Theos-Talk Archives (June 2010 Message tt00047)

The upcoming sessions of Adyar School of Wisdom has a line up of Scholars
such as Swami Chidananda, P Krishna, R C Tampi and Ravi Ravindra.

Here are the details: (go online to ts-adyar.org for registration details)


Theme: The Urgency of Transformation

1 to 12 November 2010

Transformation: Vedanta Perspectives
Director: Swami Chidananda

The statement âThat Thou Artâ, from the Chandogya Upanishad, points to a
dimension of our existence that is free from all limitations and negative
energy. The Vedanta tradition offers insights into inner change that are
comparable to waking up from a long dream. The non-dual teachings of this
system give us a vision of oneness of the universe which can eliminate
unrest and insecurity and promote love and compassion. This session will
explore important passages of the Mundaka Upanishad and also of selected
observations by Sankaracharya, the well-known commentator on the Upanishads,
which contain substantial food for thought, if not the ending of thought.

Swami Chidananda is the Director of the Rajghat Education Centre,
Krishnamurti Foundation India, Varanasi. He studied Vedanta under Swami
Chinmayananda and has lectured on that subject both in India and overseas.
He is the author of a number of books, including Flame of Who Am I?



15 to 26 November 2010

The Urgency of Transformation
Director: Prof. P. Krishna

The state of our society is a projection of the state of human
consciousness. It cannot change in any fundamental way unless we bring about
a change in our consciousness. Our consciousness does not change through
intellectual understanding or the changing of opinions and views. Knowledge
and experience do not alter consciousness. Therefore time does not help to
bring about the transformation of consciousness. How can the human
consciousness come upon wisdom? In this session we shall explore these
questions in depth and attempt to discover the truth for ourselves.

Prof. P. Krishna is in charge of the Krishnamurti Study Centre, KFI,
Varanasi. He was the Rector of the Centre and Principal of the Rajghat
Besant School from 1986 to 2002. He has lectured widely on Education,
Science and Society and is also a Fellow of the Indian National Science
Academy.



29 November to 10 December 2010

Transformation in the Teachings of N. Sri Ram
Director: Prof. R. C. Tampi

N. Sri Ram compared humanity to âan ancient plant that has seen many
seasons.  It is preparing for a new flowering, which will not be a
reproduction of the old, but the flowering of a new species evolved from the
old.â This course aims at a serious study of selections from Sri Ramâs
writings on the nature and scope of human transformation.

The following books by N. Sri Ram are recommended reading:

An Approach to Reality
Seeking Wisdom
The Nature of Our Seeking
Consciousness: Its Nature and Action
Thoughts for Aspirants, Series I & II

N. Sri Ram: A Life of Beneficence and Wisdom (a biographical study)

Prof. R. C. Tampi, a long-standing member of the Theosophical Society, is
the Director of the School of the Wisdom at Adyar and Retired Professor of
English. He is also a National Lecturer for the Indian Section of the TS.



5 January to 9 February 2011

Theme: Inquiry into the Nature of the Self in the Upanishads
Director: Dr Ravi Ravindra

Many sages in India have stressed the importance of discernment between Self
and non-Self, and they have said that the major characteristic of a basic
human ignorance is the blurring of this distinction.  What is the Self?  How
can we approach the understanding of the Self? How do we distinguish this
from the usual many manifestations of self?  The Upanishads regard the aim
of human existence to be Self-realization and they present a model of a
free, bold and non-sectarian inquiry into the nature of the Self.  This
course will draw upon the insights of the principal Upanishads in an
exploration of the Self.

Dr Ravi Ravindra is Professor Emeritus at Dalhousie University, Halifax,
Nova Scotia in Canada, and the author of a number of books including Yoga
and the Teaching of Krishna, The Yoga of the Christ and Whispers from the
Other Shore. He has directed a number of sessions of the School of the
Wisdom in the past.

Recommended Texts:

The Principal Upanishads, translated and edited by S. Radhakrishnan
The Upanishads, translation and commentary by Sri Aurobindo
Yoga and the Teaching of Krishna by Ravi Ravindra


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