Dec. 4, 2015 Kai Sawyer on Nonviolent Communication - Systems Thinking - Social Change (TOKYO)

Hi Everyone

Been busy transforming myself and looking for deeper ways to bring about radical (root-level) social change. Deepening my understanding of non-violence (ahimsa), systems thinking, and gift economics. I've spent lots of time sharing permaculture, urban permaculture, mindfulness, gift ecology, activism around Japan in many interesting communities. I've just started to realize ho japan is such a diverse country! 

Next year, I'm devoting my time and energy to develop a permaculture and nonviolence dojo somewhere in Chiba. A place for refuge, especially for activists, and a site for training agents of nonviolence. Hope to grow a vibrant forest garden, media center, and training program inspired by places like Schumacher College and the Bullocks Permaculture Homestead. More on that later!

Here is a rare English language event. 

Share widely

Nonviolent Communication* - Systems Thinking - Social Change

An introduction to the world of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and an exploration into radical social/organizational change. The goal of the workshop is for each of us to look deeply into what “moves” us, what “moves” others, and how we can connect deeply to that energy of life. 

How do we communicate in our full authenticity while holding others with loving care? How do we shift from a power-over paradigm to a power-with paradigm, where all life matters equally? We will explore these questions through powerful interactive practices.

Please note that the language of this event is English only.

Price: Donation (gift-economy based)
Please read what we mean by donation
Financial or other resources for support are welcome!

Kai Sawyer is a peace activist, student of nonviolence, and permaculture educator. He completed a NVC International Intensive Training (IIT) in 2011, and a year-long NVC Leadership Program in 2014. He is now an assistant for the NVC Leadership Program and teaches Empathetic Communication (aka NVC) workshops all over Japan and the world. Through his project Tokyo Urban Permaculture, Kai teaches NVC, permaculture, mindfulness, systems thinking, youth empowerment, and gift ecology. Currently, he is experimenting with gift economics and he offers almost all workshops and services as a gift (no set price or obligation to pay) to all those interested. 

About Kai

Tokyo Urban Permaculture/Kai’s Blog

Kai at TEDxTodai

*Kai is not a CNVC "certified" trainer.

TO REGISTER → https://glccommunity.doorkeeper.jp/events/34730

Nov 29 Join the Global Climate March

28th in Tokyo
29th in Kyoto
for more info about Japanese events → http://climate-action-now.jp/parade2015/

Published on Nov 18, 2015
On the eve of the most important global climate meeting of our lifetime, hundreds of thousands are hitting the streets worldwide, with love and hope, to show leaders how to lead, and fight for a beautiful, equitable, post-fossil fuel 100% clean energy future. Find your march here:

http://globalclimatemarch.org

The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible - Charles Eisenstein

Interview on Permaculture Tonight with Matt Powers

During the Gift Ecology Pilgrimage, this guy Matt Powers wanted to meet me to interview me for his podcast "Permaculture Tonight". We met at the Sebastopol Permaculture Skills Center, and did an impromptu interview, you can hear the Japanese pilgrimage crew chowing in the back.  

I don't always know what I'm talking about, but every once in a while I'll manage to say something meaningful. These interviews help me organize my thoughts a bit. I also get to feel uneasy about some of the things I said (thats now public!). 

Episode 7 - Kai Sawyer on Zone Zero & Japanese Urban Permaculture

June 10th, 2015

Talking with Kai Sawyer about zone 0, ourselves, our emotional, spiritual, physical states. Before we even embrace Permaculture we need to be ready - Zone 0 needs to be fertile or at least open for enrichment. Kai Sawyer is leading the urban permaculture movement in Japan. He recently organized over 30 authors and crowfunded an urban permaculture book especially for Japan. 

Kai Sawyer's TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn6FUwzzo_0 

Kai's blog & book: http://livingpermaculture.blogspot.com/

Matt Powers, author of The Permaculture Student, has been teaching in private & public schools in various roles for almost a decade. Matt has a BA in British & American Literature from New York University as well as a MA in Education from National University. He retains his English & History California teaching credentials as well as a permaculture design certification from Geoff Lawton’s online permaculture design course. Matt has worked one on one with some of permaculture’s greatest educators in the process of creating The Permaculture Student and now in his podcast Permaculture Tonight - such as Geoff Lawton, Rosemary Morrow, & Elaine Ingham.

