Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar organised the Samarpan Meditation Discourse at the House of Lords on 26 April 2024 in the presence of Himalayan Saint His Holiness Shree Shivkrupanand Swami. During the event, he talked about an ancient Himalayan practice which develops positive spiritual values and creates inner peace. The Rt Hon. the Lord Dholakia OBE DL hosted the event.
Graciously welcoming Swamiji, The Rt Hon the Lord Dholakia said, “It’s a great honour to have the presence of Swamiji in the House of Lords. In today’s world, the work you do to promote ancient meditation, to promote global peace is required. One of the most beautiful things about India is the culture it has. Indian culture has existed for thousands of years but it will not continue unless we know it and respect it. There were a lot of invasions including the British Raj taking control over the time but we never lost our culture, values and belief. The belief in ourselves and promoting our culture to the youngsters makes India great.”
Emphasising on the Indian culture, Swamiji said, “The Indian culture teaches us Vasudhev Kutumbkam, which means the world is one family. Surprisingly, there is no one God, one Language, one belief or one religion that exists which is followed by everyone in the world. Then why does Indian Culture state that the World is one family? The answer is Yoga. By the path of Yoga, the whole world can be connected. For the past 30 years, I have been travelling the world. Through this medium of Yoga, I have connected the people of different castes, beliefs, cultures and countries. With my 30 years of experience, I can say that Yoga is the only medium which can connect the world.”
“Yoga is being misunderstood as physical exercise only. I am saying to the whole world that Yogasan is not Yoga. Yogasan can only make your muscles and body strong but your Chitta (Inner self, State of Mind) will be weak. God is within us, that’s what I believe. Start saying that you are a holy soul. Forget how you are, you will feel a tremendous change in your life as your Chitta becomes strong. 800-year-old Himalayan meditation helps in making the Aura strong, which is the indicator of your strong Chitta,” he added.
CB Patel, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar said, “This historic building witnessed a different type of discourse through Swamiji. India has now become not only an economic but spiritual power. Thanks to Lord Dholakia, without him this discourse would not have been possible. Paras Meisheri is the ambassador for our culture and legacy.
Emma Dolman, Head Digital Assessment Transformation Programme and Project Director, Department for Education was the compere of the event. She said, “Samarpan Meditation is an ancient Himalayan practice that is open to all, free of charge and not bound by religion, gender or age. It develops positive spiritual values and creates inner peace through just 30 minutes of daily meditation. Samarpan Meditation is represented in 65 countries on every continent. Worldwide there are more than 200,000 meditators with 13 Trusts and 26 Ashrams/retreat centres including in the UK.”
During the event, the audience engaged in a question and answer session with Swamiji. Subhash Thakrar inquired, "What are the vibrations you are feeling here in this historic building of the House of Lords? Can Vipassana help us?" Swamiji responded, "It took me 10 years to come here, indicating there was something amiss previously. Now, there is a positive energy. While Vipassana is a form of mindfulness meditation, my focus lies on the Agya Chakra, which represents the upper stage of Vipassana."
Trupti Patel posed a question, stating, "We are now very proud of India and we cannot let India down. Can some negative forces affect the progress of India?" Swamiji reassured, "India's strength lies in the widespread practice of meditation. Prime Minister Modi's advocacy and practice of yoga have contributed to India's development over the last decade. The UK is also on the right track."
Lord Dholakia and CB Patel honoured Swamiji with the Citation of “Global Peace and Wellness Ambassador” for Swamiji’s tireless efforts to strengthen community, culture and values and to promote inner peace and well-being across society.
A vote of thanks was given by Paras Meisheri, Managing Trustee Samarpan UK and Mahesh Liloriya, ABPL Group Editor.
