Parliament of Worlds Religion 1999 Capetown SA

Author(s): Parliament of the World’s Religions
Publisher: USA Parliament of the Worlds Religions

Page 118

1999
PARLIAMENT O F
IDENTITY
Professor of Modern Jewish History and Director of the Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Cape Town. He is also the author of numerous books and scholarly publications. One of his books, The Roots of Jews in South Africa, won the University of Cape Town book award in 1996.
E
2:00 PM-2:45 PM IN SCIENCE 3.89
Meditation: Secular in Form, Spiritual in Content Mr. Ram Jee Singh, Ph.D., D.Litt
Different faiths have discovered different methods of meditation and there should not be any quarrel between them. The first step towards meditation in the Santa Mata tradition is to recite the holy name of one's spiritual teacher to facilitate concentration. This is mental, not verbal. After this, we have to fix our mind and attention to the form and figure of our spiritual teacher to deepen our meditation. Then we fix our mind on the point of light between our two eyes and then we hear a divine sound. This may not be clear at first, but after practice, the meditation becomes easier and blissful. No biographical statement available by time of printing.
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2:00 PM-2:45 PM IN THEATER 3 The Message in Our Time: Global Spirituality Nigel Hamilton
Global Spirituality is emerging in all of the different religious traditions at this time. It can be seen in most cultures, religions, and even in people not involved in religion. It supercedes the boundaries of the different religions. This can be seen as an awakening to the divinity within human beings. Now as people of varying religions get together, they begin to recognize a common spirit in one another.
nternational Representative for the Sufi Order for the United Kingdom, Director of the London Suti Center; and Director of the Center for Counseling and Psychotherapy Education, which trains licensed sychotherapists to work from a spiritual perspective.
2:00 PM-3:00 PM IN THEATER 8
Paganism: Serious Religion or Fantasy and Child's Play?
Dr. Michael York
The contemporary Western pagan movement presented a high and often contentious profile during the Chicago gathering of the Parliament of the World's Religions. Many attendants were shocked and horrified by some of the pagan 'antics"Occasioning even the departure of the Greek Orthodox Church from the proceedings themselves. This address investigates the theological considerations beneath the range of expression and practice among today's contemporary Western paganism in which the traditional dichotomy between the spiritual and the profane is denied, disallowed or at least, de-emphasized. Michael York lectures for the Study of Religions Department of the Bath Spa University College and co-directs the London-based Academy for Cultural and Educational Studies which sponsors intercultural dialogue in Britain and educational programs in India.
2:00 PM-3:00 PM IN SCIENCE 2.65 Theosophical Reflections on the Making of a Mahatma
Mr. John Govender
This lecture will illustrate how the theosophical tradition constituted a major and decisive influence on the life of Gandhi through broadening his religious and philosophical perspective. The lecturer will show how Gandhi's achievements as a leading spiritual teacher could be perceived as a remarkable effort to translate, at the level of the collective human consciousness, the universal and ancient wisdom of
THE WORLDS RELIGIONS
MONDAY,
DECEMBER 6
theosophy.
Mr. John Govender is the elected Vice-president of the Theosophical Society of South Africa in Durban. He is also a practising Attorney at Law, with Right of Appearance in the High Court and Constitutional Court. He is also the Director and Founder of the Oriental Research Institute of Southern Africa located in Durban, and a Member of the World Conference of Religions and Peace, Durban Chapter.
2:00 PM-3:00 PM IN SCIENCE 3.45 The Tradition of Devotion to the Adept
Mr. James Steinberg
Although Adept-Realizers are at the heart of every great religious and spiritual tradition, in today's Western world, their role and function is rarely understood or appreciated. This seminar examines the role of the spiritual teacher in several religious traditions, the types and varieties of teachers, the traditional laws of relating to them, the pitfalls of religious cultism, and their central role in human spiritual evolution. James Steinberg is the author of Love of the God-Man, Divine Distraction. and numerous magazine articles. He is one of the world's foremost authorities on the nature and role of the spiritual teacher.
3:00 PM-4:00 PM IN SCIENCE 2.65
A Baptist vision for religious freedom Dr. Kevin Roy
Baptists tend to be exclusivist (One way to God) rather than inclusivist (many ways, or all ways lead to God) in their religious approach. Both exclusivist and inclusivist are people of religious conviction who would like to persuade others, and convert them to a better way. The desire to convert others is not intrinsically a manifestation of a spirit of intolerance. This presentation will illustrate ways in which Baptists stand for religious freedom and deplore coercion and persecution. Kevin Roy, born in Zambia 1948, was educated in Zimbabwe and the U.K. (at Bristol University). He entered the Christian ministry 1972, and has since been a Pastor at various Baptist churches. He is a Lecturer at UNISA, and has served in Koinonia and for the National Initiative for Reconciliation. He is currently a lecturer at Baptist College in Cape Town.
3:00 PM-4:00 PM IN SCIENCE 2.73
A Solution for Humanity
Dr. Hum D. Bui, M.D.
Dr. Bui will present the noble efforts of Cao Dai to unite all of humanity through a common vision of the Supreme Being, whatever their minor differences, in order to promote peace and understanding throughout the world. He will discuss their understanding that all religions leads to the conclusion that all religions are one, not in their historical accuracy or separate customs, but in their essential message: All of humanity is one common family; all religions come from one divine source; all ethics are essentially contained in the Golden Rule; divinity can be experienced and realized in the individual through prayer/meditation/contemplation; good deeds are rewarded, evil deeds are punished; etc.
Dr. Hum Bui was born in Vietnam in 1943. He received his MD in 1968 and served as a Military Surgeon of the Vietnam Army between 19691974. He was a member of the City Council at Tayninh between 19741975. Dr. Bui moved to the USA in 1975 and has served as General Secretary of Cao Dai Overseas since 1993.
3:00 PM-3:45 PM IN SCIENCE 3.47 Egoism: A Great Barrier Between Humans and God
Identity
Dr. Sangat Singh, MD.
Egoism creates a great veil of illusion that keeps consciousness restricted to the physical, phenomenal world and makes us unable to see the light of God. Dr. Sangat shows that through 117 www.jainelibrary.org