Vision Statement for Permaculture Life School (Sebastopol, CA) – 

“For the past four years I’ve been working at an award-winning charter high school and speaking at conferences teaching teachers about what the future of school will look like and how they can prepare their students for that future. I focused on student choice, problem solving, critical thinking and pattern literacy, but it always fell short of my expectations. When I wrote The Permaculture Student, I realized that permaculture was the backbone of what education should be globally and later I realized: not just curriculum is needed but a new kind of K-12 school.” – Matt

Visit the Indiegogo Campaign for the Permaculture Life School

Permaculture film INHABIT and thoughts on social justice

日本語訳をする気力がない〜
でも、映像は是非見てね！！！

Hey all
Back in Hayama, Japan. Its such a beautiful place with ocean and forest (sort of reminds me of Santa Cruz, CA). The garden I left for a month is bumpin with veggies, surprise! Plant it then forget it....and come back to abundance. That's the power of permaculture design.

While on my life-changing Bay Area tour that included, visiting activists, Gift Ecology Pilgrimage, and the Nonviolent Communication Leadership Program, I was taken by my co-revolutionary Eri to a showing of Inhabit at Impact HUB Oakland. It was quite a culture shock just coming back from Japan, seeing African-American women on stage talking about social justice (especially in the wake of a series of high profile police violence incidences and media attention on persistent structural racism) to a mostly white audience. The theme was permaculture and it was an interesting discussion although I was too culture shocked and jet lagged to fully appreciate it (it was the day after I arrived from Japan).



Below is the event description.

TOPIC: "Evolving the Voice of Permaculture: Race and Gender Inclusivity"
Moderated by Calgary Brown, Impact Hub Oakland & Permaculture Student at the Regenerative Design Institute

• Konda Mason - Founder & CEO, Impact Hub Oakland
• Gail Myers - Founder, Farms to Grow
• Kevin Bayuk - Permaculture Instructor at UPISF and Consultant, LIFT Economy

The event description: 
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/inhabit-a-permaculture-perspective-tickets-16810755422

The culture shock for me comes from the fact that I basically only see Japanese people every day, and social justice seems like a very niche subject in Japan. When I talk about it people sort of stare at me like they sort of get it or like I'm an alien that speaks really good Japanese. The recent tension around US bases in Okinawa might be growing awareness about social justice issues and structural discrimination.

From my experience around permaculture circles, I haven't really heard much about politics x permaculture, and social justice x permaculture. But it seems so fundamental! If permaculture is to have a major positive impact on society and civilization, its hard to imagine not having evolutionary engagement with these pernicious thrones that continue to wound us. Harmful politics and oppressive regimes won't just fizzle out (with or without collapse).

Things do seem to be changing though. And Oakland is a great place for this dialogue to be cultivated, along with many other cities like Detroit and LA (sorry for being US-centric, its where I'm most familiar with). The problem is the solution. We can do this, if our hearts are really into it. A world for the 100%.

Back to the movie.....

The movie INHABIT was really amazing and I wanted to share this far and wide (although I don't know if many people read this blog). Please do share this in your own capacity. Its super beautiful done, concentrated with wisdom, and an exciting (US-centric) mix of permaculture practiced in different contexts. In two words, "its awesome!"


INHABIT: A Permaculture Perspective from Costa on Vimeo.


Before the feature film, they showed the video below. Its a Oakland hip hop style garden and interview with humor and important issues woven in. I'm excited about the diversity of people that permaculture is inspiring. The plants don't discriminate and the Earth accepts all life.



As a bonus, below are my permaculture teachers back in the day. Meet them if you haven't! Its missing Yuriko Bullock who is an expert of happiness!
＊the Bullocks start at 3:10

If you haven't seen the other Global Garderners videos, definitely check them out. Bill is brilliant and it's nice to see examples of permaculture in various contexts.

