ASIAN & ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS: A DIVINE ENCOUNTER IN AMERICA</titl= e> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"PlaceName"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"PlaceType"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"country-region"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"State"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"City"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"place"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"Street"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"address"/>  <style>  </style>  </head> <body lang=3DEN-US link=3D"#0066CC" vlink=3Dpurple style=3D'tab-interval:.5= in'> <div class=3DSection1> ASIAN &a= mp; ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS: A DIVINE ENCOUNTER IN <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">= <st1:place w:st=3D"on">AMERICA</st1:place></st1:country-region><o:p></o:p> PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS (Alphabetical Order)<o:p></o:p> <o:p> = </o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Akbar Ahmed, Cha= ir of Islamic Studies, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">American= </st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> <o= :p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Karen Armstrong,= noted author, “The Great Transformation: The Beginning of our Religious Traditions” “The Battle for God” and “The History of God.” <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Bishop John Chane, Episcopal Diocese of <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><s= t1:City w:st=3D"on">Washington</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st=3D"on">DC</st1:State></= st1:place><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Charlie Chin, Fo= lklore Scholar, Chinese Historical Society of <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1= :place w:st=3D"on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>, San Francisco<o:p></= o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Francis X. Cloon= ey, Professor of Divinity and Comparative Theology, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1= :PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Harvard</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Divinity</s= t1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">School</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> <o:p></o:p><= /span> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Annuttama Das, Religious Leader, <st1:place w:st=3D"on">= <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Iskcon</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceN= ame w:st=3D"on">Krishna</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Temple</st1= :PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Dr. Diana Eck, <= st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Harvard</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceNa= me w:st=3D"on">Divinity</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">School</st= 1:PlaceType></st1:place>, Director, Harvard Pluralism Project, and author of “A New Religious America” <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Reverend Walter = Fauntroy, Member Southern Christian Leadership Confer= ence<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Yogendra Jain, author “<st1:Street w:st=3D"on"><st1:add= ress w:st=3D"on">Jain Way</st1:address></st1:Street> of Life” <o:p></o:p>= <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Dr. Balaji Hebbar, Professor = of Religion, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">George</st1:Pla= ceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Washington</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Universi= ty</st1:PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Prof= essor of Islamic Studies, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">George</= st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Washington</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st= =3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Dr. Jasbir Kang, Author, “Punjabi Migration to the = <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-r= egion>”<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Reverend Ronald = K. Kobata, <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Buddhist</st1:Plac= eName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Churches</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st= 1:place w:st=3D"on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>, San Francisco <o:p><= /o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Srimati Kamala, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City w:st=3D"on"= >Dir. Gandhi Memorial Center</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st=3D"on">Washington</st1= :State></st1:place>, D.C., author, “Yours Faithfully, M.K. Gandhi”<o:p></o:p>= <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Narinder Singh Kapany Father of F= iber Optics, Collector of historic Sikh Art in exhibition at the <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Asian</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Museum</st1:Pl= aceType> in <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City w:st=3D"on">San Francisco</st1:City>, <= st1:State w:st=3D"on">California</st1:State></st1:place><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Jessi Kaur, Author and columni= st- expert on Sikh philosophy and religion<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Professor Bruce = LaBrack, University of the Pacific, Author, “Si= khs in the <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">United States</s= t1:place></st1:country-region>.”<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Professor John <= span class=3DSpellE>Makransky, Professor of Buddhism & Comparative Theology, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Boston</st1:Pla= ceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">College</st1:PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Wes Nisker, Author, ‘The Big Bang, the Buddha, and = the Baby Boom’<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Dr. Shanta Premawardhana, Ass= ociate General Sec. for InterFaith Relations,World Council of Churches<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Stephen Prothero, Professor of Religion, <st1:place w:st=3D"o= n"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Boston</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</= st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Editor, “Asian Religions in <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>” <o:p></o:p></s= pan> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Imam Feisal Rauf, Founder, American Society for Muslim Advancemen= t, Founder, <st1:City w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">Cordoba</st1:place></= st1:City> Initiative<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Rabbi David Rose= n, International Director of Interreligious Affairs, American Jewish Committee= <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>David Shaner, Professor of Philosophy and Asian Studies, and Chair, Dept. of