Religious Studies Project Opportunities Digest – 30 September 2014

http://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/2014/09/30/religious-studies-project-opportunities-digest-30-september-2014/

Religious Studies Project Opportunities Digest – 30 September 2014

 An extract:

Calls for papers

Conference: ESSWE: Western Esotericism and the East

April 16–18, 2015

Riga, Latvia

Calls for: panels and papers

Deadlines: Various

More information (pdf)

Colloquium: “Ethique et cultures religieuses en tensions. Entre respect des convictions et enseignement des sciences humaines”

May, 6–8, 2015

Lausanne, Switzerland

Calls for: papers

Deadline: November 30, 2014

More information (pdf)

 

Journal: “Preternature: Critical and Historical Studies on the Preternatural”

Calls for: articles

Deadline: November 15, 2014

More information (pdf)

 

Conferences and events

PhD course: “Theories in Sociology of Religion”

December 2–4, 2014

University of Agder, Norway

More information (pdf)

Material and resources

Blog: Material Religions: Exploring the material basis of religious traditions

Here

Bodhgaya, Buddhism’s holiest city, in pictures

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/americanbuddhist/2014/09/bodhgaya-buddhisms-holiest-city-in-pictures.html

Bodhgaya, Buddhism’s holiest city, in pictures

September 26, 2014 by Justin Whitaker 1 Comment

September is a strange time in Bodhgaya. It’s stretched between the hot and muggy monsoon season of N.E. India and the gradual onset of the cool season. Over the three weeks we’ve been here, the temperatures have gone up and down (highs ranging from around 95F/35C to a cool 85F /29C) but the humidity has steadily dropped from the stultifying 85+% to a merciful 65% during the day.
It is still low season for tourists, so we get the city and her 38,000 or so inhabitants mostly to ourselves. Life is slow.

full article

Funding: initial teacher training (ITT), academic year 2015 to 16 (Rel Edu)

https://www.gov.uk/funding-initial-teacher-training-itt-academic-year-2015-to-16

Funding: initial teacher training (ITT), academic year 2015 to 16

Guidance

From:

National College for Teaching and Leadership

History:

Published 25 September 2014

Part of:

Initial teacher training (ITT) and Schools

Guidance for schools and ITT providers on funding available through bursaries, scholarships and subject knowledge enhancement programmes, for the academic year 2015 to 2016.

NATRE says :
Great news for RE - bursaries of up to £9k are now available for those training to teach RE in 2015/16.

BusinessStandard:International Buddhist Conclave 2014 to be Inaugurated in Bodhgaya on 27th September 2014

http://www.business-standard.com/article/government-press-release/international-buddhist-conclave-2014-to-be-inaugurated-in-bodhgaya-on-27th-114092400322_1.html

International Buddhist Conclave 2014 to be Inaugurated in Bodhgaya on 27th September 2014

Delhi 

September 24, 2014 Last Updated at 12:20 IST

Knowledge report by YES Bank & ASSOCHAM on Buddhist Tourism released today in Delhi

http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/PrintArticle.aspx?aid=25297&sid=12

Knowledge report by YES Bank & ASSOCHAM on Buddhist Tourism released today in Delhi

Thursday, September 18, 2014, 17:00 Hrs  [IST]

By Anish V Punnackattu | New Delhi

Dalai Lama calls inter-faith meeting in India amid rising tension

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/15/dalai-lama-inter-faith-meeting-india-rising-tension

Dalai Lama calls inter-faith meeting in India amid rising tension

Buddhist spiritual leader to convene unprecedented talks in attempt to boost religious harmony in emerging economic power.
Jason Burke in Delhi,
The Guardian, Monday 15 September 2014 15.50 BST   

The Ceylonese roadmap for World Buddhism - Part I

http://www.nation.lk/edition/fine/item/33367-the-ceylonese-roadmap-for-world-buddhism-part-i.html

