Sunday, January 17, 2010

Ashram as a place of healing.


In the Third Ashram Aikya meeting which was held in October 1983 the final consensus statement reads:
..a number of persons are involved in people-oriented movemens which, in a secular context, endeavour to promote the self confidence of the oppressed and their dignity, conscious of the common humanity of all. In order to discover the divine image in human nature and a deeper unity binding all, ashrams are of great importance. ....An ashram context facilitates the contemplative approach to liberation especially when people belonging to different faiths and denominations collaborate.”

As a result of this understanding of the Ashram, people like Fr. Amalorpavadas, and Fr. Claude de Souza, encouraged Sr. Celestine in the project of starting an Ashram where people of different Faiths could co-operate in the work for social transformation. Thus for example a legal cell for helping the villagers was started in the Ashram and to this day, people trained in the Law School of Bangalore come to the Ashram to give legal help to local villagers in their struggles against land lords, and their continuing financial problems as a result of indebtedness.

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