Dag Hammarskjold was Secretary General of the United Nations from 10 April 1953 until 18 September 1961 when he died in a plane crash while
on a peace mission in the Congo. He became famous for constructing a meditation room in the middle of the enormous United Nations building in New York. In a leaflet for visitors he describeds the room as follows:
"We all have within us a center of stillness surrounded by silence.
This house [the UN], dedicated to work and debate in the service of peace, should
have one room dedicated to silence in the outward sense and stillness in the
inner sense.
It has been the aim to create in this small room a place where the doors
may be open to the infinite lands of thought and prayer.
People of many faiths will meet here, and for that reason none of the
symbols to which we are accustomed in our meditation could be used.
However, there are simple things which speak to us all with the same
language. We have sought for such things and we believe that we have found them
in the shaft of light striking the shimmering surface of solid rock.
So, in the middle of the room we see a symbol of how, daily, the light of
the skies gives life to the earth on which we stand, a symbol to many of us of
how the light of the spirit gives life to matter.
But the stone in the middle of the room has more to tell us. We may see it
as an altar, empty not because there is no God, not because it is an altar to an
unknown god, but because it is dedicated to the God whom man worships under many
names and in many forms.
The stone in the middle of the room reminds us also of the firm and
permanent in a world of movement and change. The block of iron ore has the
weight and solidity of the everlasting. It is a reminder of that cornerstone of
endurance and faith on which all human endeavour must be based.
The material of the stone leads our thoughts to the necessity for choice
between destruction and construction, between war and peace. Of iron man has
forged his swords, of iron he has also made his ploughshares. Of iron he has
constructed tanks, but of iron he has likewise built homes for man. The block of
iron ore is part of the wealth we have inherited on this earth of ours. How are
we to use it?
The shaft of light strikes the stone in a room of utter simplicity. There
are no other symbols, there is nothing to distract our attention or to break in
on the stillness within ourselves. When our eyes travel from these symbols to
the front wall, they meet a simple pattern opening up the room to the harmony,
freedom and balance of space.
There is an ancient saying that the sense of a vessel is not in its shell
but in the void. So it is with this room. It is for those who come here to fill
the void with what they find in their center of stillness."
SacredSpace102fm was a weekly programme produced by "Come & See Inspirations" in West Limerick. The programme included inspirational music, chat, interviews, what’s on locally and not so locally and a reflection on the Sunday gospel reading of the day. It was presented by John Keily, regular panelists, contributors and invited guests. Programmes are available to be listened to online on our podcast pages.
Dag Hammarskjold hits the spot every time !
ReplyDeleteHis book Markings is remarkable and one I always gain much from- challenging too !
Thank you
Blessings