MANILA, Philippines—A Londoner, who worked in a big architecture company, became blind and turned into a feeble and bitter man. Somehow, he found his way to a meditation workshop by respected spiritual teacher Jayanti Kirplani, who taught him how to “sparkle and shine” despite his broken body.

By looking inward, the blind man was able to “detach” himself from his physical body and “recognize” his inner value, Kirplani said.

Transformed, the blind man became a confident and positive man and regained control of his life.

“The less abled have very little understanding of the value of the self because the society has marginalized them,” Kirplani said, addressing an assembly of deaf students, their families, educators and service providers in Intramuros, Manila, on Wednesday.

Kirplani is the director for Europe and the Middle East of Brahma Kumaris (BK), a United Nations peace messenger organization. She gave the inspirational talk, “Spiritual Approach to Disability,” during the two-day national conference on sustainable partnership for deaf transformation hosted by the Department of Labor and Employment and the STEAM Foundation Inc.

The conference, culminated by a daylong retreat in Tagaytay City, marked the labor department’s celebration of Deaf Awareness Week, which ended Sunday.

The STEAM (Special Training, Employment, Advocacy and Management for Deaf Persons) Foundation is a nonprofit organization helping the deaf who have undergone rehabilitation for reintegration to mainstream society find gainful jobs.

People with disabilities—including the deaf—need more than gainful employment. They need a spiritual support mechanism so they can understand themselves better, STEAM executive director Rose Vergara told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net).

“Providing them with scientific knowledge is not sustainable. Like other people, they will not find contentment in material things until they attain inner peace,” she said.

Vergara also pointed out that service providers and caretakers often neglect the spiritual development of people with disabilities and look at them merely as “clients” who should be trained to become productive in their communities.

People who train should have “inner peace” as well before they can efficiently help the handicapped, she added.

“Spirituality has largely been forgotten in the world … which is a shame because spirituality brings new life and enthusiasm and allows each one to make a greater and positive contribution to the world and to the community,” Kirplani spoke gently to the crowd.

An interpreter in sign language translated Kirplani’s talk for the benefit of the hearing impaired in the assembly.

Kirplani has been an emissary of peace for the past 40 years. She has participated, several times as presenter, in UN conferences on women, development, environment, youth and peace.

Based in London at the Global Cooperation House, BK International Coordinating Office, she has traveled to over a hundred nations sharing teachings on spirituality. Manila was her latest stop; she flew to India on Friday.

“All [we] need is a few minutes of silence to turn inward and connect with the Supreme Being. Doing this exercise every day is very helpful,” Kirplani said.

In meditation, she said, the soul is nourished by four elements—inner wisdom that has been “buried by noise” in the mind and the outside world, love for self that keeps relationships sweeter, “spiritual truth” that provides inspiration and rest.

“If you remember these things, you will feel the light shining from within. Wherever you go, you will share this light with everyone,” Kirplani said.

Of the blind man she taught 27 years ago, Kirplani said he learned to become independent after practicing meditation. He even learned to retain details of a story with ease, she said.

“When he lost his vision, he became very dependent on everyone around him. Spirituality gave him back his authority; he is now able to make his way alone and manage things,” Kirplani said.

The blind Londoner is now a full-time volunteer helping people with disabilities, she added.

Kirplani also shared with the Inquirer the story of Gilles, a deaf man from France.

She described him as an “angry and discontented” man who had trouble getting along with his wife, who was also deaf.

“He always complained, ‘Why me? Why do I have to suffer?’” Kirplani narrated.

But when Gilles started practicing meditation, he began to understand the law of cause and effect. His demeanor changed and his relationship with his wife improved.

“He realized that his consciousness would change people’s attitudes toward him.” she said. “He developed his inner dignity and people no longer looked down on him.”