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The Naropa Dialogues:
Spiritual Practice & Social Engagement
The inauguration of Naropa University’s new president, Stuart C. Lord, started on Oct. 29 with the Naropa Dialogues. In the spirit of interreligious dialogue, panelists discussed the opportunities and challenges for those who wish to lead a spiritual life and be involved in social issues. Held at the Nalanda Campus, the free event attracted 440 people.
The discussion, entitled “Spiritual Practice and Social Engagement,” was moderated by Dr. Judith Simmer-Brown, professor of Religious Studies at Naropa. Panelists included The Sakyong, Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, head of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage; and Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, one of the world’s foremost instructors of Hasidism and Kabbalah. Father Thomas Keating, OCSO, a Trappist monk and a founder of the Centering Prayer Movement, was unable to attend but provided a video where he shared his thoughts on spiritual practice and social engagement.
Lord came to Naropa from DePauw University (1988–2000) and Dartmouth College (2000–09). He’s an ordained minister in the Baptist faith, and he served as a university chaplain at DePauw from 1988–95. One of his roles there was to foster an environment in which members of all faiths could thrive.
"Interfaith dialogue gives us an opportunity to reflect and think about our common purpose and what unites us, as well as what makes us unique. This gives us a chance to strengthen our understanding of each other," Lord says.
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