For a fruitful dialogue about the Environment at the Centre, you can use the following questions:

Questions

1. What is the link between environment and spirituality? Why would the BK’s be interested in an environment initiative?

2. What is the benefit of having a more environmentally-friendly awareness?

- for myself?
- for the Centre?
- for the Brahma Kumaris as a worldwide organisation?

3. What could be the result? For myself, the Centre and the BK’s?

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Environment, Lifestyle and Consciousness

As a part of our Environment Initiative, the Brahma Kumaris are exploring the connection between the consciousness of the individual and the collective effect on the state of the planet. Our consciousness determines the values by which we live. Our values form the basis of our actions which in turn determine whether or not they contribute to the protection and sustainability of the environment.

We have chosen four values which we consider play a vital role in sustainable living: Simplicity, Respect, Non-violence and Empowerment. We have designed workshops on each of these values. Each workshop uses meditation to help the individual consolidate these values for themselves.

Workshop themes:

1. Simple living - is an important and popular issue. This workshop will help you improve your ability to live a simple but fully satisfying life, thereby moving away from over consumption and exploitation of the earth’s resources. Getting in touch with your inner core of harmony, happiness and satisfaction will help you to sustain lifestyle changes.

2. Respect – in the past people depended more on nature thereby respecting and living in harmony with the environment. To re-establish this way of living, we need to first enhance respect and harmony within ourselves.

3. Empowerment – an environmentally friendly lifestyle is challenging; it involves breaking old patterns and habits. Meditation and inner strength can help us find new ways of living and also discard old patterns which no longer serve their purpose.

4. Non-violence – being vegetarian is one of the most effective contributions you can make to reducing CO2 emissions. People usually become vegetarian to show care and respect for animals, to live non-violently and to improve psychological and physical wellbeing. However, the contribution to the environment should not be underestimated.

5. Consciousness and Energy – in this workshop we will explore how everything is energy, whether physical or non-physical. Thoughts are energy and the material world is energy. What is the connection between physical and non-physical energy? What is the role of spirituality? Is it possible to learn more about spirituality from recent scientific research?

Non-Violence

INTRODUCTION

Violence today has become so trivialized and insidious and therefore human beings don’t appreciate the negative impact it has within our psyche as well as in our relations whether they be with nature and animals or with fellow human beings, and the consequences for the world at large.

The more we become aware of our thoughts and feelings, the more we can push away and transform violence in its entire range. This transformation of all forms of violence is one of the great challenges facing those who decide to take a spiritual path and actually choose to assimilate non-violence according to their capacities.

One of the most effective contributions one can make to reduce CO2 emissions is by becoming vegetarians. This diet not only shows an attitude of non-violence towards animals but also one of care towards the planet and concern for other human beings. If humanity was vegetarian, there would be more resources available to provide food for all.

Food for thought:

At the centre of non-violence stands the principle of love. Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability—Martin Luther King, Jr

Anger is the enemy of non-violence and pride is a monster that swallows it up—Mohandas Gandhi

Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages—Thomas A. Edison

Workshop 1: (Duration: 70 mins)

Note: This workshop requires 3 facilitators, one for each group

1.    Introduction (5 mn) – refer to ‘introduction’ text above.

2.    The participants could be divided into 3 groups and the facilitator of each group could read one of the 3 quotes out loud and the participants would be asked to remember a story where they had a similar personal experience in their lives. (10 mins)

3.    Then they could share their stories in pairs. (15 mins)

4.    They could then be asked organized themselves in groups of 4 (i.e. 2 pairs) and choose a rapporteur. Then ask them to reflect in silence on the different impact of their stories as they relate to non-violence had in their personal lives. Ask them to share with each other listening to each other in turn. Ask each group to draw conclusions (15 mins).

5.    The result of the group discussions could then be shared in the plenary by the designated rapporteur for each group. (15 mins)

6.    Conclusion. (5 mins)

Workshop 2 :

1.    Introduction (5 mins)

2.    The participants could sit in a relaxed manner with background music playing while the facilitator slowly reads these 4 questions to them and asks them to write their answers on a piece of paper (10 mn)

a.    In silence I look back at the world today…In how many ways is human violence affecting nature and people? List 3 to 5 ways.

b.    In which way is violence affecting your life? List 3 to 5 ways.

c.    Which types of violence do you feel you sometimes manifest yourself?

d.    How could all this energy of violence be transformed into positive energy, at the level of the world, your life, within yourself?

