An Introduction of
MADHESH PEACE UNIVERSITY
Gaur, Nepal

Background

Violence is manifestation of serious deficiency of human values in human thoughts and feelings.
• Deficiency of human values in thoughts and feelings happens due to serious lack of Spiritual attitudes and practice.
• The problem of lack of spiritual attitude and practice is worldwide, but in some country is very high.
• In present day’s youth’s mind have spiritual vacuum, and have densely packed with degraded information.
• Therefore, more youths are involved in crime.

Where there is crime, there is no peace. Where there is peace, there is no crime.

For promotion of peace in the world, the principles of United Nations University for Peace say that “man should not be too optimistic as long as the human mind has not been imbued with the notion of peace from early age and education is one of the best medium to achieve it”

Presently in many countries of the world, universities are working to foster peace through education. In Nepal, a group of professionals has established Madhesh Peace University for peace, proposed name is “Madhesh Peace University”. The university has aimed to produce youth communities who will be equipped with spiritual attitude, examples for high level of human value – practitioner along with modern academic skill to compete in job market.

Madhesh Peace University in Nepal is dedicated/ committed to imbued notion of peace in the mind of young/ youths through an educational package which is blended product of human values and peace building quality along with traditional university courses in each and every discipline including medicine, engineering, law, business, management arts, science etc.

Overall the Madhesh Peace University has to provide significant support to the country and government’s efforts for prevention and reduction of violence, as well as for fostering peace in the country.

It has goal to produce youths who will equipped with:

• Knowledge and skills of modern education to be competent enough in job market for honest bread weaning purpose.
• High level of human values and characters that will make youths an asset to promote peace in the community and country.
• Holistic growth and development to serve and save humanity from self destructive thoughts and actions.

Events of Violence

o Evidences supports that many of the senseless killing occurring in the country are being committed by young people.

? Killing and kidnapping are taking place at home as well as public place, during night as well as day, sometimes purposefully as well as without any purpose as hobby.
? On overwhelming occasions small discussion between friends, between near and dear, as well as among strangers brings shooting leading spot dead. How weak has become tolerance capability of human mind!

? Short argument, between spouses, parents and child, brings murder and/ or suicide. How weak has become tolerance capability of mind!

? Widespread problems of smoking, alcohol and substance abuse, has badly affected the health, wealth, carrier and character of the youth. In an interview an alcoholic and substance addict told, “Addiction to alcohol and substance (marijuana) is one of the prime mental problem.”

Crime Inducers Powerful Forces

? President Bill Clinton’s word

“Daddy pulled a gun from behind his back and fired in mother’s direction. The bullet went into the wall between where she and I were standing.------- I’m sure Daddy didn’t mean to hurt her and he would have died if the bullet had accidentally hit either of us. But something more poisonous than alcohol drove him to that level of debasement. It would be a long time before I could understand such forces in others or in myself.” (President Bill Clinton writes in his biography ‘My Life’).

? Besides professional criminals, there are many talented skillful, good-natured people in prison, who are being punished for their momentary debasement that forced them to commit serious crimes like rape, murders, etc.

? Ego to be a top killer. The inner poisonous force drives youth for senseless killing of innocent lives.

? Kidnappings are some occasions associated with demand of huge money as well as senseless.

Do we identify our inner (mind’s) poisonous forces?
Do we help friends and colleagues to recognize their own inner powerful poisonous forces?
Do we try to find out the antidote for these inner (mind’s) poisonous forces?

Senseless Violence a result of Spiritual Crisis

A British writer Andrew Wright in his book “Spirituality and Education” (published in 2000) has mentioned several events, which took place in the twentieth century:

• That the path of educated reason offers no easy solution is attested by one Holocaust survivor, Haim Ginott “My eyes saw what no one should witness: Gas chambers built by learned engineers, children poisoned by educated physicians, infants killed by trained nurses, women and babies shot and burned by high school and college graduates”. (Ramsey, 1999)

• Philosopher, David Levin argues that our subjective spiritual selves have lost touch with reality and have become self destructive, no longer able to control the physical world explored by reason, described by science and manipulated by technology.

• Joseph Conrad, in his novel “ Heart of Darkness”, describes story from colonial Africa to the Vietnam war, thus allowing the its chief protagonist, terror Kurtz embodies to represent the full pathology of twentieth – century humanity. He also allows Kurtz, in an orgy of violence and insanity to gaze into the depth of the human condition in his dying words to articulate the sickness of the human spirit: “The horror! The horror!”