Philosophy, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"o= n">Furman</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:= p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Sri Sri <st1:place w:st=3D"on">Ravi</st1:place> Shankar, = Founder, Art of Living Foundation <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Dr. Rajwant Singh, Chairman, Sikh Council on Religions and Education<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>(The late) Dr. <= span class=3DSpellE>Krister Stendahl, The Mel= lon Professor of Divinity Emeritus at <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:s= t=3D"on">Harvard</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Divinity</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D= "on">School</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> and retired Bishop of Stockholm<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Dr. Donald Swearer, Professor of Buddhist Studies, <st1:place w:= st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Harvard</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Divinity</s= t1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">School</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Direc= tor of the Center for the Study of World Religions <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Romila Thapar, Professor Emerit= us, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Nehru</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType= w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, Recipient of the Kluge Prize, awarded by the U.S. Library of Congress = <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Dr. Robert Thurm= an, Professor of Indo-Tibetan Studies, <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Columbi= a</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType>, President of <st1:co= untry-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">Tibet</st1:place></st1:country-region> H= ouse<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Father Francis <= span class=3DSpellE>Tiso, Fmr. Assoc. Dir., Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> Co= nference of Catholic Bishops<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Sadhguru Yaggi Vasudev, Founder, ISHA Foundation <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Rabbi Harold Whi= te, Senior Jewish Chaplain, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">G= eorgetown</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:= p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Dr. Marvin R. Wi= lson, Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at <a href=3D"http://www.gordon.edu/index.htm" target=3D"_blank">Gordon Colle= ge</a>,<st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City w:st=3D"on">Wenham</st1:Ci= ty>, <st1:State w:st=3D"on">Massachusetts</st1:State></st1:place> <o:p></o:p></span= > <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Imtiyaz Yasuf, <st1:City w:st=3D= "on">Visiting Professor</st1:City>, <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">Malaysia</st1:countr= y-region> Chair of Islam in S.E. Asia, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"= on">Georgetown</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:= p> <o:p><sp= an style=3D'text-decoration:none'> </o:p> “T= HE ASIAN & ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS: A DIVINE ENCOUNTER IN <st1:country-region w:st= =3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">AMERICA</st1:place></st1:country-region>”<o:p></o:p>= ACADEMIC= ADVISORS<o:p></o:p> <o:p>= </o:p> <![if !supportLists]>· <![endif]>Dr. Diana Eck, Professor of Comparative Religions and Indian Studies, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D= "on">Harvard</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Divinity</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D= "on">School</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. President, Pluralism Project. Diana Eck's academic work has a dual focus—<st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">India</st1:country-region> and = <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>= —and in both cases she is interested in the challenges of religious pluralism in= a multireligious society. Her work on <st1:country-regi= on w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> i= ncludes the books Banaras: City of Light and Darsan<= /i>: Seeing the Divine Image in India. Since 1991, she has headed the <a href=3D"http://www.pluralism.org/" target=3D"_blank">Pluralism Project</a>, whi= ch explores and interprets the religious dimensions of <st1:country-region w:s= t=3D"on">America</st1:country-region>'s new immigration; the growth of Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, and Zoroastrian communities in the <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">U= nited States</st1:place></st1:country-region>; and the new issues of religious pluralism and American civil society. The Pluralism Project's award-winning= CD-ROM, On Common Ground: World Religions in America, was published in 1997;= her book A New Religious <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"= on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>: How A "Christian Country" Has Become t= he World's Most Religiously Diverse Nation was published in 2001. Her book= Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey From Bozeman to Banaras= is in the area of Christian theology and interfaith dialogue. It won the <s= pan class=3DSpellE>Grawemeyer Book Award in 1995 and a 10th-anniversary edition was published in 2003. She received the National Humanities Award f= rom President Clinton and the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1996, the Montana Governor's Humanities Award in 2003, and the Melcher Lifetime Achievement Award from the Unitarian Universalist Association in 2003. In 2005-06 she served as president of the <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">American</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Academy</s= t1:PlaceType></st1:place> of Religion. Diana Eck has worked closely with churches on issues of interreligious relations, including her own <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:Pla= ceName w:st=3D"on">United</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Methodist</s= t1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Church</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> and the World Council of Churches. She is currently chair of the Interfaith Relations Commission of the National Council of Churches. <![if !supportLists]>· <![endif]>Dr. Robert Thurman, Professor of Indo-Tib= etan Studies, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Columbia</st1:Pl= aceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. <= /b>President of <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">Tibet</st1:country-region> <st1:place w:= st=3D"on"><st1:City w:st=3D"on">House</st1:City>, <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">U.S.