3.    Divide the people into groups of 4, ask them to choose a rapporteur within each group and ask each participant to share their thoughts on the questions asked by expressing themselves in turn on each question. (20mn)

4.    Whilst they are sharing, facilitator is to go within each group and ask them how they are doing and request that they prepare their answers on one of the questions (one per group i.e. so group 1 could take question a, group 2 question b etc.) so that the rapporteur can share the outcome of each question in the plenary. (5mn more to prepare the rapporteur’s intervention in the plenary within the small groups)

5.    Let the groups share their discussions that way in the plenary. (15mins)

6.    List on the board the main findings/outcome of each group

7.    As only one group has shared about d), ask all the other groups to share on question d) and write on the board.

8.    In conclusion, the facilitator could share from his or her own experience on how violence can be transformed, how it brings a different quality in life, relationships and the mind.

9.    Create a visualisation where the identified inner violence is transformed into positive energy and describe how it impacts on actions and life in general.

Visualisation about Non-Violence

The facilitator can ask the participants to sit in a relax manner and play soft ambient music and start speaking in a soft (but audible) voice.

We can all seat peacefully and allow our mind to rest and send also to our body cool and soft vibrations.
In silence, I visualize in front of me our beautiful blue planet and I go deep within and experience my own potential of peace.
From this inner experience of peace, I become aware of my capacity to extend this peace towards our planet and all its habitants as well as matter.
I become aware of my inner world as well and with the power of my inner love and peace I can brush away the darkness of pain and sorrow from within myself.
The violence of fear and relationships can be overpowered by the deep beauty of love and the strong softness of peace.
Light overpowers darkness, just like the sun illuminates with its light.
So, for one more minute, in silence, I use the powerful images of my own inner world to dissolve the darkness and ugliness of violence.
Like a new born baby.
Back to ‘Suggested Workshop Themes‘

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Environment, Lifestyle and Consciousness

As a part of our Environment Initiative, the Brahma Kumaris are exploring the connection between the consciousness of the individual and the collective effect on the state of the planet. Our consciousness determines the values by which we live. Our values form the basis of our actions which in turn determine whether or not they contribute to the protection and sustainability of the environment.

We have chosen four values which we consider play a vital role in sustainable living: Simplicity, Respect, Non-violence and Empowerment. We have designed workshops on each of these values. Each workshop uses meditation to help the individual consolidate these values for themselves.

Workshop themes:

1. Simple living - is an important and popular issue. This workshop will help you improve your ability to live a simple but fully satisfying life, thereby moving away from over consumption and exploitation of the earth’s resources. Getting in touch with your inner core of harmony, happiness and satisfaction will help you to sustain lifestyle changes.

2. Respect – in the past people depended more on nature thereby respecting and living in harmony with the environment. To re-establish this way of living, we need to first enhance respect and harmony within ourselves.

3. Empowerment – an environmentally friendly lifestyle is challenging; it involves breaking old patterns and habits. Meditation and inner strength can help us find new ways of living and also discard old patterns which no longer serve their purpose.

4. Non-violence – being vegetarian is one of the most effective contributions you can make to reducing CO2 emissions. People usually become vegetarian to show care and respect for animals, to live non-violently and to improve psychological and physical wellbeing. However, the contribution to the environment should not be underestimated.

5. Consciousness and Energy – in this workshop we will explore how everything is energy, whether physical or non-physical. Thoughts are energy and the material world is energy. What is the connection between physical and non-physical energy? What is the role of spirituality? Is it possible to learn more about spirituality from recent scientific research?

Respect Workshop

Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University (www.bkwsu.org)

Respect is one of the most important values for human beings and is essential in all its forms. Self respect comes first because when people don’t respect themselves they don’t know how to respect anything around them, whether it is other people, nature or any other form of life or relationship.

Practising the value of respect is a personal commitment and it requires the individual to reflect about it and develop a personal desire to be respectful.

The following workshops are designed to create a safe space for individuals to think about themselves regarding their attitude towards a) respect for themselves as well as b) respect for the environment.

Famous quotes for reflection on the subject:

“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you“  Lao Tzu

“When we show our respect for other living things, they respond with respect for us” Native American Proverb / Arapaho

Workshop 1 (1h15 mins)

1.     With background music playing, slowly read these 2 quotes to the participants and ask them to reflect on them. Ask them to remember circumstances or stories in their lives where they had that experience. Introduce themselves to each other and share with neighbors (10mn).

