[HWPL]

[HWPL] HWPL's 2nd International Religious Peace Academy

Chairman ManHee Lee is the head representative of the global peace organization HWPL (Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light), which is striving for the enactment and implementation of the international peace law 'Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW)'. The  DPCW is a legal instrument comprised of 10 articles and 38 clauses that can end wars and hostilities throughout the world. HWPL is also spreading a culture of peace and implementing peace education.

Chairman ManHee Lee experienced the cruelty and tragedy of war as a veteran of the Korean War. This is one of the reasons why he founded a global peace campaign as the head of HWPL. He has traveled the globe more than 35 times to meet and persuade politicians, legal experts, journalists, professors, peace activists, civil organization leaders, heads of tribes and others to unite them for the work of peace. The significant fruits borne out of his hard work are the World Alliance of Religions' Peace (WARP) Summit and HWPL Peace Committee. The DPCW was drafted and finalised by the HWPL Peace Committee.

How, you may wonder, do I know this? About 10 years ago, when I had just been discharged from military service, I came to know HWPL and Chairman ManHee Lee while researching the topic of civil conflicts to satisfy my curiosity in ongoing global issues. At that time, the island of Mindanao in the Philippines was suffering from a major civil conflict that lasted more than 40 years, and Chairman ManHee Lee and HWPL resolved this conflict through non-violent means.

Chairman Lee brought an end to the conflict in Mindanao by holding a peace talk between the warring Catholic and Islamic groups. Before the talk, HWPL and Chairman ManHee Lee held a Peace Walk to spread the culture of peace in Mindanao with the many locals who had gathered out of a desire for peace.

Chairman ManHee Lee's pressing appeal today is that humanity unites for sustainable peace in order to pass on the legacy of peace to future generations worldwide. He doesn't just talk peace, but has worked tirelessly for it through practical peace campaigns for over a decade.

I decided to become a supporter of HWPL and Chairman ManHee Lee's peace initiatives because I also desire a world of peace for all posterity.

Today I'd like to introduce an article regarding HWPL's International Religious Peace Academy :)

The Second HWPL International Religious Peace Academy

The Second HWPL International Religious Peace Academy (IRPA) held lectures on March 2nd and 9th, with 1,456 religious leaders from 96 countries in attendance.

The IRPA lectures were divided into sessions for Korean and international audiences. The Korean sessions covered Buddhism, Protestantism, Confucianism, Anglicanism, and Islam, while the international sessions included Buddhism, Protestantism, Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism. These lectures, based on respective religious scriptures, were held over multiple sessions to accommodate different time zones and reach a wider audience.

Similar to last year’s IRPA lectures, each 15-minute lecture discussed common topics. Week 1 focused on “About Creation the Beginning of All Things,” while Week 2 centered on “About Birth, Aging, Illness, & Death.”

Online attendees

‘The creation of all things and birth, old age, illness, and death that is, where do people go when they are born, grow old, get sick, and die?’ is a topic that every person of religion is curious about. Religious leaders from diverse backgrounds attended the lectures to explore such questions while learning to understand the different religious teachings, thus seeking common ground. Many of the participating religious leaders also applied for follow-up lectures on other religions in which they were interested in.

Unlike the online-only First IRPA, the Second IRPA included offline gatherings suggested by participants. Some of the participating religious leaders offered their places of worship as a space to attend the lectures together and discuss the topics, thus fostering camaraderie.

The positive responses from attendees underscores the success of the second IRPA:

“It seems like all religious leaders are trying to reach the top of the mountain. Although they are going their separate ways, they seem to be coming together as one to reach the top. It is a program with a very good purpose. I was happy to attend (the lectures).”

– Lee In-sook, Zen Buddhism monk, South Korea

“It’s so great and (I’m) happy to know everyone, all of you from all over the world. Within two weeks I learned a lot from other religions as well, and I saw that there are so many things that are very new and it promotes that all religions can be common one and get closer to each other. Also, that is the lesson for me for my own religion. And I’m Buddhist. So learning about other religions will help me to have more knowledge. And also, it will help me to see others in (their) own religion as well. And I want to say thank you to all of you.

Religion direct humans to good things, and if we spread good things to our congregation members, that is awesome.”

– Nguyễn Trường Thuận, Hoang Phap Temple, Vietnam

HWPL plans to continue hosting IRPA lectures that focus on diverse religious perspectives, so that many can experience interreligious harmony and gain a deeper level of respect for people of different religious backgrounds.

For more information on IRPA lecturers and lecture videos, visit the official IRPA website (Korean: http://krpa.hwpl.kr/, International: http://irpa.hwpl.kr/).

Photo taken in Madagascar

Photo taken in Madagascar

Interested in HWPL's peace work for the world? Please visit following link :)

HWPL Official Homepage

https://www.hwpl.kr/language/en/home-hwpl-_en/