Author: user

Friends Event: Creation or Evolution: Hindu Perspectives

Posted on March 31, 2012February 20, 2025 by user

Friends Event: Creation or Evolution: Hindu Perspectives

Leicester Friends Event

Saturday, 31 March 2012 – 6:30pm to 9:00pm

Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre

Rothley Street

Leicester LE4 6LF

A talk by Dr Nick Sutton of the Oxford Centre For Hindu Studies

In recent decades religion has increasingly become involved in the debate over the extent to which scientific theories about the origins of the world and of life threaten the integrity of religious revelation. Such debates usually focus on Christianity and to a lesser extent Islam as these are religious traditions that emphasise the importance of scriptural revelation, but how do such questions affect Hindu teachings and Hindu ideas about the world? In this talk we will consider the responses that Hinduism has to offer to the challenges presented by modern scientific theory.

lf@ochs.org.uk

Hindu Forum Of Europe Meeting, 2012

Posted on March 30, 2012February 20, 2025 by user

Hindu Forum Of Europe Meeting, 2012

Friday, 30 March 2012

From 27–29 March, OCHS Director Shaunaka Rishi Das visited Belgium, speaking at the Hindu Forum of Europe on the future of Hindu education in the continent.

The two-day program was hosted by the Hindu Forum of Europe, an organisation founded in 2006 as the voice of Hindus in Europe. There were delegations from Belgium, England, France, Portugal, Holland, Hungary and Austria. The first day saw a meeting of the delegations while the second day featured a series of presentations at the European Parliament and was attended by a distinguished guest list.

Among the many important issues raised, one of the key matters addressed by Shaunaka was the development of Hindu education in Europe and the role of the OCHS in this development.

“The advancement of awareness, education and research in Hinduism is still an emerging field. The responsibility of providing such support lies not only with government, but also with private followers, academics and institutions related to Hinduism, ” says Shaunaka. “The focus on Hindu education in Europe and especially Oxford is critical. The academic tradition here can bring a uniquely dispassionate and evaluative approach to the subject. The study of Hinduism in Europe can offer fascinating insights into the way Hindu civilization has spread and adapted around the world. Britain, France, Germany, Holland and Denmark are rich in resources and research material. Understanding the national and local identities developed by Hindus will all feed into better models for integration.”

The meeting also benefited from contributions from Sir Graham Watson, MEP for Somerset and North Devon and Prof Nathu Ram Puri, founder and CEO of Purico Group Limited.

Nehru Centre talk: Does that mean I am God?: Understanding Vedanta?

Posted on March 19, 2012November 9, 2020 by user

Nehru Centre talk: Does that mean I am God?: Understanding Vedanta?

Nehru Centre Event

Monday, 19 November 2012 – 6:30pm

Nehru Centre
8 South Audley Street
London, W1K 1HF

A talk by Dr Nick Sutton of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Vedanta is today the predominant form of Hindu religious philosophy and has been so for many centuries. But what does Vedanta actually teach? And how accurately do the writings of Shankaracharya reflect the ideas of the Upanishads on which Vedanta is supposed to be based. In this talk we explore these and other questions with particular emphasis on the Vedantic notion of inner divinity and what that implies for human life.

Organiser:

Nehru Centre – London

Friends Event: Living as a Hindu in the 21st Century

Posted on March 17, 2012November 9, 2020 by user

Friends Event: Living as a Hindu in the 21st Century

Birmingham Friends Event

Saturday, 17 March 2012 – 5:00pm to 7:30pm

Birmingham University Students Guild

Living as a Hindu in the 21st Century, a talk by Shaunaka Rishi Das of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

In this talk we will explore the Indian ideas and principles that have formed the basis of the worlds oldest existing religion and examine why it still exists today. For centuries Hindu culture has proven to be very adaptable but can it survive the challenges of modern times. How do Hindus in Birmingham negotiate their lives in a multimedia age. Essentially, how cool is Hindu. Among the concepts discussed are secularism and modernity, women and caste, the balance of salvation and sexuality, the role of the family, duty, spirituality, truth, happiness and love. Bring a brain.

Shaunaka Rishi Das is the Director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. The Centre is the home of Hindu research and teaching in Oxford, the Hindu Studies Journal, Hindu Studies Online, and The Bhumi Project – coordinating Hindu responses to the environment. He is a lecturer, a broadcaster, and Hindu Chaplain to Oxford University.

Organiser:

Friends of the OCHS – Birmingham

bf@ochs.org.uk

Friends Event: South Indian Religion, a lecture by Professor M. Narasimhachary

Posted on February 25, 2012November 9, 2020 by user

Friends Event: South Indian Religion, a lecture by Professor M. Narasimhachary

Leicester Friends Event

Saturday, 25 February 2012 – 6:30pm to 9:00pm

Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre

Rothley Street

Leicester LE4 6LF

A lecture by Professor M. Narasimhachary, Shivdasani Visiting Fellow of the Oxford Centre For Hindu Studies

These highly acclaimed lectures – brought to you each month – are presented by renowned, expert speakers from the Oxford Centre For Hindu Studies. They explore challenging issues connected to Hindu scripture and dharma which provide a forum for education and debate. The speakers actively encourage audience participation and interaction.

