To be with Me, either you have to be ‘Anor Aniyan or Mahato Mahiyan’. Either you have to be the smallest of the smallest servant or you have the biggest of the biggest like Me. Choose any one – biggest like Me is difficult, so atleast small like a servant is easy! To be with Me, you have to serve! -Baba
With the Blessings of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, we are delighted to present our One Hundred and Sixty Thirdissue of Ananda Vahini. The weekly newsletter includes interesting musings and short excerpts from the week's events.
In this issue, we present you the updates of Global Education Conference held at Sathya Sai Grama, Muddenhalli from May 24 to May 26, 2019.
In this week's INNER VIEW, Sri Madhusudan shares an interesting moment between Bhagawan and devotees of Australia.
- Sathya Sai Grama Communications Team.
INNER VIEW
By Sri Madhusudan
God's Timing
We were delayed as we reached the home of the host in Australia. The devotees waited for more than two hours to meet Swami. The hands of the clock were just a bit shy of the midnight hour as Swami entered the most beautiful home of the host, nestled on top of a hill in the sylvan setting of Murwillumbah an aboriginal hilly town in Queensland state.
“Oh! You haven’t slept still?”, asked Swami playfully as He saw so many devotees singing a welcome song to Him at that late hour.
“No Swami, we are not sleepy, we were waiting for you”, replied someone smilingly.
“Oh! Am I very late?”, Swami asked almost apologetically.
“No, Swami?”, someone replied.
“Am I early?”, asked Swami again.
“No, Swami!”, said someone else.
“Ah! God is never early nor late, He comes at the right time to everyone. Even if you want Him to come early, He won’t. And if you wish that He comes late, that won’t happen either. God comes at His time to each, which is the right time”, said Swami.
What seemed like a sweet little conversation, turned out to be most poignant exposition on the ways of God, especially about when does He choose to come to a yearning soul is always the perfect time, God’s time!
GLOBAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE 2019
SATHYA SAI GRAMA, MUDDENAHALLI
DAY 1 - MAY 24, 2019
Morning:
There is a strong need for values-based education in our society today and this year, the Sri Sathya Sai University for Human Excellence hosted a Global Education Conference with speakers from across the globe, on the theme, ‘Values-based Education for a Better World’. The aim of education is the knowledge, not of facts, but of values. In a world today, which places more importance on academic excellence rather than human excellence, the need of the hour is for the body politic to meet and deliberate on the dire need for the implementation of a global system of values-based education. Hence the need for a conference, during which eminent speakers from all around the world come, discuss, deliberate and decide on a way forward to foster a new generation of well-integrated human beings, which is the very motive behind Global Education Conference held at Sathya Sai Grama, Muddenahalli from May 24 to May 26, 2019.
As the first day of the first Global Education Conference began, Baba glided into the Premamrutham Hall accompanied by a number of dignitaries and guests. As everyone took their seats on the dais, all the teacher delegates, speakers and dignitaries were welcomed to the inaugural session of the Global Education Conference 2019.
After the welcome address, Bhagawan and the dignitaries on the dais proceeded to light the inaugural lamp, after which each of the guests were felicitated and welcomed. This was followed by a short video on the need and importance of values-based education.
Thereafter, Sri B N Narasimha Murthy, Chancellor of the Sri Sathya Sai University for Human Excellence addressed the august gathering. He spoke about the unfortunate situation of the world today, as the current system of education lacks any emphasis on creating good and selfless human beings and rather, focuses only on academic achievements. Hence, there is a dire need for a global model of values-based education which integrates...
Morning - Inaugural ceremony of Global Education Conference 2019
Professor Mirian Vilela from Earth Charter, Costa Rica lighting the ceremonial lamp in the presence of other dignitaries
The eminent guest speakers from India and around the world at the Conference
Talk by Sri T B Jayachandra, Former Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Government of Karnataka
Divine Message
Afternoon - presentation by Dr Tobin Hart, Professor of Psychology in the University of West Georgia and Co-founder of the Child Spirit Institute, USA
Presentation by Professor Mirian Vilela, Executive Director of the Earth Charter International Secretariat and the Earth Charter Centre for Education for Sustainable Development at the University for Peace, Costa Rica
Interactive sessions with the delegates
Evening - Drama presentation by the youth and children of Singapore, titled 'T for Transformation'
GLOBAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE 2019
SATHYA SAI GRAMA, MUDDENAHALLI
DAY 2 - MAY 25, 2019
Morning:
The second day of the Global Education Conference commenced at 9am with presentations by two speakers Professor Ron Toomey from Victoria University, Australia and Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak, Rector of the International Islamic University, Malaysia.
