The Spiritual Work of the United Nations:
Building a Planetary Consciousness

Thursday, October 21, 1999, 3-5:30 p.m.

CREATING A UNITED NATIONS SPIRITUAL FORUM

By Luciano Meira, Legion of Goodwill

Good afternoon.

The Temple:

Before I even start, I want to thank Ida Urso for this wonderful opportunity. Today is a very special date for the organization that I represent at the United Nations, the Legion of Good Will. The Legion has an Ecumenical (or if you prefer an interfaith) Temple in Brasilia, which was inaugurated exactly 10 years ago.

The Temple of Good Will is this seven sided pyramid, also known in Brasilia as the Temple of Peace. Every year about 1 million people come to meditate in or visit this magnificent Temple. Right now thousands of people from the most diverse religious background are gathered under the huge crystal on the top of the pyramid, and they are in meditation for what we call the international movement for the expansion of the interfaith consciousness. I want you to know, dear Ida and dear friends, that they are also praying for the success of this important workshop we are in.

The Temple of Good Will's slogan, by the President of the Legion, Mr. Paiva Netto, is: "Unity in diversity to overcome adversity."

The Forum

Here, within the same mentality, and together with many other NGOs we are endorsing an idea, that I think is not new but has not yet become a reality: the creation of a spiritual forum at the United Nations.

Let's talk briefly about three elementary points related to this issue:

First one: Why a spiritual forum at the UN?

Second: How would that occur?

Third: What are we doing about it?

I strongly believe that science in the 21st century will finally recognize the existence of the spirit: that before and after our human existence we are spiritual beings, or on the sayings of Teilhard de Chardin, "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. Rather, we are spiritual beings having a human experience."

And from that very premise, about which we could speak here forever, two conclusions can be drawn:

  1. Humankind is under an evolutionary process that will lead all of us to a higher level of consciousness, the one in which we will be able to say: "The Father and I are one. The Father is in me, I am in the Father, but the Father is greater than I am. The works I do are not my works, but His. The Love I have in me, is not my Love, but his love, and this is an unconditioned and unlimited universal love for all human and spiritual beings."
  2. No matter what we try to do in order to bring balance and a culture of peace to human life on Earth, nothing, really nothing, will be effective until we begin to empower the crowds and their leaders, so that they will be able to step ahead at the next level of their own awakening process. And this can be done, we believe, in every field of life, namely: in the governmental, corporate, non-governmental, and individual levels.

That is why the Forum is so important.

Now, the creation of a Spiritual Forum at the United Nations may seem to be impossible. There is a Red Sea of obstacles created by those who still don't see the importance of such a revolutionary step. Actually because it is Spiritual, I don't believe it can be created by our narrow human efforts. Instead, I feel a Cosmic Power that is really driving us here to do this, and when that kind of Power starts to work, nothing can stop it until it is done!

What we can say right now, and I think this opinion is shared by most of those who are joining forces to see the creation of the Forum, is that it would have the following characteristics:

People in different parts of the world are talking about this Forum at the UN. I first heard about that idea from Lama Gangchen Rimpoche, a Tibetan Lama that lives in Italy, who visited Brasil last year.

Nina Meyerhof, my dearest and inspiring friend has not only provoked two meetings about this issue this year, one held in her own property in Vermont, and a second one held in the Legion of Good Will's office in 5th Avenue. She has also written an initial document that I consider to be an extraordinary start for all of us. This document has been circulated to you today.

On November 17th, at 1:00 P.M., we will again meet at the Legion's Office at 383 5th Avenue to take this initiative one step further. Everyone is cordially invited to attend.