Conference Presentations
Towards an Education Worth Believing In - Education as Transformation: A Conversation with Dr. Mofid
by:
Dr. Kamran Mofid
when:
Saturday, September 28, 2013 - 10:30 to 11:30
"Some say that my teaching is nonsense. Others call it lofty but impractical.
But to those who have looked inside themselves, this nonsense makes perfect sense.
And to those who put it into practice,
this loftiness has roots that go deep.
I have just three things to teach:
simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and in thoughts,
you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself, You reconcile all beings in the world."- Lao Tzu
Education is the foundation for a good and fulfilling life, setting the individual on a path of personal fulfilment, economic security and societal contribution. In my opinion the key that unlocks the door to the building of a better world is EDUCATION - not any education, and surely not the education mostly on offer currently, but a truly different form of education, an education grounded in values and delivered by those who know that it is a great honour and responsibility to be a teacher, as well as knowing that teaching, above all else, is a vocation.
In this time of spiritual hunger, when the world of knowledge and competence is in a constant state of flux, it is vitally important to demonstrate that education needs to do more than grope in the dark: it needs to point students to the light of the world, by engaging the students with life's bigger questions. Questions such as:
Who am I? Where have I come from? Where am I going to? What is the purpose of this journey we call life? What is education? What is knowledge? What is wisdom? What is a university? What is the source of true happiness and wellbeing? What is the good life? What is the purpose of economic life? What role should universities play in building an integrity-based model of spiritual education? What should be the role of the youth? What distinct roles should students/civic/spiritual/political/business leaders and universities themselves take in advancing an "Education Worth Believing In"?
Prof. Mofid in this dialogical conversation will attempt to shed some light on these and other question in his quest to offer a path to a values-led education for the common good.
It is his wish you to note that, this conversation is not addressed to those who regard a practical problem merely as something to be talked about. No profound philosophy or deep erudition will be found in his address. He aims only at putting together some remarks which are inspired by what he hopes is common sense, and mostly further inspired by the wisdom of those before him. He has learnt much from the wisdom of others, which he hopes to share a bit of with the listener. All that he claims for the recipes offered to you is that they are as such confirmed by his own experience, observation, and most importantly, by his life journey, both personally and professionally. On this basis he ventures to hope that some among those thinking about the same and other related issues may find his contribution helpful.
He hopes that with this personal and professional reflection, he can humbly begin an open dialogue with all concerned colleagues, friends, students and others, so that together- all of us- can prescribe a working solution. Moreover, he will present his thoughts in an easy-to-follow manner and sees himself as a story-teller in a heart-to-heart dialogue and conversation with the listener; nothing less, nothing more. We are facing some major crises. For Prof. Mofid, the answers lie in simplicity. No need to complicate matters more. It is time to be contemplative and take action for social justice, for which a sustainable education for the common good is an essential part.
Prof. Kamran Mofid is Founder of the Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative (founded at an international conference in Oxford in 2002) and Co- founder/Editor, Journal of Globalisation for the Common Good, hosted at Purdue University, USA, member of the International Coordinating Committee (ICC) of the World Public Forum, Dialogue of Civilisations, and Founding Member, World Dignity University, and Global Advisory Board, Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies. Mofid received his BA and MA in economics from the University of Windsor, Canada in 1980 and 1982 respectively. In 1986 he was awarded his doctorate in economics from the University of Birmingham, UK. In 2001 he received a Certificate in Education in Pastoral Studies at Plater College, Oxford. From 1980 to 2000 he was Economic Teaching Assistant, Tutor, Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at Universities of Windsor (Canada), Birmingham, Bristol, Wolverhampton, and Coventry (UK). Mofid's work is highly interdisciplinary, drawing on Economics, Business, Politics, International Relations, Theology, Culture, Ecology, Ethics and Spirituality. Mofid's writings have appeared in leading scholarly journals, popular magazines and newspapers. His books include Development Planning in Iran: From Monarchy to Islamic Republic , The Economic Consequences of the Gulf war, Globalisation for the Common Good, Business Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility and Globalisation for the Common Good , Promoting the Common Good (with Rev. Dr. Marcus Braybrooke, 2005), and A non-Violent Path to Conflict Resolution and Peace Building (Co-authored, 2008).