Gift Ecology Pilgrimage (updated)

日本語はこちら
*this article is being edited so it is impermanent. Please do check out the links!

The Great Adventure begins!

A pilgrimage of 14 Japanese adventurers to places founded on the principles of ecology, compassion, and social transformation in the magical Bay Area. An experiment that will change our lives in some way, and shine light on what is possible. This will be a journey of hope and inspiration, full of cross-cultural pollination.

WHAT I DO (for context)

These visits to the West Coast are an important source of inspiration for my “work” in Japan. In Japan, the title that I go by (and that people know me by) is 共生革命家 (Kyoosei kakumeeka).  First two characters mean co-existence or inter-being, next two mean revolution, the last is home. My purpose in life has increasingly become focused on figuring out how I can best serve humanity and the earth. I love it, what could be more meaningful than that?!!! More and more, I feel guided on this path of interdependence and liberation.

My work consists of a variety of experiments in and around Tokyo that include guerilla seed planting,  guerrilla gardening, meditation flash mobs..... I also teach permaculture, compassionate communication (based on Nonviolent Communication), mindfulness, facilitation skills, gift ecology, etc. I've been experimenting with a gift economy based livelihood and that has been a really interesting journey. Almost all my workshops/presentations have no price set, there is no obligation to pay, its my gift. In fact, I want everybody to know how to live ecologically and compassionately, so I'm trying to remove as many barriers to that knowledge as possible. Money is often a major divider, so without a price, I'll get people who lost their jobs, students, professionals, and even bankers! But, I do invite people to support me if they like what I teach, what I do, or just are inspired to contribute. I was transformed by Goenka's vipassana meditation centers. They practice a pay-it-forward system, and so your 10-day meditation retreat (clean sleeping space, food, service) is already paid for! Definitely try it out! 

Since I stopped living on farms, and now do my social change experiments in Tokyo and across the Pacific, I've moved back to a higher consumption (lower material production) life-style. (if you are interested in how I used to live, click here) But, I have this belief that if the work I do is meaningful, somehow I will be supported to do it. It's been 2 years, I'm thriving, and I have a diverse global support network! So this gift economy works, or more accurately, I am alive and it is the path I am now on. I'm meeting more and more people who live and practice the gift economy, like Mark Boyle in England, Pancho in Oakland, Nipun Mehta in Santa Clara, and numerous more. My brother just moved to the Possibility Alliance, which seems to be a major hub for gift economics. Exciting!!!

*more on my experiments and books

THE TOUR

With my friend Eri Suzuki, we planned a tour to meet amazing sustainability activists and experience life-regenerating sites. The tour was primarily focused on urban permaculture, but then I added in agroecology, and then just had to integrate the gift economy. There is a lot of overlap here, and for me these are the foundations for the next era of humanity. The tour is also a "gift" in itself to the participants. 12 Japanese have come together to visit these sites with us and explore the gift economy, or as I now refer to it, the gift ecology. Its not just an economy. Life is a gift, air is a gift, water is a gift, sun is a gift, trees are a gift. Without these gifts, our lives would not be possible. Our economy needs these foundational "free" inputs. Without the ecosystem, our economy would not exist. So we all live in a gift ecology, but often our minds are heavily focused on the conventional economy, and one-on-one exchange. People are always giving us things too, and we are always giving others things, no matter how "poor" we are. In fact, our parents (and/or care-givers) give us so much for us to be alive today. Our life is a gift or the Earth and our human family.

Back to the tour. So, we took a leap of faith, and while there are real costs that require money, we decided to gift it to the tour participants in a similar manner as my workshops. They have no obligation to pay, but they are invited to contribute if their heart is inspired. And we extended the invitation to everybody. Lots of people are contributing to us for this experiment, people who have generously donated money, people who have offered their homes, people who are excited to make us a delicious meal, people who are in Japan helping coordinate logistics and media. It's quite the trip! It really feels like an ecology of goodness.