</st1:co= untry-region></st1:place> Robert A.F. Thurman is the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studie= s in the Department of Religion at Columbia University, President of the Tibet H= ouse U.S., a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion= of Tibetan civilization, and President of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies, a non-profit affiliated with the Center for Buddhist Studies at Columbia University and dedicated to the publication of translations of important texts from the Tibetan Tanjur. Professor Thurman also translates important Tibetan and Sanskrit philosophi= cal writings and lectures and writes on Buddhism, particularly Tibetan Buddhism= ; on Asian history, particularly the history of the monastic institution in the Asian civilization; and on critical philosophy, with a focus on the dialogue between the material and inner sciences of the world's religious traditions= . Time chose Professor Thurman as one of its 25 most influential Americans in 1997, describing him as a "larger than life scholar-activist destined = to convey the dharma, the precious teachings of Siddhartha, from Asia to <st1:= country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>= ." The New York Times recently said Thurman "is considered the leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism." <![if !supportLists]>· <![endif]>Akbar Ahmed, Professor, <st1:place w:st= =3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">American</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University= </st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Akbar Ahmed is the Ibn Kha= ldun Chair of Islamic Studies at <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"o= n">American</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. He is considered "the world's leading authority on contemporary Islam," according to BBC. He is former High Commissioner of Pakistan to <st1:countr= y-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">Great Britain</st1:place></st1:country-r= egion>, and has advised Prince Charles and met with President George W. Bush on Isl= am. His numerous books, films and documentaries have won prestigious awards and= his books have been translated into several languages including Chinese and Indonesian. Ahmed is regularly interviewed on CNN, CBC, the BBC, AR= Y TV and has appeared several times on the Oprah Winfrey Show and Night Line.= In February 2005, the National Cathedral held a special Evensong Service to ho= nor him. He spoke at the Chairman’s Distinguished Speakers Lecture Series= at the Pentagon and gave the inaugural lecture for the first Chair in Jewish-Muslim Studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago. He presented a= nd narrated "The Glories of Islamic Art", the three-part television series for Channel 5, <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">UK</st1:country-regio= n>, broadcast in 2006 and he has recorded 12 lectures for an audio CD series, "Encountering Islam", for <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City w:st= =3D"on">NowYouKnow Media</st1:City>, <st1:City w:st=3D"on">= Washington</st1:City> <st1:State w:st=3D"on">DC</st1:State></st1:place>. He is Senior Advisor to= an innovative on-line project for an Islamic syllabus for Jones Knowledge Inc.= Ahmed's most recent book, Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization, is published by the Brookings Institution Press. He is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution in addition to his tenure appointment a= t <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">American</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceT= ype w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. He was nominated as the "Most Inspiring Person of the Year 2005" and a finalist in the po= ll conducted by BeliefNet. <![if !supportLists]>· <![endif]>Dr. Donald Swearer</= span>, Professor of Buddhist Studies, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st= =3D"on">Harvard</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Divinity</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D= "on">School</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Director of the Center for the Study of World Religions. Donald Swearer was appointed as director of the Center for t= he Study of World Religions and Distinguished Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies in 2004. He came to HDS from <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName = w:st=3D"on">Swarthmore</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">College</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> where he had taught since 1970, most recently as the Charles and Harriet Cox McDowell Professor of Religion. Previously, he was in the Department of Religion at = <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Oberlin</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">College</st1= :PlaceType> and has held several visiting professorships, including the <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Pennsy= lvania</st1:PlaceName>, Princeton Theological Seminary, and the <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceTy= pe w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Hawai= i</st1:PlaceName></st1:place> where in 1993 he was the Numata Visiting Profes= sor of Buddhist Studies. In 2000-01 he served as Hershey Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies at the <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">D= ivinity</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">School</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Professor <= span class=3DSpellE>Swearer has received numerous research fellowships fr= om the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Fulbright Program, and the Guggenheim Foundation, among others. He is a member of the <st1:place w:st= =3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">American</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Academy</s= t1:PlaceType></st1:place> of Religion, the Association for Asian Studies, the American Society for the Study of Religion, and the Society for Buddhist- Christian Studies. He has held a variety of editorial posts for several academic journals, including the Journal of Asian Studies, the Jo= urnal of Religious Ethics, and Religious Studies Review. His recent bo= oks include The Buddhist World of Southeast Asia, 2nd rev. ed. (2008), <= i>Becoming the Buddha: The Ritual of Image Consecration in Thailand (2004), Sacred Mountains of Northern Thailand and Their Leg= ends (2004), and The Legend of Queen Cama (19= 98). <![if !supportLists]>· <![endif]>Dr. Bruce La Brack</= span>, Professor of Anthropology and International Studies, University of the Paci= fic. Bruce LaBrack, a cultural anthropolog= ist and South Asian specialist, is a professor of anthropology in the School of International Studies (SIS) at the University of the Pacific in <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City w:st=3D"on">Stockton</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st=3D"o= n">California</st1:State></st1:place> and has coordinated cross-cultural training there since 1976. Bruce is dire= ctor of the SIS Institute for Intercultural Learning, and has published extensiv= ely on cultural adjustment issues. His fieldwork includes research on Japanese reentry patterns, sponsored by the Intercultural