A Conversation with Sister Jayanti, Brahma Kumaris Leader at Parliament House

Please join me for a conversation over afternoon tea with Sister Jayanti, Additional Administrative Head of The Brahma Kumaris and Director of the Brahma Kumaris Europe and the Middle East.

My favourite meditation voice is that of Sister Jayanti and she generously shared a meditation on optimism with me.

When I asked her what makes her optimistic, Sister Jayanti told me, “Just as nature goes through its cycles, and day will definitely follow the darkest night, although there are many things that feel very dark at the moment, there is a conviction that light will not only penetrate the darkness but banish it - so that the day will begin. Legends and myths of every civilisation have remembered that the power of good ultimately conquers evil. This is the optimism with which I hold a vision for a better world.”

Sister Jayanti is a spiritual teacher for precisely these times. For more than 50 years, hers has been a life of daily spiritual practice woven into a life that seeks to support and uplift others. In these unstable times, her presence is one of deep peace and the kind of hope that can move us forward. She is relevant, soothing, and practical and, understands the serious challenges that people face.  She connects authentically.

Born in India, Sister Jayanti’s family moved to England when she was a child. She began her life’s path of spiritual study and service with The Brahma Kumaris at the age of 19. Sister Jayanti embodies a unique blend of Eastern wisdom and Western education and culture; imparting the deepest spiritual truths with the utmost clarity. Her prominent speaking themes include leadership, environment & climate change, women ́s empowerment; health & well-being, racial harmony, inter-religious friendships & global peace.

On Leadership:  "When there is a gentler spirit at work in leadership, where there is love and truth, then leadership takes on a force for good."

United Nations: The Brahma Kumaris is an international non-governmental organisation of the United Nations, accredited with General Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council. Sister Jayanti has been the organisation's representative to the UN in Geneva since 1982. She has participated in UN conferences and projects connected to the environment and climate change, women, development, youth and other major international projects for the UN. Sister Jayanti has championed the cooperative role of spiritual organisations in creating a just and peaceful world. She has brought spiritual principles to the discussion tables of politicians, economists, business leaders, scientists and nearly every stakeholder of our times.

Meditation & Consciousness: “Meditation is an opportunity to take our consciousness to a higher level’

Sister Jayanti's day-to-day work includes spiritual teaching and providing spiritual guidance to students of The Brahma Kumaris, the seeking public at all levels of society, and global leaders. She has travelled in over 100 countries, sharing the teachings of Raja Yoga Meditation. She has recorded hundreds of meditation commentaries, providing inspiration, insight, relaxation and calm to people globally. As an author, Sister Jayanti has written several books on spirituality in daily life.

Environment - Climate Change: “Materialistic consumerism is the major cause for the environmental crisis we are facing. The spiritual life is love and respect for the self, for other human beings, for all forms of life and all aspects of nature.”

Since 2009, Sister Jayanti has headed The Brahma Kumaris delegation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP) and has spoken internationally on the link between consciousness and climate change. In 2018, she led meditation sessions at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January and at the European Commission’s EU Sustainable Energy Week Conference in Brussels.

Women: Sister Jayanti was a delegate to the International Women’s Year Conference, Berlin in 1975, which heralded the start of the United Nations Decade for Women. Women’s empowerment remains especially close to her heart. She is a member of the Global Peace Initiative of Women.

Inter-religious Friendship: Sister Jayanti is a Member of the Board of Religious Leaders of the Elijah Interfaith Institute. She was an advisor to the Council for the Parliament of the World ́s Religions in 1993 and gave a major presentation at the Parliament itself.