WORLD VAISHNAVA ASSOCIATION AHIMSA COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENT

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WORLD VAISHNAVA ASSOCIATION INTERFAITH COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENT

 

WVA-IC: VASU MURTI NAMED AHIMSA COUNCIL ORGANIZER

Vasu Murti Appointed to Organize Interfaith Council For Non-violence

 

from Tridandi Swami Bhakti Ananda Goswami

World Vaishnava Association Interfaith Committee

(WVA-IC) Interim Coordinator

 

Hare Krishna! Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga ki jaya!

 

To the esteemed Sanga of the WVA, and

the Devotees of the world,

 

We are most grateful to our Gurus, The Lord and

Our Merciful Mother, and pleased to announce to the

devotees of the world that Vasu Murti of Oakland

California, USA has accepted his invitation

to organize the first WVA-IC Ahimsa Council, to promote

the Vaishnava ideals of holy peace and benevolence

through interfaith dialogue on ahimsa and non-violent

cooperation in addressing social issues of critical

importance.

 

Vasu Murti is a Vaishnava activist in the promotion

of Gaudiya Vaishnava Tradition based non-violence.

Long a crusader against abortion and other

violence against human beings, and a strong advocate

for animal rights, Vasu Murti has devoted himself

tirelessly to these causes.

 

Vasu Murti has been involved in interfaith dialogue for

years. Learning to respect those of other traditions,

he has become pro-active in his approach and thus

has been earning the respect and friendship of non-violence

peaceworkers in the Christian, Jewish and other

traditions. The following is a brief introduction to Vasu

Murti Prabhu, whose energetic efforts to increase peace

are much appreciated. We pray for his Divine empowerment

and success in this interfaith Ahimsa Council service. As a

Good-will Ambassador from Vaishnavism to other people of faith

in the global cause of peacework, we are sure that he will

humbly and energetically cooperate with others to promote

the common cause of peace with justice for all peoples and

for the community of creation and Mother Earth Herself.

 

Introducing Vasu Murti Prabhu

 

Worshiping with the Vaishnava Community in America

for nearly twenty years, Vasu Murti has been a FOLK

member since 1986, and an ISKCON Life Member since

1988. In addition to his study of Shastra, and devotional

practices like daily Maha Mantra Japa, he has enjoyed the

service of distributing Maha Prasadam to over a hundred

people on various occasions. He has been a

vegetarian since 1982, has been an ahimsa activist,

and has written books on Vaishnavism and related topics.

 

Vasu Murti is the author of "A Source of Inspiration," a guide

to interfaith understanding between Christians and

Vaishnavas, and "They Shall not Hurt or Destroy," which

discusses animal rights and vegetarianism in the

Western religious traditions. He has written a critique of

Kathleen Marquardt's "Animal Scam: The Beastly Abuse of

Human Rights," in which she attacks the animal rights

movement. He has also compiled a manuscript

entitled "The Politics of Vegetarianism," which

discusses (in secular, political language) the

relationship between food, economy,

environment and war.

 

As part of his devotional service, he has made copies of

these manuscripts available to the ISKCON

leadership (temple presidents in the U.S.), and to

the public on the internet. Please visit his site at..

or contact him at

 

VASU MURTI

30 Villanova Lane

Oakland, CA 94611

(510) 339-8155

vasum

www.vasumurti.org

 

Vasu Murti received his B.A. Degree

in Physics and Applied Mathematics

from the University of California, San Diego,

California, USA. He is currently an Eligibility

Technician for Alameda County Social Services,

and has also worked in the financial services field.

 

Some of his writings include...

"Victories for Animals," Stanislaus Connections. 2001

"Nonviolence or Nonexistence," Stanislaus Connections. 2001

"Animal Rights and Civil Rights," Stanislaus Connections. 1999

"Peace and Vegetarianism," Stanislaus Connections. 1999

"A New Ethic Towards Animals," Harmony: Voices for a Just Future. 1999

"And Justice for All," Harmony: Voices for a Just Future. 1995

"Parallel Lines," Harmony: Voices for a Just Future. 1992

"Hindu Perspectives on Abortion," Feminism & Nonviolence Studies. 1998

"Similar Principles," Feminism & Nonviolence Studies. 1995

 

As a social justice and animal rights activist Vasu Murti

is a member of the following organizations...

