Religions for Peace & COVA Peace Network
Commemorating 75 Years of Independence
With the Theme: Interfaith Understanding, Peace and Empowerment of Communities
Leaders of different faiths visited schools and communities at the Flag Hoisting Ceremonies and addressed students and community members.
Their Address was based on what the scriptures of their religions say about:
1. Service to the country
2. Responsibility to fellow citizens
3 Respect for all religions
4. Avoidance of hate and violence
5. Promoting harmony and peace.
Selections from the Scriptures of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism on the five topics listed above are appended below.
This compilation is done with the objective of helping young minds and members of the public to get a better understanding of the depth and social commitment of religions and add a spiritual dimension to service to the country and humanity.
Hope you will be able to use this now and in times to come…
Mazher Hussain’
Executive Director
COVA Peace Network
Hyderabad, India
Whatsapp: 9394544244
Quotations from Buddhist Scriptures
– ‘Cease from all evil; cultivate the good; cleanse your own mind.’
Poverty can become the cause of crimes
– the economic condition of the people should be improved;
– Grain and other facilities for agriculture should be provided for farmers and cultivators;
– Capital should be provided for those traders engaged in business;
– Adequate wages should be paid to those who are employed;
– When people are thus provided for with opportunities for earning a sufficient income, they will be contented will have no fear or anxiety,
– And consequently the country will be peaceful and free from crime.
From Digha Nikaya: 26
Ten Perfections – Dosa Paramita
A Bodhisatta must practice ten perfections – paramitas to gain sainthood – arahanta or Buddhahood enlightenment:
– Dana – Contribution in many ways for the welfare of others.
– Sila – Development of moral conduct.
– Nekkhamma – Renunciation of sensual pleasure to maintain contentment.
– Panna – Development of understanding to gain wisdom.
– Viriya – Cultivation of physical and mental energy to maintain purity and service.
– Khanti – Patience, non-violence and peaceful attitudes
– Sacca – Truthfulness or gentle speech.
– Adhitthana – Determination or development of will power.
– Metta – Radiation of loving-kindness or goodwill.
– Upekkha – equanimity or impartiality.
From Khuddakapatha:147
6) Four Sublime States
A person must cultivate the sublime virtues or divine qualities to be noble.
Metta – Goodwill, compassionate love towards every living being without any discrimination.
Karuna- Kindness, compassion radiated with sympathy to relieve others’ grievances.
Mudita- Sympathetic joy, sharing the happiness of others and their progress without jealousy
Upekkha- Equanimity, impartiality, maintaining harmony without showing any discrimination
– Anguthara Nikaya II
Quotations from Christian Scriptures
Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
1 Peter 2:16
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Galatians 5:13
Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual up building.
Romans 14:19
If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
Romans 12:17-19
Finally, all of you must live in harmony, be sympathetic, love as brothers, and be compassionate and humble.
1 Peter 3:8
Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
1 Timothy 2:1-3
Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
Matthew 7:1-2.
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
1 Peter 3:9
They must turn from evil and do good; They must seek peace and pursue it.
1 Peter 11
To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people
Titus 3:2
But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear. “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword.
Matthew 26:51-52
Quotations from Hindu Scriptures
“There are as many paths to God as there are faiths.”
Shri Ramakrishna
“Never quarrel about religion. All quarrels and disputes concerning religion simply show that spirituality is not present.”
Swami Vivekananda
‘Let us have concord with our own people and concord with people who are strangers to us.'”
Atharvaveda
• “Let your aims be common, and your hearts be of one accord, and all of you be of one mind, so you may live well together.”[29]
Rigveda
“No one is superior, none inferior. All are brothers marching forward to prosperity.”
Rig Veda V.60.5
“He who sees all beings in the Self itself, and the Self in all beings, feels no hatred by virtue of that wisdom.”
Ishavasyopanishad 1.6
• “Ahimsa is not causing pain to any living being at any time through the actions of one’s mind, speech or body.”[33]
Atharvaveda
Ahimsa is among the various qualities of living beings are created by Me alone[8].
Lord Krishna, Bhagawad Gita
• “It is the principle of the pure in heart never to injure others, even when they themselves have been hatefully injured.” [15]
• “If a man inflicts sorrow on another in the morning, sorrow will come to him unbidden in the afternoon.”[16]
• “What is virtuous conduct? It is never destroying life, for killing leads to every other sin.”[17]
• One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one’s own self. This, in brief, is the rule of dharma. Yielding to desire and acting differently, one becomes guilty of adharma.” [18]
• “Those high-souled persons who desire beauty, faultlessness of limbs, long life, understanding, mental and physical strength and memory should abstain from acts of injury.”[19]
Tiru Kural
• “The peace in the sky, the peace in the mid-air, the peace on earth, the peace in waters, the peace in plants, the peace in forest trees, the peace in all Gods, the peace in Brahman, the peace in all things, the peace in peace, may that peace come to me.”[28]
Rigveda
Quotations from Islamic Scriptures
Every Muslim loves Bharat Desh because it is natural. Whoever is born naturally falls in love with his own country and Islam allows this love. Because the last Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also loved his homeland Makkah*.
Muhammad looked at Makkah and said that if my people had not expelled me from here, I would not have lived anywhere else except with you
Sahih al-Tirmidhi: Hadith Number 3926
O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah , through whom you know one another. Indeed Allah is ever, over you, an Observer*.
