. I began to realize that what I was looking for was peace. Through grace, I began to orient my life around service instead of acquiring things for myself. I had done plenty of acquiring for myself and found it to be lacking.”
Explaining his journey, Swami said, “And what I wanted I could say is happiness. We call that peace as well. Peace of mind certainly is happiness. My searching led me inside through the path of yoga to India. It led me to a few teachers who fit together as part of the tradition of Swami Shivananda. It led me to a deep inner exploration and a commitment to service and a simplification of life. I took training as a yoga instructor. I began to teach and serve and find peace inside.”
Swami continued, “Through that process, my mind quieted and calmed. I became receptive to an inner voice that I had never really heard or understood before. It was in that silence when this idea of walking coast to coast for peace came. I knew that this concept was a very austere life. If I chose to do that, I was committing to at least a year of literally walking by myself across the country. With my inner inspiration and the example of Peace Pilgrim, I made the commitment to follow that path. I came back to the USA and began a six-week walk in California on October 3, 2013. I started walking coast-to-coast on January 1, 2014.”
Elaine asked Swami why we don’t have world peace. He replied, “As long as we think there is not peace, then there is not peace for us. There are seven billion people in the world, and there are seven billion different worlds. We each have a different view, but there is a universal truth to the world. There is what Jesus Christ calls the Kingdom of God within, and that is the truth of us. Thou art Spirit. Thou art not this body. Thou art not the perishable form. Thou art the imperishable soul within.”
Elaine invited Swami to recommend one action step to more inner peace. Swami offered, “Change the thought pattern. That’s the most important thing we can do. The reality for each of us is we came here to complete our growing up and merge with the divine. The divine characteristics are joy, acceptance, perseverance, patience, forgiveness, bliss, knowledge, and wisdom. Our journey is to lift ourselves up from the lower self to the higher self. The way we do that is change our thought patterns. We change the way that we think. We change the way that we live. We have the power to do it. That’s it!”
When asked to speak about his take-away from the six-step Peace Process, Swami shared, “I will say that it provides an opportunity to reflect and to touch the peace within. Any opportunity to do that is invaluable, beyond value. We seek the pot of gold, the joy without end, and that is what awaits us at the end of the Peace Process. I thank you very much for this process and what the divine brings through you, and this support of the world and of peace. God bless you.”
Elaine concluded, “Thank you, Swami. Namaste. Have a beautiful day!”
For more information, please contact Swami Sankarananda on his website, www.peace-kindness.org.
Click this link and listen to the audio replay: World Peace Telesummit With Swami Sankarananda.
To download the interview in Adobe PDF format, click here: World Peace Telesummit With Swami Sankarananda Transcript.
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