Ringing In A New Age

Gongmaster Don Conreaux Presents Karnataka's Gurus With Peace Bells, Teaches Children The Blessings Of Spiritual Gongs
During the recent inauguration of Shri Tae's Mission and New Temple of Understanding, Conreaux was on hand to lend an International air of spiritual and secular peacekeeping to the events.

Carefully carrying one of his special bronze gongs with him from New York, Conreaux demonstrated his instictive but well-grounded art for the many South Indian spiritual masters he met. He performed a special gong ceremony for Shri Tae, including dancing swirls of his instrument that provided for waves of resonance throughout the new Temple. He later repeated the performance for Swami Niranjan of the neighboring Ambika Annapoorneshwari Temple, delighting a roomful of the South Indian state of Karnataka's top spiritual, political, educational and industrial leaders.

He similarly presented peace bells to both spiritual leaders for the creation of Peace Bell Gardens at both temples, part of the World Peace Bell Garden movement Conreaux has been leading since the signing of the INF Nuclear Disarmament world treaty in 1987. The peace bells, he explained, were forged from dismantled armaments. The creation of the new Peace Bell gardens are part of a worldwide network of similar holy places around the globe. To date, the World Peace Bell Gardens movement has established sites in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia, with further developments in South America expected in the coming year.


The highlights of Conreaux's activities during the late March inaugural ceremonies for Shri tae's new mission, though, came in a pair of public activities for South India's children and common populace.

For a gathering of several hundred wide-eyed and appreciate local orphans, the renonwed gongmaster performed a mesmerizing gong demonstration that ended with the teaching of the international peace greeting. He showed the adoring children how to open ones hands to offer peace, how to close them to offer friendship; he dem,onstrated how to show others, without words, how one listens to others' needs, feels'another's feelings; how to honor the source in one and vow to work together, to recognize the oneness of all. He chanted and taught sayings of peace in a variety of languages.

On stage before the thousands that attended the new Temple of Knowledge's inauguration, the Gongmaster gave another full demonstration of the resonances of the instrument he's mastered and used as a tool for expounding peace and spirituality for over 30 years now. His devotion and grace, his gentleness and deep spiritual ties to shared humanity touched all in attendance.

"You will spread your word around the world. You need not worry about money. Your mission is of the highest order," he was later told by Swami Niranjan, channeling the great Hindi goddess Lakshmi, in the guru's sacred Bombay temple.

Conreaux smiled at the blessing.

"It's great to make connections in a place as spiritually important as this," he said of the sites he'd visited in South India. "It strengthens the entire network of peace gardens we are building. It's all part of bringing the world around to sanity."

For further information on Gongmaster Don Conreaux and his art, as well as the burgeoning World Peace Bell Garden movement he founded, please visit the website