The Prayer of Peace

Yesterday, I was part of a group of people from around the world who read the "Prayer of Peace" to commemorate the first day of 2011.

The Prayer was originally presented by Ilchi Lee, the founder of Brain Education, at the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders in the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations on August 28th, 2000.

It suggests that we recognize the Earth as our common home and express the "true nature" that exists inside all of us (regardless of our religion, race, or country of origin) to create peace.

I climbed the mountain behind our university in the morning and read the prayer there. The old fort at the top of the mountain has been opened for visitors, so I had a great view of our university, Cheonan city, and the surrounding countryside.






Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and peaceful 2011 for all!

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The Prayer of Peace

I offer this prayer of peace
Not to the Christian God
Nor to the Buddhist God
Nor to the Islamic God
Nor to the Jewish God
But to the God of all humanity

For the peace that we wish for
Is Not a Christian peace
Nor a Buddhist peace
Nor an Islamic peace
Nor a Jewish peace
But a human peace
For all of us.

I offer this prayer of peace
To the God that lives within all of us
That fills us with happiness and joy
To make us whole
And help us understand life
As an expression of love for all human beings

For no religion can be better
Than any other religion
For no truth can be truer
Than any other truth
For no nation can be bigger
Than the earth itself.

Help us all go beyond
Our small limits
And realize that we are one
That we are all from the earth.
That we are all earth people
before we are Indians, Koreans, or Americans

God made the earth
We humans have to make it prosper
By realizing that we are of the earth
And not of any nation, race, or religion.
By knowing that we are truly one
In our spiritual heritage.

Let us now apologize
to all humanity
For the hurt that religions have caused
So that we can heal the hurt
Let us now promise to one another
To go beyond egotism and competition
To come together as one in God.

I offer this prayer of peace
To you the almighty
To help us find you within all of us
So that we may stand proudly one day before you
As one humanity.
I offer this prayer of peace
With all my fellow earth people
For a lasting peace on earth.

The 5th International Brain HSP Olympiad

The past month has been busy with preparations for the 5th International Brain HSP Olympiad held at the United Nations and the Brain Art Festival held at Radio City Music Hall.

Here are some pictures from the 5th International Brain HSP Olympiad. 80 participants (children and adults) from the U.S. and Korea competed in three events which demonstrate the potential of the brain, testing sensory-motor functions, visual-spatial memory, and higher cognitive functions.







Speakers included Prof. Murali Doraiswamy, Director of the Mental Fitness Lab at the Duke University Medical Center and co-author of the Alzheimer's Action Plan and Ilchi Lee, President of the Korea Insitute of Brain Science, an NGO in consultative status with the UN's ECOSOC.





Observers included parents, educators, and representatives from the New York City Principals' Association, Non-governmental organizations, UN Agencies, and Permanent Missions to the United Nations.

Brain Education Center for Peace and Human Development

I have spent this semester mostly in New York at the IBREA office and Brain Education Center.

The Brain Education Center for Peace and Human Development offers Brain Education classes, special programs and Neurofeedback for those who live and work in the area and for the UN community. Open lunch time classes are available for UN staff for an initial period and discounts are available for UN staff, their family members, retired staff, and NGO representatives.

The center is meant to be a place where members can relieve stress, replenish their energy, and gain tools to help themselves and others be healthy, happy, and peaceful.

Members of the UN community are also looking for practical tools to help support the health, education, and environmental goals in their own country and globally. Through Brain Education programs, they are realizing the link between individual health and well-being and the well-being of their families, neighbours, fellow Earth Citizens, and the Earth herself.


Currently, many UN staff from various missions (including India, Comoros, and Djibouti), departments, and agencies (such as UNICEF) come to the Center.

The center has held Brain Wave Vibration instructor training for members of the UN community to learn how to teach Brain Education in their workplace or community.

In April, Chun Hwa Shim Sung (Self-Discovery) workshop was held at Honor's Haven in Upstate New York and will be held again June 13-14th.

Currently, the center is offering Brain Education for Enhanced Learning class for children, in preparation for the Olympiad August 12th, which will again be held at the United Nations in commemoration of International Youth Day.