The Ceylonese roadmap for World Buddhism - Part I

September 17 marked the 150th birth anniversary of Buddhist Visionary Anagarika Dharmapala

September 17 marked the 150th birth anniversary of Buddhist Visionary Anagarika Dharmapala
- See more at: http://www.nation.lk/edition/fine/item/33367-the-ceylonese-roadmap-for-world-buddhism-part-i.html#sthash.LdYvdBmU.dpuf

September 17 marked the 150th birth anniversary of Buddhist Visionary Anagarika Dharmapala
- See more at: http://www.nation.lk/edition/fine/item/33367-the-ceylonese-roadmap-for-world-buddhism-part-i.html#sthash.LdYvdBmU.dpuf

The Ceylonese roadmap for World Buddhism - Part I

The Ceylonese roadmap for World Buddhism - Part I

REOnline: Re-defining the RE narrative – Alan Brine

http://www.reonline.org.uk/supporting/re-matters/news-inner/?id=27470

ALAN’S BLOG – Re-defining the RE narrative – Alan Brine

September 16, 2014

Alan's Blog,

All narratives “have a curious and even dangerous power….. It is such a great responsibility that it’s best not to tell a story at all unless you know you can do it right. You must be very careful, or without knowing it you can change the world.” Vera Nazarian, Dreams of the Compass Rose.

Gov: Reforming qualifications and the curriculum to better prepare pupils for life after school

https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/reforming-qualifications-and-the-curriculum-to-better-prepare-pupils-for-life-after-school

Reforming qualifications and the curriculum to better prepare pupils for life after school

Issue

Employers, universities and colleges are often dissatisfied with school leavers’ literacy and numeracy even though the proportion of young people achieving good grades has gone up in recent years. Around 42% of employers need to organise additional training for young people joining them from school or college.
We believe making GCSEs and A levels more rigorous will prepare students properly for life after school. It is also necessary to introduce a curriculum that gives individual schools and teachers greater freedom to teach in the way they know works and that ensures that all pupils acquire a core of essential knowledge in English, mathematics and sciences.
Finally, we need to address literacy standards in schools and make sure pupils develop good reading skills early.

 

GOV: Specialist leaders of education: a guide for potential applicants

https://www.gov.uk/specialist-leaders-of-education-a-guide-for-potential-applicants
and
https://www.gov.uk/system-leaders-who-they-are-and-what-they-do

Specialist leaders of education: a guide for potential applicants

(Religious Education is one area of expertise)

From:

National College for Teaching and Leadership

History:

Updated 15 April 2014, see all updates

Added list of recruiting teaching schools

15 April 2014 4:15pm

First published.

21 March 2014 10:33am

Part of:

Teaching schools and system leadership: how you can get involved and Schools

 

Applies to: England

Find out about becoming a specialist leader of education (SLE), what's involved and how to apply.

Overview

If you are an experienced middle or senior leader who is interested in supporting leaders in other schools, you might want to apply to be a specialist leader of education (SLE).
There are currently just under 5,000 SLEs.
Teaching schools are responsible for the selection and placement of SLEs. This is one part of the government’s plan to give schools a central role in developing a self-improving and sustainable school-led system.

website

THE DFE GOVERNORS' HANDBOOK, REVISED AND RELEASED ON 11.9.14

http://www.nga.org.uk/getattachment/Guidance/Legislation,policies-and-procedures/Government-advice-and-guidance/Governors-Guide-to-the-Law/Governors_Handbook_Sept2014.pdf.aspx

THE DFE GOVERNORS' HANDBOOK, REVISED AND RELEASED ON 11.9.14

USEFUL NEW TEXT FROM THE DFE GOVERNORS' HANDBOOK, REVISED AND RELEASED ON 11.9.14

3.1.2 Religious education


All state-funded schools must teach religious education. Maintained schools without a religious character should follow the syllabus agreed by the local Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE).

Voluntary aided schools with a religious character should provide RE in accordance with the trust deed or religious designation of the school, unless parents request the locally agreed syllabus.

