12.12.12: Ujjain is recipient of Relics of Sri Aurobindo

Sri Aurobindo's relics consecrated at Aurobindo Yoga Shakti Peeth ... Free press journal - Ujjain: December 13, 2012 12:09:33 AM By FP NEWS SERVICE

Ujjain: As the spiritual leader and great philosopher Sri Aurobindo wished to be the part of rich legacy of the city of Mahakal, his Relics were consecrated at Sri Aurobindo Yoga Shakti Peeth located at Tirupati Vihar at 12.15 pm here on Wednesday under the aegis of Sri Aurobindo Society, Ujjain Branch. Sri Aurobindo Vigrah Divyansh Pratishthapana programme was inaugurated after the flag hoisting ceremony.

IG Upendra Jain was chief guest while president of Aurobindo Society, Ujjain branch Vijay Kumar Podarkar, Makhanlal, Ujjain Development Authority chairman Kishore Khandelwal and Dr Alok Pandey were special guests on this occasion. As the relics reached at oga Shakti Peeth, police jawans accorded welcome with a guard of honour. Suman Didi recited a poem composed by Mother who was close spiritual collaborator of Aurobindo. Member of Aurobindo Society Renu also expressed her views on philosophy of Aurobindo.

Huge crowd prevailed there to have darshan of relics of Sri Aurobindo. Special guest Dr Alok Pandey addressing on this occasion gave introduction of Ujjain branch of Aurobindo Society and said that it was established in 1992 by secretary Sukhdev Prasad Thakur. A land of 21500 square feet area was purchased for developing the branch office in 2006. Dr Pandey further said it was high time when one could gather his energy through spiritual philosophy.

Someshwar Kher conducted the programme. President Vibhash Upadhyay, secretary Sukhdev Prasad Thakur and treasurer Madhusudan Shrivastava were also present on this occasion. BJP organising Secretary Arvind Menon and BJP city president Anil Jain Kaluheda were also present on this occasion.

Aurobindo's ideas are ever relevant: Shivraj Central Chronicle - Staff Reporter, December 12, 2012 11:13 pm Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan attended the farewell programme of the sacred Diwyanash of Sri Aurobindo here today at Auro temple situated at Tulsinagar.

Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that we recall Sri Aurobindo with respect and honour. His ideas for world peace are ever relevant. Vidhan Sabha Speaker Shri Ishwardas Rohani, Urban Administration Minister Shri Babulal Gaur, Commerce & Industries Minister Shri Kailash Vijayvargiya, MP Shri Anil Madhav Dave and a large number of followers were present on the occasion.

Integral education for transformation Harvinder Kaur, Dec, 13, 2012: ESSENCE OF EDUCATION Deccan herald Supplements › DH Education

My earlier experiments and search for a deeper, wider and more relevant education led me to explore Integral Education, inspired by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Integral Education is an education that seeks to transform the entire being — the body, heart, and head while seeping into the deeper layers of the inner being. An education that is not a mere rat race or a vanity appeaser, an education where the child is not a mere ‘product’, an education that lets a child be a child. 

One of the key features of Integral Education is to help the child to move to a space of self knowing, while working on the physical, mental and emotional dimensions.  It is not just about acquiring information, it is about developing powers of the mind (concentration, memory, reasoning…), emotional development (sensitivity, compassion, joy…), having values, and a strong healthy body while discovering your deeper inner self.
Integral Education, is more than all-around education, it has an integral approach. Knowledge is whole, we divide it into ‘subjects’ to ease the acquisition of knowledge. The human too, is an integral being, the physical, emotional, and mental dimensions are interconnected. This means that the dimensions of the individual not only have to be addressed but also their integral nature, has to be understood.  Understanding the inherent connectedness of knowledge and the child’s own inherent interests is easily facilitated through hands on, interdisciplinary, theme based project work.

Needless to say, this is not easy when the vast framework of organised education is still in old moulds.  Firstly, it needs committed educators who are constantly working on themselves, striving to become better people and better teachers. 

It’s both a privilege and challenge, as the teacher is expected to facilitate self-discovery and self-discipline, rather than merely disseminate information. The child is not seen as someone to be shaped into a pre-set mould but a ‘soul in evolution’, someone in whose journey you get to hold their hand for a while. They do their own walking, but perhaps you can point to the light. Giving the child attention is important and that is why schools inspired by the principles of Integral Education strive to keep numbers small.

Creating a friendly environment of ease, naturalness and approachability for the child, in contrast to ‘factory mode’ schooling certainly helps! This is important to ensure physical, mental and emotional space for the child, where a child’s inherent nature can be observed and nurtured.

