Parliament of Worlds Religion 2009 Melbourne Australia

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

Page 316

PROGRAM DESC
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
9:30-11:00am INTRARELIGIOUS SESSION
Gene Reeves is a Buddhist scholar, philosopher, teacher and writer living in Tokyo. His most recent book is a translation of the Lotus Sutra. He has taught at universities in China, Japan and the US, and currently serves Rissho Kosei-kai as international advisor and special minister. He is a founder of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions and has been active in international interfaith organisations.
Veneration of the Ancestors Baba Wande Abimbola, Nigeria: Yoruba, Moderator Ifaboyede Michelle McElwaine Oguninhun Abimbola,
Nigeria: Yoruba Robert Houndohome Hounon, Benin: Vodun Hwendo Room 216 Panel Discussion The Yoruba belief system values relational responsibilities and anchors these cultural values within a spirituality that includes respect and veneration of ancestors. This veneration calls for a reciprocity of responsibilities between the ancestors and the living members of each Yoruba family. This panel discussion will address different themes related to the veneration of ancestors. It focuses on creating awareness in the participants of the need for a new brotherhood and sisterhood of human beings with all creation-a major principle of Yoruba religion. The Yoruba religion is an Indigenous religion of West Africa transported to the Americas, and from the Americas to other parts of the world as a result of the transatlantic slave trade. It is the hope that this workshop will rekindle an interest in the ancient knowledge of Africa and in the religion of all Indigenous peoples throughout the world. Professor Wande Abimbola is the Awise Agbaye, or spokesperson, of Yoruba Religion worldwide. He was formerly Vice-Chancellor of University of Ile Inow Obafemi Awolowo University). Ile-Ife (1982-19891. He was Senate Majority Leader for the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1992-1993) and a Special Adviser to the President of Nigeria (2003-2005). Professor Abimbola has taught at Harvard University and Boston University. He is President of the UNESCO-sponsored lfa Heritage Institute, Nigeria. Ifaboyede Michelle McElwaine Oguninhun Abimbola is a Lecturer at the Ifa Heritage Institute in Oyo, Nigeria where she is also an assistant to the president. She holds degrees in Religious and Women's Studies and a Master's Degree in Applied Linguistics. In Oyo, Nigeria, Ifaboyede was initiated as an Iyanifa, priestess of Ifa, and she is actively involved in the practice and propagation of Ifa. She also has an extensive background as an anti-racism/cultural competency trainer Also known as His Majesty Daagbo Hounion Houna ll, Robert Houndohome Hounon is the supreme spiritual leader of the great council of the Vodun Hwendo tradition. A veteran of numerous technical and spiritual positions, he is president of the association ELOSE, which has as its major aims: the reconciliation between tradition and modernity. the promotion of literacy, and the acquisition and transmission of written knowledge. He is also an adviser on interreligious action for peace in Africa
Burying and Resurrecting Our Tlingit Culture Dr Rosita Worl, USA: Tlingit Clarence Jackson, USA: Tlingit Tsugio Kuzuno, Japan: Ainu Room 218 Panel Discussion Like many other Indigenous peoples throughout the world, after the bombardment and destruction of our villages by the US government, we even joined with our oppressors and symbolically buried our culture in the early years of the 20th Century. Today, we have thrown off the cloak of oppression and are working to restore our language and to revitalise our culture. This program will share the historical saga of the death and rebirth of Tlingit culture and language. Rosita Worl, whose Tlingit names are Yeidiklats okw and Kaa hani, is Tlingit, Ch'aak' (Eagle) moiety of the Shangukeidi Clan from the Kawdliyaayi Hit (House Lowered From the Sunl in Klukwan. She is President of Sealaska Heritage Institute, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to perpetuating the Tlingit. Haida, and Tsimshian cultures. Formerly an Assistant Professor at the University of Alaska Southeast, she has a PhD and MS in Anthropology from Harvard University and a BA from Alaska Methodist University Clarence Jackson is a Tlingit Clan Elder from the village of Kake, Alaska. He is of the Ch'aak (Eaglel moiely. Tsaagweidi (Killer Whale! Clan. He is on the board of directors for Sealaska Corporation, a regional, Native for-profit corporation founded by the US Congress for the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people. He also serves on the board of trustees for Sealaska Heritage Institute and its Council of Traditional Scholars. Tsugio kuzuno is an Ainu elder and spiritual speaker from Shizunai, Hokkaido, Japan. Mr Kuzuno is noted for winning first prize in the 2nd Ainu Oratorical Contest in November of 1998. This is an event that brings participants, students, elders and the community together to get in touch with the Ainu language and culture.
A Buddhist Story Just for You Gene Reeves Room 217 Being more interested in human transformation than in doctrines, the Lotus Sutra often presents itself through parables and other stories. This talk will show what a bodhisattva is and who the bodhisattvas are as shown in one of the Sutra's most fascinating and provocative stories. The story begins in Chapter 11, when a great stupa emerges from the earth and hangs in the air before Buddha and the assembly, and ends with Chapter 15, in which countless bodhisattvas emerge from the earth to do the work of the Buddha. Though originally composed many centuries ago, this is a story composed just for you and for you alone.
Islam 101 Series: How Islam Deals with Social Justice, Gender Justice and Religious Diversity Dr Fahad Alhamoudi Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf Dr Burhanettin Tatar Ayisha Ali Dr Din Syamsuddin Adis Duderija Room 219 Panel Discussion The international conversation on Islam's position towards social and gender justice and the faith's commitment to religious diversity, both from an inter- and intrafaith
312 PWR-Parliament of the World's Religions
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