MANILA, Philippines ? Last January 16, shortly into a flight from New York to Charlotte, North Carolina, US Airways Flight 1549 hit a flock of geese which impacted its engines. Seeing that the jetliner would not safely reach the nearest airfield, the pilot changed its course.

Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger III, 57, a former military and glider pilot, was trained to choose a ditching location near boats for better chances of rescue. The aircraft landed over the Hudson River near midtown Manhattan. It was still intact but slowly sinking. Yet, all the 155 occupants were immediately evacuated.

Consequently, the crew was awarded the Master?s Medal of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators for their heroism. The National Transportation Safety Board lauded Sullenberger and his colleagues: ?These people knew what they were supposed to do and they did it and, as a result, nobody lost their life.?

?He [Sullenberger] just did it without allowing waste thoughts of fear or anxiety or thinking ?Maybe this or maybe that,?? said London-based international speaker and author Jayanti Kirplani. ?[The act was a result of] a quiet, still mind, very sure of what needs to happen. Doing that provided safety for over a hundred people. When we keep our minds still, not empty, but still with richness [of pure thoughts], we?re able to connect with that Guidance. We?re able to experience protection not just for ourselves but for everybody else around us.?

On a recent visit here, Kirpalani spoke on God?s power and protection through silence of the mind. The theme is part of the global initiative of the Brahma Kumaris, a United Nations-affiliated NGO dedicated to values formation.

?In emergency situations today, the mind panics. Or, you think about the person you?re most attached to... At that time, it?s not humans you need to communicate with. You need to keep your mind very still to communicate with the One Above and you?ll experience guidance and protection. This is just a reminder of something you all know about already, but try it and you?ll feel it more and more in your life,? she urged.

Rippling effect

In times of crisis, we only need to tap our inner powers, said Kirpalani. Power is natural quality of spirit, and not an external force.

?On the one hand, we?d prepare for war and the mind is filled with that aggression. On the other hand, we?d say we?re creating peace. It doesn?t make sense to me.?

She said human beings have forgotten that they are creators of their inner and outer worlds. In these times, they need to revert to their awareness within.

The power of silence enables the self to draw the powers of peace, love, truth, purity and joy. Kirpalani defined silence as a sacred space where stillness comes not from making the mind blank but from filling it with treasures.

?If my mind is in turmoil, aggressive or afraid, I?m far away not only from peace but also from love, joy and wisdom, which are the inherent qualities of the self,? she said.

Silence and joy, she pointed out, are connected. Experiencing silence in a positive way enables the person to draw on the wellspring of inner powers.

Kirpalani added that one person can have a rippling effect through thought power.

?One, I experience peace for myself and that is the inner core value. Second, I experience peace in action and express it as a virtue so others can see. The more I do this, the more the power of peace within grows. Third, peace becomes a power, a force, a movement and energy that is able to influence the atmosphere, people, nature and everything around us.?

As one delves into the original awareness of peace, the power of love emerges.

?Love is an open heart that is inclusive, connecting with others, with empathy, with compassion ? a very different type of love than the one that you read about and see in the movies,? she said.

Kindness and compassion are expressions of love.

Apathy

When love is blocked, there is insensitivity or indifference.

?In many parts of the world we protect ourselves physically, mentally and emotionally that we don?t see the suffering of others. How is it possible for a minority to continue to look comfortable at the expense of the majority who?s suffering??

Kirpalani recalled that in a meeting with historian Arnold Toynbee in 1971, she realized that unconcern is just one of the symptoms of decline in values.

Toynbee?s research revealed a pattern ? the weakening of moral fiber resulted in the destruction of great civilizations. The irony today is that, despite the advancements in science and technology, people feel helpless about the world?s fragile conditions.

?Your inner power can bring God?s protection and we can transform this world. Your inner power is going to make things move in the right direction,? she said.

?The greatest disease of humanity today is apathy. We watch things crumble around us. We get rusted and forget to connect with that innate wisdom. We get attracted by all the superficial things and then say, ?The world is like this, everything is false. What can I do???

?We learn to tap into our own inner truth and follow that path of truth in our life. We can collectively turn the time and create a world of truth. Why? When we connect with our inner identity as a spiritual being, we?re able to link with that One Up Above. He can make things happen. But the One Up Above doesn?t have hands and feet, right? So we have to become His hands, feet, and the eyes and ears to make things move so change can happen.?

To experience God?s protection, said Kirpalani, one must keep the mind peaceful to catch His signal and allow the self to be His instrument.

?It isn?t that God will simply send down the blanket that is going to protect us all from the heat of the sun or from the cold climate. God?s protection works in quiet, sometimes dramatic, but incognito ways. One who experiences that divine protection when it?s actually happening, wouldn?t even realize it. It?s just something very natural, something which is part of what you need to do.?

More challenges

In every lecture, Kirpalani always confronts the public with their thoughts about their future.

?What do you think the next six months will hold? More challenges ? relationships, health, finance, maybe a thousand other things? The challenges get bigger. Yet every time you tap into your inner power, you will be able to experience that safety. All I have to do is to connect with the One Above.?

Kirpalani likens God?s protection to a parent being there for the child.

?Even without making that conscious connection, there have been situations where it wasn?t just by chance that you happened to be in the right place at the right time, or you happened to be not in the wrong place, because you were somewhere else. That was His protection. That?s because God is the eternally loving, constantly forgiving compassionate Parent.?

She added that increasing inner power and strengthening core values enable the Almighty to do His work easily.

?Out of love, save God from working overtime. Say, ?I?ll do what You?re asking me do. I know that You?re going to offer protection not only to me but protection to everyone with me and my whole human family.??

Although it seems as if the world is on its deathbed, Kirpalani said it is actually in a transition as the future holds a Paradise. ?We can start experiencing that by working with God now.?

The Brahma Kumaris (890-7960, Makati; 4149421, Quezon City; 046-4133246, Tagaytay) offers free meditation courses.