Talofa lava, Malo e lelei, Kia Orana, Ni sa bula vinaka, Kam na mauri
Since the mid '70s, the Brahma Kumaris have been offering meditation courses and programs on personal development in New Zealand and Australia, and in 1983 the first Brahma Kumaris Meditation Centre was opened in Fiji.
In April 2007 a new programme, Pasifika Peace, was initiated to reach out to neighbouring countries in the South Pacific, offering more people the opportunity to learn meditation and explore personal transformation. Pasifika Peace is a joint New Zealand/Australia initiative of the Brahma Kumaris. It aims to deliver free-of-charge courses in Meditation, Positive Thinking and Inner Leadership to the Pacific peoples in a culturally empowering manner.
During September 2008, Pasifika Peace visited Samoa and Vanuatu to meet with community, government and business leaders, as well as the media, students and local people. Due to the welcoming and positive response of this initiative, follow-up programmes have been planned. Plans are now also being implemented to offer our programmes in Papua New Guinea and Tahiti.
In March 2009 the Brahma Kumaris had a stall at the Pasifika Festival in Auckland promoting meditation courses. This was our first participation at this festival and we look forward to a continuing presence.
For more information or to request a course in your area, please contact info@pasifikapeace.net
World Meditation Hour
Our outer world is a reflection of what lies within our collective inner worlds. By directing our thoughts in specific, positive ways, we have the potential to guide the world towards becoming a more peaceful and loving place.
Whether or not you know how to meditate, you are invited to join us on the third Sunday of each month at 6:30 pm (local time wherever you are) and spend 60 minutes of your time radiating peace, love and care to our world. Everyone is welcome, so bring your friends and family.
World Meditation Hour began in 1978 when people from all over the world were invited to collectively meditate for one hour for world peace. Over the years this practice has become very popular and has spread to over 90 countries around the world, currently attracting nearly a million people. In many cities, public World Meditation Hour programmes (enhanced by music and commentaries to help guide your thoughts) are held either at the local Brahma Kumaris Centre or at a nearby public venue.
To find out how you can participate, please contact a centre near you.
Just-A-Minute
Just-A-Minute is a Brahma Kumaris international campaign that has the possibility of creating peace in our busy noisy world. It is about introducing the idea of regular one minute pauses and breaks when individuals can re-connect with their inner self, their strengths and their values.
The Just-A-Minute CD offers a series of insights and daily exercises which help you to restore peace of mind, concentrate better and be more mentally effective wherever you are. The programme offers a variety of short one minute guided reflections, meditations and visualisations at varying levels which can be practised almost anywhere, anytime.
For the Just-A-Minute website visit: http://www.just-a-minute.org.
Traffic Control – Stilling the Mind
As days become busier in an increasingly busy world, here is a short, practical and empowering exercise which you can integrate into your daily lifestyle. At regular intervals throughout the day, stop whatever you are doing (if practical at that time) and withdraw your attention from everything around you. Some meditators practise Traffic Control by observing 3 minutes of silence at certain times during the day eg. 10.30 am, 12.30 pm, 5.30 pm, 7.30 pm and just before retiring. Others prefer to stop for one minute every hour on the hour.
When you stop what you are doing, bring your attention back to yourself. You will become aware of the heavy traffic of your thoughts passing through your mind. As you start to observe your thoughts they will naturally begin to slow down. Then, just remember who you are – a peaceful soul who is the master of mind and body. Three minutes spent practising this exercise regularly will enable you to quickly regain concentration, focus and energy which you can then re-direct to whatever you were doing.