Showing 419 articles

Speed Reading or Slow Reading

Author: Antonin Vinkler

July 27, 2024

Speed reading has its benefits – it saves time where there is a lack of available hours or days, and the volume of pages is staggering, or where the attractiveness of the content does not exceed that of an instruction manual. The problem generated by speed reading, though, can be summarised with the following quote [...]

Traveling Beyond: Egypt Explorations with New Acropolis India Part 2 – The Egyptian Temple as a Metaphor for Life

Author: Rahil Mehta

July 8, 2024

Traveling Beyond: Explorations with New Acropolis India, is active travel for the aspiring philosopher; to come closer to the rich human heritage of lands and cultures across the globe. The philosophical way encourages us to come closer to what lies “beyond” – the invisible causes of what we observe, such that we may recognize the [...]

The Dichotomy of the Mind & the Heart

Author: Archana Samarth

July 8, 2024

We seem to live in a world of dichotomies, a world where sharply contrasting ideas exist. For example, we can say that with all the modern technological breakthroughs, humanity is advancing and yet, we can also say that there is regression of human values as evident in the strife, separation, poverty, malnourishment and disease of [...]

Many Traditions, One Essence: Seeking Beauty through a Diversity of Expressions (Celebrating Arts Day 2024)

Author: Manjula Nanavati (compiled by)

July 8, 2024

New Acropolis, a school of practical philosophy present in over 50 countries, celebrated Arts Day 2024, in recognition of the value of art and culture in all their myriad expressions, to individuals and to societies. India North, comprising the main centre Mumbai and the Pune branch, hosted an event at each location on June 9th, [...]

Many Seeds, One Garden: Learning from the Sacred Groves of India

Author: Manjula Nanavati (compiled by)

July 8, 2024

This is a write-up based on an event celebrating International Mother Earth Day held at New Acropolis, Colaba, Mumbai. UNESCO has designated April 22nd as International Mother Earth Day to raise public awareness of the challenges to the well-being of our planet, and to recognize our collective responsibility to promote harmony with nature. At an [...]

The Ancient Tradition of Kalaripayattu: In conversation with Lakshmanan Gurukkal

Author: Axelle Defrasne

July 8, 2024

Shri Lakshmanan Gurukkal hails from a traditional Kalaripayattu family. His father and guru, Shri Veerasree Sami Gurukkal who trained under Guru Govindankutty Nambiar, established the Hindustan Kalari Sangam in Calicut, in 1952, to preserve and promote this traditional martial art form. His children Shri Lakshmanan, Shri Shatrughnan and Smt Radhika are now carrying forward this [...]

Building The Future

Author: Carlos Adelantado

June 8, 2024

The path of philosophy is long but not hard. It is a path of searching, of always learning. We like to define a philosopher as a seeker, a lover of wisdom. A philosopher is the one who asks questions about life and tries to find answers; answers that can be valid and useful to find [...]

Smart Slavery

Author: Antonin Vinkler

May 2, 2024

Thanks to the benevolent faith there are over a hundred letters preserved from my favorite philosopher – Lucius Annaeus Seneca, in which he is mentoring his younger friend Lucilius. In one of those letters (No 27) Seneca mentions Calvisius Sabinus – a rich fellow, who wanted to become a memorable part of the society of [...]

Travelling Beyond: Egypt Explorations with New Acropolis India

Author: Sukesh Motwani

May 1, 2024

Part 1 – Upper Egypt. New Acropolis India’s ‘Travelling Beyond’ initiative curated its inaugural exploration, a 10-day journey to Egypt in January 2024. Led by a senior instructor on Egyptian Symbolism and a very good local Egyptologist guide, the trip immersed its 32 participants in the culture, history, mythology, and philosophy of ancient Egypt. While [...]

Zen Gardens As A Portal To Contemplation

Author: Manjula Nanavati

May 1, 2024

“To study Zen is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be awakened by all things.”                                                           – Dogen Zenji. It is said that the founder of Buddhism in Japan, the monk Mahakashyapa, received his illumination directly from Shakyamuni t [...]

Harmony in the Orchestra of Life!

Author: Gauri Dhawan

May 1, 2024

Harmonia, in Greek Mythology, is the goddess of Harmony and Concord. She is the daughter of Ares, the God of War; and Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love. At first glance, this could seem strange: a force of war, and a force of love coming together to create harmony.  But, let’s take a deeper look at [...]

Discovering Life’s Beauty through Poetry

Author: Dipti Sanzgiri

May 1, 2024

  What is beauty? How do we define it? What happens to us when we encounter beauty? It is an experience that is so profound that many poets have expressed in many beautiful ways.           My Heart Leaps Up My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky: [...]