This makes a believer to understand and accept that we are not separate, but we are all human beings and one..
Quran–Surah 4–Verse 1
Whenever you get any news, first find out whether that news is true or false.
If you don’t, you will harm someone.
Reconcile the warring parties. Make a compromise between the two groups with justice. Indeed, Allah loves those who do justice.
Men and women do not make fun of each other.
Do not accuse each other.
Don’t call someone bad names.
Beware of suspicions, because some suspicions are sins.
Do not pry into anyone’s secrets.
And none of you should backbite anyone.
And fear Allah
Quran-Surah 49 Verse 6 to 12
If anyone kills a person, it would be as if he killed the whole people: and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people
Quran–Surah 5 Verse 32
And do not insult those they invoke other than Allah, lest they insult Allah in enmity without knowledge
Quran –Surah 6–Verse 108
For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.
Quran –Surah 109–Verse 6
Quotations from Jain Scriptures
All breathing, existing, living, sentient creatures should not be slain, nor treated with violence, nor abused, nor tormented, nor driven away.”
Mahavira Jaina Sutra: Acharanga and Kalpa Sutra
Do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture, or kill any creature or living being.”
Mahavira
“Kill not, cause no pain. Nonviolence is the greatest religion.”
Mahavira
Five Jain Principles
Underpinning Jainism are five central vows, or mahavratas.
Non-violence (ahimsa);
Non-attachment (aparigraha);
Not lying (satya);
Not stealing (asteya);
Sexual restraint (brahmacharya),
With celibacy the ideal
All breathing, existing, living, sentient creatures should not be slain, nor treated with violence, nor abused, nor tormented, nor driven away.”
Mahavira Jaina Sutra: Acharanga and Kalpa Sutra
Quotations from Judaism
O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. Micah- 6:8
10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.
11 Do not steal.
Do not lie.
Do not deceive one another.
12 Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.
13 ‘Do not defraud or rob your neighbor.
Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight.
14 Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord.
15 Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
16 Do not go about spreading slander among your people.
Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.
17 Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.
18 Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
Deuteronomy 19: 9-18.
Above verse are from Torah books by Moshe
Quotations from Sikh Scriptures
“Manas ki Jaat sabhe eke pehchanbo”
Recognise whole human race as of one caste.
“Deora masit soi, pooja namaz ohi”
Temple and mosque are the same, pooja and namaz are the same
“Khatri Brahmin Sud Vaish Updesh Chau Varna Kau Sanjha”
Page 748, Sri Guru Granth Sahib).
Whether one belongs to one varna or the other of Hindu society, Guru’s guidance is for everyone.
“Awwal Allah Noor Upaya Qudrat Keh Sub Banday
Aik Noor Keh Sub Jag Upajiya Kaun Bhale Ko Mandhe”
God created light of which all the beings were born
And from this light, the universe; so who is good and who is bad
If one performs seva while removing the sense of self, the honor is obtained.
O Nanak: One who serves with love receives honor and is truly accepted.
One who neither fears anyone nor causes anyone else to feel fear – Nanak says, o listen my heart-mind, recognize this person as wise.
Do not be angry with any one; search your own self and live in the world with humility. Thus, O Nanak, you may go across (the ocean of existence) under God’s grace” (GG, 259).
Some call Him, ‘Raam, Raam’, and some call Him, ‘Khudaa-i’.
Some serve Him as ‘Gusain’, others as ‘Allaah’. ||1||
He is the Cause of causes, the Generous Lord.
He showers His Grace and Mercy upon us. ||1||Pause||
Some bathe at sacred shrines of pilgrimage, and some make the pilgrimage to Mecca.|
Some perform devotional worship services, and some bow their heads in prayer. ||2||
Some read the Vedas, and some the Koran.
Some wear blue robes, and some wear white. ||3||
Some call themselves Muslim, and some call themselves Hindu.
Some yearn for paradise, and others long for heaven. ||4||
Says Nanak, one who realizes the Hukam of God’s Will, Knows the secrets of his Lord and Master.
Quotations from Zoroastrianism
Peace and harmony cannot be achieved in a house, in a country or in the world, without being practiced by an individual at his personal level.
Therefor in the beginning of every prayer, a Zoroastrian prays:
If by my thoughts, words or deeds have I created disturbance disharmony unbalance or strife in my body or in my soul, in this material world or in the spiritual world.
I repent & turn away from them
Any discord strife which may have started from me or originated because of me,
I repent and promise or not to repeat again
I am every eager to do good deeds and turn away from sins.
I keep my 6 senses, my thoughts, speech and actions, my reasoning,
my intelligence and wisdom away from all vices ( Doa nam setayeshne.)
It is thus, that the Zoroastrian religion Vanquishes all hostility (fraspayokhedram) causes men to relinquish their weapons (nidhasanithishem) Instills self-confidence and makes them righteous
At the end of every Afrin prayer the priest prays:
For the health welfare and well-being of the ruler (in our case, the head of the government)
His country and humanity at large
In the DoaTandorasti Prayer (Avesta Version)
The devout pray:
Now in this (house) country let obedience rule over disobedience,
Let strife and quarrels be conquered by peace and understanding
Let charity conquer greed, let humility conquer pride
Let truth win over lies.
Thus the motto of the Zoroastrian religion is:
“Ushta ahmai yahmai, ushta kahmalchit”
( Gath UshtavartiYasns 43.1).