June 2013 Newsletter
The following articles are reproduced from the June 2013 Newsletter to members. Non-members may or may not be able to relate to the contents.
The Indo-Pacific Federation of the Theosophical Society
The Indo-Pacific Federation of the Theosophical Society had its beginnings at an initial conference near Sydney, Australia, held on December 31, 1959 to January 8, 1960, hosted by the Australian Section under the leadership of Helen Zahra. The initiative to form the federation was not followed up until 1976 at the initiative of Elaine Murdoch of Australia which resulted in another preliminary conference being held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
This resulted in the holding of the inaugural conference of the Indo-Pacific Federation in Jogjakarta on August 4 - 6, 1978, attended by delegates from Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines and Singapore chaired by the then International President, John B.S. Coats.
The Federation covers countries from Pakistan in the West and Fiji in the East, with no north/south limit. Its constitution stipulates that each member country will contribute 1% of its member' dues to the Federation.
The current Executive Committee members of the Indo-Pacific Federation of the TS are as follows:
President: John Vostermans
Vice-President: Chong Sanne
Treasurer: Zehra Bharucha
Secretary: Vicki Jerome
Council Members:
Vicente Hao Chin Jr.
Ng Ay Na
S. Sundaram
Indo-Pacific Conferences
The Indo-Pacific Federation of the Theosophical Society holds triennial conferences to foster the solidarity of the Federation. The conferences were held not just for their interesting themes and distinguished speakers but they also provided members with the opportunity to meet with other members of the Theosophical Society across cultures. By meeting other members of the Federation, we would better appreciate the challenges faced by the other countries working for the same cause. Conferences have been held in the following countries.
Preliminary meetings:
1959: Wakkavia, Australia
1973: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Indo-Pacific Federation Conferences:
1. 1978: Jogjakarta, Indonesia
2. 1983: Manila, Philippines
3. 1985: Karachi, Pakistan
4. 1989: Perth, Australia
5. 1992: Auckland, New Zealand
6. 1994: Adyar, Chennai, India
7. 1997: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
8. 2001: Sydney, Australia
9. 2004: Singapore
10. 2007: Manila, Philippines
11. 2010: Adyar, Chennai, India
The Singapore Lodge Theosophical Society has been represented in at least seven of the eleven conferences. We had the honour of hosting the 9th triennial conference at SEAMEO Regional Language Centre (RELC) from 5th to 7th November 2004. We had 121 delegates from 12 countries including 67 overseas and 54 local participants. The Guests of Honour were our International President Mrs. Radha Burnier and the distinguished theosophist, Ms. Joy Mills.
The 12th Triennial Indo-Pacific Conference
The 12th Triennial Indo-Pacific Conference will be held in the Wantilan Convention Center (below) at the Aerowisata Sanur Beach Hotel in Bali from 1st to 6th November 2013.
Sanur Beach Hotel Bali is located right on the sandy beach of Sanur, one of Bali’s most popular areas. It is described as “the perfect gateway for those who seek to explore Bali, the famed Island of the Gods, known for its colorful and vibrant temple festivals, sun-drenched beaches, rolling surf, rustic villages and sculptured rice terraces.”
The resort is surrounded by 7 hectares of tropical gardens with many mature trees and coconut palms and is about 20 kilometers from Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport.
The theme of the 12th Indo-Pacific triennial conference is “Practising Theosophy”. We may know some of the principles of theosophy, however it is through the practice that we make theosophy a living wisdom and come to know what it really is.
Guest Speakers include Ravi Ravindra from Canada and Vicente Hao Chin, Jr from the Philippines, both of whom will be presenting three sessions each, with further distinguished speakers from many of the Indo-Pacific Sections.
Dr Ravi Ravindra is a native of India who emigrated to Canada following his early education and, in 1977, was made Member of the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton. He served from 1978 through 1980 as the Founding Director of the Threshold Award for Integrative Knowledge and, in 1989, was the pilot Professor of Science and Spirituality at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Dr Ravindra at present holds the position of Professor Emeritus at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, where he has served as Chair of Comparative Religion, Professor of International Development Studies and Adjunct Professor of Physics. In addition to his study of the world’s great traditions, Ravi Ravindra’s spiritual search has involved him in the teachings of J. Krishnamurti, G. Gurdjieff and Zen. The author of numerous books on religion, mysticism and spirituality, Dr Ravindra lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Vicente Hao Chin, Jr. was a past president of the Philippines Section, an international theosophical lecturer and author. He conducts Self-Transformation Seminars worldwide and has been instrumental in establishing schools throughout the Philippines where Theosophy is included in the curriculum.
Conference Fees. The cost of NZD$470 includes:
Twin-shared accommodation.
Coffee and tea making facilities and Wi-Fi internet access in room.
Breakfast, lunch and refreshments during the conference.
Dinner on the 1st and 5th November. As there are a lot of quality dining establishments outside the Hotel area we will be eating out on 2nd, 3rd and 4th at the venue of our choice.
There will be an outing on the 4th day arranged by the Indonesian Section where we will visit some of the places of spiritual significance on the Island of Bali. There will be an extra cost for this outing.
Members requiring single occupancy instead of twin-sharing accommodation have to pay NZD$770 each.
All members of the Singapore Lodge Theosophical Society in good standing are welcome to participate in the 12th Indo-Pacific Conference. Please indicate your interest to join the conference by email to info@singaporelodge.org. The fees will be collected in due course.
Study Class on At the Feet of the Master
The last time we conducted this particular Study Class was in 2002. The class which commenced on July 20, 2002 and concluded on October 12, 2002, over a period of three months, also provided opportunities for much discussion on the moral and ethical issues.
We will be commencing the Study Class this time on 9 July 2013. It is as usual on Tuesday evenings from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and expected to take 20 weeks to complete. Once again, we will be using Talks on the Path of Occultism Volume I as the text book, based on the commentary of Annie Besant and C. W. Leadbeater on At the Feet of the Master. Members may enroll for the Study Class by sending an email to info@singaporelodge.org.