Activities

 

The Contemplative Education Center links the network and advocates for contemplative education to reach the common vision and missions. The works of the Center fall into 4 main areas, namely:

 

1) Research and Knowledge Development

 

• Research and Knowledge Management on Contemplative Education through compiling, analyzing and synthesizing knowledge from Thailand and abroad. The research covers four main issues: 1) evolution of concept, theory, methodology and practice; 2) application into various fields; 3) research methodology in contemplative education; and 4) assessment of contemplative education. The Center also organizes Contemplative Research Dialogue (CoRDial) to survey the body of knowledge on contemplative education and to build up learning community and culture through dialogue and other contemplative education processes.

• Participatory development of healthy society and contemplative education learning community - to build up knowledge in support of advocacy for Thailand to seriously invest in the development of healthy society and contemplative education; to create tools to be used in the local development of healthy society and contemplative education; to build up learning process with the community in pushing Buddhist mandala to healthy mandala; and to build up local, national and international learning and implementing networks based on knowledge.

 

 

2) Curriculum Development and Teaching

 

Starting from 2008, the Contemplative Education Center, Mahidol University, offers a Master of Arts in Contemplative Education and Transformative Learning. The Program focuses on learning process that enables learners to take contemplative education through different learning processes, for example, integrated and interdisciplinary studies, learning through direct experience and learning for inner transformation. The Program aims to prepare graduates who have confidence in the fundamental goodness of human nature and will be committed to continuing training in balancing body, mind and spirit. Students are expected to bring knowledge and skill to contribute, to enhancement of wisdom and compassion in individual, community, organization and society in congruence with socio-cultural context.

 

 

3) Training and Networking

 

The Contemplative Education Center organizes short training courses and workshops to develop human capacities and contemplative education network. The training course and workshop include:

 

• Authentic Leadership Training - to produce group of leaders in the university who can advance their learning up to the level of inner development of authentic leaders. This is a process of building up “learning team” to create learning society within Mahidol University.

• Training of Trainers - to produce facilitators who can promote contemplative education process and produce group of people who would expand the process of contemplative education and bring about changes in the society.

• Enneagram Training - to provide opportunity for the university’s personnel to learn about their own personality, vision, passion, fixation and instinct. By recognizing different types of people, participants will deeply understand themselves and others and can create deep relationships based on mutual understanding, forgiveness, openness, acceptance of differences and cooperation to move the organization forward.

• Arts for Inner Balance - to introduce Mahidol University’s students and staff to new experience of artistic process as a basis of spiritual development and enhancement of inner balance.

 

 

 

4) Public Media and Publications

 

The Contemplative Education Center focuses on communication to introduce new education paradigm to Thai society. The public communication program focuses on inner development of human being necessary for healthy society and offers itself as a center of learning and information on contemplative education. At present, the program is running a Contemplative Education Text Book project. It is also developing a website and database as another channel of communication. It also maintains international network and facilitates contemplative dialogue.