Research Institute of the Kansai University of Foreign Studies, <st1:City w:st=3D"on">Osaka</st1:City= >; Fulbright Research Fellowships at <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">International<= /st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Christian</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D= "on">University</st1:PlaceName>, <st1:City w:st=3D"on">Tokyo</st1:City>, and <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Tami= l</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Nadu</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">= University</st1:PlaceType>, South India; and nearly thirty years recording the impact of the Sikh Diasp= ora in North America, Europe, and <st1:place w:st=3D"on">East Africa</st1:place= >. He currently has a three-year Department of Education grant to produce ten integrated, web-based cross-cultural training modules for <st1:country-regi= on w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> st= udents going to and returning from abroad. Bruce also co-edits the "Traini= ng Section of the International Journal of Intercultural Relations".<= /p> <![if !supportLists]>· <![endif]>Francis X. Clooney, Professor of Divinity= and Comparative Theology, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Har= vard</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Divinity</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D= "on">School</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Francis X. Clooney, S.J., a Roman Catholic priest and a member of the Socie= ty of Jesus, joined the <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Divi= nity</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">School</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> in 2005. Aft= er earning his doctorate in South Asian Languages and Civilizations (Universit= y of Chicago, 1984), he taught at <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"= on">Boston</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">College</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> until comin= g to Harvard. His primary areas of scholarship are theological commentarial writ= ings in the Sanskrit and Tamil traditions of Hindu India, and the developing fie= ld of comparative theology, a discipline distinguished by attentiveness to the= dynamics of theological learning deepened and complexified</spa= n> through the study of traditions other than one's own. He has also written on the Jesuit missionary tradition, particularly in <st1:country-region w:st= =3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>, and the dynamics of di= alogue in the contemporary world. He is on numerous editorial boards; was the first president of the International Society for Hindu-Christian Studies; and, fr= om 1998 to 2004, was coordinator for interreligious dialogue for the Jesuits of the <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">United States</s= t1:place></st1:country-region>. Professor Clooney is the author of numerous articles and books, including <= i>Hindu God, Christian God (Oxford University Press, 2001), Divine Mother, Blessed Mother: Hindu Goddesses and the Virgin Mary (Oxford University Press, 2005), and Jesuit Postmodern: Scholarship, Vocation, and Identity= in the 21st Century (Lexington Books, 2006). He has just completed two boo= ks: Beyond Compare: St. Francis and Sri Vedanta Desika on = Loving Surrender to God (Georgetown University Press, 2008), and The Truth,= the Way, the Life: Christian Commentary on the Three Holy Mantras of the Srivaisnava Hindus (Peeters<= /span> Publishing [<st1:place w:st=3D"on">Leuven</st1:place>], 2008). His current projects include an introductory volume on comparative theology, and a stud= y of yoga and Jesuit spirituality. <![if !supportLists]>· <![endif]>John Makransky</span= >, Professor of Buddhism, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Bo= ston</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">College</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. John <= span class=3DSpellE>Makransky received his PhD in Buddhist Studies and So= uth Asian Languages and Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with Fulbright-sponsored research in <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">India</st1:= country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">Nepal</st1:country-region> and <st1:country= -region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">Tibet</st1:place></st1:country-region>. = He did post-doctoral research at the <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</st1:Pl= aceType> of <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Iowa</st1:PlaceName>, the= n taught at <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Middlebury</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceT= ype w:st=3D"on">College</st1:PlaceType> before joining the theology department = at <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Boston</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceTyp= e w:st=3D"on">College</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Having studied for twenty-five years with Lamas of four Tibetan Buddhist lineages, Makransky was installed as a Lama in = the Nyingma order of Nyoshul = Khenpo in August 2000. He has conducted workshops and meditation retreats throughout the <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:pla= ce w:st=3D"on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>, both for pract= icing Buddhists and for Christians, Jews and others interested in comparative and dialogical encounter with Buddhist traditions. M= akransky has been active in the <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Am= erican</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Academy</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> of Religion, International Association of Buddhist Studies, Society<= /span> for Buddhist-Christian Studies, Society of Comparative Theology, and has be= en serving on the board of directors for the Dzogchen</sp= an> Foundation and the Kurukulla Tibetan Buddhist centers. He has also served for several years as director of the program of= Vajrayana Buddhist studies at the Barre Center of Buddhist Studies in central <st1:State w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:s= t=3D"on">Massachusetts</st1:place></st1:State>. His publications include Buddhahood Embodied: Sources of Controversy in India and Tibet (1997); "Historical Consciousness as an Offering to the Trans-Historical Buddha" and "Contemporary Academic Buddhist Theology: Its Emergen= ce and Rationale" in Buddhist Theology: Critical Reflections by Contemporary Buddhist Scholars which he co-edited with Roger Jackson (2000); "Mahayana Buddhist Ritual and Ethical Activity in the World&qu= ot; in Buddhist-Christian Studies Journal (2000); "Buddhist Perspectives on Truth in Other Religions: Past and Present," in The= ological Studies Journal (2003), and "Buddhist Analogues of Sin and Grace: A Dialogue with Augustine," forthcoming in Augustinian Heritage.<= /p> </div> </body> </html>

MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Location: file:///C:/993246F3/FilmParticipants.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" ASIAN & ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS: A DIVINE ENCOUNTER IN AMERICA</titl= e> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"PlaceName"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"PlaceType"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"country-region"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"State"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"City"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"place"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"Street"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"address"/>  <style>  </style>  </head> <body lang=3DEN-US link=3D"#0066CC" vlink=3Dpurple style=3D'tab-interval:.5= in'> <div class=3DSection1> ASIAN &a= mp; ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS: A DIVINE ENCOUNTER IN <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">= <st1:place w:st=3D"on">AMERICA</st1:place></st1:country-region><o:p></o:p> PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS (Alphabetical Order)<o:p></o:p> <o:p> = </o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Akbar Ahmed, Cha= ir of Islamic Studies, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">American= </st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> <o= :p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Karen Armstrong,= noted author, “The Great Transformation: The Beginning of our Religious Traditions” “The Battle for God” and “The History of God.” <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Bishop John Chane, Episcopal Diocese of <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><s= t1:City w:st=3D"on">Washington</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st=3D"on">DC</st1:State></= st1:place><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Charlie Chin, Fo= lklore Scholar, Chinese Historical Society of <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1= :place w:st=3D"on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>, San Francisco<o:p></= o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Francis X. Cloon= ey, Professor of Divinity and Comparative Theology, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1= :PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Harvard</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Divinity</s= t1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">School</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> <o:p></o:p><= /span> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Annuttama Das, Religious Leader, <st1:place w:st=3D"on">= <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Iskcon</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceN= ame w:st=3D"on">Krishna</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Temple</st1= :PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Dr. Diana Eck, <= st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Harvard</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceNa= me w:st=3D"on">Divinity</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">School</st= 1:PlaceType></st1:place>, Director, Harvard Pluralism Project, and author of “A New Religious America” <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Reverend Walter = Fauntroy, Member Southern Christian Leadership Confer= ence<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Yogendra Jain, author “<st1:Street w:st=3D"on"><st1:add= ress w:st=3D"on">Jain Way</st1:address></st1:Street> of Life” <o:p></o:p>= <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Dr. Balaji Hebbar, Professor = of Religion, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">George</st1:Pla= ceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Washington</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Universi= ty</st1:PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Prof= essor of Islamic Studies, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">George</= st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Washington</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st= =3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Dr. Jasbir Kang, Author, “Punjabi Migration to the = <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-r= egion>”<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Reverend Ronald = K. Kobata, <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Buddhist</st1:Plac= eName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Churches</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st= 1:place w:st=3D"on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>, San Francisco <o:p><= /o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Srimati Kamala, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City w:st=3D"on"= >Dir. Gandhi Memorial Center</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st=3D"on">Washington</st1= :State></st1:place>, D.C., author, “Yours Faithfully, M.K. Gandhi”<o:p></o:p>= <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Narinder Singh Kapany Father of F= iber Optics, Collector of historic Sikh Art in exhibition at the <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Asian</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Museum</st1:Pl= aceType> in <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City w:st=3D"on">San Francisco</st1:City>, <= st1:State w:st=3D"on">California</st1:State></st1:place><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Jessi Kaur, Author and columni= st- expert on Sikh philosophy and religion<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Professor Bruce = LaBrack, University of the Pacific, Author, “Si= khs in the <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">United States</s= t1:place></st1:country-region>.”<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Professor John <= span class=3DSpellE>Makransky, Professor of Buddhism & Comparative Theology, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Boston</st1:Pla= ceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">College</st1:PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Wes Nisker, Author, ‘The Big Bang, the Buddha, and = the Baby Boom’<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Dr. Shanta Premawardhana, Ass= ociate General Sec. for InterFaith Relations,World Council of Churches<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Stephen Prothero, Professor of Religion, <st1:place w:st=3D"o= n"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Boston</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</= st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Editor, “Asian Religions in <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>” <o:p></o:p></s= pan> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Imam Feisal Rauf, Founder, American Society for Muslim Advancemen= t, Founder, <st1:City w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">Cordoba</st1:place></= st1:City> Initiative<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Rabbi David Rose= n, International Director of Interreligious Affairs, American Jewish Committee= <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>David Shaner, Professor of Philosophy and Asian