A Peace Conference continues

Shortened versions of the twelve Prayers for Peace offered at Assisi, Italy
on the Day of Prayer for World Peace, 1986,
and at A Peace Conference,
Clinton, Iowa, 2006

“Peace Seeds” was originally prepared and distributed by
the Association of Unity Churches, PO Box 610, Lee's Summit, MO 64063

THE STORY DOESN’T END
Christian Prayer for Peace

Blessed are the PEACEMAKERS,

for they shall be known as the Children of God.

But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good

to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,

pray for those who abuse you.

To those who strike you on the cheek,

offer the other also,

and from those who take away your cloak,

do not withhold your tunic as well.

Give to everyone who begs from you,

and of those who take away your goods,

do not ask them again.

And as you wish that others would do to you,

do so to them.

THE WAY THINGS ARE
Zoroastrian Prayer for Peace

We pray to God

to eradicate all the misery in the world;

that understanding triumph over ignorance,

that generosity triumph over indifference,

that trust triumph over contempt, and

that truth triumph over falsehood.

THE CALL
Hindu Prayer for Peace

Oh God, lead us from the unreal to the Real.

Oh God, lead us from darkness to light.

Oh God, lead us from death

to immortality.

Shanti, Shanti, Shanti unto all.

O Lord God almighty, may there

be peace in celestial regions.

May there be peace on earth.

May the waters be appeasing.

May herbs be wholesome, and may

trees and plants bring peace

to all.

May all beneficent beings

bring peace to us.

May the Vedic Law propagate peace

all through the world.

May all things be a source of peace to us.

And may thy peace itself bestow peace

on all and may that peace come to me also.

THE DREAM
Buddhist Prayer for Peace

May all beings everywhere plagued

with sufferings of body and mind

quickly be freed from their illnesses.

May those frightened cease to be afraid,

and may those bound be free.

May the powerless find power,

and may people think

of befriending one another.

May those who find themselves in trackless,

fearful wildernesses – the children, the

aged, the unprotected –

be guarded by

beneficent celestials,

and may they swiftly

attain Buddhahood.

THE ESCAPE
Sikh Prayer for Peace

God adjudges us according

to our deeds,

not the coat that we wear.

That Truth is above everything,

but higher still is truthful living.

Know that we attaineth God when we loveth,

and only that victory

endures in consequences

of which no one is defeated.

THE GIFT OF LOVE
Baha’i Prayer for Peace

Be generous in prosperity,

and thankful in adversity.

Be fair in thy judgment,

and guarded in thy speech.

Be a lamp unto those who walk in darkness, and a

home to the stranger.

Be eyes to the blind,

and a guiding light unto the feet
of the erring.

Be a breath of life to the body of humankind,

a dew to the soil of the human heart,
and a fruit upon the tree of humility.

THE GUIDE
Jainist Prayer for Peace

Peace and Universal Love is the essence of the

Gospel preached by all the Enlightened Ones.

The Lord has preached that equanimity

s the Dharma.

Forgive do I creatures all,

and let all creatures forgive me.

Unto all have I amity,

and unto none enmity.

Know that violence is the root cause

of all miseries in the world.

Violence, in fact, is the knot of

bondage.

Do not injure any living

and unalterable way
of spiritual life.

A weapon, howsoever powerful it

may be,
can always be superseded by a superior one;
but no weapon can, however,
be superior to nonviolence and love.

THE OFFENSIVE BEGINS
Muslim Prayer for Peace

In the name of Allah,

the beneficent, the merciful.

Praise be to the Lord of the Universe who has created

us and made us into tribes and nations.

That we may know each other,

not that we may despise each other.

If the enemy incline towards peace, do thou also

incline towards peace, and trust God, for the
Lord is the one that heareth and knoweth
all things.

And the servants of God, Most Gracious,

are those who walk on the Earth in humility,
and when we address them, we say “PEACE.”

THE ONE IN THE CENTER
Shinto Prayer for Peace

Although the people living across the ocean

surrounding us, I believe, are all our brothers
and sisters, why are there constant troubles in
this world?

Why do winds and waves rise in the ocean

surrounding us?

I only earnestly wish that the wind will soon

puff away all the clouds which are hanging over
the tops of the mountains.

THE POWER OF LIGHT
Native African Prayer for Peace

Almighty God,

the Great Thumb we cannot evade
to tie any knot;

The Roaring Thunder

that splits mighty trees;

The all-seeing Lord up on high who sees even the

footprints of an antelope on a rock mass
here on Earth.

You are the one who does not hesitate

to respond to our call.

You are the cornerstone of peace.

THE SECRET OF HEALING
Native American Prayer for Peace

O Great Spirit of our Ancestors,

I raise my pipe to you.

To your messengers

the four winds,
and to Mother Earth
who provides for your
children.

Give us the wisdom to teach our

children to love, to respect,
and to be kind to each other
so that they may grow with
peace in mind.

Let us learn to share all good

things
that you provide for us on this
Earth.

THE SECRET
Jewish Prayer for Peace

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the

Lord, that we may walk the paths of the
Most High.

And we shall beat our swords into ploughshares,

and our spears into pruning hooks.

Nation shall not lift up sword against nation –

neither shall they learn war any more.

And none shall be afraid, for the mouth of the

Lord of Hosts has spoken.