Keeping the peace at NSCC

LYNN – The goal at Saturday’s “Path to Peace” at North Shore Community College was simple: to spread peace.”This event was part of a series planned by faculty and staff for our annual Arts in April celebration,” said Linda Brantley, director of public relations at NSCC. The event featured a multitude of peacemakers with different methods. But one common mission prevailed: to spread peace.Among the organizers was NSCC professor Yusef Hayes, who, according to Brantley, said “the goal of the peacemakers gathering was to highlight peacemakers of the past and present, and to explore various cultural and spiritual paths to peace.”These lessons are important to remember, and embrace as today’s world becomes more violent, polarized and distressing.”Hayes, who teaches public speaking, interpersonal communications, world religions, and “Understanding Islamic Faith” at the college, organized the event by reaching out to different people that knew, and who he felt would help spread his message.”I’m a beginning student in all of this,” he said. “Within the past 20 years. I’m a beginning tai chi student, a beginning Sufi, a beginning Buddhist, a beginning Hindu.”He wanted to attract “students, the community, a lot of the Lynn community, faculty and staff.”Banners that reached nearly floor to ceiling surrounded the front of the room, featuring faces of people who have inspired peace throughout history, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Wangari Muta Maathai, Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt and many others.The banners had inspiring quotes in large bold letters as well as the history and impact that each figure had on the world.Between speakers, vegetarian snacks were offered and reggae music was played, setting what organizers hoped was a relaxed tone for the environment.Men and women took turns speaking to the crowd about their beliefs and informing them of different ways to achieve peace within themselves and with the world. Among them was Andre Gray, who goes by his chosen name, Maha Visnu. He practices and teaches Bhakti yoga and talked of the connection between Bhakti and peace.”In 30 minutes, we’re all going to be peacemakers,” he said in the introduction to his address.”Those of us who showed up here today, we are the peacemakers. We have to embrace that duty,” he said.He asked the audience to define love, to which they eagerly shouted out words such as full acceptance, forgiveness, compassion, passion, kindness, consideration of others, and pain.He said, “Bhakti means love,” The Bhakti definition of love is, “to understand, learn about and know another person. And then to interact with that person based on that understanding,” he said. “Love is to constantly endeavor to know one another.”Visnu said Bhakti manifests itself in three ways: with ourselves, in relationships with others and with God. It is incorporated into four life principles: “purity of motive, truthfulness, self-mastery and compassion.”While Visnu focused on explaining the Bhakti form of love, which he feels is the purest love, others took the opportunity to express different methods of spreading peace.Aicha Jocelyne Vivien led a “Letters of Light Meditation,” in which she calmly sat before the audience, practiced deep breathing and engaged everyone in a relaxing meditation.She was introduced as someone who is “dedicated to love and helping everybody that she comes across with a very deep sincere joy. It’s very apparent when you meet her.”While Vivien demonstrated meditation through a sitting position while repeating a mantra of French letters, other peacemakers taught the audience different forms of meditation.Joan Amaral, of Marblehead Zen Center, led the audience through a standing meditation, in which her intention was to help people feel grounded.”You’re here,” she said, “You’re occupying a place that no one else can be in. Take your place.”Amaral also instructed participants to turn to another person and stare into his/her eyes for a full minute.”Here’s the