Our hope is that this will create a solid ripple in our consciousness. The tour is just one experiment in a larger global movement. Eri and I are changing, the participants will probably be transformed, those that give to the tour will probably experience something special, and the story will spread beyond our imagination. We are creating a new reality together. Join us! You can contribute to this experiment, start your own, or join one of the amazing people/places in the links below. The transformation comes from giving. We live in a gift ecology. Yay!

Contact us if you are wanting to be involved in someway (or leave a comment). Our response might be a bit slow but we'll make sure to get back. And if you want to contribute financially, you can donate to the experiment too! Click on the Donate button on the right of the blog and please leave a comment (we want to know what moved you!)

tup2015baytour(a)gmail.com  change the (a) to @

Below is the schedule for our pilgrimage. All are super highly recommended places (with beautiful people), so if you are in the area (or even if you are not), please go visit and experience them. These are places that demonstrate solutions. And the people are dedicated to revolutionary sustainable living and radical social change. We're all in this together.

THE PILGRIMAGE

May 31 ARRIVAL

• 1~3pm Karma Kitchen in Berkley 
• Head to Los Gatos to stay with Plum Village friends Sally and Beem
• Sangha meditation at Sally and Beems

JUNE 1 AGROECOLOGY@University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC)

• 10:30 Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems with Tim Galarneau
• 12:30 Alan Chadwick garden with former apprentice Ben Kutcher
• 3:30 Kresge Garden and Common Ground Center tour with Dave Shaw
• 5pm World Cafe with students on the gift economy 
• 7pm Kai will present at UCSC's Education for Sustainable Living Program on the Fukushima nuclear crisis, sustainable living, gift ecology.
• 8:30 pm Back to Sally and Beems with natural farming giftivists Suhee and Patrik http://www.finalstraw.org

JUNE 2 Alternative Santa Cruz & PICA

• 10 - 1pm Alternative Santa Cruz tour (e.g. Bike Santa Cruz County, Bike Church, Santa Cruz Fruit Tree Project) with Tawn Kennedy
• 4 - 5pm Program in Community and Agroecology (PICA) tour with Mira Michelle
• 6pm Potluck at PICA with sustainability activists!

JUNE 3 Food and Meditation

• 10 - 2pm Homeless Garden Project with Jes Walton
• 2:30 Downtown Farmers Market with foodies of Santa Cruz
• 5pm talk with Nipun Mehta (check out his evolutionary TEDx talk)

7 pm Awakin Santa Clara community meditation and meal with the Mehtas

11 pm Casa De Paz / Canticle Farm

JUNE 4 Canticle Farm (Meditation, Farm work, Food prep)

• Meditation
• Casa de Paz/Canticle Farm tour and presentation of the project 
• All day do things with Pancho and Sam

JUNE 5 Canticle Farm

• Meditation
• All day preparation for Awakin at Casa de Paz 
• 19:00 ~ Awakin circle@Casa De Paz

JUNE 6 EAST BAY PERMACULTURE

• 7:00am Meditation
• 10am~ at A Place for Sustainable Living Tour and garden project
• 14:30 ~ Bioasis 
• 16:00 ~ Ashby community garden
• 18:00 ~ Sustainability agents, potluck BBQ at Ayakos

JUNE 7 EAST BAY PERMACULTURE 2

• 10am ~ Gill tract farm with Allison Shiozaki
• Lunch at Bay Edo Wakana Kawamura’s place with revolutionary Japanese women
• 1pm ~ Transition Town Albany garden tour 
• 3pm ~ Edible Schoolyard tour
• 4:50pm~ Berkley Food Forest

JUNE 8 Occidental Arts and Ecology (OAEC & Sebastopol)

• 11am ~ 12:30pm OAEC tour
• Sebastopol Community Market 
• Sebastopol Permaculture Skills Center tour

JUNE 9 San Francisco

• 10:00 All In Common Garden and talk to Tree

JUNE 10 Each on their own path


After that, some will visit the magnificent Giant Sequoias and I will head to the Nonviolent Communication Leadership Program retreat (NVC). NVC has been an integral part in helping me understand the gift ecology, and committing deeper to this path.

