After completing degrees in history and social work, Rory Dickson decided to pursue his interest in religion and spirituality academically. He is presently completing a PhD in Religious Studies, jointly held at Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo. His research focuses on Sufism in North America, and the teachings of Ibn 'Arabi. He has published articles in The Journal of Contemporary Islam and McGill's religious studies journal, ARC.
The title of Rory’s presentation is “God, Humanity, and the Cosmos: A Discussion of Ibn 'Arabi's Integral Metaphysics”. Ibn 'Arabi (d. 1240) is referred to by Sufis as the shaykh al-akbar or "Greatest Master." He wrote more than 400 works, providing a remarkably detailed phenomenology of the spiritual path, accounting for religious diversity, and conveying the meaning of human life in the universe and its relationship to ultimate reality, God. In this presentation Rory will discuss Ibn 'Arabi's dynamic and at times dizzying understanding of God, humanity, and the cosmos. He will conclude with a discussion of Ibn 'Arabi's central argument that, in essence, these three core elements of reality are in fact one.