Foundation schools and voluntary controlled schools with a religious character should follow the locally agreed syllabus, unless parents request RE in accordance with the trust deed or religious designation of the school.

Religious education is also compulsory in faith and non-faith academies and free schools as set out in their funding agreements.



3.1.3 Collective worship



All maintained schools without a religious character must provide a daily act of broadly Christian collective worship for their pupils. In community schools and non-faith foundation schools, the head teacher is responsible for arranging this after consulting the 46

governing body. In voluntary aided schools, voluntary controlled schools and foundation schools with a religious character, the governing body is responsible for arranging collective worship in accordance with the trust deed or religious designation of the school after consulting the head teacher.

In some maintained schools without a religious character, the family backgrounds of some or all pupils may lead the head teacher and governing body to conclude that broadly Christian collective worship is not appropriate. The head teacher can apply to the local SACRE to have the broadly Christian requirement disapplied and replaced by collective worship distinctive of another faith and should consult the governing body before doing so.

Academies and free schools without a religious character must also provide a daily act of broadly Christian collective worship by virtue of their funding agreement. An academy or free school wishing to have the broadly Christian requirement disapplied and replaced by collective worship distinctive of another faith should apply to the Secretary of State via the EFA.
previous version of the doc
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/270398/Governors-Handbook-January-2014.pdf

“Religion and Memory”, an interview with Alexandra Grieser

http://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/podcast/religion-and-memory-an-interview-with-alexandra-grieser/

“Religion and Memory”, an interview with Alexandra Grieser

 The Irish Society for the Academic Study of Religions’ 3rd Annual Conference centred on the topic of “Religion and Remembering”, and while at this conference Chris has the pleasure of speaking with Professor Alexandra Grieser (Trinity College Dublin) on this intriguing topic.

Interview

New Heart Sutra translation by Thich Nhat Hanh

http://plumvillage.org/news/thich-nhat-hanh-new-heart-sutra-translation/

New Heart Sutra translation by Thich Nhat Hanh

 On 11th September Thay completed a profound and beautiful new English translation of the Heart Sutra, one of the most important sutras in Mahayana Buddhism.

This new English translation is based on the new Vietnamese translation that Thay began working on three weeks ago at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Germany.

Below the new text you can read Thay’s explanation of why he made this new translation.
>>Download a print-friendly one-page pdf

This new translation will now be used in all Plum Village chanting sessions and ceremonies, and it will appear in the next edition of the Plum Village Chanting Book. The chant is being set to music and will be available soon.

The Revival of Buddhism in China - Calgary Public Library

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWOw-bvTcYM

The Revival of Buddhism in China - Calgary Public Library

Published on Sep 13, 2014

Mount Royal University`s Dr. Brian J. Nichols explores the nature and dynamics of the tremendous surge in religious activity in China, including the steady revival of Buddhism since the end of the Cultural Revolution. Part of our Adult Learning Series. Filmed April 2, 2014, at Fish Creek Library.

Buddhist-Muslim Dialogue at House of Lords

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=43,12005,0,0,1,0#.VBHeOxBCwT0

Buddhist-Muslim Dialogue at House of Lords

by Tissa Madawela, Sri Express, 6 Sep 2014

London, UK -- Wednesday 30th July 14 at 6.30pm, initiated by the conservative Muslim Forum, the British House of Lords committee room 3 witnessed an important gathering of Buddhists and Muslims to have a friendly dialogue to overcome some of the differences that have arisen between the two communities due to unfortunate events that have been unfolding in some parts of Sri Lanka in recent times.

On the importance of of a phylosophical fighting art

http://www.scifighting.com/2014/08/25/32447/importance-philosophical-fighting-art/

On the importance of of a phylosophical fighting art

Without doubt, Buddhism has had a profound influence on kung-fu. Most styles, indeed most Asian martial arts, trace their lineage directly or indirectly to the Shaolin Temple. Further, Chinese folklore is filled with the heroic exploits of Shaolin monks such as T’an Tsung. But the association of a brutal fighting tradition with an altruistic religious order seems, at the very least, an improbable feat of history.
The very existence of a Shaolin warrior priest raises an obvious question: How could that happen?

