A.I. and Spirituality? - Chinmaya Mission Philippines Talks About It!

 - May 6, 2023, Saturday.

- Artificial intelligence has once again been the talk of the town lately, with intriguing and intimidating features in the latest advancements in technology. More intriguing is what does the latest trends in AI technology say about the being and future of mankind? In a slight diversion from my usual travel posts, let me talk a bit about my recent speaking engagement! It still fits in my general blogging interests since this is related to some extent to my rather cultural posts. This time, I once again go back to Chinmaya Mission Philippines as one of their speakers for their event entitled "Are We Ready for AI?"

- Chinmaya Mission Philippines is a Hindu spiritual organization started by Swami Chinmayananda in the 1950s. It aims to make Hinduism more approachable and understandable to its devotees. In the Philippines, they're based in their new home in Taguig (I've been to Chinmaya events in the past, but this is my first time to visit their new building!) At times, they organize special events such as this talk to as a way to have conversations between spirituality and current trends. This is one of the things I admire about the organization. Chinmaya Mission Philippines is one of the spiritual organizations supported by the local Indian community.

Chinmaya Mission Philippines' new building!

Left: image of Ram and Hanuman. Right: image of Swami Chinmayananda.

Some books for sale. These are meant to help children learn more about their gods and spirituality.

Of course I had to look my best.

- The talk had 6 pairs of speakers that tackle an aspect of AI and spirituality. Some talked about AI and school, AI and fitness and wellbeing, AI and spirituality from both children's and the elderly's perspectives, as well as AI and relationships. I spoke with my partner, yoga instructor Glen, about the implications of AI in our teaching profession. All talks generally provided ways as to how AI can help us with our daily tasks, but also how there are certain things that (as far as we know) cannot be replaced by AI. In my case, I shared that while AI can help in teaching or learning, nuanced and personalized guidance and being a role model are still things that only human teachers can do well. Finally, Brahmacharini Satarupa-ji, the head of Chinmaya Mission Philippines, shared how AI will always be created by humans, who possess "Natural Intelligence" (NI). Natural Intelligence allows people to reflect, discern, question, meditate, among other things that make us human. While there are AI apps, as shared by some speakers, that help people learn more about their religion or beliefs, it is up to people to practice and carry out those lessons in life.

With my partner speaker Glen, who by the way told me that I was a yogi. Maybe not the body-bending kind like him, but in mind and spirit. Long story short, I've been able to meditate and share the art of meditation to others, and apparently, that is yoga according to Glen. Thank you for letting me know Glen!

Thanks to my friend Sharon for getting this awesome shot!

Brahmacharini Satarupa-ji during her talk.

This was during the open forum after the talk. I got this photo from my friend Sharon. 

Photo of the event, from the Chinmaya Mission official Facebook page.

 - I learned so much from all the other speakers, and it was nice hearing where they all come from. Glen and I were the only non-Indian speakers, but I didn't actually feel that we were out of place. As for me, it was nice reconnecting with my Indian friends, and meeting new people as well. The crowd was vibrant, as is has always been in Chinmaya events. 

With Glen, after the talk.

It's an honor to have a photo with Brahmacharini Satarupa-ji.

With Geeta, the main organizer of the talk.

With Jasmine, who invited me to be a speaker for the talk!

- To cap the night, my good friend Jasmine and I had a really filling dinner as a pat on our back for all our hard work - especially for Jasmine! Jasmine was part of the tech crew of the whole event! It was a really long day, but I really enjoyed spending time learning from other people. Who knew that there are fruitful intersections between AI and spirituality, and that they don't have to go against each other?

India: Making History, Virtually!

- May 6, 2021, Thursday.

