Karen Armstrong and Robert Thurman being interviewed together in New York.

from The Huffington Post

We call Global Spirit the first “internal travel” series, because the topics and the discussions so often lead to a kind of inner exploration. Unlike programming on Animal Planet or National Geographic, Global Spirit is not about discovering anything that is outside of yourself. The opening program in our series, “The Spiritual Quest,” was one of our more exciting and challenging to produce

For Karen and Bob, it was one of those “first-time meetings” that we try to achieve on Global Spirit — to bring two people together for the first time, in this case, two highly articulate teachers and authors from distinct religious traditions, who have always wanted to meet each other. You can sense a kind of magic in the air, as they both experience the sheer delight of discovering things about each other they’ve always wanted to know. Yes, it was an uplifting show, with a good amount of spontaneous humor.

Click here to read the full article and watch a clip of the interview

James Doty

by James R. Doty
from the Huffington Post

Why, in a country that consumes 25% of the world’s resources (the U.S.), is there an epidemic of loneliness, depression, and anxiety? Why do so many in the West who have all of their basic needs met still feel impoverished? While some politicians might answer, “It’s the economy, stupid,” Based on scientific evidence, a better answer is, “It’s the lack compassion, stupid.”

I recently attended the Templeton Prize ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London and have been reflecting on the words of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in conversation with Arianna Huffington: “If we say, oh, the practice of compassion is something holy, nobody will listen. If we say, warm-heartedness really reduces your blood pressure, your anxiety, your stress and improves your health, then people pay attention.” As director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University (one of the two organizations recognized in the Templeton Prize press release), I would agree with the Dalai Lama.

What exactly is compassion? Compassion is the recognition of another’s suffering and a desire to alleviate that suffering. Often brushed off as a hippy dippy religious term irrelevant in modern society, rigorous empirical data supports the view of all major world religions: compassion is good.

Click here to read the full article

Dr. Anantanand Rambachan (a CPWR trustee) will speak with Rev. Ellen Grace O’Brian (also a CPWR trustee!) online this Thursday.

from the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment:

Awaken Love and Compassion through Discovering the Atman, the True Self
Dr. Anantanand Rambachan
on the Yoga Hour Online Broadcast,
Thursday, March 29 at 8 am PT 10am CT

Love and compassion are the natural endowments of the soul. When we are freed from the narrow confines of self-interest and discover our oneness with all that is, we find a source of happiness and satisfaction that previously escaped us. The Bhagavad Gita offers profound wisdom for living in love and infusing our action with compassion. Join Dr. Anantanand Rambachan, author of Gitamrtam: The Essential Teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, and Rev. Ellen Grace O’Brian from the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment on The Yoga Hour online broadcast for this insightful exploration of the true nature of the Self.

Dr. Anantanand Rambachan, is Chair and Professor or Religion, Philosophy and Asian Studies at Saint Olaf College, Minnesota, USA, where he has been teaching since 1985. Prof. Rambachan has been involved in the field of interreligious relations and dialogue for over twenty-five years, as a Hindu participant and analyst. He is currently an advisor to the Pluralism Project (Harvard University), a member of the International Advisory Council for the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, and a member of the Theological Education Committee of the American Academy of Religion. Prof. Rambachan delivered the invocation address at the historic White House Celebration of the Hindu festival of Diwali in 2003 and also in 2004.

by Eboo Patel from Huffington Post

What’s the Dalai Lama’s secret? He’s got over two million Twitter followers, people buy his books in droves, his speeches sell out stadiums. In a highly cynical age, he’s held the public’s attention for over two decades with some pretty elementary ideas: the essence of human nature is to be happy, human beings are happiest when they help others attain happiness, all major religions nurture the most basic ingredient of happiness, namely compassion, but you don’t have to be religious to be compassionate, you just have to live up to the basic goodness of your human nature.

Like Socrates saying “I know that I know nothing”, it’s not just the simplicity of the message that attracts people, it’s the remarkable journey of the man who is articulating it. The story of his escape from Tibet into India, his successful establishment of a government in exile, his continual advocacy for peaceful negotiations with his Chinese occupiers even while the culture and lives of his people are crushed day after day — these things are well known, and more than enough to command admiration and attention.

But what is astounding about the Dalai Lama is how much more he is than the spiritual, symbolic and political (although he’s stepping down from that role) leader of the Tibetan people. For those of us who believe religion is a source of inspiration and a bridge of cooperation, at a time when people presenting religion as a bomb of destruction are ruling the airwaves, the Dalai Lama is our single most powerful example. It is this part of his mission — Dalai Lama as interfaith leader, which is also the subject of his most recent book, “Towards a True Kinship of Faiths: How the World’s Religions Can Come Together” — that has brought him to Chicago for a set of presentations sponsored by the Theosophical Society.

