Saturday, 26th July at Avenza di Carrara, in the olive orchard  by the Old Tower, in an exclusive atmosphere, took place the fifteenth edition  of the National Culture Award Torre di Castruccio, organized by the Accademia della Torre Carrara with the participation of institutional authorities and a large public of three hundred people.

The event was officially acknowledged by the President of the Italian Republic,  with the patrocination of the following institutions: The President’s Office and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Art and Cultural Affairs, the region of Tuscany, the Province of Massa Carrara, the Carrara City Council, the National Association of Sociologists.

Very important personalities in the cultural and scientific fields were  awarded: well known Italian and worldwide icons in specific disciplines (arts, literature, philosophy, history and human sciences, technical-scientific disciplines, bio-scientific disciplines, entertainment and theatre).

The awarded artists, doctors and researchers are very appreciated personalities of our times, all over the world;  among them the special Torre d’Argento was given to Margherita Hack, Italian astrophysicist and University professor; another award was assigned to Marco Ferrini as one of the major  expert and scholars in the Psychology, Philosophy, Art and Literature of Traditional Indian Sciences, for his    life commitment  as facilitator of an open dialogue between the cultures of the East and the West.

 

In answer to the questions asked by Prof. Gianmarco Puntelli - the official speaker, Prof. Ferrini explained that: “The traditional Indian culture meets the archetypal universal values of Western culture. One of the worst disasters of modern man is his lack of contact with his original roots, with the inner self, or his withdrawal from himself for fear of others. It is high time to unlosen the boundaries that have divided people for so long: an open dialogue between East and West leads to the discovery of principles of wisdom and teachings valid for women and men of all times; it can help mankind in being better aware and feeling part of the universe, in being able to interact with the others and the world, yet connected to the level of transcendence, beyond the limits of the ego, entangled  by attachments and unable to satisfy the very intimate demands for love and happiness.

People suffer from constriction induced by the identification with the paradigms of space and time, and by q range of personal and social problems due to a wrong image of  the self which does not corrispond to one's  authentic spiritual nature. When the real self is fulfilled, it is possible to live in freedom even as a prisoner, on the contrary one may live as a prisoner even under apparent conditions of freedom.

CSB is an Academy funded as  a cultural integrated School  and its aim is to teach students to solve their existencial problems.  CSB integrates wisdom from Eastern and Western cultures in order to overcome dangerous identifications with the body-mind.

As well as Upanishad, Bhagavad-gita and the  Puranas, we teach modern scientific desciplines, from ancient indovedic rishies, to favour a clearer vision of the inner self and of the high meaning of life.