Studies, and Chair, Dept. of Philosophy, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"o= n">Furman</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:= p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Sri Sri <st1:place w:st=3D"on">Ravi</st1:place> Shankar, = Founder, Art of Living Foundation <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Dr. Rajwant Singh, Chairman, Sikh Council on Religions and Education<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>(The late) Dr. <= span class=3DSpellE>Krister Stendahl, The Mel= lon Professor of Divinity Emeritus at <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:s= t=3D"on">Harvard</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Divinity</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D= "on">School</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> and retired Bishop of Stockholm<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Dr. Donald Swearer, Professor of Buddhist Studies, <st1:place w:= st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Harvard</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Divinity</s= t1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">School</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Direc= tor of the Center for the Study of World Religions <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Romila Thapar, Professor Emerit= us, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Nehru</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType= w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, Recipient of the Kluge Prize, awarded by the U.S. Library of Congress = <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Dr. Robert Thurm= an, Professor of Indo-Tibetan Studies, <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Columbi= a</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType>, President of <st1:co= untry-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">Tibet</st1:place></st1:country-region> H= ouse<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Father Francis <= span class=3DSpellE>Tiso, Fmr. Assoc. Dir., Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> Co= nference of Catholic Bishops<o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Sadhguru Yaggi Vasudev, Founder, ISHA Foundation <o:p></o:p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Rabbi Harold Whi= te, Senior Jewish Chaplain, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">G= eorgetown</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:= p> <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Dr. Marvin R. Wi= lson, Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at <a href=3D"http://www.gordon.edu/index.htm" target=3D"_blank">Gordon Colle= ge</a>,<st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City w:st=3D"on">Wenham</st1:Ci= ty>, <st1:State w:st=3D"on">Massachusetts</st1:State></st1:place> <o:p></o:p></span= > <![if !supportLists]><sp= an style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>· <![endif]>Imtiyaz Yasuf, <st1:City w:st=3D= "on">Visiting Professor</st1:City>, <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">Malaysia</st1:countr= y-region> Chair of Islam in S.E. Asia, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"= on">Georgetown</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:= p> <o:p><sp= an style=3D'text-decoration:none'> </o:p> “T= HE ASIAN & ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS: A DIVINE ENCOUNTER IN <st1:country-region w:st= =3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">AMERICA</st1:place></st1:country-region>”<o:p></o:p>= ACADEMIC= ADVISORS<o:p></o:p> <o:p>= </o:p> <![if !supportLists]>· <![endif]>Dr. Diana Eck, Professor of Comparative Religions and Indian Studies, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D= "on">Harvard</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Divinity</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D= "on">School</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. President, Pluralism Project. Diana Eck's academic work has a dual focus—<st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">India</st1:country-region> and = <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>= —and in both cases she is interested in the challenges of religious pluralism in= a multireligious society. Her work on <st1:country-regi= on w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> i= ncludes the books Banaras: City of Light and Darsan<= /i>: Seeing the Divine Image in India. Since 1991, she has headed the <a href=3D"http://www.pluralism.org/" target=3D"_blank">Pluralism Project</a>, whi= ch explores and interprets the religious dimensions of <st1:country-region w:s= t=3D"on">America</st1:country-region>'s new immigration; the growth of Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, and Zoroastrian communities in the <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">U= nited States</st1:place></st1:country-region>; and the new issues of religious pluralism and American civil society. The Pluralism Project's award-winning= CD-ROM, On Common Ground: World Religions in America, was published in 1997;= her book A New Religious <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"= on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>: How A "Christian Country" Has Become t= he World's Most Religiously Diverse Nation was published in 2001. Her book= Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey From Bozeman to Banaras= is in the area of Christian theology and interfaith dialogue. It won the <s= pan class=3DSpellE>Grawemeyer Book Award in 1995 and a 10th-anniversary edition was published in 2003. She received the National Humanities Award f= rom President Clinton and the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1996, the Montana Governor's Humanities Award in 2003, and the Melcher Lifetime Achievement Award from the Unitarian Universalist Association in 2003. In 2005-06 she served as president of the <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">American</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Academy</s= t1:PlaceType></st1:place> of Religion. Diana Eck has worked closely with churches on issues of interreligious relations, including her own <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:Pla= ceName w:st=3D"on">United</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Methodist</s= t1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Church</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> and the World Council of Churches. She is currently chair of the Interfaith Relations Commission of the National Council of Churches. <![if !supportLists]>· <![endif]>Dr. Robert Thurman, Professor of Indo-Tib= etan Studies, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Columbia</st1:Pl= aceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. <= /b>President of <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">Tibet</st1:country-region> <st1:place w:= st=3D"on"><st1:City w:st=3D"on">House</st1:City>, <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">U.S.