Newsletter July 2024

Newsletter July 2024 by Rishona Chopra

Reflection of the week - Sunday 14th July 2024

Agochar (Seeing the Unseen): At the confluence of the seen and unseen waters, Guru Nanak, the discerning motivator, inspires to connect with the invisible flow within. "Allegory - A Tapestry of Guru Nanak's Travels", a 24-episode docuseries, sequentially explores Guru Nanak's life events to unfurl the deep imports of his messages. This docuseries is filmed at over 150 multifaith sites in 9 countries. 

Notes courtesy Otter AI:
The conversation delved into Guru Nanak's life, teachings, and impact, exploring his philosophy and how it has been interpreted and accepted by different faith groups. Speakers also discussed Guru Nanak's spiritual journey, including his visit to Nizamabad and Allahabad and the significance of the Gagra River. Additionally, they shared insights on the path to spiritual growth and self-discovery, emphasizing the importance of being a learner at every moment.

Bhagat Kabir's philosophy of questioning societal norms can be applied to modern issues in several ways:

1. Challenge rigid thinking: Like Kabir challenged superstitions, we can question outdated beliefs and practices that no longer serve society.

2. Promote inclusivity: Kabir's message transcended caste and religious boundaries. We can apply this to fight discrimination and promote equality.

3. Simplify life: Kabir advocated for simple living. In modern society, we can question consumerism and materialism.

4. Seek inner wisdom: Kabir emphasized looking within for truth. We can encourage critical thinking and self-reflection instead of blindly following societal expectations.

5. Use creative expression: Kabir's poetic style made complex ideas accessible. We can creatively use art, music, and literature to address social issues.

6. Embrace diversity: Kabir's teachings were adopted by various communities. We can celebrate diversity and promote cultural understanding.

7. Question authority: Kabir challenged religious orthodoxy. We can encourage questioning of power structures and promote accountability.

8. Focus on essence over form: Kabir emphasized spirituality over rituals. We can prioritize core values and principles over superficial practices in various aspects of life.

By applying these principles, we can address modern issues like social inequality, environmental concerns, and political polarization with a fresh, critical perspective.

Some key takeaways from Guru Nanak's teachings about achieving spiritual growth include:

• Focus on inner transformation: Guru Nanak emphasised orienting oneself internally rather than relying on external rituals or formalities.
• Practice equipoise: Tranquility can be achieved by maintaining a balanced mind in all situations.
• Overcome inner obstacles: Guru Nanak taught that shackles of lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego are barriers to attaining peace of mind and experiencing bliss.
• Live simply: Guru Nanak emphasized the importance of simple living and evolving through proper actions.
• Cultivate noble intentions: Our intentions shape our destiny, with noble intentions leading to peace and lowly intentions to distress.
• Seek experiential wisdom: Guru Nanak valued direct spiritual experience over blind adherence to religious customs or self-affliction.
• Recognize the divine within: He taught that God is within us, and we should look inward to connect with the divine.
• Embrace oneness: Guru Nanak promoted the unity and oneness of all creation, transcending religious and social boundaries.
• Be a lifelong learner: He encouraged maintaining a mindset of continuous learning and growth throughout life.
• Practice remembrance: Regular meditation and remembrance of the divine facilitates the union of the mind with consciousness.
• In the second part of the session, we touched upon trees' remarkable intelligence and adaptability, highlighting their unique sensory perception and ability to respond to changing seasons.

- From Guru Nanak Docuseries- 

1. What was your takeaway from the session today? 

2. What did you learn from the episode, and does it relate to you in any way?

3. Rules and norms

4. Kabir and Guru Nanak. Are there any dohas that are close to your heart?

5. Rationality and common sense in the society

6. Where is this oneness lost today? 

-From Hidden Life Of Trees-     

1. Why do we read about trees in the first place?   

2. Did the story connect with you today, and why?     

3. What learnings can we take away from the story today?   

4. Which part is known as the brain of the tree?

5. How do forests grow and connect with external factors?

 These are some suggestions you can choose from. Looking forward to seeing your wonderful and thoughtful reflections! You can email your reflections to - nk@learningforward.org.in. For any assistance, please feel to WhatsApp or Telegram us at +919811133900 (no phone calls)

Action Item

1. Schedule the next screening date in August. Rishona will follow up with Amardeep.
2. Participants should research Kabir's teachings, especially his Dohas.
3. Read the assigned chapter from "The Hidden Life of Trees" and discuss.
4. Publish a blog post reflecting on the discussion points from the episode.
5. Share the reflection blog post on various online platforms once published.

My Guide Inside - Arfa Khan

MGI Reflection at My Good School 

What I took away from this session-

My Guide Inside is like a little voice, an inner wisdom that tells us what is good and wrong and how we feel. It is always in us; we must calm our brains and thoughts to know precisely what we want.

We don’t have to feel guilty for having a comfortable life—we should be happy to have the opportunity to help others with that! I felt the same guilt for quite a while. I thought that there were so many people dying and starving, and I was not able to help. 

Many people want to be like us, but we don’t reflect on it. But now I realise that maybe I will not be able to help everyone, and that’s okay because I can start from my community; that counts as help, too!

Our inner sunshine still exists, even if we have a terrible thought. Just because the sun has been covered by clouds doesn’t mean it has disappeared! The clouds will eventually leave, and it will be all sunny again. If we have a terrible thought, we should label it as just a thought and not pay heed to it. We are in control of our thoughts, and we can redirect them when we want.

Arfa Khan

Ahlcon Public School

My Guide Inside (MGI) Author Note:
MGI Online is for Indian school classrooms. MGI has 3 levels for: young kids, kids, and teens. Story-based MGI focuses on 3 Principles, Language Development, and 21 Century Competencies. MGI includes Hindi vocabulary and is ideal for Life Skills courses.
See: myguideinside.com