An interfaith panel discussion on the topic of “Spiritual Science and Modern Education” was held at the Macquarie University, Sydney on April 29, 2014. The panellists were Bhakti Rasamrita Swami who spoke on the topic from the perspective of Gaudiya Vaisnavasim and Mr. Kamal Saleh who spoke in the context of Islam.

The panel discussion was attended by several students of the university from various disciplines including law, journalism and liberal arts.

Mr. Kamal Saleh began the session with a brief talk on the various contributions Islam has made to modern education and technological development. Bhakti Rasamrita Swami spoke at length on how spirituality is an essential ingredient of education. He also spoke of how in ancient times unlike the modern age, spirituality was considered a very much essential part of education and equal emphasis was given to spiritual and material education.

The talk was followed by a lively question-answer session in which Bhakti Rasamrita Swami answered several varied questions from students including on what is the process of transmigration of the soul and what would be the method to integrate spirituality into the modern education system.

At the end of the panel discussion, all participants were served delicious prasadam from the ISKCON temple in Sydney.