The planetary event of October 16 was the beginning of a new spiritual approach to world crises. The effort should continue.
by Massimo Introvigne
On October 16, over 500 organizations, including Bitter Winter, joined forces to support the “Global Prayers for Love and Peace” and the “One-Minute Silence” organized by Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy. In Taipei, 5,000 gathered at the National Taiwan University Sports Center for an “International Ceremony of Love and Peace,” with a total audience of 20,000, including all those connected via the Internet. Ceremonies were also held at the Tai Ji Men Qigong Academies in Walnut and San Jose, in California.
The Taipei ceremonies featured religious leaders from different faiths, including the Roman Catholic Church and several Buddhist orders. Politicians and ambassadors also attended, including the dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Taiwan, Ambassador Andrea Clare Bowman from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, who thanked Dr. Hong Tao-Tze, the Shifu (Grand Master) of Tai Ji Men, for having organized the global event and “turned an opportunity into reality.”
Several world political leaders sent messages, including the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the President of the United States, the King of Belgium, the President of Colombia, the Prime Minister of Portugal, the President of South Africa, the President of France, and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg.
President Biden wrote to Dr. Hong that “We need your courage and dedication at this critical time, and we must meet this moment together as the United States of America. If we do that, I believe that our best days still lie ahead.”
Speaking at the Taipei ceremony, Dr. Hong stated that, “Through daily meditation, self-reflection, and repentance, all people are encouraged to awaken their inner conscience, do more good deeds to atone for their mistakes, use wisdom to resolve conflicts, gather good thoughts, and inspire good deeds. The good intentions that you and I spread will form a butterfly effect, like lights in the dark night to illuminate the hearts of those who are lost, and light up hope for the world.”
As I said in my own remarks for the ceremony, October 16 was “a glorious day in the history of Tai Ji Men and in the history of global efforts for conscience, love, and peace. As a frequent travelers, we have often experienced night flights over sea or land that appear totally dark. Then all of a sudden a light appears. It may be a ship, a lighthouse, an isolated farm or government station in the middle of a desert or a steppe. This light makes all the difference in the world. The difference between one of the many planets with no inhabitants or life and our beautiful Planet Earth where humans dwell. Two lights would be better but one is enough. There is light here. The land is not waste and even the sea is one humans can navigate. These lights are not natural phenomena. They are there because women and men, sailors in a ship, workers in a remote station in the middle of nowhere, have switched these lights on. When the sea is dark, when the land looks like a desert, when the hearts tremble, when hope is almost lost, there is a small ship or a small home where the light is on.” Dr. Hong and Tai Ji Men “are offering to us that ship, that home, that light in the darkness. October 16 is the day, the day to make that ship or that home our own and to give them names from our hearts: conscience, love, and peace. A day to live fully, a day to thank you for, a day to pray—and from October 17, a day to remember forever.”
Remembering, however, is not enough. The memory of October 16, 2022, should generate positive action. Unfortunately, crises and threats to world peace will not disappear anytime soon. Dr. Hong has issued the Declaration of World Prayer Day, designating October 16 of each year as World Prayer Day. This beautiful movement should continue. Peace does not start with criticizing others. It starts with recognizing our own mistakes, repent, and turn to conscience. It is what Tai Ji Men is all about, but it is something women and men of all faiths (and even of no faith) can acknowledge, respect, and put into action.