</st1:co= untry-region></st1:place> Robert A.F. Thurman is the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studie= s in the Department of Religion at Columbia University, President of the Tibet H= ouse U.S., a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion= of Tibetan civilization, and President of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies, a non-profit affiliated with the Center for Buddhist Studies at Columbia University and dedicated to the publication of translations of important texts from the Tibetan Tanjur. Professor Thurman also translates important Tibetan and Sanskrit philosophi= cal writings and lectures and writes on Buddhism, particularly Tibetan Buddhism= ; on Asian history, particularly the history of the monastic institution in the Asian civilization; and on critical philosophy, with a focus on the dialogue between the material and inner sciences of the world's religious traditions= . Time chose Professor Thurman as one of its 25 most influential Americans in 1997, describing him as a "larger than life scholar-activist destined = to convey the dharma, the precious teachings of Siddhartha, from Asia to <st1:= country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>= ." The New York Times recently said Thurman "is considered the leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism." <![if !supportLists]>· <![endif]>Akbar Ahmed, Professor, <st1:place w:st= =3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">American</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University= </st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Akbar Ahmed is the Ibn Kha= ldun Chair of Islamic Studies at <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"o= n">American</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. He is considered "the world's leading authority on contemporary Islam," according to BBC. He is former High Commissioner of Pakistan to <st1:countr= y-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">Great Britain</st1:place></st1:country-r= egion>, and has advised Prince Charles and met with President George W. Bush on Isl= am. His numerous books, films and documentaries have won prestigious awards and= his books have been translated into several languages including Chinese and Indonesian. Ahmed is regularly interviewed on CNN, CBC, the BBC, AR= Y TV and has appeared several times on the Oprah Winfrey Show and Night Line.= In February 2005, the National Cathedral held a special Evensong Service to ho= nor him. He spoke at the Chairman’s Distinguished Speakers Lecture Series= at the Pentagon and gave the inaugural lecture for the first Chair in Jewish-Muslim Studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago. He presented a= nd narrated "The Glories of Islamic Art", the three-part television series for Channel 5, <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">UK</st1:country-regio= n>, broadcast in 2006 and he has recorded 12 lectures for an audio CD series, "Encountering Islam", for <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City w:st= =3D"on">NowYouKnow Media</st1:City>, <st1:City w:st=3D"on">= Washington</st1:City> <st1:State w:st=3D"on">DC</st1:State></st1:place>. He is Senior Advisor to= an innovative on-line project for an Islamic syllabus for Jones Knowledge Inc.= Ahmed's most recent book, Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization, is published by the Brookings Institution Press. He is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution in addition to his tenure appointment a= t <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">American</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceT= ype w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. He was nominated as the "Most Inspiring Person of the Year 2005" and a finalist in the po= ll conducted by BeliefNet. <![if !supportLists]>· <![endif]>Dr. Donald Swearer</= span>, Professor of Buddhist Studies, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st= =3D"on">Harvard</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Divinity</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D= "on">School</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Director of the Center for the Study of World Religions. Donald Swearer was appointed as director of the Center for t= he Study of World Religions and Distinguished Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies in 2004. He came to HDS from <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName = w:st=3D"on">Swarthmore</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">College</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> where he had taught since 1970, most recently as the Charles and Harriet Cox McDowell Professor of Religion. Previously, he was in the Department of Religion at = <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Oberlin</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">College</st1= :PlaceType> and has held several visiting professorships, including the <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Pennsy= lvania</st1:PlaceName>, Princeton Theological Seminary, and the <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceTy= pe w:st=3D"on">University</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Hawai= i</st1:PlaceName></st1:place> where in 1993 he was the Numata Visiting Profes= sor of Buddhist Studies. In 2000-01 he served as Hershey Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies at the <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">D= ivinity</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">School</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Professor <= span class=3DSpellE>Swearer has received numerous research fellowships fr= om the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Fulbright Program, and the Guggenheim Foundation, among others. He is a member of the <st1:place w:st= =3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">American</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Academy</s= t1:PlaceType></st1:place> of Religion, the Association for Asian Studies, the American Society for the Study of Religion, and the Society for Buddhist- Christian Studies. He has held a variety of editorial posts for several academic journals, including the Journal of Asian Studies, the Jo= urnal of Religious Ethics, and Religious Studies Review. His recent bo= oks include The Buddhist World of Southeast Asia, 2nd rev. ed. (2008), <= i>Becoming the Buddha: The Ritual of Image Consecration in Thailand (2004), Sacred Mountains of Northern Thailand and Their Leg= ends (2004), and The Legend of Queen Cama (19= 98). <![if !supportLists]>· <![endif]>Dr. Bruce La Brack</= span>, Professor of Anthropology and International Studies, University of the Paci= fic. Bruce LaBrack, a cultural anthropolog= ist and South Asian specialist, is a professor of anthropology in the School of International Studies (SIS) at the University of the Pacific in <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:City w:st=3D"on">Stockton</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st=3D"o= n">California</st1:State></st1:place> and has coordinated cross-cultural training there since 1976. Bruce is dire= ctor of the SIS Institute for Intercultural Learning, and has published extensiv= ely on cultural