Your Miracles after Miracles
by:
Dr. Orest Bedrij
when:
Saturday, September 28, 2013 - 11:30 to 12:30
Orest Bedrij is a researcher into the nature of God, how does the manifestation come into being, and what is the most advanced means to evolve.
He will be speaking on "Your Miracles after Miracles: The Easy Way" (40 minutes + 20 minutes of questions). Orest will discuss 1. The most important evidence in the world and the greatest achievement of all time; 2. Your personal Multiverse: You illuminate all phenomena; and 3. Your miracles after miracles: The easy way.
Note, you will greatly advance your life experiences by reading one of his books: Celebrate Your Divinity or Exodus III prior to the presentation.
At the age of twenty-nine, Orest was IBM's technical director at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology responsible for the development of the Space Flight Operations Facility computer complex and programming that controlled the first soft landing on the moon.
Orest is the author of books, including: Yes It's Love: Your Life Can Be A Miracle (1974/2009), One (1977/1978), You (1988/2001), Celebrate Your Divinity: The Nature of God and the Theory of Everything (2005/2007), '1': The Foundation and Mathematization of Physics (2008/2013), and Exodus III (2011/2013).
Meister Eckhart & the Mystics on Detachment
by:
Dr. Atif Khalil
when:
Saturday, September 28, 2013 - 14:15 to 15:15
The great mystics of the world have with an almost unanimous voice spoken of the necessity of cultivating detachment. Our meditation on this theme will consider the significance of the virtue in the overall philosophical and ethical teachings of Meister Eckhart (1260-1328), the great medieval German mystic “from whom,” as it has often been said, “God hid nothing.” The lecture will explore why it is that Eckhart considers detachment to be among the most important of virtues, and what he believes to be the marks or signs of the implantation of this virtue within the soul. The talk will end with some brief reflections on the relevance of his teachings to us in the 21st century in a rapidly expanding global culture marked by mass consumption and “attachment.”
Dr. Atif Khalil teaches in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Lethbridge. His area of specialization lies in the formative period of Sufism, with a focus on the early development of Islamic moral and spiritual psychology. He completed his doctorate at the University of Toronto in 2009 with a thesis on repentance in early Sufism. He has also had the opportunity to study in more traditional settings in Syria and Yemen.
Behind the Mask / Beneath the Ego
by:
Rob Faust
when:
Saturday, September 28, 2013 - 16:30 to 17:30
Our spirits are lodged in, and flow forth from, our bodies, from our hearts and our brains. The body/spirit dichotomy is essentially a false construct, just as the idea of us vs. them… good guys/bad guys, superior nations, races, or religions are contrived concepts. Seven billion completely unique individuals now inhabit our planet; yet paradoxically beneath the ego and behind the mask, we are all one.
All human eyes open wide when confronted with danger and the need to SEE more thoroughly the threat of an approaching saber tooth tiger or speeding sports car. Human hearts beat faster, and our bodies heat up when anger takes over in the face of unjustified criticism, or the resistance of a recalcitrant teenager. When we feel love, neutrophins or oxytocins are released into our blood streams. Our bodies relax, excite, act up. Universal emotional responses inform deep philosophical questions about life and death, across cultures and history. For millennia diverse civilizations have created uncannily similar creation myths in attempts to learn how to live in harmony and understand our existence here on earth. Masks have been the timeless bridge for humans to experience this unity.
In his presentation “Behind the Mask/Beneath the Ego”, Rob Faust will offer laughter and insight while assuming the role of SHEN’s 2013 Conference Clown/Wise Fool. Using mask as metaphor, Rob will explore three components of emotional intelligence: empathy, humor, and non-verbal communication. Rob believes that a great way to deepen the dialogue with ourselves and to connect more profoundly with others is to de-value the ego and see behind the “roles”, and that we can accomplish this by learning empathy, by truly seeing others and revealing ourselves. Rob literally embodies his message to help us laugh at ourselves, as reflected in the menagerie of masked characters that he will present. Be prepared to have fun.