I also want to super highly recommend Vinoba Bhave's book, "Moved by Love." He is a remarkable man that I am surprised I never knew. I heard about him from Nipun, Pancho, Satish Kumar, and a friend who started the Sloth Club in Japan, gave me this book.

More ripples to come.
Step by step, as we kiss the Earth
We can heal our hearts
and be moved a little more by love

Love life
Love people
Love the Earth

Student of life
Kai

Updates and Invitation to participate on our Gift Ecology experiment!

日本語は下のリンクをクリック！（写真と映像付きだよ〜）

http://tokyourbanpermaculture.blogspot.jp/2015/05/tup_26.html

Below is a write up from Eri since I'm snailing with all my tasks! Lots more details I want to add so I will do that in the next few days. The link above has pictures and videos of me explaining my understanding of the gift ecology (starting from our breath), and an explanation about how this tour came about.

-----------below is my super organizer partner Eri Suzuki-------------

Updates and Invitation to participate on our Gift Ecology experiment!

It’s been two months since we embarked on this experimental project. Here are some updates on our gift ecology based “Life Transforming California permaculture tour.” In this project we are offering an experiential tour showcasing Bay Area’s leading models of urban permaculture, agroecology and concrete examples of life in the gift ecology.

Here are some updates and reflection so far from Eri.

We received over 40 applications and we have selected 12 participants!

It’s been quite exciting but also challenge to make this a reality. I’ve been learning what it really means to make the tour as a gift and what it takes to make this a successful project.

I participated at Karma Kitchen and here is what I’ve learned as a key. The most important thing is to cultivate the sense of abundance. A gift becomes the true gift when it is given without expectations and this shift the mentality from transaction and what is exchanged no longer becomes a commodity. The receivers of the gifts are then moved to pay forward the gifts that they have received, and this is how the community of gifts spreads.

My experience with Karma kitchen made me want to make our tour to be the trigger of the ripple effects of gift community in Japan. The Karma kitchen started with the group of people who believed in the vision and contributed in the way then can providing resources like initial funding, ingredients for food, location for the restaurant, and man power for cooking, and serving etc. and the cycle of gifts all started.

This tour is at this first stage for the cycle of gifts! It’s been incredible how much support and encouraging word I have received from people that I shared the story with. I have been learning so much through this experience and I wish to share this experience with others. I would like too invite people to join in so we can all feel the sense of abundance we can create together in resources and in capital (both monetary and socially).

It was so inspiring for me to see people approaching us offering a support. For me, getting more and more people coming to us offering help is the proof of the power of gift ecology. Through this attempts, we are creating an ecosystem of support. I am so grateful and excited to share this experience with them.

In this perfect timing, a wonderful support came from Rie in Japan.

Here are some messages from her to invite more people to join her!

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Hi, this is Rie. I am starting to support the operation in Japan. Here is a little about me and the reason why I wanted to join to support.

I work for a company in Tokyo. Whenever I interact with young people lately, I feel they have so much potential but no energy. I think it may be due to some distrust to the society and the inter-generational conflicts that became more pronounced in Japan after the earthquake and increased unemployment. Whatever the reason may be, I want them to have more hope and create the world they want to live. As a way to start supporting this vision, I decided to help this tour.

I have received many gifts in my life. I am in contact with Kai and Eri who have the wonderful vision and courageously putting it into action. Having to work with them itself is a gift for me. To connect with others and create a future together is a wonderful gift. Whether you give or receive, it is a gift of exciting experience regardless of the involvement. Come join me to the world of gift!

The gifts offered to us so far

＊Kai: Community building in Japan, desing and coordinate tour, interpreting, providing workshop during the tour

＊Eri: Community building in Bay area, communication in Japan and Bay area, tour arrangement, interpreting, translating,

＊Rie: Tour operational support in Japan, communication in Japan

＊Pancho and Sam: East Bay accomodation and guide

＊Ayako: East Bay accomodation

＊Bonnie, Allison, Wakana:     East Bay guide

＊Wakana, Yuka,  Bill:  East Bay meals

Our Needs: Costs to cover

	Cost
Accomodation	$2,100	$50 per nights ×3 nights ×14people
Car rental	$1,800	$90× 2 mini van ×10 days
Gas etc	$500	$50×10days
For tour guide	$600	$100 per person per day x 6
Flight for Kai	$1000

• Eri and Kai are working to get accommodation from friends, many started to offer to be the guide as a gift and we are looking for innovative ways to reduce our cost.

