Sarnath August 2024
Dear Alice’s Friends,
We are ready with our latest edition of Alice Project News. These days have been really busy for all of us as different activities took place here at Sarnath, Arunachal and Bodhgaya Schools.
Different activities happening at the Alice’s Schools.
Yoga day celebration:
On 21st June Alice Project Schools celebrate 10th International Yoga Day. The residential students, the school principal and the teachers of the school happily participated the event. The Yoga teacher led the group starting with Asanas to Mudras, Bandhas and Pranayama. The ceremony was concluded with the universal prayer for the wellbeing and happiness of all the sentient beings.
“Om, May All be Happy, May All be Free from Illness. May All See what is Auspicious, may no one Suffer. Om Peace, Peace, Peace.”
Arrival of Mr. Valentino sir from France: On the 1st of July Mr. Valentino sir returned to Sarnath with Ani Agata la. It was a moment of a great joy for all of us. All the students and teachers were very happy to welcome and meet him with open hearts.
Birthday Celebration of HH the 14th Dalai Lama and H.E. Jangtse Choeje Gosok Rinpoche: On 6th of July Students and teachers of Alice Project Schools prayed for the Dalai Lama’s long and healthy life. It was a great celebration. The teachers and students offered lamps, garlands and flowers to the image of His Holiness. And we offered the long-life mantra recitation for him.
In the Tara temple the nuns organized a special long-life puja for the wellbeing and a long life of His Holiness.
And one 09 July: “We wish H.E. Jangtse Choeje Gosok Rinpoche, a very Happy Birthday. We pray for his good health and long life. Happy Birthday Dear Rinpoche La”
Construction work of 8 stupas got completed: We are happy to inform you that the construction work of the 8 stupas completed successfully under the guidance and supervision of Ven. Lama Thubten Kalsang La (a high tantric practitioner and the expert on the construction of the stupas), brother of our president Mr. Tsewang Tenzin la. The stupas have been built with the personal money of Mr. Valentino and the help of some of his friends.
Mr. D. N. Pujari, and his workers did a wonderful work and they completed the work in much less time than was expected.
Dedication:
We dedicate the meritorious virtues created through the construction of these eight stupas to the following goals:
1. For the long life and successful deeds of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and all the Lamas of the different traditions of Buddhism in Tibet;
2. For the Buddha’s teaching to flourish and that all sentient beings have happiness.
3. For the benefactors to accumulate the two stores of merit and wisdom and purify all their negativities in order to reach full enlightenment.
These stupas were consecrated on 13th day of the 06th month of the Tibetan Royal Year 2151 and (19/07/2024).
May it be beneficial for the people of the world.
Puja and the inauguration ceremony: Just after the completion of the stupas with the help of nuns of the Tara temple and Master Kalsang La, the inauguration ceremony was done with great devotion. Mr. Valentino sir, Agata La, the principal of the school, teachers and students we all participated in this event.
We all felt ourselves so much blessed, fortunate and honored to get the chance to be part of this. The principal introduced the students about the meaning of stupa and how it is beneficial for all.
15th Aug 2024: Independence Day of India: As every year, this year also the Independence Day was celebrated with great joy. All the students participated it with their teachers, guardians, and invited guests.
The secretary of society Miss. Severta Negi la, hoisted the flag and expressed her words of congratulations to all. The principal skillfully conducted the event and congratulated all the participants, students, and the esteemed guests too.
Teachers training:
This year teachers from France and Italy applied for the teachers training. Last year this training was just for the Indian teachers. But this year Mr. Valentino and the administration thought of making it open for all. So, 9 participants form Italy and one participant form France came to participate this ’10-day teachers training program.’.
The first day they were welcomed by all of us during the morning assembly.
We were delighted to have our esteemed guests join us for our morning assembly today! Their presence added a special touch to our daily routine. Our guests actively participated in the assembly, engaging with our students and staff. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to share our school’s spirit and values with them.
Thank you to our guests for taking the time to be with us this morning. We hope you enjoyed the experience and look forward to welcoming even better moments! – Boom Dorje
The training: The training was led by Mr. Valentino sir, where beside the guests from Italy and France, the teachers from Bodhgaya, Arunachal and Sarnath branches also participated.