Rob Faust is a keynote speaker, performer, director and a producer.
Rob Faust is the founder and artistic director of Faustwork Mask Theatre. Since 1983 he has produced and created six shows that have toured to theatres, corporate events, festivals, schools, and university campuses. Faustwork’s two symphony shows were created in 2006 and 2007 respectively. Faustwork has appeared worldwide at a variety of venues, including The Sydney Opera House, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, The Kennedy Center in D.C., The Kentucky Center for the Arts, and The Maui Arts and Cultural Center. The company has performed in 48 U.S. states, Canada, Italy, England, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brunei, Israel, and South Africa.
Mr. Faust has also collaborated and performed with Jules Feiffer, The Paul Winter Consort, and Pilobolus Dance Theater, with appearances on Broadway and The Tonight Show. Mr. Faust designs and creates the masks used in his keynote presentations and stage performances.
““Rob Faust is an innovative speaker. His powerful messages grow on you quickly. Twice he has addressed our groups and both times our audiences loved him.” Nido Qubein, Author, Consultant, Speakers Hall of Fame
“Tickles some sort of primal funny bone” The New York Times
FAUSTWORK
www.RobFaustSpeaker.com
www.faustwork.com
866-534-8156 416-977-7433
info@faustwork.com
What does Sikhism have to offer a curriculum on Education to Globalize the Human Mind?
by:
Dr. Doris R. Jakobsh
when:
Sunday, September 29, 2013 - 10:00 to 11:00
Sikhism is one of the youngest of the major world religions, yet, until very recently, has largely been neglected in curriculums of higher education. This paper seeks to come to an understanding of the central message of the Sikhs, beginning with the truly universal worldview of its founder, Guru Nanak, and continuing through to contemporary perspectives. How can Sikhism contribute to this process of educating to globalize the human mind?
Doris R. Jakobsh is Associate Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Waterloo. She has degrees from the University of Waterloo, Harvard University and the University of British Columbia. She is the author of Relocating Gender in Sikh History: Transformation, Meaning and Identity, Oxford University Press (2003, 2005), Sikhism. Dimensions of Asian Spirituality Series, University of Hawaii Press (2011) and has edited Sikhism and Women. History, Texts and Experience, Oxford University Press (2010) and the two volume World Religions - Canadian Perspectives: Eastern and Western Traditions, Nelson Publishers (2013) as well as numerous journal articles and chapters. Professor Jakobsh is the director of ‘The Living Traditions of India’, a three-month India-study trip for University of Waterloo students in which students are immersed in the religions and cultures of India, as well as being a founding member of the Steering Committee Member of the Sikh Consultation of the American Academy of Religion. She was the Director of Women's Studies at the University of Waterloo from 2011-2012. Dr. Jakobsh also serves on a number of local and international editorial boards and advisory committees associated with the study of religion, spirituality and Sikh studies, including SHEN.
North American and South Asian Sufism
by:
Merin Shobhana Xavier
when:
Sunday, September 29, 2013 - 11:15 to 12:15
The presentation will focus on one particular facet of my research on the North American and South Asian Sufism, namely that of the classical Sufi understanding of Al-insan al-kamal or insan kamil, which is commonly translated as the perfect man or servant, the universal man, or the perfected being in Islamic mystical tradition of Sufism. (Izutsu 1983, Schimmel 1992, Baldick 1989, Buckhardt 1959; 1979, Chittick 2000; 2005, Dagli 2004). In this doctrine of perfected being, the human being is positioned as the isthmus between Allah (God) and the cosmos; a mirror that reflects unity or tawhid (Chittick 2000) and is the barzakh (interface) between God and the world, wherein the perfected being “preserves” the existence of the universe (Baldick 1989, 84). This understanding of insan kamil was (re-)formulated by the Tamil Sufi Sheikh Muhammad Raheem Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (d.1986). Bawa, as his adherents referred to him, was a teacher and guru of Sufi-Islam from Sri Lanka, who migrated to Philadelphia in the 1970s. I will explore how this particular teaching of searching within oneself and striving to achieve perfection of the self is found not only in Islamic mystical traditions but is a common teaching in other religious traditions, such as the varying interpretative tendencies (commonly esoteric) of Buddhism and Christianity.