- Be part of India's history in the coming days! Although virtually, and in the comfort of our own homes, we can still take part in various activities held in whichever part of the world! India's Chinmaya Mission, in cooperation with its international branches, is celebrating the 105th birthday ("jayanti") of Swami Chinmayananda by launching a video series from May 8 to 25, 2021 through the Chinmaya Channel on Youtube (click here)! This will be done daily at 9:45pm-10:30pm Philippine time (7:15pm-8pm Indian time). Swami Chinmayananda, via newly-restored videos from the archives, will be discussing the 7th chapter of the Bhagavad Geeta. Most importantly, the online release of these videos will be inaugurated by the current prime minister of India, P.M. Narendra Modi.

- The Bhagavad Gita (sometimes spelled as "Bhagavad Geeta") is one of the holy books of Hinduism, and mainly shows discussions between the warrior prince Arjuna, and the god Krishna, initially disguised as a charioteer. The Gita, as it is fondly called, is part of the Mahabharata. The Mahabharata is one of the two main epics of India, the other being the Ramayana. The 7th chapter of the Bhagavad Geeta in particular discusses the nature of god and how one can know god to supplement one's faith. For those who might not be Hindu but consider themselves spiritual or enthusiasts of spirituality, learning from other scriptures can be a good exercise to see what other bodies of thought say about something as profound as the divine. 

The Bhagavad Gita.

- So what about Swami Chinmayananda? Why celebrate him? Born as Balakrishna Menon on May 8, 1916 and passed away as Swami Chinmayananda on August 3, 1993, he was a journalist turned spiritual leader who was responsible in reviving world-wide interest among Hindus to study Hindu scriptures deeper. In the case of overseas Hindu Indians, the Chinmaya Mission that Swami Chinmayananda established was able to not only bring them closer to their religion, but also their culture, and other members of their local Indian community. Although the movement is generally Hindu, activities of the Chinmaya Mission are open to open-minded people (pun intended heehee), who may not necessarily identify as Hindus.

Swami Chinmayananda.

- In our current pandemic-stricken world, you might be one of the people who think they need a dose of spirituality to provide some peace and calmness to the senses. If this is the case, and if you are curious to know what Swami Chinmayananda himself says about knowing god through the Bhagavad Gita, do consider being part of this historical virtual event!  

Saturday Morning "Baatchit": Meeting the Sindhi Youth at Balvihar

- September 24, 2016, Saturday.

- My Indian friends Jashwin and Jasmine invited me to join their morning balvihar session to talk to some Sindhi teens about one of the topics that I know the most - me. Balvihar is a youth-oriented program with a series of religious classes organized by the Chinmaya Mission center. Being a Hindu mission, the Chinmaya Mission provides classes mainly on Hinduism for people of all ages, although balvihar is specifically for the youth; you can say that balvihar is sort of like "Sunday school" for the Christian youth, although balvihar sessions are on Saturdays. To facilitate balvihar classes, the youth members that are separated into different age groups. Most of the participants are Sindhi youth (one of the prominent groups of Indians in the Philippines). Jashwin and Jasmine are volunteer teachers for the teen group, and these days they have been organizing a series of career talks with Indians or people with India/Hindu-related professions like mine. For this Saturday, I was more than happy to visit balvihar again after my first visit last year (click here) to talk about the field of education and my personal experiences with Hinduism, India, and the Indian community here in the Philippines in my life, my studies, and my career.

- We started balvihar classes after the opening prayer session. For the teen group, we had a cozy group of around 15 Sindhi teens; one of the supervisors, Auntie Usha, also participated. We all sat on the floor and had a rather relaxed chat or "baatchit" in Hindi. According to Jashwin, it was sort of like a "Koffee with Karan" type of chat; "Koffee with Karan" is a famous English showbiz talk show in India with Indian director (among other credentials) Karan Johar as the host.

Doing one of my favorite activities - talking.

They were a bit shy but they were nice.

Jasmine seated beside me (my right side/photo's left side.)

- After answering all of Jashwin's questions and sharing my life and love for all-things Indian, some of the students asked me questions about my work in the university and my encounters with students. Auntie Usha also asked me challenging questions about my thoughts and opinions on some Hindu scriptures like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. (Boy, did those questions really make me think! But I like those kinds of questions.)

