Peace Is the Way: Bringing War and Violence to an End

Deepak Chopra?s passionate new book, Peace Is the Way, was inspired by a saying from Mahatma Gandhi: "There is no way to peace. Peace is the way." In a world where every path to peace has proved futile, the one strategy that hasn?t been tried is the way of peace itself. "We must not bring one war to an end, or thirty," Chopra tells us, "but the idea of war itself."

How can this be done?

By facing the truth that war is satisfying, and then substituting new satisfactions so that violence is no longer appealing. "War has become a habit. We reach for it the way a chain smoker reaches for a cigarette, promising to quit but somehow never kicking the habit." But Chopra tells us that peace has its own power, and our task now is to direct that power and multiply it one person at a time.

Behind the numbing headlines of violence running out of control there are unmistakable signs of a change — Chopra believes that a majority of people are ready to see an end to war. "Right now 23 million soldiers serve in armies around the world. Can?t we find ten times that number who will dedicate themselves to peace? A hundred times?"

Peace Is the Way challenges each of us to take the next leap in personal evolution. "You aren?t asked to be a saint, or to give up any belief. You are only asked to stop reacting out of fear, to change your allegiance from violence to peace." In a practical seven-step program, Chopra shows the reader how to become a true peacemaker. "Violence may be innate in human nature, but so is its opposite: love. The next stage of humanity, the leap which we are poised to take, will be guided by the force of that love." This is more than a hope or an aspiration. It is a new way of being in the world, giving each individual the power to end war in our time.

"Chopra's latest work is prefaced by endorsements from four Nobel Peace Laureates, Muhammad Ali and an impressive array of other notables. Here, the Indian-born doctor and author of the bestselling The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success and other popular spiritual guides contends that the deeply ingrained human habit of resorting to violence can be ended by raising the consciousness of individuals until there is a global change in awareness, similar to the shift that took place when the age of science took hold. Chopra, whose bestsellers and celebrity-friendliness have saddled him with a reputation for being guru to the rich and comfortable, is refreshingly honest about the way our comfort and security are ultimately the fruits of war. 'The satisfaction of waging war cannot be replaced by philosophy or religion,' he writes. In addition to analysis, he offers daily practices of meditation, thought and actions on behalf of others as a way to live the truth of Mahatma Gandhi's famous quote: 'There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.' Ultimately, however, the ego itself has to be disarmed to live the way of peace, he says: 'For me as an individual to be free, I have to confront myself with questions about who I really am, and this is done in large part by examining the layers of false identity that I mistakenly call me.' This is clearly harder to practice than it is to read. Still, Chopra's affirmation that 'our true identity is at the level of spirit and nowhere else' has the ring of truth and so does the rest of this simple, practical, inspiring book. Major ad/promo. (Jan. 18)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Thinking about peace is already a powerful means to contribute to peace. I recommend this book to all those who want to create peace." Boutros Boutros-Ghali, President, Egyptian Commission for Human Rights, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations

?Deepak Chopra brings the idea of peace and the power it has over conflict, hatred, and despair into focus. He offers a clear pathway to make this world a better place for us all. Deepak often says what you think about and bring into consciousness expands. He invites us all to bring the vision of peace to the forefront of our individual and collective consciousness, where our thoughts will manifest into reality. Oh what a wonderful world this could be.? Muhammad Ali, U.N. Ambassador of Peace

Presents the thesis that war and violence have become appealing and addictive and that the idea of peace can gain a stronghold once indiviuals become more conscious of its power and actively engage in bringing peace into their own lives.

Deepak Chopra is one of the world?s bestselling spiritual authors and the founder of the Chopra Center in Carlsbad, California.

If you would like to become part of a global community of conscious peace makers, please visit www.chopra.com and click under ?News from Deepak.? Also visit Alliance for the New Humanity at www.anhglobal.org.

War ends today — The way of peace — The specter of "them" — Beyond toxic nationalism — The myth of security — Diabolical creativity — The politics of the soul — (Still) mad as hell — Why does God want war? — The metaphysics of terror — The body at peace — Our best hope.