The students of the school were invited to participate in the practical lessons. The training had two parts of it: theory and practical. So, the participants were not only introduced the concepts just in theory but they were invited to the classes where they could practically see how the method has been being implemented.
They could see how at one side the Alice Schools are working with the students to increase their knowledge about the subjects and curriculum, while on other hand they are being taught how to know the mind and its functioning, as the mind is the creator of their own Samsara.
The senior students were introduced about the AI and its usage in the modern era. What are the benefits and demerits of it. And how to avoid the risk and the challenges in the field of education, the society, the carrier and jobs that are seen due to use of AI.
The Alice Project, with its focus on mind-body-spirit integration, offers an educational model that can balance the rise of AI with a reinvigorated sense of humanity. The integration of Western mechanistic educational systems with Eastern spiritual philosophies (but also with Western mysticism) creates a bridge to a transpersonal, transcultural, interreligious pedagogy that not only informs but transforms.
The participants were very happy to attend this teaching and work shop, here is how they expressed themselves:
Cinzia: I am very happy to be here, because I came here to experience the project. For two years we have started to use this method in our school and it has transformed us and our students too. As Chiara has said this is something that must be taught since tender age, since childhood, it will affect more. It is important to educate, through the holistic vision has impressed me, which told me that we should not only work one part of the mind. But make a wholistic change. In my school after using this method, I found that within some months only the students have a positive change in them. We are so impressed that we will use this method not only in our school but in all the schools of Italy. This is why we have an association, which is working in private school for now. But we are working to use in the public schools. Thank you so much.
Mr. Vinit Mishra, an ex- Alice Project teacher, currently working in prestigious School in Varanasi (of strength more than 3000which runs from Nursery to Class-XII.) I still miss Alice Project Schools. I see the main difference between the Alice Project Schools and others schools is about the quality verses quantity. Alice Project’s schools are giving the quality education including moral, spiritual, yoga, meditation and values with the academics and producing good human beings. At the same time, if we see in many other popular schools, they have thousand things running in their schools with the academics. If you ask them, they have so many scholastic and Co- curricular activities, but if we talk about the quality, it is not happening as it is should be done to reach till maximum back benchers. This leads a lack of value and competency-based education for all the students and this affects the life of the students. They may produce human earning machines but not the sincere citizen having dharma and truth, which is very harmful for the society. And the teachers too are so busy in maintaining their records and other formalities, hence they are not getting sufficient time to work on the personal growth of every individual in both the sense of scholastic and moral teaching. Some students of these schools may have better conventional education (bookish knowledge). Few of them may become doctors, lawyers, engineers and other professionals but lacking in traditional, cultural and moral education which affects the society and the atmosphere around.
Conference and Award Ceremony at the Sampurnand Sanskrit University of Benaras
On 28th of August at one of the oldest and the most famous Sampurnand Sanskrit University of Benaras under the join aegis of the Department Of Comparative Religion Philosophy and Universal Sanskrit college of Varanasi, one day seminar was organized on the top of “Creating the future in the perspective of past, contemporary Application of the Traditional in the Panini Bhavan Auditorium of Sampurnanad Sanskrit University under the chairmanship of Honorable Vice chancellor.
The chief guest of the event was Ven. Geshe Thubten Sherab, principal of Kopan Monastery Nepal, who covered a long journey from Nepal to Varanasi , just to attend this historic event. He was staying at the adjurningTara temple.
Beside them other important guests, from different associations of Varanasi and Bodhgaya participated it. Mr. Valentino Giacomin who was the main speaker of the event was honored for his excellent work in the field of Education.
Ven. Geshe Thubten Sherab la, in his talk said as follows: Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen, honorable guests, educators, students and my dear friends. It is an immense honor and gratitude for me to be here on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the Allice project school. It is a great day for everyone who is part of the team that has made its strides in this field. His vision is truly revolutionary and I believed in it. We honor the Alice Project schools which in Sarnath, Bodhgaya and AP, have become the hope of learning centers. these schools not only feed countless students. But also by providing education on how to deal with the problems of the modern era. How to be more aware and compassionate.
In 2016 I saw AP school and what I saw was very inspiring. These schools are not only educational institutions, but a hope for many disadvantaged people.