Merin Shobhana Xavier is a PhD Student in the joint Religious Diversity Program in Wilfrid Laurier and Waterloo University. Her area of interests is primarily in Islamic mysticism of South Asia and North America, through the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, a transnational Sufi order in Philadelphia with ties to Sri Lanka. The Fellowship is based on the teachings of Muhammad Raheem Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (d. 1986). Her interests include metaphysical teachings of Islamic mysticism and also lived Sufi practices through adherent’s performance of rituals and piety. Her dissertation project she seeks to explore questions of transnationalism, Islamic-Sufi identity and politics of race, culture and religious negotiations of identity formation. As a trained primary and secondary teacher, she also seeks to utilize this research in classroom pedagogical practices, especially with regards to how religious identities informs student’s understanding of knowledge, how knowledge is formed and how to integrate varying sites of knowledge production to help students approach learning and holistic knowledge differently (i.e., heart-knowledge and mind-knowledge).
The Spirit in Hip Hop
by:
Che Kothari
when:
Sunday, September 29, 2013 - 15:45 to 16:45
The original Hip Hop organization - the Zulu Nation - set as its principals: peace, love, unity and safely having fun - these are in line with principals of spirituality. Che will discuss his beliefs in the power of hip hop, now a global youth culture, being a modern reincarnation of ancient wisdom and philosophy; discussing the elements of Hip Hop culture as pillars of a holistic education platform. By using real life experience and artists as the bedrock to his talk, audiences will get a deeper understanding of the power Hip Hop has to positively transform individuals and communities.
Chetan Kothari, affectionately known as 'Che', is the Executive Director of Manifesto Community Projects, whose mission is to unite, inspire and empower diverse communities of young people through arts and culture. Manifesto is best known for hosting the annual Manifesto Festival of Community & Culture, which has grown to become Canada's largest celebration of hip hop culture and beyond. Manifesto has 2 sister organizations Manifesto Jamaica & Manifesto Barbados. In addition to his role as Executive director, Che spends time as a mentor, workshop facilitator, keynote speaker and is also an internationally recognized portrait photographer and has shot some of the leading artists of our time. He is involved on a number of boards and advisory's, both locally, nationally, and internationally, and is building a strong legacy of youth arts organizing tied to self-actualization globally.
Culture. Love. Positivity. Opportunity. Change. These are the words that sum up what Che stands for. At a young age, he has not only become an accomplished photographer but also a role model and leader within his community dedicated to fostering other young artists and young leaders in the cities he lives in and the world at large.
Fresh out of school, he focused his lens on documenting the current artists of our time – those artists who had a message of social change embedded into their storytelling. He has photographed intimate portrait sessions with the likes of Ziggy Marley, Ice Cube of NWA, Chuck D of Public Enemy, Zaki Ibrahim, Common, Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, Afrika Bambaataa, K’naan, Erykah Badu, Nas, k-os, Shad, and many others as personal work as well as for covers of magazines and publications. These images have been apart of over 100 exhibitions from museums to the streets in Toronto Canada, Kingston Jamaica, New York USA, Tokyo Japan, Bombay India and more.
Although che had ample opportunity to focus solely on photography and play a role in helping to document social leaders of our time, he knew he had a responsibility to do more. The next step for che was building a non-profit organization, Manifesto Community Projects, of which he serves as the volunteer Executive Director. Manifesto is a grassroots organization whose mission is to empower young people through culture; it works to unite, energize, support and celebrate vibrant and diverse arts communities, and find innovative ways of working together towards common goals. Manifesto aims to provide a platform and the resources needed to advance the growth of the arts as a tool for positive change. che also co-founded sister organizations of Manifesto in Kingston Jamaica and Barbados. Manifesto’s main initiative in each country is a multi-day annual festival. Growing to be the largest and most unique festival of its kind in each city, the annual Manifesto Festival of Community & Culture brings together countless community members, artists, performers, and audience members to showcase local youth culture, strengthen foundations by building a collective sense of pride and possibility, and provide a stage for voices that are often marginalized from mainstream arts festivals.