Meetings

Lack of empathy is atrophy of the soul.

The scale and brutality of suffering that Russia has inflicted on the Ukrainian people and its declared readiness to unleash the nuclear apocalypse, on the one hand,—and the indifference and denial of the Russian masses as to the real motives and actions of their rulers, on the other,—seem to warrant a view that Russia has become the cancer of our world.

That “Russia” which the Roerichs hoped to see prosperous in the future and which is envisioned in the Agni Yoga teachings, has no relationship to the present-day all-but-failed state that bears, and defiles, this name. Today’s Russia is the expression of the gang of Putin’s cronies and neo-fascists. It is ruled and exploited, and plundered solely for their personal gain.

The argument of "geopolitics" to justify Russia's war is a faulty intellectual excuse of moral and ethical evil. Post-WWII Japan and Germany, as well as China, so far, over the last 30 years, are examples of how to become a respectable participant in "geopolitics" in the modern world.

Eight months into Russia’s war against Ukraine, the divide between pro and anti-war Agni Yoga followers has become insurmountable. The divide goes all the way to the most basic human values and principles. Among pro-war groups, societies and institutions, we see support for clearly and unmistakably fascist ideology, fed by we-are-the-chosen-people nationalism, pseudo-patriotism and the dead-letter interpretation of some of the Roerichs’ statements about Russia, taken out of context. Even mass murder through the use of nuclear weapons is justified—by the ever more insane rhetoric of Goebbels-inspired propaganda.

We see how thirty plus years of “studying” Agni Yoga and preaching “Living Ethics” to others can still leave a zealot lacking even the most rudimentary sense of humanity.

There is a degree of ignorance, lack of intelligence, and susceptibility to the most blatant lies which deprives a person of the moral right to be regarded as “human”. Pro-Putin and pro-war so-called Roerichites are all in this category. They bear full responsibility for war crimes being committed in Ukraine They bear full responsibility for the persecution and prosecution of the few honest and brave people left in Russia. They have betrayed “Russia”, they have betrayed the Roerichs, they have betrayed the Master.

Two of the most interesting points of discussion occurred regarding the preamble to the current translation of The Call. In the original, the lines
You who gave the Ashram,
And you who gave two lives,
are addressed to "him" in the first line, and to "her" in the second. In English this distinction is lost and discussion ensued over whether it is necessary to preserve it and, if so, how to do it.

Another case from the preamble, leading to a heated discussion, was the line "I am—your Bliss": Is the term "Bliss" the correct translation of "Благо" in the original? It was agreed that it is not, and other English variants were discussed.