In this lecture, Dato’ Dr. Ananda Kumaraseri discusses the critical importance of adopting a holistic approach to education based on ancient Indian and Chinese wisdom. For him, Holistic Education and Pedagogy is essential for ensuring a student’s ability to live a purposeful and happy life, especially in the modern-day environment of ever increasing competing demands on time and expectations off students. He will also provide insight into the key Indian concepts of pariyatie, patipati and pativeda. The modern adaptation of this Indian wisdom in education is through the cognitive, affective and psycho-motor domains of learning. 

Dr. Ananda Kumaraseri is a Buddhist writer and speaker. Born in 1942 in Malaysia to Sinhalese parents who had emigrated there from Sri Lanka, he joined the Malaysian Foreign Service in 1966. He served, among many other posts during his 30-year career, as counselor in New Delhi from 1972–75, counselor in Tokyo from 1975–78, minister in Washington, D.C. from 1981–84, and ASEAN’s director general from 1993–95, and is also one of the permanent representatives of the World Fellowship of Buddhists to UNESCO. Q&A provided by BDG senior writer Raymond Lam.