Reason-Based Spiritual Teaching

Reason-Based Spiritual Teaching (For Ages 12 – 17)

For Vedic culture and thoughts to continue, it is imperative that our children, who are the future carriers of knowledge, are taught reason-based understanding of the Vedic culture. Today’s environment is such that children are bombarded by too much Avidya (incorrect education) and it is our responsibility to give them a foundation based on intellect on our culture and scriptures. This class will allow children to think on their own. The class is conducted in an open discussion environment to ensure the children grasp the concepts. Please tell your friends about this class that we give reason-based understanding of our Vedic rituals, scriptures and why it benefits us to do spiritual activities.

About Gunvant Dahyabhai Mistry

( Teacher for Reason-Based Spiritual Teaching)

I am presently retired, but active in the lives of children. I feel that our Vedic culture and teachings are exceptional, and we can give the values and treasures in them to the whole world.

I have been very fortunate my whole life since I have had exposure to Vedic thoughts throughout my life. In my early childhood, my father would read and explain the Bhagavatam, Bhagavad Geeta and some of the Vedic scriptures. I pursued my quest and curiosity for our Vedic literature when I came to the USA in 1971 and attended all lectures in Austin from visiting saints. In 1992 I was introduced to Reason based spirituality by Pandurandg Shashtri Athvale and how to apply the teaching in life. For the past 28 years I have been working with children and taught principles of Vedic scriptures to children of all age levels. I like working with older children since thereis a challenge of questions from the children. I have been conducting my classes in an open environment of questions and answers. I want the children to talk because it gives me an insight of their existing knowledge and their thought process. Understanding them allows me to tailor my teaching so they can get correct understanding. I strongly believe that each one of us is responsible for ourselves and as such make use of God-given intellect in spiritual pursuit.

For the last 20 years I have conducted 1 weeklong Tapovan every year for children from the ages of 8 to 14 years. At the Tapovan, the child learns about all aspects of life like washing his/her own clothes, helping in the kitchen, performing Surya Namaskars, Pranayams, Asanas, work with each other, learning from selected topics in Hinduism, etc.

Presently I belong to Shiv Yog foundation to pursue my spiritual path. I have incorporated my learning from this foundation into the children’s classes.

Registration:

Fill in and submit the registration form – Registration Link

Classes will be conducted in-person at Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple of Austin

For questions about the registration please email –  education@saiaustin.org

Curriculum:

This class helps our children in understanding correctly what Vedic scriptures tell us.

• • Who Am I? – Do I know who I am?
  • Trikalsandhya – Remember God three times a day.
  • Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh (Shiv) – What the Trinity represents.
  • Ganapati – The story and correct understanding of the Devta (deity).
  • Navaratri – The significance of the nine-day celebration.
  • Tejasvita – What does brilliance mean and how do we apply it in our lives?
  • Vedic timeline – The duration of this creation and its cyclic nature
  • Bharti Scientists – What our scientists have given the world
  • Peer pressure – How to avoid peer pressure
  • Our five bodies – Do we really have five bodies and what are they?
  • Pranayams – Why are pranayams important? What is the science behind pranayams.