- The one-and-a-half-hour balvihar classes ended around 12 noon. We ended the session with a nice class photo before packing up. To be honest I had wanted to stay a bit and probably talk more to the students there (or maybe even play with the Indian toddlers in the toddler balvihar class.) Auntie Usha also thanked me for agreeing to be a speaker for today's teen balvihar class; if only she knew that it was the least I can do for the all the help the Indian community gave me to finish my thesis last year!!

My teen balvihar "class," with Jasmine, Jashwin, and Auntie Usha. 

Happy 100 Years Chinmaya Mission!!

- I realized that just as I was feeling that I was neglecting my "Indian side" these past few weeks, then came a wave of Indian-related activities (click here for Ganesha Chaturthi, and here for Hindi Diwas). I hope that I'll be able to participate in more Indian-related events in the near future - speaking of which, Diwali (the Festival of Lights) is just a month from now!!

A Film's "Quest": The Philippine Indian Community's Upcoming Film Screening

- April 2, 2015, Thursday.

- Recently, better and more exciting things have been happening in the Indian community in the Philippines. Days after the color-filled Holi celebration in MOA early this month, another announcement regarding a special and once-in-a-lifetime Indian film showing will be done this mid-April. (And of course, I'll be there too!!)

- Chinmaya Mission Philippines is currently organizing the screening of the film "On a Quest," produced by Chinmaya Creations. This English-language film narrates the life story of Swami Chinmayananda, the founder of the Chinmaya Mission. Swami Chinmayananda's life is an unbelievably remarkable search for the meaning and truth of spirituality and religion. From a freedom fighter during the latter part of the British colonial era, he became a journalist, and later leaving the profession to become the religious leader and passionate teacher that he is known today. He organized the Chinmaya Mission in the 1950s, a spiritual organization that advocates Advaita Vedanta (i.e. the identity of the Self and the universal spirit as pure consciousness.) Even though Swami Chinmayananda has passed on in 1993, his teachings are still very influential to Hindus all over the world; currently, the mission has over 300 centers around the world, with over 120 teachers.

Movie poster.

- Just like the title, the movie itself has been "on a quest" around Asia, travelling country after country to be shown to the locals of those countries. The Philippine screening will be held twice:

First screening: Power Plant Mall, Cinema 4, on April 14, 2015 (Tuesday,) at 8:00pm; 400php per ticket

Second screening: SM Megamall, Cinema 1, on April 19, 2015 (Sunday,) at 6:00pm; 350php (upstairs seats) and 300php (downstairs seats)

**For ticket reservations, contact:  Sonaal Nandwani (0917-851-0070) or Nisha Advani (0927-300-6180)

**The first screening in Powerplant is more special since it will be graced by the mission's current head,  Swami Tejomayananda.  Swami Tejomayananda visits the Philippines every two years, and being in his presence will surely be an honor.

Swami Tejomayananda.

- Just to spark more interest, the film's trailer was also released:

- The film screening was formally announced at the Chinmaya Mission center during the Hanuman Chalisa celebration (i.e. a prayer session devoted to the monkey-god Hanuman) that I attended on March 7. Fortunately, one of the mission's teachers  allowed me to observe their prayer session. The mission's members and attendees are made up of the close-knit Indian community in Manila. The mission provides different regular classes and talks on Hinduism. I was pleasantly surprised to know that my friends Rosh, Jash, and Jas act as teaching assistants for the children's classes, called "Balvihar." Apart from the excitement of experiencing my first Hanuman Chalisa session ever, another thing that sparked my interest was the mission center's bookstore containing religious books for kids to adults, including books written by Swami Chinmayananda and Swami Tejomayananda. I got myself a how-to-speak Sanskrit book (I hope I get to learn the language soon!!) Most of all, I was impressed by the members' enthusiasm, devotion, and community spirit.   

Filipinos from the Hare Krishna mission leading the chants.

Devotees giving offerings to Hanuman.