“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you” Lao Tzu

“When we show our respect for other living things, they respond with respect for us” Native American Proverb / Arapaho

2.     With background music playing, slowly ask them to remember an experience where they felt respectful towards their own self, a moment when their self esteem was really strong and the kind of attitude and behaviour it produced in them…Then ask participants to share what they remembered with a different group member (15mins).

3.     Ask the participants to stay where they are and remember a moment in their lives when they had this genuine feeling of respect for others. Then share what they remembered with another neighbour (15mins).

4.    Ask the participants to stay where they are and remember a moment in their lives when they had this genuine feeling of being respected by others. Remember these circumstances and share with the group the circumstances and feelings it produced (15mins).

5.    The facilitator could conclude by discussing the role played by respect in one’s life and in a community or a family. Illustrating how respect is what everyone craves for and how much relationships improve when one learn the art of genuinely giving respect. (10mins)

6.    Finalize by conducting visualization where you encourage people to imagine the response of people and nature if we were always respectful as individuals and as a human family (10mins).

Workshop 2: (Duration: 2hr30mn)

Exercise 1: (35mins)

1.    Welcome (5mins)

2.         Ask the participants to close their eyes for a few minutes and then visualize a natural environment conducive to calm and well-being e.g. on a river side, or at the seashore.  Then ask them look at our blue planet from space ‘at a distance’ and enjoy its beauty (5mins).
For English speaking audience you can play track “From A Distance”

Then ask them:  “What are the 3 main qualities of our planet Earth?”

Think of 1 or 2 examples to illustrate your ideas (5mins).

2.    Share your vision with your neighbor (10 mn).

3.    Appoint someone could write theses qualities on a paperboard. Share the different qualities in the plenary. (10mn)

Exercise 2: (45mins)

1.    Play some instrumental music and take the participants back to the experience of visualizing our planet and tell them:

If the Earth, or climate could talk, they probably would have quite a bit to communicate to human beings. (5 mins)

2.    Ask participants to write a letter imagining that the Earth or an element (fire, water, wind, air etc) is writing to human beings. Each one should try to ‘feel’ the message and wisdom that the Earth would want to share with us.

3.    Play some ambient music whilst participants are writing (10 mins).

4.    Ask participants to read their letter in groups of 3. (15 mins)

5.    Then ask participants to come back to the plenary and share the essence of what they have experienced. (15 mins)

Exercise 3: (1h 10 mins)

1.    Now that each participant has ‘linked’ with the wisdom of our Universe, the facilitator will ask them to question their own attitudes towards the environment. In a peaceful atmosphere, with music, ask them,

Now I am looking at myself in my every day life and watch my attitudes, behavior and efforts to help and protect the environment. (5 mins)

2.    Ask participants to identify (and write down) 3 habits they have which contribute to the protection of environment and ask them to write them down (10 mins).

3.    Then identify (and write down) 3 habits they have which are not environmentally-friendly that could be improved quite easily (10 mins).

4.    Organize the participants in groups of 4. Firstly, ask them to share these three habits that they will improve. Then, each group has to create a chart for the protection of environment that each member of the group will commit himself/herself to put in practice in daily life (20 mins).

5.    Each group can read their own chart out loud in the plenary session. (15 mins)

6.     One volunteer per group to email (or post) a copy of the groups’ to all group members within 3-4 days so as to remind them of what they committed themselves to change.

(This activity could also be something that was set to the BKs who’d register people’s commitments and entered into a data base).

7.    Conclusions (10 mins)

Visualisation about Respect

The facilitator can ask the participants to seat in a relaxed manner and play gentle ambient music and start speaking in a soft (but audible) voice.

We can all seat peacefully and allow our mind to rest and send also to our body cool and soft vibrations.
By doing so, I am giving myself the energy of respect.
Respect is soothing, caring, and healing energy that restores higher self-esteem and ensures positive and good relationships with others.
Everyone needs and wants to be respected.
I can remember in my childhood, youth and adulthood how much I have needed to be respected by others.
In this peaceful solitude, I bestow respect on myself with a generous and big heart.
Each one of us possesses an amazing potential and more we give respect to these capacities to the virtues   in ourselves, the more we allow them to develop and be useful to us in our life.
From this inner state, I can see in others the same capacities and potential that await to express themselves and I extend towards the people that accompany in my life whether at home, at work in a family or a community of a whole wild world this soothing and loving energy and outlook.
I can visualize the darkness of lack of self-esteem and criticism and fear dissolving in the rays of these vibrations allowing the people to stand in their beauty and dignity.
Like an elegant rose.

Back to ‘Suggested Workshop Themes‘

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