Professor Ron Toomey began the morning’s proceedings and spoke about schools practicing values-based education and his involvement in research into values-based education. He quoted Parker Palmer who said, “Quality teaching is a values-filled exercise, it’s about caring and the quality of the relationships between teacher and student, and student and student.” Professor Toomey expanded on the double helix effect of values education and quality teaching and shared the words of four teachers who were examples of transformation through the practice of praxis, which means doing and reflecting.
After his presentation, there was a short question and answer session during which delegates were offered the opportunity to interact with and ask questions to Professor Toomey.
Then, Professor Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak took to the podium and opened his presentation by saying that humanising education would allow students to become complete and integrated individuals. He emphasised the requirement of balance between spiritual, emotional and ethical aspects and the importance of having a balance between the mind and the heart. He said, “There is a void within us and that void is called education without soul. The link between the heart and the mind is almost shattered in this particular sense, or it doesn’t exist at all. What prevails then, are the elements of materialism and economics that fill in the void.” Professor Razak continued by talking about four pillars of education and brought his presentation to a close by touching upon some issues and challenges faced in implementing values-based education.
This was followed by a question and answer session with Professor Razak, after which Brothers B S Vijay Sai and Natesh Shetty, alumni of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, conducted an interactive session with all the participants. With all the delegates divided into small teams of 18, each group took two minutes....
Morning - Presentation by Professor Ron Toomey from Victoria University, Australia
Presentation by Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak, Rector of the International Islamic University, Malaysia
Interactive session with the delegates
Afternoon - Presentation by Ms Sue Webb, an Executive Consultant at Values-based Education International, UK
Presentation by Dr James Biddulph, the Head Teacher of the University of Cambridge Primary School, UK
Presentation by Venerable Geshe Lhakdor, Director of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamshala, India
Round-table discussions with the speakers at Premdeep
Evening - Panel discussion
GLOBAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE 2019
SATHYA SAI GRAMA, MUDDENAHALLI
DAY 3 - MAY 26, 2019
Morning:
The morning of the final day of the Global Education Conference began with a video presentation on the ancient and current systems of education, featuring modern day schools which impart spiritual knowledge alongside secular education. This was followed by a short video presentation on the Annapoorna breakfast service initiative which provides free breakfast to the underprivileged school-going children of India, and six countries
The morning programme then continued with a summary of all the discussions and presentations which had taken place during the first two days, and an introduction to global model/framework for a values-based education system which can be implemented around the world, was made.
Thereafter, Dr Tobin Hart from the USA presented his summary and thoughts on the discussions that had taken place. Drawing on his own personal experiences, Dr Hart spoke about the importance of being aware of a higher power or Divinity, an awareness which already exists within children and needs to be nourished and cultivated so that the innate capacities of their humanity can be drawn out.
Professor Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak then metaphorically spoke about the education system being like a tree, where the heart forms the roots, the head forms the trunk and hands form the branches. He spoke about the need to nurture the roots of this tree of education so that knowledge can be used wisely and does not become toxic. In order to nurture the heart or roots, values need to be integrated into secular education so that the tree becomes strong and it is the kind of values that are inculcated that dictate how strong the tree becomes.
Then, Mr Nimrod Sheinman continued from the previous two speakers and spoke further on the metaphor of the tree, saying that the tree should be able to give shade and fruits to others. He addressed all the teacher delegates, saying that they are now set to become the gardeners for this new generation of trees waiting to be grown and nurtured. He talked about the World Health Organisation’s recognition of the fact that there is “a need for a holistic, healthy setting in order to create optimal health”. He explained the definition of health as being a fuller expression, appreciation and acceptance of love. Therefore, by creating a healthy generation of children, a healthy future....
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