If you are in Manhattan, be sure to stop by the Brain Education Center for a visit! The center is located in Manhattan at East 49th Street betwen 1st and 2nd Avenue. Telephone: 212-223-7130.

Celebrating Earth Day

On Earth Day, IBREA joined in a celebration with Friends of Dag Hammarskjold Park and the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) in the park outside of the United Nations.

Despite the rain, many people from the local community, along with UN staff and office workers walking through the park, learned about the impact that Brain Education can have on eliciting people's natural sense of community and caring for the Earth.

Visitors to the IBREA booth also learned about the "I Am An Earth Citizen" Project and many declared their support by signing the Earth Citizen declaration:

As an Earth Citizen:

1. I accept the unlimited responsibility for the Earth and its residents.

2. I trust in the ability of human beings to use their brains for health, happiness and peace.

3. I take actions to create a healthy Earth and a peaceful world.

I Am an Earth Citizen

As our awareness about the Earth's problems increases, the next question usually is, "What can I do?"

One of the key messages that I took from the movie "The 11th Hour" was that since humans have contributed to the Earth's and human problems through our focus on separation, accumulation and success, we also have the potential to solve them by recognizing that we all share the Earth as our home, and by striving for a success that depends on the health and well-being of all people and the Earth.

How do we do that?

By recovering our humanity--by allowing humans and the Earth to return to our natural state of health, well-being, and immense potential for creating in a way that supports each other and the Earth.

IBREA has recently launched the "I am an Earth Citizen" program and "One Dollar Project".

Essentially, people are being encouraged to donate one dollar a month (or more) to support Health, Education, and Environmental projects around the world. The projects are funded by United Nations' agencies in recognition of the United Nations' mission to promote peace, human rights and social progress.

The goal is for one hundred million Earth Citizens to each donate at least one dollar a month.

What's an Earth Citizen?" You are an Earth Citizen. We all are. We were "given" a passport the day we came to this Earth, along with the responsibility to help make it a harmonious and prosperous place.

You may ask, "What can one dollar do?" Giving money in of itself will not solve the problems we have created.

But...one dollar becomes one hundred million dollars. And when one person becomes one hundred million people all coming together not as children or as adults, as men or as women, or as people from different countries, religions, or races but as Earth Citizens with one goal, we are making a powerful statement that our priority is taking care of each other and of the Earth.

As humans, we can use our brains for many different purposes. If we use them to work together to foster health, happiness, and peacefulness for ourselves, others and for the Earth, we will start to support, rather than work against, the natural propensity of humanity and the Earth for harmony and balance.

For more information or to donate, take a look at IBREA's new homepage:

http://www.ibrea.org/

New BrainWorld Magazine Website!

Announcing the inaugural issue of BrainWorld magazine and the launching of the new BrainWorld website.

BrainWorld is a magazine dedicated to the human brain. Published by the International Brain Education Association (IBREA), it includes features on neuroscience, healthy aging, art and culture, education, global issues, and more.

You can read about the activities of IBREA at the UN and around the world and find many helpful tips to help improve your brain health and condition.

Happy Reading! http://brainworldmagazine.com/

Brain Education for Human Development

On Thursday, March 19th, IBREA hosted a workshop for UN staff entitled "Brain Education for Human Development to coincide with "Brain Awareness Week".

The event began with a celebration of the launch of IBREA's new BrainWorld magazine.

The participants also heard from Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg about the basic structure and functions of the brain and from IBREA representatives about Brain Education and Human Development and how Brain Education can contribute to the development of human potential. The session ended with an experiential Brain Education session.

IBREA also announced a new $1 project, where individuals will donate a mere $1 per month in support of United Nations projects. The goal is for 100 million people to join the project.

A UNICEF program that supports parents with HIV/AIDS by providing education to prevent transmission to their children and by providing employment opportunities will be the first specific project the $1 project will support.

Why I Became Interested in the Brain Part 4: The United Nations and Brain Education

After last year's Olympiad, I returned to the U.S. to spend some time learning about the International Brain Education Association (IBREA). IBREA is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to promote excellence in brain education for the betterment of humanity. As part of this mission, IBREA represents KIBS (the Korea Insitute of Brain Science), an NGO (non-governmental organization) in consulative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), at the UN headquarters in New York.