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)

In Defense of Animals (IDA)

Friends of Animals (FoA)

Feminists For Life (FFL)

Amnesty International

 

Organizing an Interfaith Ahimsa Council

 

If readers wish to assist Vasu Murti in any of these areas of service

promoting non-violence, please contact him. He will be networking

with

individual peaceworkers and organizations to promote interfaith

cooperation in matters of common concern. He is authorized by myself

(Bhakti Ananda Goswami) to encourage others to set-up their own local

and regional WVA-IC Ahimsa councils. These informal councils may

focus on a specific problem, such as abortion, "Just War", capital

punishment issues, euthanasia, slavery, women's rights / domestic

violence, other human rights issues, animal rights, violence in the

media etc. Or a council may form with an inclusive range of ahimsa

concerns. The mandate of these councils will be to provide a think-

globally-act-locally interfaith forum for peaceworkers. If councils

form which want to be formally constituted, they can do it according

to their needs and desires. The WVA-IC is only interested to promote

common values and holy goals, ways and means, and has no interest in

owning, controlling or managing the projects of individual members or

allied groups. The World Vaishnava Association Interfaith Committee

(WVA-IC) is a purely devotional association promoting individual

holiness and interfaith cooperation on all levels. We will be pleased

to give our blessings and encouragement and prayers for the success

of these councils. Those wishing to be part of the network Vasu Murti

is involved in, and those wishing to form their own local or

networking ahimsa councils should contact Vasu Murti Prabhu at the

addresses provided herein.

 

The principle of respect for others' sacred traditions is fundamental

to achieving cooperation between those of different faith communities

in any social-reform endeavor. The human race and Earth herself are

suffering unimaginably from mankind's addiction to violence. If we

do not together successfully address this global crisis in human

civilization, and achieve general non-violence as societies and

nations, we will not have any future on the planet Earth. Life on

our beautiful, bucolic garden planet will be destroyed by mankind's

madness of predation, cruel exploitation, violence to oppress others

and bestial desire for revenge. To avert this impending global

extinction of our own and other species, we all must cooperate to the

fullest. We cannot remain isolated in our endeavors. All devotees

of the Lord, all people of faith and good-will must now cooperate

together to increase-the-peace ! The individual organizations and

networks of peaceworkers, like the Catholic 'Seamless Garment'

network, must form interfaith alliances to maximize their

effectiveness. Such interfaith cooperation is essential to achieving

any major progress towards peace on Earth. Each community should

ideally have an interfaith peaceworkers council. The Vaishnavas of

various lineages should get involved with the peaceworkers of other

Bhakti Traditions to make their needed contributions in the global

interfaith effort to promote non-violence. The Vaishnavas of the WVA-

IC Ahimsa Council (s) can work locally and globally to increase

interfaith cooperation in all related areas of human rights / social

justice and animal rights.

 

While there is a 'Just War' doctrine in Vaishnavism (Kshatriya Dharma

is based on this), there is also a parallel great Vaishnava tradition

of AHIMSA or non-violence. In the Bhagavad-gita Chapter 16, Text 2,

Sri Krishna states that non-violence (AHIMSA) is a transcendental

quality belonging to godly men endowed with divine nature. In

Chapter 10, Text 5, The Blessed Lord says that AHIMSA is created by

Him alone. Truly, non-violence and peace with justice are His

creations, but we are the ones who must realize these BY OBEDIENCE TO

GOD in our own hearts and lives, our own faith communities, and

within the global community of faiths and nations.

 

May our Gurus, The Supreme Lord, and Our Merciful Mother bless Vasu

Murti and us all, as we humble ourselves to cooperate and thus

increase-the-peace in this troubled world.

 

Your aspiring servant,

WVA-IC Interim Coordinator, Bhakti Ananda Goswami

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