Parliament of Worlds Religion 2009 Melbourne Australia

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

Page 158

PROGRAM DES
Friday, December 4, 2009
Rabbi Michael Lerner studied at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City and received mentorship from noted scholar Abraham Joshua Heschel. He received a PhD in Philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley in 1972 and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the Wright Institute in 1977. Michael Lerner serves as the rabbi of Beyt Tikkun Synagogue in San Francisco and is the editor of Tikkun Magazine and author of numerous books.
Swami Agnivesh is the president of the World Council of Arya Samaj 'Society of Nobles, a Hindu reform movement, founded by Swami Dayananda Saraswati in 1875. He is also Chairperson of United Nations Trust Fund, President of World Council of Arya Samaj and Chairperson of Bonded Labour Liberation Front. Among Swami Agnivesh's immense contributions is his championing of dialogue and peace activities, the anti-caste movement, liberation of bonded labour activities, a movement against alcoholism, and equal rights of women (such as their right to education and reading Indian scriptures].
Rabbi Irwin Kula, also a President of Clal - received the 2008 Walter Cronkite Faith and Freedom Award for his work toward equality, liberty and a truly inter-religious community. Fast Company magazine and 'Religion and Ethics Newsweekly IPBS) both named him one of the leaders shaping the American spiritual landscape. He is the author of Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life, and is currently developing the Clinton Global Initiative commitment, Disruptive Spiritual Innovation.
Hindu Jewish Leadership Initiative
Bawa Jain
Rabbi David Rosen
Room 204
Panel Discussion
In 2007 we convened our first Hindu Jewish Leadership Summit in New Delhi, India. This was followed by the second Hindu Jewish Leadership Summit in Jerusalem, Israel in 2008. We are planning our third gathering, and we will convene at the Parliament to discuss this initiative: how it began, what we have achieved, and where we are going. We will discuss commonalities and concerns of Hinduism and Judaism, with an eye to education.
Bawa Jain is the Secretary-General of The Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders. Mr. Jain continues to counsel governmental, business and religious organizations on deeper involvement in interfaith activities and global initiatives. In response to the requests of UN Agencies and governments, Bawa Jain travels around the world to speak on religious diplomacy, spirituality, religion, and peace. He is published and has been the recipient of numerous awards.
Rabbi David Rosen is Director of the American Jewish Committee's Department for Interreligious Affairs and the Heilbrunn Institute for International Interreligious Understanding. He serves on several international interreligious organisations. Formerly Chief Rabbi of Ireland, he is the immediate past Chair of the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations, a broad-based coalition of Jewish organisa tions representing world Jewry to other religions.
154 PWR-Parliament of the World's Religions Jain Education International
11:30am-1:00pm
INTERRELIGIOUS SESSION
Dark to Dawn: Being Creative about Depression
Joseph Camilleri
Liz Bowen
Di Bretherton Louis Roller Greg Johns Room 207 Seminar
Depression plays a large part in many people's life experiences, both currently and historically. This initiative was created to engage people in dialogue by introducing broad-ranging perspectives geared toward relieving the suffering associated with depression. The views expressed are not limited to clinical analysis nor are they promoting the idea of a single 'cure' or solution. Rather, they comprise an approach that it is hoped will open a dialogue about a new way of perceiving depression-not as an anomaly but as a potentially valuable part of the human psyche that can be a driver of creativity and contribute to humanity.
Joseph Camilleri is the founder and director of the Centre for Dialogue at La Trobe University in Melbourne and one of Australia's leading International Relations scholars. Professor Camilleri has pursued a wide range of research interests in the International Relations discipline. These include regional and global governance, the political economy of Asia-Pacific, the role of religion and culture in international affairs, the politics of oil and the Middle East, and security policy lincluding weapons non-proliferation).
Liz Bowen is Managing Editor and Vice General Director of Soka Gakai International (SGI) Australia. She has a doctorate in Social Policy and Welfare, with a focus on young people, employment and risk. She is the author of numerous articles and edits SGI Australia's monthly magazine.
Di Bretherton is a Quaker. She began her career as a psychologist and for most of her academic career worked at the University of Melbourne, where she became the founding director of the International Conflict Resolution Centre. As director, she was able to combine her academic work with practical work in a number of different countries. In her retirement she is an Honorary Professor at the Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Queensland.
Louis Roller has served as an academic at Monash University for 46 years. He 'humanised the university's pharmacy program by introducing the first course in psychosocial sciences in a pharmacy in Australasia and emphasising the patient over the product. He was on the Pharmacy Board of Victoria for 22 years, has significantly contributed to many editions of various pharmaceutical compendia and is the author of hundreds of scientific and professional articles.
Greg Johns is General Director of SGI Australia. Also a practising musician and formerly an arts manager, his primary role is to provide opportunities for members of SGI Australia and interested friends to learn about the life-philosophy of Nichiren Buddhism and its application to contemporary struggles, including that of depression. Greg writes and speaks extensively on the application of the life-philosophy of Buddhism, drawing on his experience, conveyed through contemporary and accessible language.