Three of us have worked really hard and enjoyed the process to meet the challenge to practice gift ecology. We are inviting more people to join this trial as a gift supporter!

We are mainly looking for a support in Japan but wherever you are, if you wish to contribute, please let us know.

Please fill in the following form if you want to join us as a supporter.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1CzNAnoB8-0_YjINUduiU_qx_Rhbe1RlQRs_oO651BXk/viewform

①    Funding support

For those who wish to support the tour and the gift ecology project beyond the tour, please let us know. Those in Japan can deposit the money in the following account. Please send us your message, too!

From Yucho bank:

■Bank	Yucho bank
■Account name	ティーユーピーパーマカルチャードウノカイ （TUP パーマカルチャー道の会）
■Kigo	１０２１０
■Number	１６７６５２１１

From the bank other than Yucho bank

■Bank	Yucho bank
■Account name	ティーユーピーパーマカルチャードウノカイ （TUP パーマカルチャー道の会）
■Code for bank type	９９００
■Brunch number	０２８
■Brunch name	〇二八 店（ゼロニハチ店）
■Type	普通預金
■Account number	１６７６５２１

②    Operational support → Starting with running the tour and other projects beyond

No needs for professional experience if you have a heart to help! But if you have any, please let us know if you have any area of expertise that you want to contribute.

③　Program/Project support → Starting the tour, we would like to spread the community of gift ecology. If you like to go for the journey for the gift world in hosting the event for us, in PR, in support for event planning and management, please let us know!

For questions, please contact us here (to Rie) tup2015gift@gmail.com

Thank you so much!!!

Symphony of Peace Prayers 2015 (+ the Future of Leadership Forum)

English first

日本語は下だよ〜

Today, I'm helping out with the Future Of Leadership Forum in Tokyo. This started last year when Lynn Twist came to Japan. Then tomorrow, my good friend and giftivist Yuka Saionji invited me to the event below. I'm just so grateful to have so many friends who live to bring peace in themselves and in the world. We have an abundance of creative young peacemakers!!! Thank you thank you thank you.

2015 Symphony of Peace Prayers ceremony, to be held on May 17, 2015 at Fuji Sanctuaryand around the world.

Every year, the SOPP at Fuji is a large-scale event, welcoming many thousands of participants along with an international group of prayer leaders and guests. This year, we are hosting a very special SOPP, in which leaders in many different fields-including politics, business, science, education, and the arts-will join with religious and spiritual leaders from around the world to celebrate the inauguration of the Fuji Declaration.

The Fuji Declaration is an international charter that seeks to awaken the sacred consciousness-the divine spark-in all humanity, in order to spur a transformation in our civilization and create a more peaceful, harmonious way of life on the planet Earth. The declaration has been endorsed by a wide range of prominent individuals around the world who support its ideals and goals.

As a global celebration of harmony and oneness where people from all different backgrounds join together to pray for peace and create a better world, the SOPP at Fuji Sanctuary was seen as the perfect occasion to inaugurate this historic document. Already, the staff of Byakko Shinko Kai are busy preparing and upgrading the grounds of Fuji Sanctuary to get ready for this momentous occasion!

And of course, the 2015 SOPP will include its core programs of ‘Praying with the Religions of the World’ and ‘Prayers for Peace in Each Country and Region’. We are looking forward to conducting these programs with the many new guests and participants who will be experiencing them for the first time. It is our hope that in launching the Fuji Declaration amidst the harmonious, unifying energy of the SOPP, the combined power of these two events will further expand their reach, urging humanity to awaken to its true, divine nature even one day sooner.