Bodhidharma from “Moon behind Shattered Window” by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1886 (Wikimedia Commons)

In Search of Spiritual Parity

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/429956/in-search-spiritual-parity.html

Deccan Herald : in search of spiritual parity

Baishali Adak, Sep 10, 2014, DHNS:

A senior research scholar and journalist, Teena Amrit Gill, recently screened her documentary film at the India International Centre in Delhi. With this film she brought to the fore a very niche subject that few would know about in India and even fewer would care. White Robes, Saffron Dreams dealt with the conspicuous absence of bhikhunis or Buddhist nuns in Thailand – a country that has an ancient tradition of Theravada Buddhism and over three lakh practising bhikhus or monks.

Ban religious conversion? It is a 'thaka hua' idea that ignores history

http://www.firstpost.com/india/ban-religious-conversion-it-is-a-thaka-hua-idea-that-ignores-history-1704547.html

Ban religious conversion? It is a 'thaka hua' idea that ignores history

By Abhinandan Sekhri
Editor's Note: The following is a response from NewsLaundry co-founder Abhinandan Sekhri to Firstpost contributor Jaideep Prabhu's article titled, 'Is religious conversion really a fundamental right or can we ban it?" which you can read here
This article in Firstpost  provocatively titled “Is Religious Conversion Really a Fundamental Right or Can We Ban It” is the object of my attention in this piece.

IEET: Enhancing Virtues: Caring (part 3)

http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/hughes20140903

Enhancing Virtues: Caring (part 3)

J. Hughes

Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies

J. Hughes
Ethical Technology

Posted: Sep 3, 2014

We can encourage empathy and compassion through social policy and individual practices. But fully realizing our capacities for empathy and compassion will require careful, nuanced neurotechnological intervention.

---

In this series:
Enhancing Virtues: Building the Virtues Control Panel
Enhancing Virtues: Positivity
Enhancing Virtues: Self-Control and Mindfulness
Enhancing Virtues: Caring (Part One)
Enhancing Virtues: Caring (Part Two)

HuffPost: Sci-Fi Artist Saya Woolfalk Creates A Hallucinatory Human Mandala From Dancers

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/03/saya-woolfalk_n_5756102.html?utm_hp_ref=arts

 Sci-Fi Artist Saya Woolfalk Creates A Hallucinatory Human Mandala From Dancers

Posted: 09/03/2014 9:17 am EDT Updated: 09/03/2014 9:59 am EDT

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Saya Woolfalk doesn't create artworks, she creates worlds.

The artist, whose father is African American and white and whose mother is Japanese, conjures mythical utopias to explore ideas of race, sexuality, difference, hybridization, cooperation and creativity. Her multimedia works summon viewers on a multicolored trip through mythical research, bunk biology and bizarre costumes, exposing cultural rituals as the fantastical occurrences they have been all along.

Huffpost: Depression, Desire, Addiction: Is Meditation the Answer to Changing Your Brain?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nalini-chilkov/meditation-addiction_b_2889373.html?utm_hp_ref=buddhism

Depression, Desire, Addiction: Is Meditation the Answer to Changing Your Brain?

Dr. Nalini Chilkov Become a fan IntegrativeCancerAnswers.com | Create A Body Where Cancer Cannot Thrive | Get Well. Stay Well. Live Well Beyond Cancer.

Has Vipassana reached the end of the road?

