REPORT on
Science, Spirituality and Human Awakening
A Summit in Honor of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Sri Aurobindo
Auroville, India
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The focus of GPIW in the first few months of this year has been working with the Auroville Foundation in the organization of a summit entitled Science, Spirituality and Human Awakening, which took place in Auroville in February. The summit was meant to explore the increasing convergence of knowledge in the fields of the physical and spiritual sciences, but it also looked at the science of the evolution of consciousness, the practices and inner technologies that help awaken one to greater awareness. |
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A small group gathered the day before the conference in the Hall of Peace to meditate together with the goal of creating a spiritual field in which to hold the discussions over the next several days. |
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Since Auroville was established as an experiment in human unity and designed to facilitate a collective evolution, sessions also addressed the process of social evolution. This theme has been of great interest to us as the need for new economic systems and ways of social organization is becoming increasingly clear, and innovative thinking in these areas is already underway. The uncertainty and instability we see in the world today is an understandable prelude to the emergence of something new and more suitable to the shifts in consciousness taking place. There is always resistance to change even when that change is for the better, and it is this resistance that is causing such tension in the world today. |
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There were several important outcomes to the Summit, which GPIW will help facilitate, one being a collaboration between east and west on innovating new economic systems at the micro level and exploring how communities can together as a unit, awaken to a consciousness of greater human unity. |
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Dena Merriam facilitates a dialogue on 'The Transition from One Era to Another' with Jeff Genung, Managing Director of Prosocial World and Manoj Pavitran, Founder, Purnam Centre for Integrality, Auroville. What is the new consciousness seeking to awaken in each of us individually and in the collective?
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Dr. Jayanti Ravi, Secretary of the Auroville Foundation offers a welcome to the 150-200 guests and participants who joined over several days. The Summit was an initiative of the Auroville Foundation with support from the Ministry of Culture of India.
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Raghu Ananthanarayan, Co-Founder of Sumedhas Academy for Human Context & The Barefoot Academy for Governance facilitates a session on 'Healing and Releasing Samskaras' with Prof. Dr. Shilpa Pandit, Tagore National Fellow and Laila Atshan, a therapist and Staff Counselor in the Middle East and North Africa, UNICEF. Group memories can take many generations to release and heal. What is the role of love and compassion in overcoming these obstacles to awakening?
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Martin Hosch of Shinnyo-en facilitates a session on 'The Science of Sound' and how sound and mantra impacts the physical world. Panelists include Dr. Deepeshwar Singh of SYVASA University and Lama Trinlay Tharchin and Lama Jigmey Singye (translator) of Bokar Ngedon Chokhor Ling.
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Geshe Lharampa Dorjee Damdul, Director of Tibet House New Delhi with Bhante Buddharakita, Director of the Uganda Buddhist Center speak on 'Redefining Reality' on acknowledging that consciousness creates matter, not the other way around. We live in a multidimensional universe.
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Enjoying the gardens surrounding The Unity Pavillion during tea breaks. |
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Please enjoy a major highlight of this four-day program, the full recording of Krishna Das, Nina Rao and David Estes who offered an evening of sacred music at the Matrimandir Aphitheater, coordinated by Matthew Andrews of AVI-USA to an audience of more than 2500 people.
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Vedic Chanting from Auroville residents |
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Luca Baldesi, Executive, Auroville Water Service and Kishore Radhakrishnan on 'Coming to Know Shakti' the dynamic force that compels all into being. |
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Martin Hosch with Dr. Vinayachandra Banavathy, Director at Indica Yoga with Prof. Anuradha Choudhry, linguist and Sanskrit scholar at ITT Karaghpur University.
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