Today’s conference organized with SSVV is a great honor for AP. We are grateful to the university for providing this opportunity. It reflects the profound impact. Like the professor, who said that if we honor, we accept. So your AP recognition has a big impact on AP School. AP schools started in 1980 and since then they have been a center for the revival of culture, education and all that.
I wish all of you participants, whose presence honors and inspires us all, my best wishes, your dedication and your success and to Mr. Valentino since I was invited for this AP school 30th anniversary celebration.
In his speech Mr. Valentino expressed his views as follows: Alice project and a bridge between East and west and the challenge of Artificial intelligence.
The Alice Project: A New Era of Integrated Pedagogy In today’s global landscape, education is at a critical stage where the need for renewal and integration is stronger than ever. The Alice Project by Maestro Valentino Giacomin, which merges the principles of Vedantic non-dualism, Buddhist emptiness and the discoveries of quantum physics, represents a promising response to this need. With thirty years of success in some Indian and Italian schools, the Alice Project is preparing to organize a conference in India, determined to demonstrate the inevitability of adopting this innovative educational paradigm.
In an age where artificial intelligence (AI) promises to transform the way we live and work, the global education crisis requires radical solutions. The key to addressing this crisis may lie in ancient Hindu and Buddhist philosophical traditions. Underpinned by modern neuroscience and quantum physics, these traditions offer potential pathways for profound pedagogical transformation. The Alice Project Conference will not only offer a theoretical proposal, but will lay the foundations for an educational revolution that could change the course of the history of education.
Vedantic Non-Dualism and Unitary Education One of the pillars of the Alice Project is Vedantic non-dualism, which promotes the perception of the unity of all things. In an educational context, this principle could transform into a pedagogy that no longer rigidly separates academic subjects, but connects knowledge and experience, mind and spirit, teacher and student. Such a perspective would encourage holistic learning, in which students recognize the connections between different disciplines and their own lives. The latest findings in neuroscience, which indicate that the brain works better when it learns in an integrated and contextual way, support this view.
Buddhist Emptiness and the Fluidity of Knowledge The Buddhist concept of emptiness, which suggests the impermanent and interdependent nature of all things, can be translated into a pedagogy of flexibility and adaptability. Instead of static and rigidly structured teaching, the Alice Project offers an education that dynamically adapts to the needs of students and the realities of the ever-changing world. Quantum physics, with its theories on the probabilistic and interconnected nature of reality, offers a scientific basis for this educational approach. In this framework, students not only learn concepts, but also develop the ability to navigate and thrive in a complex and changing world.
Neuroscience and Self-Awareness Modern neuroscientific research has highlighted the importance of mindfulness and self-awareness in the learning process. The Alice Project integrates meditative and self-reflection practices into the educational routine, helping students develop greater awareness of their emotions, thoughts and behaviors. This not only improves learning and memory, but also promotes emotional and mental well-being. The essential function of the principle “the mind creates its own world” is therefore scientifically validated, demonstrating how a calm and concentrated mind can improve cognitive abilities and personal resilience.
The Challenge of AI and the Return to Humanity In a world increasingly dominated by AI, education must prepare students not only to live with technology, but to maintain and develop what makes us human: creativity, l empathy, critical thinking and inner wisdom. The Alice Project, with its focus on mind-body-spirit integration, offers an educational model that can balance the rise of AI with a reinvigorated sense of humanity. The integration of Western mechanistic educational systems with Eastern spiritual philosophies (but also with Western mysticism) creates a bridge to a transpersonal, transcultural, interreligious pedagogy that not only informs but transforms.
In summary, the Alice Project Conference represents a crucial opportunity to radically rethink education. Topics such as the integration of neuroscience and quantum physics, Vedantic non-dualism, Buddhist emptiness, Western mysticism and the challenge of AI will offer a space for constructive and innovative dialogue. Adopting this educational paradigm is not only desirable, but inevitable if we desire a future in which education reflects the complexity and wonder of the world in which we live.
Letter from H.E. Jangtse Choeje Gosok Rinpoche for award ceremony: Our guru, the master H.E. Jangtse Choeje Gosok Rinpoche la could not attend the event, but as blessings we received the following letter from him, which fulfilled his presence.