One of the key aspects of Integral Education is to help the child go deeper within herself to find inner treasures while developing powers of the mind and qualities of the heart.  This is practically possible in schools by organising regular classes geared to develop faculties of concentration, imagination, memory, creativity, while developing deeper values of compassion, care, calmness, honesty.

Periods of silent reflection can be interwoven with regular activities, thereby changing the feel and fabric of regular classes.Integral Education seeks to transform the individual from within, it strives to create a link to the bridge that takes the child to a whole new level of being.  A paradigm shift in education for the new age! (The writer is Director, India Council for Integral Education, Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry.)

AUM 2013: America, Auroville, and Human Unity

Welcome to AUM 2013 Dates: 5:30 pm, Thursday, June 20, till Sunday after lunch, June 23, 2013

Discovering the Soul of America: A Step in Human Unity

The fierce urgency of global need and “the demand of the Time-Spirit on the human race that it find subjectively, not only in the individual, but in the nation and in the unity of the human race, its real self and live according to that” (Sri Aurobindo), inspired this AUM as an offering to the evolutionary work of the Divine Mother. The conference brings participants an opportunity to discover the true soul of the USA, as a part of their personal and collective yoga. The activities include presentations, interactive exercises, guided meditations, artistic expression, group sharing, a native solstice ceremony, and musical performances.

Location: Jackson Well Springs, Ashland, OR, is a natural hot springs and event center on 30 acres, located approximately three miles from downtown Ashland and a half mile from the conference hotel. Over the last two decades native peoples and other local residents have come together on this site in ceremonies for themselves and this land to heal past disputes and bring a new integrated harmony. Participants:

• Sadhaks of the Integral Yoga in the United States drawn to this collective yoga of the nation soul.
• Participants who wish to experience the true soul of the USA, and those who wish to learn something about a conference dedicated to soul-of-nation work.
• Native Americans who want to bring the deep essence of their heritage into the mainstream life and soul of the USA as an enrichment and a healing for themselves and for the country, with the intention of finding the next steps towards the soul-promise of America. 

AUM 2013 will have a special focus on re-integrating the contributions of Native peoples to the nation’s soul. Native American culture and spirituality carry core dimensions of the Soul of the United States. Europeans and immigrants from all over the world contributed other essential aspects of the soul-being of this country. Because of the devastating history of contact and colonization on Native peoples, these dimensions are not well integrated. Integration and healing require commemorating and honoring the spiritual and cultural heritage of all national soul-partners. Dear friends, we would love to see you at this meeting! ~ The AUM Team: Soleil, John Robert, Wolfgang and Karen.

Sri Aurobindo (1872 - 1950)

Aurobindo remembered Business Standard Wednesday, Dec 05, 2012 Press Trust of India Puducherry December 05, 2012, 12:05

Devotees from across the country today paid homage to the saint-philosopher Aurobindo on the occasion of his 62nd death anniversary. Devotees sat in meditation before the samadhis of Aurobindo and his spiritual collaborator, The Mother (Mirra Alfassa) from early morning at the Ashram premises, which he founded in 1926, Ashram sources said. Devotees also visited the room where Aurobindo carried on his spiritual experiments and offered homage. Aurobindo, who propounded the concept of Integral Yoga, died at the age of 78. Sri Aurobindo Remembered on 62nd Death Anniversary Outlook

Sri Aurobindo Society to organize 3 day workshop on “Senses and ... Dec 4, 2012 Workshop on Sensory Writing And Self Awareness in Pondicherry

Bangalore, 04th December 2012: Sri Aurobindo society, a non-profit NGO, working throughout the world for individual perfection, social transformation, and human unity in diversity is organizing a three day workshop in Pondicherry on sensory writing and self awareness from December 28^th to December 30^th 2012.

The workshop is for people who are interested in exploring creativity, writing, senses and their own self and people who are above 18 years of age.  The workshop aspires to take anyone on an exploration in writing creatively from sensory experience, where each step leads you to deeper self awareness. The participants will experiment and explore the relation between words and senses, silence and expression, sharing and aloneness. Through exercises, walks, activities, readings, sharing and silence, a creative journey will be undertaken. This experience and learning then can be shared with others.

The venue will be in a beautiful hall (Sri Aurobindo Society) overlooking Pondicherry beach, along with activities in green belts, farm house and sea beach which will be an integral part of the workshop. The workshop costs Rs. 3500 per person that includes workshop fee, course materials, tea and snacks (twice a day), daily meal coupons (for a simple breakfast, lunch and dinner at the ashram dining hall). Assistance can be provided for booking accommodation at reasonable rates.