The 2015 SOPP ceremony at Fuji Sanctuary is free of charge and open to all. Please contact us if you are interested in attending or need further information. The ceremony will also be broadcast live over the internet, and we invite everyone to tune in. The link for the webcast will be posted here closer to May 17.

Even if you will not be in Japan this May, we hope you will take part in the SOPP by attending or organizing a local ceremony or prayer gathering. The SOPP website has a map with events taking place around the world, and many inspiring resources to help you create your own beautiful peace gathering. If you will be hosting an event or even praying at home on your own, please register on the SOPP website and let us know about it! The more people who take part, the stronger the vibrations of peace and harmony we will send out across the world!

May Peace Prevail on Earth!



ギフトエコノミー仲間の
ゆかちゃんから
こんな集まりに誘われたよ〜

因に僕は特定の宗教に属してはないけど、
スピリチャリティーは育てている
全ての命との繋がり
インタービーイング
平和・慈悲・愛

Symphony of Peace Prayersとは「シンフォニー・オブ・ピース・プレーヤーズ（ＳＯＰＰ）」は、さまざまな宗教を信仰する人々が一堂に会し、輝かしい未来の平和を創造してゆくための聖なる場であります。
ＳＯＰＰの目的は、参加者が異なる宗教の真理、歴史、儀式、教義に理解を深めつつ、お互いの祈りを尊重し、祈り合うことにより、平和なひびきを世界中に発信しつづけてゆくことであります」　
― 富士聖地ＳＯＰＰでの西園寺昌美のスピーチより

ＳＯＰＰは、”平和に向けた意識変革”の一つのムーブメントとして、毎年５月に世界中で開催されている行事です。平和な未来の創造は、私たち一人一人の心から始まります。信仰、信条、民族、国籍、経歴など、あらゆる違いを超えてＳＯＰＰの場に集まられた人々は、平和で調和した世界を体験し、自らの心の平和が世界に向けて広がってゆくことを実感されることでしょう。

さまざまな平和の祈りを共に祈るＳＯＰＰのコアとなるのは、祈りのプログラムです。「各宗教・宗派の祈り」のセレモニーでは、さまざまな宗教の平和の祈りを各宗教の代表者が祈り、参加者もその祈りやメッセージを唱和します。そこにいるすべての人が、お互いの平和を祈り合うのです。
祈りには力があります。皆で心を合わせて祈る平和の祈りは、大いなる力となって発信されてゆきます。参加者は、固有の宗教を持っていなくても構いません。平和に向けて、心から共に祈ろうと望む方が、意識改革の潮流を創り出してゆくのです。
人々がそれぞれの宗教の平和の祈りを祈ろうと心を開くと、その場は愛と平和のメッセージに包まれてゆきます。その愛と平和への願い、祈りこそ、すべての宗教やスピリチュアルな教えの真髄であると言えましょう。さまざまな教えを信奉する人々が一堂に会し、共に平和な世界を築くという目標を持つことで、人類は一つであるという意識に大きく近づいてゆくのです。
年々、ＳＯＰＰに参加する人は多くなっています。毎年５月の定期的なセレモニーに加え、年間を通して、世界各地で開かれているスピリチュアルな平和の行事（９月のインターナショナル・ディ・オブ・ピースや、その他の平和の催し）ともつながってきています。

国連本部総会議場での行事の中で行なわれたSOPP
2013年2月14日、アメリカ・ニューヨークの国際連合本部総会議場で、「United for a Culture of Peace Through Interfaith Harmony（宗教間の調和を通じた平和の文化のための結束）」という行事が開催され、第2部の中で「シンフォニー・オブ・ピース・プレヤーズ（SOPP）」が行なわれました。このプログラムでは、11人の宗教代表者が、各宗教宗派の平和の祈りを行ない、その冒頭で、本会西園寺昌美会長が、SOPPの提唱者としてスピーチを行ないました。
国連総会議場で宗教の祈りが行なわれるのは異例のことでしたが、この日、人々は「いかなる宗教信仰があろうとも、平和のもとに一つになれる」ということを謳い上げ、厳かで美しい平和の祈りの交響曲を奏でました。