Awakening Leadership Training

OUR ROOTS

At 84 years of age Ajarn Sulak Sivaraksa had a dream to create an alternative contemplative higher education institute. He asked Pracha Hutanuwatra who shared the same dream to make it happen. These programs would be for people committing themselves to work for social reconstruction at all levels. With decades of experience working with different local, national and International NGOs and civil society groups in Asia, Jane Rasbash, Pracha Hutanuwatra, and the team working for these programs have felt a deep connection with people who devote their lives to make a better society regardless of conventional ideological background. The programs have been designed to enhance life quality and capacity of these people spiritually, intellectually and practically. From nearly 50 years of experience, without spiritual cultivation a lot of activists burn out, become disillusioned, fall into despair or even become ill after decades of working for change. This is why the programs have a strong element of spiritual nourishment and self-cultivation. We have started with Buddhist Leadership Training, and later re-imagined it as Awakening Leadership Training. Awakening Leadership Training Program emphasizes more the general spiritual practice for inner growth and self-knowledge while Buddhist Leadership Training Program utilized a Buddhist approach to spiritual cultivation and engaged spirituality. Contemporary society has been changing rapidly and is becoming more and more complicated. People who aspire to heal the damage and help create a just and sustainable society need to be updated on and see clearly the complex structural violence harming the life of the people and life of our planet earth. At the same time there are many alternative good practices around the world trying to find solutions to the multiple crisis we are facing in the North, East, West and South. It is good for people who are working for social change to discover these initiatives.