We all know that the real goal of education is not to create people who understand only the language of technology; the main purpose of education should be to impart a culture of the heart, a culture based on spiritual values. Viewing religion only outwardly creates more and more division. We need to see and understand the inside, the essence of religion, from a spiritual perspective. Only then will the sense of division come to an end. Where there is division, there cannot be any real spiritual experience; and where there is true spiritual experience, there will be no division - only unity and love.
Love and compassion are the very essence of all religions. What, then, is the need for us to compete? Love is our true essence. Love has no limitations such as religion, race, nationality, or caste. We are all beads strung together on the
same thread of love. To awaken this unity and to spread the love that is our inherent nature to others - this is the true
aim of human life. Indeed, love is the only religion that can help humanity rise to great and glorious heights. And love should be the one thread on which all religions and philosophies are strung together.
The beauty of society lies in the unity of our hearts.
(Excerpts from Keynote Address delivered by Amma during the Closing Plenary Session of the World Parliament of Religions in Barcelona, Spain, on July 13, 2004)
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