Following is the translation of the letter: Homage to the Triple Gems (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha). On this special day I would like to extend my heartfelt greetings to all the teachers, staff and students. The Karmic and aspirational force brought me into the situation, in which I am able to support the schools and supervise them. In this connection, I want to say few sincere words of appeal to all the members of the school. As we all know, that not only we human beings, but including insects like ants are same in having inclination towards yearning for happiness and do not want suffering. This is very much obvious to us and does not need any extensive reasonings to ponder about it. In order to gain happiness and alleviating suffering, the human society has developed the idea of education and religious faith. In brief, the main purpose of gaining knowledge is to bring happiness to oneself and others; and to live a happy life.
The scholars in the past centuries have invested their maximum intelligence to conduct various researches to find out the best knowledge system to ensure happy life; and in this regard, made some proposals and prepared documented instructional materials. Among such proposals, some suggest that one may achieve meaningful happiness, if one is able to enjoy inexhaustive material comforts. In other words, if one is able to satisfy one’s five senses with the five sense pleasures, it may lead to a genuine happiness. Undoubtedly, in the process, the science has made outstanding contributions to the human society, for which the future generations will never forget the benevolence of the scientists. However, even if we enjoy inexhaustive material comforts, if we lack of inner qualities of love, compassion, forbearance and altruistic intention, then it is obvious that, how much wealth of material things we have in this world, one will not achieve the desirable and genuine happiness. Base on these facts, nowadays, there are many eminent scientists who affirms that the inner happiness does not come from external material objects.
In this view, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has convened wide-range of meetings with world-renowned scientists and Buddhist scholars for more than thirty years to discuss and dialogue on various themes pertaining to happiness and inner values. These collaborations and dialogues have laid a firm ground on which many other developments have come into shape which, with the sense of oneness of humanity, ensures the growth of human qualities in a secular way. These developments have inspired thousands of people around the globe to have loving-kindness towards others and inculcate altruistic attitude in our day-to-day life.
In this way, it clearly demonstrates that happiness is very much depends on our inner world— the mind. In the Gaya Gori Sutra, the Buddha said: “If one actualizes compassion, skillfulness and altruistic attitude, then he or she can certainly become an extraordinary individual in this life.” It is thus affirming that if one is able to inculcate the inner qualities of compassion and altruism, then not only in after lives but, in this life also, one can become extraordinary person. Acharya Tsonkhapa in his Ngagrimchenmo said: “All the virtues that is accomplished while abiding in that mind (compassionate mind) will lead to the wisdom of omniscience and the virtue blessed by that will bring infinite happiness even in cyclic existence.” If we practice compassion and altruism, we not only attain Buddhahood, also, it will bring boundless happiness in the Samsara.
Over the past two years, I have had wonderful opportunity to observe the school. The teachers, staff and students have good conduct of body, speech and mind. Both teachers and students share good human qualities of love and respect among them. I have staunch hope that in the future, many great individuals will emerge from the school, who will bring immense benefit to the humankind. I always take great rejoice in your endeavours and pray to the Triple Gems that all the activities of the school may accomplish spontaneously and without any obstructions.
In the end, my appeal to you is that you should all work diligently as much as your capacity for the overall development of the school and abide by its discipline. Moreover, continue sharing good bond and respect among teachers and students and strive harder in imparting and gaining knowledge.
Jangtse Choejey Gosok Rinpoche 19th August, 2024
Completion of the teachers training, certificate distribution and the press conference: On 30th of the August, the ’10-day teachers training completed under the skilful guidance of Mr. Valentino sir. And all the participants received the certificates and a press conference was organized at the school. The participants expressed themselves: how was their experience and what did they learn in all these days. And they expressed the quotes of thanks.
The vice-president of our society and the monk in charge of the Tara temple: Ven. Tashi Dhundup Bhutiya la together with the nuns of the Tara temple honoured the event with their presence. The representatives of the press and the digital media gave the certificates to the participants with Ven. Bhutia la.
