Dharma Summit

1
Dharma Summit

• How Temples and Religious Institutions can
  involve participation of
• new generation
• A perspective from Swadhyaya Parivar
• Presenter Dr. Darshan Patel

2
What is Dharma ?

• Dharma is what holds individuals and society
  together. It is conducive to self-development and
  social good. Dharma is a Meta concept that
  includes philosophy and spiritualism in a
  consummate sense and is integrated into our daily
  lives. - Pujya Pandurang Shastri Athavale,
  Dadaji

3
Religion and Self Development

• Reason Based Religion
• Reason Based Devotion
• Religion and Devotion not based on Faith or
  Belief only.
• Selfless Love and relationship
• The young generation should be intellectually
  convinced and proud.

4
Development of Integrated Personality

• Integrated personality and character
• Physical
• Intellectual
• Emotional
• Spiritual
• Holistic education

5
Development of Life

• Emphasis on developing a life that is
• jnanpurna (full of wisdom),
• bhavpurna (full of kindness and concern),
• krutipurna (always involved in the welfare of
  fellow beings)
• A young life without any higher goals is a waste
  and likely to go astray
• Religion can help people choose goals
• Religious people can lead by example

6
Continuous Process

• Development should be
• continued through all stages
• and the activities should be all encompassing
• and not limited to a short segment of life.
• Regular and constant process.
• Not once in a while or once in a month or year
• Short term activities bring short term results,
  temporary contentment.
• Long term process done on basis of devotion
  brings transformation in life.

7
Activities and Instructions

• Language should be English so that youth growing
  up in western society can easily understand,
  communicate and explain to others.
• Activities of children and youth should be well
  connected and synchronized with activities of
  adults

8
Children Ages 3 - 14

• Education Draw out the potentiality of people
  for creativity.
• based on life sustaining principles and
• not just on earning livelihood alone
• Ideal time to generate the sentiment of
  fellowship and development of cultural, religious
  and spiritual values
• Anchors young to religious and cultural values
  through innovative means

9
The Young Minds

• Children should meet weekly in local centers
• Their curriculum and format should be same nation
  wide
• children in remote corners have the same
  opportunities as that of Metro centers
• Ability to pay or money should not be factor.
  Rich and poor should have equal access and
  opportunity.
• No pressure of soliciting money.

10
Bal Sanskar Kendra

• These Kendras provide warm, intimate and
  continuing relationship through a number of
  activities
• Environment conducive to intellectual, spiritual,
  and emotional growth of children.
• 300 Bal Sanskar Kendras in USA.
• Attended by 6000 children

11
Bal Sanskar Kendra

• Several ways of articulating values
• Stories like Dhruv and Prahlad for younger
  children, Abhimanyu and Nahiketa as they grow.
• Celebrate festivals in order to connect to roots
• Cultural programs to draw out latent talent in
  areas such as writing, elocution, story telling,
  poetry, acting, dancing, singing, directing plays
• Organizing sports events, picnic and camps to
  foster team spirit
• Gradual Introduction to philosphy
• Satyam Vad to Chidanandrup Shivoham Shivoham

12
Bal Sanskar Kendra

• Organizing summer camps where the stated goals
  can be achieved in an intensive manner
• Children stay together in summer camps and learn
• Sharing the resources
• Sah Jivan
• Teamwork
• Family spirit
• Through all these activities inquiring mind
  learns tolerance and adventure
• Sanchalak work with children in Kendra with a
  heart of a Mother

13
Goals for Youth Activities

• Prepare the youth as
• a confident, cultured, person
• well connected to roots and
• able to succeed in todays society
• Awaken the insights to a sense of right and wrong
  
• Achieve a true happiness in a world full of
  complexities.

14
Youth Activities

• Weekly/Biweekly Centers
• Learn from the lives of Socrates and Yagnavalkya,
  Lincoln and Vivekananda.
• Discussion based and in English.
• Learn reasons behind symbols, rituals, and
  prayers.
• Should be able to ask Why?
• Why Swastika and Aum ?
• Why Diwali and Holi ?

15
Life Oriented Activities

• Applied Philosophy How it relates to my life in
  USA
• Focus is Integrated Life (Sarvangin Vikas)
• Individual, Family, Society and Spiritual
• 300 Centers in cities as well as on campuses
• No walls between Religion and Day-To-Day Life.

16
A Challenge To Youth

• Street Plays on Janmashtami, Ram Navami
• 200 plays in 2004 enjoyed by 10,000 people
• Elocution Competitions on Bhagawad Gita
• 1200 youth participants in 2004 (1.4 M world
  wide)
• Annual Sports Festivals
• Attended by 3000 youth and their families
• Youth Conferences
• Held on 10 campuses. 7000 youth attended
• Paper Publications
• Youth Camps

17
Annual Summer Youth Camps

• Study of Scriptures, Culture, Religion
• Ramayan and Mahabharata
• Bhagawad Gita, World Religions
• Appreciation of Other Cultures
• Character Studies of Great Lives
• Kaushalya and Sita
• Moses and Martin Luther King
• Sports and Yoga
• Cultural Activities
• Character Development, Team Work at the core
• Family Spirit, Positive Peer Group is the result
• I am not alone
• Attended by 1100 youth in 2005
• Supported by 450 adults working on the basis of
  Devotion

18

• "It is already becoming clear that a chapter
  which had a Western beginning will have to have
  an Indian ending if it is not to end in
  self-destruction of the human race. At this
  supremely dangerous moment in human history, the
  only way of salvation is the ancient Hindu way.
• Here we have the attitude and spirit that can
  make it possible for the human race to grow
  together in to a single family.
• British Historian Dr. Arnold Joseph Toynbee
  (1889-1975)

19
Pujya Dada Templeton Award for Progress in
Religion, 1997
I have confidence in three things God, Shruti
(Scriptures) and Youth.
20
Mrs. Didi Talwalkar Interfaith Council on Ethics
Education for Children, United Nations
University, Japan, 2005 World Peace Prayer
Meeting, Vatican, 2002 Didi combines in her rare
qualities of wisdom, love and activism to
initiate, guide and motivate Swadhyayees towards
selfless service to mankind.