MAHARISHI'S VISION FOR WORLD PEACE BECOMING A REALITY

“Since war begins in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace should be constructed.” – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Constitution

A VISION FOR WORLD PEACE

In his farewell message on January 11, 2008, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi announced the establishment of the Brahmananda Saraswati Foundation, named in honor of his teacher. The Brahmananda Saraswati Foundation is entrusted with sustaining Maharishi’s legacy by implementing the Global Peace Initiative – a practical, scientifically verified program to create and sustain world peace.

The Global Peace Initiative calls for the establishment and maintenance of a group of 9,000 peace-creating experts in one campus in India and smaller groups in every country in order to ensure lasting peace for every nation and the world as a whole. These experts, traditionally referred to as Vedic Pandits, create peace through advanced meditation techniques that are rooted in the ancient Vedic tradition of India. These techniques, when practiced in a group, have been shown to produce a peaceful influence in society that dissolves acute tensions that can lead to violence, terrorism, and war. Research has shown the group size necessary to create this effect is the square root of 1% of the population.

The initial phase of the Global Peace Initiative is to secure the group in India that will produce the effect of global harmony and a group of over 2,000 experts in the United States to ensure peace for America and a peaceful influence from America to the world.

The singular nature of Maharishi’s vision requires peace-loving people around the world to join us in endowing these groups of Vedic peace-creating experts, as well as completing construction of the campus that will house the group in India.

CREATING WORLD PEACE

Brahmananda Saraswati Foundation (BSF) supports the Global Peace Initiative through grants to four organizations, three in India and one in the United States.

In India, BSF supports Maharishi Ved Vigyan Vishwa Vidyapeetham Trust (MVVVVP), the largest and most respected training institution for Vedic peace-creating experts in the country, as well as two other non-profit organizations that also support the peace-creating experts and provide physical facilities for these experts. The Vedic peace-creating experts are trained from an early age in meditation and traditional peace-creating practices. Typically, they begin school at the age of 10 and graduate at 22. At the university level they are enrolled in Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Vedic Vishwavidyalaya (university) established in 1995 by the Legislative Assembly of the state of Madhya Pradesh. Among their many accomplishments, MVVVVP and its sister institutions have:

• Established over 1,000 local training centers for students 10-14 years old and trained over 2,000 teachers.

• Continued to operate 42 residential secondary and post-secondary level schools for students 14 years old and up (and built 28 of these schools)

• Awarded thousands of scholarships to children of the Vedic families to receive complete training in their traditional role as peace-creating experts.

• Acquired 1,770 acres of land near the Brahmasthan (geographic center) of India to create a campus for more than 9,000 peace-creating experts. Facilities for 2,200 experts are complete and 1,500 experts are currently engaged.

In the United States, Brahmananda Saraswati Foundation supports Global Country of World Peace (GCWP), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Established in 2002, GCWP has:

• Sponsored a group of over 1,000 Vedic peace-creating experts trained by MVVVVP

• Acquired land, and built and operated a campus in Iowa with capacity for over 1,250 Vedic peace-creating experts

THE GLOBAL PEACE INITIATIVE

Over the next ten years Brahmananda Saraswati Foundation will be raising funds to support the following components of the Global Peace Initiative:

Completing facilities in India - $59 million over 5 years

Completing a campus in the Brahmasthan of India and upgrading school facilities.

• $54 million over 5 years* for the Brahmasthan campus • $5 million over 5 years for school facilities
*Year 1: $5 million;
Year 2: $9 million;
Year 3: $17 million;
Year 4: $23million;
Year 5: $5 million

Creating World Peace - $44 million per year

Scholarships to support a group rising over 5 years* to 9,000 peace-creating experts in India, the number required for world peace.

• $240 per month ($2,880 per year) for each peace-creating expert in Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Vedic Vishwavidyalaya in the center of India. For 9,000 experts: $2.16 million per month ($26 million per year)

• Scholarships of $167 per month ($2,000 per year) per peace-creating expert for on-going education of future peace-creating experts (ages 10-18) as they rise through their training ($18 million per year).

*Year 1: 2,500 experts - $12 million;
Year 2: 3,700 experts at a cost of $18 million;
Year 3: 5,050 experts at a cost of $25 million;
Year 4: 6,250 experts at a cost of $30 million;
Year 5: 8,500 experts at a cost of $42 million;
Year 6 and on 9,000 experts at a cost of $44 million per year)

Creating Peace for America - $13 million per year

Scholarships to support 1,250 trained Vedic peace-creating experts as part of a larger peace-creating group of over 2,000 - every year.

• $700 per month ($8,400 per year) for each peace-creating expert in Iowa. For 1,250 experts, $875,000 per month ($10.5 million per year)

• Scholarships of $167 per month ($2,000 per year) per peace-creating expert for on-going education of future peace-creating experts (ages 10-18) as they rise through their training program ($2.5 million per year).

Permanent Endowment - $1.14 Billion

Establishing an endowment over 10 years that will secure Peace for the World and Peace for America permanently.

• $880 million endowment to permanently support 9,000 experts in India and the training of future experts.

• $260 million endowment to permanently support 1,250 experts in America and the training of future experts.

“We cordially invite you to join this ambitious effort to heal the cultural wounds between nations and transform global consciousness toward greater peace and prosperity.” —Ramani Ayer, Chair, Brahmananda Saraswati Foundation Development Council, Former Chairman & CEO, Hartford Financial Services, USA