As a representative of KIBS/IBREA, I attended United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) weekly briefings and participated in non-governmental organization (NGO) conferences and committee meetings. As I sat and listened to discussions about the challenges facing the UN and the world, I felt hope in the contribution that Brain Education could make to each and every issue, including health, education, youth, aging, peace, and guardianship of the earth.

I also had the opportunity to take the Brain Education Teaching Workshop (BETW) in Brooklyn, New York, where I joined teachers, social workers, occupational therapists, and parents from schools in the New York area. Over two days, we experienced the 15-week Brain Education for Enhanced Learning (BE for EL) curriculum, which includes exercises and activities focused on the brain itself, resulting in physical, emotional, and cognitive benefits for students. For more information about the program, see http://www.powerbrainedu.com/.

After returning to Canada, I started teaching the BE for EL program at the Burlington and Mississauga Dahn Centres. I was joined by my colleague, MaryAnn, who helped to teach the class after we both graduated from the BE Leadership course. Through the course, we became certified to teach all 30 weeks of the BE for EL curriculum and the BE for Successful Aging program for older adults (or anyone interested in aging successfully :).


I learned a lot from teaching the children's program and watched as the students grew in their confidence, in their ability to concentrate and to regulate their emotions, and in their concern for each other and for the earth. None of this was something we taught them--the program had brought out the natural abilities and qualities they already had inside. At the end when the students shared what they had learned, I was amazed by their wisdom and by the understanding they had of themselves. As a teacher, this was exactly the kind of program I had been looking for and it gave me a lot of hope for the future of education.

In April of this year, we held a BETW in the GTA area and trained 25 teachers and BE instructors. Since then, Brain Education has also been introduced to educators in Ottawa and Calgary and to schools in the Montreal area. There are plans to hold another BETW in the GTA this year.

(On September 30th from 7:40-9 pm the Burlington Dahn Yoga Centre will be hosting a special Introduction to Brain Education Workshop for Teachers. Please visit or call the centre to reserve a spot: 905-681-7215).

So, this is the long answer to why I became interested in the brain. Through this journey, I've learned to trust my own brain and that everyone has the ability to develop their brain's potential and have a positive impact on others. This has given me hope for the future of education, humanity and the earth and is what brought me here to UBE to learn and experience more about the potential of the brain and about the current and future implications of brain education.
I believe that as individuals, families, organizations, and nations look for ways to solve their most serious challenges, effective self-management, organizational-management, and earth-management through using the brain well will be the key to our successful future.

IBREA Volunteer

This summer I had the opportunity to help in the preparations for two major events co-hosted by IBREA at the United Nations.

The 4th International Brain Education Conference on June 20th included UN delegates, representatives from the NGO (Non-governmental Organization) community, principals and teachers, brain education instructors, and parents from around the world. Everyone gathered to hear distinguished speakers including Jill Bolte Taylor, who was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the world's 100 most influential people of the year, and reknowned neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, talk about education and the brain and the success of Brain Education programs in schools and other organizations.

Here's a link to a video of the conference:

http://www.ilchi.com/ilchi-lee/news/transport-yourself-to-the-u.n.-conference-with-ilchi-lee/

The 4th International Brain HSP Olympiad held August 12th was an opportunity for children and adults from around the world to participate in friendly events which showed the potential of the brain. Following the events, a series of lectures highlighted the brain and the cultivation of youth leaders as key to world peace and successful management of the earth.

I am especially proud of "Team Canada" (Marek Kazmierczak, Scott Johnston, Dalton Johnston, and Sam Johnston from Burlington) who with much sincerity participated in HSP events for the first time at the preparation camp and Olympiad. Team Canada came away with two awards: Marek received 1st Place in the HSP Body Sense Perception event and Sam received 3rd Place in the HSP Brain Window event.

Here is a link to an article about the Olympiad, where you can see "Team Canada" member, Scott Johnston, participating in the HSP Gym event and read more about the events and the lectures...

http://www.ilchi.com/ilchi-lee/news/the-4th-international-brain-hsp-olympiad-held-at-the-united-nations/