Origins of AKASHA Learning Community International Life-work Conference
AKASHA Learning Companionship Association is founded on the ideals of international Initiatives of Change (IofC) and began its journey within the Chinese communities of Malaysia. Mother Teresa once said ‘We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. We should never be afraid of going against the values of the world.’ Following this belief, we embarked on this one-way journey of lifelong learning and growth.
However, numerous challenges came along the way, causing unprecedented damage to individuals, families, societies, nations, and even the world at large. Spiritual disintegration, moral corruption, frenzy and perversity, religious warfare, mental illness, antisocial phenomenon, twisted personality, hypocrisy, overflow of ideologies, and so on. All these stem from our ignorance and fear in life. Fear prompts people to carry out horrifying actions and paralyzes our capacity to function normally. If we are not able to properly understand life, the extension of challenges from life shall severely impede our growth in life.
Frank Buchman, the founder of Moral Re-Armament (MRA), sensed that the greed and aggression of human nature had spiralled out of control between the second world wars in the previous century. He had been practicing quiet time for years, listening to and following the inner guidance, subsequently proposing the idea of ‘Change Starts with Me’, coupled with four universal moral values──honesty, purity, selflessness, and love, and adding to them the standard of ‘absoluteness’ so as to right the wrongs of the world, combated the morally and spiritually collapsing human nature, corrupted politics of greed, excessive and unfettered aggression, selfish and self-interested commercial competitions and so on. Hence a global movement of ‘moral and spiritual re-armament was initiated in 1938 in England and spread across the world. People from all around the globe brought the ideals of this movement back to their home countries and further developed them, starting a wave of enthusiastic changes in moral re-armament.
AKASHA Learning Companionship has worked diligently and tirelessly in Malaysia since 2005, holding onto and advocating for the values of IofC, change starts with me, ardently following the path of changing lives first through changing your own life. Our work has received enthusiastic support from many sectors of society and shall continue to bring warmth to the community and wholeheartedly dedicate ourselves to everyone’s benefit. In recent years, the concept of learning companionship has gradually spread across Bandung, Jakarta of Indonesia; Songjiang district of Shanghai, Fuzhou of Fujian province of China. Furthermore, with the support of the spiritual origin of learning companionship──Tainan of Taiwan, Tainan City Family EQ Development Association, the EQ System and Chinese in Action (CinA) Framework, AKASHA has decided to implement the plan of ‘Learning Companionship International Life Work Conference’ as its 20th-anniversary approaches. This plan shall run for a period of 10 years, with a conference held every two years and the first three conferences held in Malaysia so as to strengthen the capacity of the on-the-ground participating members to host events; whereas the last two conferences are planned to take place overseas so as to promote the concept to other nations and regions with such needs.
Missions
- Broaden the international perspective of participants by providing an opportunity to take part in and observe international conferences.
- Cement Malaysia’s foundation a platform for a learning companionship nation within the Southeast Asia region and beyond.
Objectives
- Strengthen the exchange and interflow of the international work of moral and spiritual enlightenment.
- Build a working conception for learning companionship with a broader and more global mindset.
- Support and consolidate the development and cooperation between ‘sub-learning companionship’ across nations.
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The Inaugural L Community International Life-work Conference
Theme: Remaking My Life — I’m Not Going Through All These Alone
Date: June 1 – June 4, 2023
Venue: Hotel ARMADA Petaling Jaya ★★★★, Selangor
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2nd Learning Community International Life-work Conference
Theme: Remaking My Life — Together, We Move Forward
Date: May 29 – June 2, 2025
Venue: Espira Kinrara Hotel Resort Puchong ★★★, Selangor
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3rd Learning Community International Life-work Conference
Theme: under construction
Date: June, 2027 (under planning)
Venue: Pulau Pinang State