Increasing incidences violence within the unit, suicide, homicide, child abuse, excessive drug and alcohol inside the community as well as in the schools by students as well as non student youths are living acknowledgments of serious spiritual crisis among present youths.

Today’s problems in eyes of a scientist

Scientist Peter Russel recognizes the root cause of most of today’s problems is crisis of spiritual well being.
Scientist Peter Russel writes in his book “From Science to God”,
“Most of today’s problems – from personal worries to social, economic and environmental issues, stem from human actions and decisions. These arise from human thinking, human feelings and human values, which in turn are influenced by our belief that happiness comes from what we have and do, and by our need to bolster an ever – vulnerable sense of self. Psychological issues such as these, lie at the root of our problems. The growing crises we observe around us are symptoms of a deeper inner crisis – a crisis of consciousness.

Driven by the dictates of a derived identity, and by our belief that inner well-being depends upon external circumstances. We have misused our newfound powers, plundering and poisoning the planet. We have reached what Buckminster Fuller called our final evolutionary examination.”

“The more I have studied the nature of consciousness, the more I have come to appreciate the critical role that inner awakening plays in the modern world - a world which, despite all its technological powers seem to be getting deeper and deeper into trouble.
Freed from many of our delusions, and from much of our fear and judgment, we will no longer cause each other unnecessary pain and suffering. Inner well-being and happiness will become the true measure of social progress.
The questions before us are simple; can we let go of our illusions- discover who we really are and find the wisdom we so desperately need?”

World’s view behind the spiritual well-being

? World Health Organization has realized the importance of spiritual well-being and has included a spiritual dimension of human being in the definition of health. The executive of WHO adopted a resolution in early 1998 calling on the World Health Assembly in May of the same year to change the WHO constitution to include the spiritual dimension of health. Hence the definition now reads:

“A state of complete physical, mental, social and SPIRITUAL well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

? United Nations says that Spiritual well-being is a human right; including child right, right for elderly, disabled etc and it is national government responsibility to provide its people means and facilities for spiritual growth and development.

? Spirituality provides ultimate refuse to people under misfortune, suffering, in emergency, accidents and other helpless condition.

? In general, US citizens believe that spiritual wellbeing is important for physical and mental health (King & Bushwick 1999; Koening et al 1989).

? Acutely, terminally and chronically ill persons also use spirituality to cope (Castellaw et al).

? Physicians also believe that spiritual well being is important for physical and mental health.

? US citizens want spiritual care from their health care providers (Mc Nichol 1996).

Spiritual Well being: Positive attitude but lacking in practice

“Parents and children wish that parents should instill discipline, spiritual and moral values into their children.” Such words are mostly published and discussed at the occasions of only father’s day and mother’s day. Unfortunately, most parents, even on the occasions of such days, keep themselves limited up to a family lime, resting and relaxing, eating and drinking, and finally the day ends with absolutely nothing about spiritual development and building discipline and moral values.

People at every level have realized a drastic fall in discipline and moral values of children, as well as youths and adults. But, what actions are taking place to prevent this fall, and to provide a uplift? Spiritual well-being is the fundamental source of human life; and its manifestation is discipline and high moral values in life. The only reliable and sure intervention to the problem is spiritual well being of people.

Issue of the Self Realization

Is in this connection the words of Hillary Rodham Clinton appropriate? “Every one of us has a choice…. I think that in everyday ways, how you treat your own disappointments and whether you’re able to forgive the pain that others cause you and, frankly, to acknowledge the pain you cause to others, it’s one of the big challenges we face as we move into this next century. And it’s something that I certainly have faced. But I look into the eyes of people all over my country and the world, and I know it’s something all of us face.” (Reference: Gail Sheehy ‘Hillary’s Choice’).

Introduction

Madhesh Peace University for Peace is a sponsored organization of “Madhesh Foundation for Peace and Development” that is a non profit, non religious, non political and non governmental organization registered with Katmandu District Office and is affiliated with National Social Council as per law of the Government of Nepal.

? It is also well recognized the root (hidden but source) cause of increasing killing and other crimes are mind’s poisonous forces and spiritual crisis.

? Many nations and international organizations have attempted to attain peace through disarmament, whilst this effort must be continued; facts show that man should not be too optimistic as long as the human mind has not been imbued with the notion of peace from an early age.

? It is imperative therefore that peace is the primary and irrevocable obligation of a nation and the fundamental objective of any institution. It is for this reason, for its existence that the best tool for achieving this supreme good for mankind, namely education must be used.