A Research Wing of Rajyoga Education and Research Foundation (RERF), Brahma Kumaris

Background

The world has seen considerable progress in material and technological terms over the last century. Today, there is a heightened awareness that sustainable development is possible only by adopting a values based framework. More and more people from all walks of life are recognizing the need for spiritual development in order to cope with the pressures of day to day life.

In the past, the topics of thought & consciousness, wisdom & morality and meaning & purpose of life have remained the debating ground of Philosophers and Theologians but have not yielded fruits that benefit humanity at large.

Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya (PBKIVV) and its sister organization Rajayoga Education & Research Foundation (RERF) have been serving society at all levels through its various wings. Each wing aims to provide a spiritual approach that can bring about sustainable development in its respective domain.

The Spiritual Applications Research Centre (SpARC) was formed in 1995 as an internal research group that would dedicate itself in exploring and experimenting with applications of the spiritual knowledge of this institution towards the cause of world service.

The International Coordinating Centre for SpARC is situated in hall No. 13 at the International Centre for Higher Learning which is a part of the Academy for a Better World, Gyan Sarovar complex, Mt. Abu.

SpARC is focused on projects that experimented with practical applications of Rajayoga in daily life. In addition, Special Interest Groups (SIG) were formed that explored diverse topics ranging from the Nature of Time and Space to Values in Business.

Over the time it was observed that SpARC had another critical role to play. Researchers from all backgrounds invest considerable time and energy in developing their own disciplines. But the increase in specialization has resulted in each group working in silos. Of late, there have been some efforts in providing interdisciplinary approaches in solving specific problems or bringing development in a few related disciplines. The need was to provide a platform that allowed researchers from all backgrounds to congregate on a spiritual basis so that meaningful conversations and cross-pollination of ideas could take place.

With the blessings of the Almighty, SpARC has been refocused as a service wing to offer this interdisciplinary spiritual platform for researchers.

Godly Version:

“It is good that all of you have gathered here to do research. To the extent you do research whilst sitting in the room of introversion, to that extent you will receive good touching (divine inspirations). On the basis of these touching, many souls will benefit. It is good. But move forward whilst having the balance of yoga and experimentation. Otherwise everything is good. To the extent you churn, to that extent butter will emerge. Very good butter will emerge which will make everyone powerful.”

Vision

Building a better tomorrow through applied spirituality.

Mission

To engage in holistic research and foster an interdisciplinary approach on a spiritual foundation in order to develop effective tools and techniques for the benefit of people from all walks of life.

Aim and Objective

There is growing need that the fields of scientific knowledge and spiritual understanding should complement each other for retrieving the lost glory of a value based society. This is only possible when spiritual understandings are analysed systematically so that they can be understood in a convenient way by all sections of society.

In order to achieve this objective, Spiritual Applications Research Centre (SpARC) has been established in 1995 to conduct and promote research blend various branches of learning to enhance our understanding of reality as well as to find applications of spirituality to overcome problems faced by humanity.

Modus Oprandi

SpARC operates as a research wing. Researchers who are interested in SpARC activities across the globe communicate and collaborate using websites, Internet and other media technologies. Researchers of SpARC participate as Special Interest Groups (SIG), which hold discussions through, electronic forums. These Researchers also gather for meetings conducted at Head Quarters, Mount Abu and at convenient venues as and when required. These meetings are in the form of informal dialogue, seminars, discussions and workshops. In addition, Conference for Researchers of all disciplines is organized annually, at Mt. Abu, to highlight how Researchers can inculcate Spirituality in their professional and personal life to sharpen their research skills. These types of programmes are also organized in different cities of India like Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Barshi, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Coimbatore, Cuttack, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jalgaon, Indore, Mumbai, Pune, Shahada, Solapur, Vallabh Vidya Nagar, etc.

Sponsors (Individual & Institutional) wishing to promote the activities of the SpARC fund specific activities. Institutions and Individuals with relevant expertise who share the goals of SpARC are invited to form collaborative links with the centre.

Local Chapter

Since the very beginning of the projects in 1995 every year many BK sisters and brothers come from various corners of the world to attend the SpARC meetings at Head Quarters which is situated in the Academy for a Better World, Gyan Sarovar, Mt. Abu. Each meeting has been a great occasion for “SpARClers” to present their papers and share their knowledge. Over the years several SIGs have been formed and in August 1999, it was decided to form Local Chapters (LCs) or geographical groups of “SpARClers”. Thus the sisters and brothers belonging to a geographical area can meet frequently share their expertise carry out proper churning or undertake research activity in a more effective way. Local SpARClers meet regularly and the progress has been remarkable.

More than 75 local chapters have been formed throughout India. With the establishment of LCs, the SpARC research activities have gained good momentum.

Special Interest Groups (SIG)

SpARC has defined various areas with spiritual concepts in which research activities could be carried out. Important areas defined for research are as follows:

Rajayoga Lab: This SIG aims at facilitating research on enabling easy and sustainable experience of peace, bliss, freedom from stress etc. Also focusing the power of thought on matter and people for healing/empowering/purifying the same.