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=7,11990,0,0,1,0#.VAhxtBBvJHs

Has Vipassana reached the end of the road?

by Christopher Titmuss, Dharma Inquiry, Sept 2, 2014

A Personal Reflection after 30 years
San Francisco, CA (USA) -- I have had the privilege of teaching Vipassana (Insight) Meditation for 30 years in the West, as well as for 32 years in Bodh Gaya and eight years in Sarnath, India. My first retreat in the West was in northern New South Wales, Australia, organised in the summer of 1976 by a 21 year-old woman named Sue from Northern Rivers who is now Subhana, a fellow Dharma teacher, much loved and respected in the Dharma world.

1,000-year-old monastery to have Buddhist studies centre

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=42,12001,0,0,1,0#.VAhwYhBvJHs

1,000-year-old monastery to have Buddhist studies centre

Indo-Asian News Service, September 3, 2014

Shimla, India -- Tabo, an ancient seat of Buddhist religion and culture in picturesque Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh in northern India, will now have an international learning centre.

Breaking through Buddhism

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=9,11991,0,0,1,0#.VAhvDBBvJHs

Breaking through Buddhism

Text and photos by Hilary Cadigan, Chiang Mai News, Vol. 23 No. 8 August 2014

Chiangmai, Thailand -- Ouyporn Khuankaew's life began as many do here in northern Thailand, in a poor rice-farming family of devout Buddhists. But despite the regular temple visits and dutiful merit-making, Ouyporn's father was a violent man who regularly beat his family, even threatening them with an axe in the middle of the night. No one in the close-knit neighbourhood ever stepped in to help, and the monks and abbots from the local temples never said a thing. Ouyporn's mother accepted the beatings as her karma.

From royal favorites to outcasts: The shifting fates of Russian Buddhists

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=3,11993,0,0,1,0#.VAhtvRBvJHs

From royal favorites to outcasts: The shifting fates of Russian Buddhists

by Gleb Fedorov, RBTH, Aug 30, 2014

Kalmykia, Russia -- The history of the followers of Buddha in Russia is a tumultuous one. Buddhists extolled the Russian tsars and presidents, served as doctors in the royal court and endured repression and the destruction of their culture under the communists. Many Buddhists landed in camps and mandatory therapy, and they continued to be persecuted until the 1980s.

BS: Pre Modern and Post Modern Buddhism by Mike Murray

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG13zVy8pS4

Pre Modern and Post Modern Buddhism by Mike Murray 

Published on Sep 1, 2014

Before the 1950s Tibet had kept its particular form of Buddhism virtually untouched by the rapid changes in the rest of the world. The entry of the Tibetans into the modern world was unwilling and forced on them and their responses in relation to keeping their traditions of Buddhism (and Bon) were mixed.

In exile in India the monasteries were re-founded following the old ways and traditional learning taught, but lay people started to learn science -- if not to appreciate 'scientific method' and 'critical thinking'- and to be brought up in broadly democratic culture something old Tibet was most definitely not.

In most of the Tibetan cultural sphere under Chinese Communism control the old ways were attacked, traditional learning -- apart from Medicine -- disparaged and the lay people started to learn science -- if not to practice 'scientific method' and 'critical thinking' -- and to be brought up in the Han dominated communist dictatorship modernising culture of the People's Republic.

Tibetan Buddhism's movement into Europe has generally been into democratic pluralist mature Christian cultures that value 'scientific method' and 'critical thinking'.

In the transition from the Pre-modern to the Post-modern how are traditional Tibetan Buddhist practices, such as faith and devotion, and doctrines, like karma and rebirth, faring?

Biography
Mike Murray is currently the Spiritual Programme Coordinator, ie Buddhist events manager, at Jamyang Buddhist Centre in Kennington London. He is a member of the teaching team there authorised to teach at the Basic Programme level. Jamyang is affiliated with the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, a worldwide organisation following His Holiness the Dalai Lama founded by two Geluk lamas Thubten Yeshe and Thubten Zopa Rinpoche.

Mike received his MA from the School of Oriental and African Studies of London University and is a member of the Royal Asiatic Society. Not being a natural 'believer' himself he tends towards a critical (thinking) engagement with the traditional Asian Buddhisms -- for better or worse.