Organiser:

Friends of the OCHS – Leicester

lf@ochs.org.uk

Friends Event: Hindu approaches to religious pluralism

Posted on January 28, 2012February 20, 2025 by user

Friends Event: Hindu approaches to religious pluralism

Leicester Friends Event

Saturday, 28 January 2012 – 6:30pm to 9:00pm

Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre,
Rothley Street,
Leicester LE4 6LF

A talk by Lucian Wong Student of the Oxford Centre For Hindu Studies

Religious plurality is a pervasive feature of the multi-cultural society in which we live, presenting challenges and opportunities to persons of faith. The existence of multiple and divergent religious currents is, of course, nothing new to Hinduism. This talk will explore the ways in which Hindu texts and traditions address the issue of religious pluralism.

Organiser:

Friends of the OCHS – Leicester

lf@ochs.org.uk

OCHS Academic Director publishes on Importance of Religion

Posted on January 17, 2012September 27, 2020 by user

OCHS Academic Director publishes on Importance of Religion

Tuesday, 17 January 2012

Professor Gavin Flood, OCHS Academic Director and author of The Tantric Body: The Secret Tradition of Hindu Religion; The Ascetic Self: Subjectivity, Memory and Tradition; Beyond Phenomenology: Rethinking the Study of Religion; and the widely prescribed Introduction to Hinduism has published with Wiley-Blackwell.

The Importance of Religion argues for the central importance of religion in modern times and how it provides people with meaning to their lives and guides them in their everyday moral choices. Professor Flood argues that modern religions do not just represent passive notions about the nature of reality but are active and inspirational: they show us ways of living, dying, choosing a good life and inhabiting the world.

Professor Flood discusses the nature and meaning of religion and spirituality, and religion’s relationship with politics, science, evolutionary biology, human rights, culture, humanism and more.

The title is an excellent addition to the body of publishing that has sprung from the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. It has been well-received by scholars of religion including Gavin D’Costa of the University of Bristol: ‘Flood presents a thesis about “religion” that is provocative, irenic, learned and wide-ranging. His interdisciplinary intervention is an elegant challenge to those who think religion is dead or dying. It is a sensitive exploration of religion as the textual and ritual generator of meaning.’

Professor Flood has been the Academic Director of OCHS since October 2005. In 2008 he was granted the title of Professor of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion from the University of Oxford.

Nehru Centre Event: Women in Hinduism

Posted on December 29, 2011November 9, 2020 by user

Nehru Centre Event: Women in Hinduism

Nehru Centre Event

Friday, 9 December 2011 – 6:30pm to 7:30pm

Nehru Centre

8 South Audley Street

London, W1K 1HF

A talk by Anuradha Dooney of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies.

The roles of women in Hindu traditions are changing as they are throughout the rest of the world. What can stories of Sita and Draupadi, of Savitri or Sulabha contribute to the contemporary challenges of chapati rolling ( or not!) child-care and career-making. This talk sketches a broad overview of varying female voices from selected Hindu sacred texts and explores their relevance to Hindu women today.

Anuradha Dooney was awarded her BA in Social Science, from University College Dublin, and her MSt in the Study of Religion, from Oxford University. Her masters thesis was an exploration of faith development in the Vaishnava tradition. She is currently a Fellow of the OCHS, acting as a faculty member of the Continuing Education Department. Anuradha has been a tutor for courses in London, Birmingham, Oxford, Cambridge, and Leicester since 2003. She has acted as the principal curriculum writer for undergraduate degree courses granted by the University of Wales, Lampeter, courses taught in the UK and Belgium. She has also organised and run academic and interfaith workshops, seminars and conferences internationally. Anuradha is a respected lecturer and broadcaster.

Organiser:

Nehru Centre – London

nehrucentre@btconnect.com

(020) 7491 3567

Friends Event: Hinduism & Christianity in Dialogue

Posted on December 17, 2011February 20, 2025 by user

Friends Event: Hinduism & Christianity in Dialogue

Leicester Friends Event

Saturday, 17 December 2011 – 6:30pm to 9:00pm

Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre

Rothley Street

Leicester LE4 6LF

Lecture by Shaunaka Rishi Das, Director of The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Response by The Venerable Richard Atkinson, Archdeacon of Leicester

In this talk Shaunaka Rishi Das will outline some of the issues facing engaged Hindus and Christians as they develop their relationships. He will ask who writes the rules of dialogue and suggest ways of approaching relationships which may build good foundations for understanding, and a more profound practice of respect. Shaunaka will also address a number of key ideas where Hindus and Christians have struggled to gain a meeting of minds, and of hearts.

Organiser:

Friends of the OCHS – Leicester

lf@ochs.org.uk

Sherwood Forest: Barclays cycle for the poor (of the OCHS)

Posted on November 29, 2011November 9, 2020 by user

Sherwood Forest: Barclays cycle for the poor (of the OCHS)

Tuesday, 29 November 2011

Fifteen bankers from the Barclays Non-Resident-Indian (NRI) banking team in the United Kingdom took part in a ten-kilometre bicycle and tricycle ride. The enthusiasm in supporting a good cause was inspiring. This transfer from the rich to the poor in a different age took place in Sherwood Forest, once home to the famous Robin Hood. The team were in high spirits and they all had a great time. We are pleased to report that no one fell of their bicycles.

Barclays employees around the world are encouraged and supported to give their time and skills to their chosen community causes. The Bike-a-Thon raised five thousand pounds, which Barclays matched with three thousand pounds by conducting a matched fund raising event to support one of their recognised charities.

Shaunaka Rishi Das, the director of the OCHS was also present at the event. He joined the ride, which took place around the beautiful paths of Centre Parcs in Sherwood Forest. He was pleased with the results of the event and was happy to discuss the benefits this funding would bring to the Centre. “The funds we have raised here enable us to support bright students and scholars from around the world to gain a mature understanding of Indian thought and practice.”