Value-based Education: This SIG aims at using technology and research methodologies to develop tools and techniques for imparting education in values for children. Some pioneering work has been done in imparting values to school children using Mathematics as a tool. This work gave birth to a new branch of value education called “Moral Mathematics”. Similarly, values are being imparted through a set of games designed by an informal group of children called “The Smile World Club”.

Medicine, Psychology & Psychiatry: This SIG aims at facilitating research in Palliative Care and experimenting in preventive and curative approaches to health through meditative practices and life-style interventions.

Agricultural Science: SIG aims to do research on alternate methods (other than fertilizers) in farming and using Rajyoga meditation for better cultivation.

Disaster Management: This SIG aims to understand the nature and impact of various forms of disasters and to utilise the power of science and spirituality in developing effective generic solutions in coping with disasters.

Skills Development: It aims at using Rajyoga meditation as a basis to develop techniques for imparting soft skills to increase employability of educated youth.

Natural Sciences: The approach of this area is to arrive at a justification on a set of fundamental concepts or axioms which resolve the long standing paradoxes prevailing in various branches of science while still explaining the observable phenomena.

Environment, Energy Conservations (renewable and non-renewable): SIG aims to use the spiritual laws for environment protection, energy conservation for non-renewable resources and using renewable sources of energy.

Values in Business: SIG aims to use spiritual laws and values in the world of economics and exchange with the vision of respecting these laws and still making the business more prosperous and healthy for all.

Philosophy and Religion: SIG aims to do research on inter-faith, different philosophies, religions and Rajyoga.

History, Geography & Future of the World: SIG aims to do research on history of the world, geography and the future of the world in relation to the knowledge imparted by Brahma Kumaris.

Spiritual Skills, Leadership & Management: SIG aims to develop tools and techniques in accordance with Godly knowledge, Rajyoga lifestyle and spiritual laws to impart values & ethics for holistic leadership and management practices.

Inspirations

Rajyogini Dadi Dr. Prakashmani Ji, Former Chief of PBKIVV

Science of matter and science of spirituality have to work together so that Value-Based Society comes into existence. This is very good that you (SpARC) will be able to clarify and prove various points of knowledge that Baba has given us on: History, Geography, Time Cycle, Education, Communication, Health, Administration, etc.

You will be able to reveal new ways and new spiritual tools for the good of mankind. This means that you should go into the depth of everything so that you can gain the practical experience of every point including research on the spiritual powers, the power of purity...etc. When you experience them yourselves then you can prove to the world the value of “Baba’s Gyan”.

Rajyogini Dadi Janki Ji

It is a matter of great pleasure that science and silence have joined hands to work towards the revelation of Baba. Recently, I met the Secretary General of UNO in France. I found he was very much tired of working with science. He heard about ‘silence’ for 15 minutes and when given guided meditation, said that he had a very good experience and had never imagined that he can ever sit in silence. “Today you have made me to sit in silence.” He was expressing his gratitude over and over again. He said that you people who are peaceful have won my heart. Yoga becomes easy to the extent to which one experiments with it. We often hear our inner voice saying that yes this yoga is real and natural. In science also only through experimentation they conclude that this is going to be very useful. We can definitely succeed in revealing Baba to the scientists. Silence is also deep, subtle and powerful.

Rajyogini Dadi Hriday Mohini Ji, Chief of PBKIVV

Dadi Hriday Mohiniji, stressed that SpARClers need to develop the power of concentration in order to be able to make the right decisions in research activities and do subtle service. Maintaining an unshakeable stage and helping others during disasters require practice over a long period of time.

Rajyogini Dadi Ratan Mohini Ji, Additional Chief of PBKIVV

Dadi Ratan Mohiniji said that the term SpARC is full of spirituality and it represents: Spirituality - Purity - Ability - Reality – Clarity. Dadiji also said that enthusiasm brings out the creative best in researchers. She hoped that SpARClers would explore the depth of spiritual knowledge and develop refined tools and techniques to become the embodiment of knowledge. Speaking the language of researchers, Dadiji said that, research is first to experiment with knowledge on ‘self’ and only after successfully developing standard procedures, should one venture for applications.

Rajyogi BK Ramesh N Shah, Founder of SpARC

One of the main aims in learning this divine knowledge is to go into the depth and try to understand all its basic principles to practically experiment with them. When we put them into practice we see the reactions and we are able to measure the results and understand its beauty and power.

With this spirit SpARC was started in February 1995 and is functioning since then. Step by step, year after year, it has progressed and many sisters and brothers are giving wonderful co-operation in doing research work at various fields. The applications of the research in the above mentioned fields are used to find spiritual solutions to global problems.

Rajyogini BK Usha Shah, Former Vice Chairperson, SpARC

Rajayoga if understood and applied rightly can fill up energy into the hardworking souls. Researchers guide this world. Hence through deeper study and being the embodiment of Godly knowledge the spiritual researchers would extend benefit to the whole World.

Rajyogini BK Ambika, Chairperson of SpARC

BK Ambika said that SpARC aims to promote research into various aspects of spirituality and its applications to different fields to give a new understanding and outlook. It has been established to enhance our understanding of reality as well as to find applications of spirituality to overcome the new challenging problems facing the humanity. Research takes place in silence. To the extent we do research whilst sitting in the room of introversion to that extent we will receive good touching. On the basis of these touching many people will benefit.