Like much of what the Dalai Lama does, the book and his presentations have been deceptively simple. He states clearly that inter-religious cooperation has to be one of the central priorities for our world, and says that it is one of his three core missions in life, along with promoting the basic human values of compassion and happiness, and finding a solution to the crisis of Tibet…

Click here to read the full article

Karen Armstrong spoke this past month at a special gathering hosted by the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions in Palo Alto, California. The celebrated author and founder of the Charter for Compassion addressed the ethos of compassion and the work of the Charter.

“Compassion is not just an attitude of sloppy benevolence, it requires practical action. It requires a sense of responsibility,” said Armstrong. “It’s not an impratical dream. It’s a necessity for our survival. We have to treat people, whoever they are, with respect.”

Armstrong also lifted up the collaborative nature of the work of the Charter for Compassion, and highlighted the partnership between the Charter and CPWR, particularly the integration of the Charter with the work of the Council’s Partner Cities Network

“This is the task of our time…to make the compassionate voice of religion, spirituality, morality a clear, luminous, and dynamic force in our troubled world.”

2nd Annual International Conference on

“Religion, Conflict and Peace”

Walking The Talk to Compassion and Harmony

Featuring live virtual addresses by

Huston Smith, Rabbi David Rosen,

and Karen Armstrong

To Be Confirmed: Tariq Ramadan

June 11-13, 2010

Henry Ford Community College
Dearborn, Michigan USA

A Multi-disciplinary, Multi-cultural Conference
that is
an Official Partner and Event of

the Charter For Compassion

and

the Parliament of World Religions

Sponsored by:
Common Bond Institute,
Co-Sponsored by:
International Humanistic Psychology Association (IHPA), Henry Ford Community College, Parashakthi Temple, Pathways To Peace, Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan, Muslim Presence Ottawa
Endorsed by over 100 universities and organizations internationally

Full Conference Details at:
www.cbiworld.org/Pages/Conferences_RCP.htm

~ Registration is Open All ~

We Invite You To:
an inclusive, highly interactive 3-day public forum promoting Inter-religious and Intra-religious dialogue to explore the challenges of Extremism, Intolerance, Scapegoating, and Islamophobia, and the promise of Reason, Understanding, Compassion, and Cultural Harmony.

Join 45 Presenters and Facilitators as we explore:
1) The mutual dilemmas of religious ignorance, extremism, intolerance, negative stereotypes, prejudice, demonization and dehumanization, scapegoating, and fear of “the other,” that lead to toxic divisiveness, polarization, and social paranoia, including the current example of Islamophobia and it’s impact on the Muslim community,
and
2) The promise of personal engagement through dialogue in nurturing a shared consciousness of peace – and in doing so promoting the religious experience as a healing remedy rather than problem.

Geshe Gendun Gyatso, Sonya Friedman, Najah Bazzy, Brenda Rosenberg, Gail Katz, Padma Kuppa, Shahina Begg, Patricia Harris, Victor Begg, Saeed Khan, Bill Secrest, Ventra Assana, Lily Mendoza, Jim Perkinson, Manveen Saluja, Robert Cohen, Kari Alterman, Imad Hamad, Steve Spreitzer, Daniel Tutt, Steve Olweean, Farha Abbasi, Rene Lichtman, Sheri Schiff, Mike Whitty, Myron Eshowsky, Nettie Kingsley, Betty Kingsley, Mohammed Dajani, Zeina Barakat, Shari Rogers, Jackie Teunessen, Shelina Merani, Mary Assel, Mouhanad Hammami, Jehan Olweean, Betsy Kellman, Venkat Hari, Maida Besic, Susan Lebold

FORMAT:
An outstanding, diverse gathering of presenters for 3 Days of keynotes, workshops, panels, dialogue groups, exhibits, social/cultural events, multicultural community, and rich networking for collaborative application beyond the conference.

“It does not require that we be the same to be appreciative of, at peace with, and secure in our relationships with each other; only that we be familiar enough with each others story to share the humanity and trustworthiness that resides in each of us.”

Location: Henry Ford Community College
5101 Evergreen Rd., Dearborn, MI. USA
Schedule: Fri. June 11, 10:00 am -to- Sun. June 13, 2:30 pm
(On-site Registration opens 8:30 am)

FOR FULL DETAILS on the 3 Day Program, Registration, Fees, Program Ads, and Exhibits CONTACT:

Common Bond Institute
Details at Website: www.cbiworld.org
Steve Olweean, Conference Coordinator
12170 S. Pine Ayr Drive, Climax, MI 49034 USA
Ph/Fax: 269-665-9393 Email: SOlweean@aol.com

The Compassionate Action Network will host a Pre-Parliament Event titled “Connecting for Compassionate Action” this upcoming October 17th.  Participants will structure the event around the question: “How shall we create a regional compassionate action network that meets the needs of local communities and active people and also scales to a global level?”  For more information, click here.