Dharamsala, December 17: Tibetan cultural centre in New Delhi will bring together around 36 scholars and institution-builders from 13 different countries for a three-day open-door conference on the Contribution of Tibetan Culture to Global Understanding in the Indian Capital.
Scholars from Estonia, Canada, Germany, Italy, India, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Spain, Tibet and the USA will attend the conference on “Contribution of Tibetan Culture to Global Understanding: Progress and Prospects” organised by Tibet House at the India International Centre (IIC) from 18 – 20 December.
The participants from across the globe will come together to share their exploration in Tibet’s traditions of philosophy, medicine and art, and discuss describe how institutions can expand the audience for these.
In recent decades, the upsurge of interest in Tibetan Buddhism and how its values may help achieve personal, social and ecological harmony has owed much to such institutes established worldwide.
Dr Alexander Berzin, international lecturer on Tibetan Buddhism, will give the keynote address on December 18. Berzin is a Buddhist scholar and author of 17 books and monograps, including Relating to a Spiritual Teacher: Building a Healthy Relationship, Taking the Kalachakra Initiation, Developing Balanced Sensitivity, Buddhism and Its Impact on Asia, and coauthor with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, The Gelug/Kagyü Tradition of Mahamudra.
In his address, Dr Brazen will survey the “permeation of Tibetan culture across Central Asia and the Himalayas through history, detail recent efforts to preserve and make accessible this heritage, and discuss in what ways Buddhism may be adapted for psychological healing.”
According to a report by India Education Diary, the conference promises riches for every taste, with speakers discussing traditional spiritual practice as well as its renewal for twenty-first century challenges, Tibetan philosophy’s inheritance from Sanskrit as well as fruitful efforts to bring it into dialogue with Judeao-Christian and Islamic beliefs.
Speakers on medicine include experts on canonical texts, on rural remedies and on both Ayurveda and Tibetan medicine. Papers on art range from ancient carpets to medieval architecture, from Indian prototypes of the thangka to contemporary secular art, the report said.
Tibet Houses from Mexico to Moscow are represented in a panel discussion between institutional delegates, some from very young institutes with activities well underway in education, cultural exchange and charity, others with decades of involvement in building scriptural archives.
The academic discussions are followed in the evenings by performances by Gangjong Doeghar, a troupe of young dancers from Kalimpong at the Gandhi-King Plaza, India International Centre.
Founded in 1965 by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to preserve and disseminate the unique cultural heritage of Tibet and to provide a centre for Tibetan and Buddhist studies, Tibet House has become a repository of valuable Tibetan art and artefacts, with nearly 5000 volumes of manuscripts and books.
It offers incentives and resources for research and translation projects and publishes important texts and research results. It hosts lectures, organises conferences, exhibitions, filmshows, and festivals. These programmes focus on Indian and Tibetan Buddhist history, religion, philosophy, art, literature and culture, and bear witness to the vital and evolving heritage of the Tibetan people.
Programme:
Conference: 18th to 20th December : 10:00 am – 5:30 pm
Cultural Performances: 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm by Gangjong Deoghar from Kalimpong
18th December: “Milarepa: The Hunter and the Deer”
19th December: “Folk Songs and Dances from the Roof of the World”
Entry: Free, Call 011-24619431 ( IIC ) to re-confirm any last minute change or cancellation of the event.
Place: Auditorium and Gandhi-King Plaza, Main Building, India International Centre ( IIC ), 40 Max Muller Marg, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi-110003
For registration and more details, please contact the Secretary, Tibet House, 1, Institutional Area, Lodhi Road New Delhi – 110003; Cell: 9810680434, 9871137321; Office: 2461 1515;
Email: tibethouse@airtelmail.in.