Translation of the news article : Teachers from France and Italy participated in a teacher training camp at Sarnath, the teaching site of Lord Buddha, in Varanasi. The ten-day training camp was organized by Alice Project Universal Education at Sarnath, where teachers from Italy, France, and several states of India participated. During the ten-day training camp, discussions were held on India’s education system, challenges, and traditional Indian knowledge. Teachers from abroad shared their country’s education system and challenges, and a comparison was made between Indian and foreign education systems. After discussions on various topics during the ten-day seminar, certificates were distributed to all foreign teachers in the closing session. In the closing session, the main trainer and founder of Alice Project, Valentino Giacomin, said that today the world is facing many challenges. There are new challenges in the field of education as well, which can be solved through the principles of non-dualistic philosophy in traditional Indian knowledge. India and its traditional educational institutions can show the way to the world. A seminar was also organized on this topic at Sanskrit University a few days ago. Therefore, an attempt will be made to reach this education system to as many students as possible through this teacher training. In the ten-day training program, Tara Temple manager Tasi Dhondup Bhutia, and participants from abroad addressed and shared their experiences. The program was conducted and thanked by Principal Sri Avneesh Mishra. Arun Shukla, Sudhakar Prasad, Sunil Pandey, and teachers and students were present on the occasion.
News links :
Banaras Tak News : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wY3saayBH4
Ek Khabar Bharat : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CHHW_ZyDV4
The farewell time: The participants after the teachers training, bid bye-bye and thanked Mr. Valentino, the teachers, staff of the Alice’s School and everyone for helping them to complete this training successfully.
Chiara: Thank you, you are so special, so smiling and so many good people. I do not know many things AP. Before one year and till now I was completely unknown about Buddhism and Vedanta. But now I have gained more knowledge about all these thanks to meeting you people. As much as I am knowing I am getting more and more happy. You all are very lucky that you are learning all these in such a younger age.
Teresa: Thank you so much, it is such a pleasure. I am happy to meet all of you. It was my first time to Alice, though I do not know much about this field. But I would like to say that, what you are learning here, all these tools are very important. But in the county like Italy, where the life is so different. It lacks all these. So, what you are learning here and what you are experiencing, this is very special. You are very lucky that form such a young age you are learning a teaching which is so important for the life. I am sorry to say but in the Italian atmosphere, it is rare to get this education. So, you should understand that how lucky you are.
So, I give my wishes to all of you that after receiving this knowledge. You will go into the life. And when you will put it into practical life, it will be a more meaningful. So, all these teachings that you are getting you should put into practice then only these teachings will make value.
Construction and the renovation work going on at the Alice Schools:
As the schools have reopened after the summer holidays. And then the rainy season has approached, all the branches of the Alice’s Schools needed renovation and construction works. So, in all the three branches, we are doing the renovation work.
Construction work at Arunachal Branch: At our Arunachal Branch we are constructing the school building and the hostel to upgrade our schools for the junior high school. At present our school in Arunachal is running only till primary. And it needs an upgradation. At first step we are making the upgradation for class VIII and then the next step will be for the senior high schools.
The entire construction is of three floors and the construction of the first floor is going on. In this building we will have 8 classrooms with stairs 3 toilets in each floor. The base and the pillars for the ground floor have been constructed. In the next step, the construction of the wall and roof will be started soon.
Renovation work at Bodhgaya Branch: At the Alice Project in Bodhagaya there was a requirement of the making some new desk benches for the students and some of the classrooms needed to be renovated. All the works are under process and is soon going to be completed.
The classrooms and other rooms also are being painted to give a better look to them and to make it ready to host the students.
Renovation work at Sarnath Branch : At the Alice Project Sarnath School in these days the work of reconstruction, building, painting, renovation and printing is going on.
The building was constructed 20 years ago and since then it was being used for the students, but in all this much time the roof of this entire building needed to construct again. The work is under progress.
This boundary has collapsed due to the heavy rain. So, it needed to rebuilt. The construction is going on. Soon the painting work and the painting work will be started.
Games for the students: We have installed games for the students at the Sarnath School and the Bodhgaya School.
The children are happy to enjoy them. Time to time the class teachers bring the students and make different games and activities with their respective classes.
Printing books and the purchasing of TLM and making of new desk and benches for the students: To enhance the learning of the students recently we have printed some more books for English and mathematics. And teaching and learning materials also are made. These materials were used in the training as trail and we found that the students and teachers found it very interesting and they could learn easily.
Quotes of thanks: We close this newsletter with the quote of thanks for all the help and support that we have received from all of you. It means a lot to all of us and we will be always thankful to you.
See you in the next edition of Alice Project News.
Thank you so much!!!!!