Here is a talk I gave at the recent “Educating for a Bright Future” conference held in Salorno Italy in July 2009:
Author: anandadevapriya
Brahmacakra – The Origin and Destiny of Creation
Brahmacakra: The Origin and Destiny of Creation from Didi Devapriya on Vimeo.
When I was in training center, towards the end of the training, I had to memorize the Ananda Sutram. Several of the other sisters in training with me, had been professional actors, dancers and clowns before coming to training. I thought that if we could set the Sutras to music, and then act them out we could make a beautiful performance, and at the same time learn the sutras in a memorable way.
We created a multimedia performance, with Didi Ananda Shubha singing the sutras, slides in the background, and integrating work with masks, modern dance and indian mudras to express the beautiful journey of creation, from its origins in infinite love, to that cosmic destiny of each and every entity that enters into this cycle of creation, to merge once again in that same supreme, infinitely loving consciousness.
A filmmaker saw the performance, and was so touched that he urged us to transform it into film. The entire piece was shot through the middle of the night, during a retreat at Madhu Karuna in the dining hall, transformed ad-hoc into a recording studio.
Rainbow Mandala Vegan Tart
By popular demand after our last dinner at Morningstar, I have been requested to post the recipe for this colorful veggie mandala tart!
Therapeutic Stories for Facilitating Inclusion & Channelising Behaviour
A talk on the use of stories as a tool for facilitating greater inclusion of all children and for helping children to overcome challenges and difficult behaviors:
Establishing a Personal Practice
A recording of a talk I gave at the Maleny Neohumanist Education Seminar 2017, at the Ananda Marga River School, Australia:
Webinar: Educating Balance in an Accelerating World
A recording of my first webinar:
As the technological speed of modern society increases at exponential rates, so has the experience of early childhood been radically altered. Children are faced with increased levels of cognitive stimulation and complexity from their early years. The statistics of the incidence of childhood mental health disorders, such as ADHD, are rising. As the very landscape of childhood has shifted so dramatically since parents and teachers were themselves children and is increasingly characterized by continuous change rather than by stability, in what ways must educational approaches adapt to help children to successfully integrate these experiences and reach their full human potential? Is cognitive development in itself sufficient to guarantee happiness, or does conscious attention need to be given to the development of social, emotional and spiritual competencies? How to facilitate the development of an internal “compass” to prepare children to navigate the challenges of a technological, commercialized culture? Read more
Singing kiirtan with Loredana Groza
By serendipity – or rather the surprising Grace of the Cosmic Dance…I was invited at the last minute to a program at the Indian Embassy in Bucharest. Loredana Groza, a famous Romanian singer was one of the guests of honor. We ended up singing a kiirtan with Baba Nam Kevalam (a mantra that means “I am only singing to my Beloved”) and Loredana, with her warm charisma – involved all of the members in the audience in singing the mantra into the microphone. It was an unexpected moment that created a joyful and sweet atmosphere:
The program was organised in order to launch a beautiful book about yoga that has been translated in Braille. The embassy generously donated copies of the book to the Association for the Visually Impaired of Romania – I happen to know the president from a training that we took together about social enterprise, so it was a pleasure to reconnect with him as well.
Here is the entire news story that appeared on television, for those of you that can understand (or guess at) Romanian!
Vegan Carob Walnut Cupcakes
This recipe has been a favorite of mine for many years – it makes such a light and fluffy cake that is luscious, dark and rich in flavor, but surprisingly low in fat. Most people are convinced it is a dark chocolate cake – as the barley coffee gives it some of the bitterness of chocolate. It is the chemical reaction between the vinegar and baking soda that makes this cake rise, and which is one of the secrets of making amazingly light, delicate, egg-less cakes. As the vinegar reacts with the baking soda, its flavor is neutralized, forming bubbles of carbon dioxide and water, so don’t worry- you won’t taste it. Just make sure to preheat your oven so that you can immediately bake this cake.
Ingredients:
Lemon Poppyseed Cake with Cream Cheese frosting
Lemon is one of my favorite flavors and the combination with the velvety cream cheese frosting is luscious. The addition of the lemon rind in this cake gives it a beautiful color, which often surprises people when they discover that it is made without eggs. Read more
Tofu Picatta
Lemon, butter, pepper and capers give this tofu picatta dish a fresh, tart, springtime flavor. It was featured at our April dinner at Morningstar. Together with steamed asparagus and oven roasted rosemary potatoes, and an organic salad from our AMURTEL Bio Garden, it was a lovely introduction to spring!