LIHU’E – The Kaua`i County Council is the latest to climb on the bandwagon of Satguru Sivaya Subramuni Yaswami, known as Gurudeva, the Hindu leader who lives with followers on 51 acres in Wailua. In August, Gurudeva received the prestigious
LIHU’E – The Kaua`i County Council is the latest to climb on the bandwagon
of Satguru Sivaya Subramuni Yaswami, known as Gurudeva, the Hindu leader who
lives with followers on 51 acres in Wailua.
In August, Gurudeva received
the prestigious U Thant Peace Award, a United Nations-sponsored honor
previously won by world luminaries Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai
Lama, Mikhail Gorbachev and Mother Teresa.
Gurudeva shared his vision for
world peace with the County Council while being honored by council members
Wednesday.
“My topic (at the United Nations) was `Stop the war in the
home,'” Gurudeva said.
Gurudeva mentioned violent video games and toy guns
as origins of later, more adult violence.
“You can see by recent
happenings” in American schools that students “are really sharpshooters,”
Gurudeva said.
Gurudeva also slipped in a plug for his religion’s world
peace program. A Hindu, he is the spiritual leader of 2.5 million Sri Lankan
Hindus.
“Our religion has no conversion program, so to speak,” he said,
with a chuckle.
Councilman Ron Kouchi praised Gurudeva and his
ideas.
Talked about Guruveda’s often-stated point that everyone is a of
Kaua`i first, Kouchi said, “We have to attain the level of Kaua`ians. We never
see ourselves first as Kaua`ians.”
Staff writer Dennis Wilken can be
reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) and [dwilken@pulitzer.net]