adjustment issues. His fieldwork includes research on Japanese reentry patterns, sponsored by the Intercultural Research Institute of the Kansai University of Foreign Studies, <st1:City w:st=3D"on">Osaka</st1:City= >; Fulbright Research Fellowships at <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">International<= /st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Christian</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D= "on">University</st1:PlaceName>, <st1:City w:st=3D"on">Tokyo</st1:City>, and <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Tami= l</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Nadu</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">= University</st1:PlaceType>, South India; and nearly thirty years recording the impact of the Sikh Diasp= ora in North America, Europe, and <st1:place w:st=3D"on">East Africa</st1:place= >. He currently has a three-year Department of Education grant to produce ten integrated, web-based cross-cultural training modules for <st1:country-regi= on w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> st= udents going to and returning from abroad. Bruce also co-edits the "Traini= ng Section of the International Journal of Intercultural Relations".<= /p> <![if !supportLists]>· <![endif]>Francis X. Clooney, Professor of Divinity= and Comparative Theology, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Har= vard</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Divinity</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D= "on">School</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Francis X. Clooney, S.J., a Roman Catholic priest and a member of the Socie= ty of Jesus, joined the <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Divi= nity</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">School</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> in 2005. Aft= er earning his doctorate in South Asian Languages and Civilizations (Universit= y of Chicago, 1984), he taught at <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"= on">Boston</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">College</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> until comin= g to Harvard. His primary areas of scholarship are theological commentarial writ= ings in the Sanskrit and Tamil traditions of Hindu India, and the developing fie= ld of comparative theology, a discipline distinguished by attentiveness to the= dynamics of theological learning deepened and complexified</spa= n> through the study of traditions other than one's own. He has also written on the Jesuit missionary tradition, particularly in <st1:country-region w:st= =3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>, and the dynamics of di= alogue in the contemporary world. He is on numerous editorial boards; was the first president of the International Society for Hindu-Christian Studies; and, fr= om 1998 to 2004, was coordinator for interreligious dialogue for the Jesuits of the <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">United States</s= t1:place></st1:country-region>. Professor Clooney is the author of numerous articles and books, including <= i>Hindu God, Christian God (Oxford University Press, 2001), Divine Mother, Blessed Mother: Hindu Goddesses and the Virgin Mary (Oxford University Press, 2005), and Jesuit Postmodern: Scholarship, Vocation, and Identity= in the 21st Century (Lexington Books, 2006). He has just completed two boo= ks: Beyond Compare: St. Francis and Sri Vedanta Desika on = Loving Surrender to God (Georgetown University Press, 2008), and The Truth,= the Way, the Life: Christian Commentary on the Three Holy Mantras of the Srivaisnava Hindus (Peeters<= /span> Publishing [<st1:place w:st=3D"on">Leuven</st1:place>], 2008). His current projects include an introductory volume on comparative theology, and a stud= y of yoga and Jesuit spirituality. <![if !supportLists]>· <![endif]>John Makransky</span= >, Professor of Buddhism, <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Bo= ston</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">College</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. John <= span class=3DSpellE>Makransky received his PhD in Buddhist Studies and So= uth Asian Languages and Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with Fulbright-sponsored research in <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">India</st1:= country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on">Nepal</st1:country-region> and <st1:country= -region w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:st=3D"on">Tibet</st1:place></st1:country-region>. = He did post-doctoral research at the <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">University</st1:Pl= aceType> of <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Iowa</st1:PlaceName>, the= n taught at <st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Middlebury</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceT= ype w:st=3D"on">College</st1:PlaceType> before joining the theology department = at <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Boston</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceTyp= e w:st=3D"on">College</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Having studied for twenty-five years with Lamas of four Tibetan Buddhist lineages, Makransky was installed as a Lama in = the Nyingma order of Nyoshul = Khenpo in August 2000. He has conducted workshops and meditation retreats throughout the <st1:country-region w:st=3D"on"><st1:pla= ce w:st=3D"on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>, both for pract= icing Buddhists and for Christians, Jews and others interested in comparative and dialogical encounter with Buddhist traditions. M= akransky has been active in the <st1:place w:st=3D"on"><st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Am= erican</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">Academy</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> of Religion, International Association of Buddhist Studies, Society<= /span> for Buddhist-Christian Studies, Society of Comparative Theology, and has be= en serving on the board of directors for the Dzogchen</sp= an> Foundation and the Kurukulla Tibetan Buddhist centers. He has also served for several years as director of the program of= Vajrayana Buddhist studies at the Barre Center of Buddhist Studies in central <st1:State w:st=3D"on"><st1:place w:s= t=3D"on">Massachusetts</st1:place></st1:State>. His publications include Buddhahood Embodied: Sources of Controversy in India and Tibet (1997); "Historical Consciousness as an Offering to the Trans-Historical Buddha" and "Contemporary Academic Buddhist Theology: Its Emergen= ce and Rationale" in Buddhist Theology: Critical Reflections by Contemporary Buddhist Scholars which he co-edited with Roger Jackson (2000); "Mahayana Buddhist Ritual and Ethical Activity in the World&qu= ot; in Buddhist-Christian Studies Journal (2000); "Buddhist Perspectives on Truth in Other Religions: Past and Present," in The= ological Studies Journal (2003), and "Buddhist Analogues of Sin and Grace: A Dialogue with Augustine," forthcoming in Augustinian Heritage.<= /p> </div> </body> </html>