At American Academy of Religion Conference Dharmic Religions Have a Bigger Place
By Philip Goldberg
From Huffington Post
Last month I attended the annual conference of the American Academy of Religion (AAR). Comprised mainly of scholars who teach and do research at North American universities, the AAR is, according to its mission statement, “dedicated to furthering knowledge of religion and religious institutions in all their forms and manifestations.” I was one of the few non-academics among more than 10,000 participants dashing from venue to venue in downtown San Francisco, clutching their Starbucks cups and AAR tote bags.
If you practice religion, or you’re curious about religious subjects, or you’re interested in religion as a citizen of a nominally religious country, your head would have been spinning trying to figure out which of dozens of concurrent speeches, panels and discussions to attend. Once you decided, you might have found the scholarly jargon as indecipherable as Sanskrit, and at times you might have dozed off. The talking heads were the opposite of the ones you see on TV: long on substance, short on sound bites.
That said, what takes place at the annual AAR meeting is of considerable importance outside the ivory tower. The theologians, philosophers and social scientists in attendance determine how religion is taught in colleges, universities and seminaries; they dictate to a large extent what is included in textbooks at every level of education; and they affect what is said about religion in public forums and in the mass media.
Given the nature of American culture — and the fact that the conference was co-hosted by the Society of Biblical Literature — it is not surprising that the vast majority of topics addressed center on the Judeo-Christian traditions. However, to the delight of people like me, the historical dominance of the Abrahamic faiths has diminished in recent years. The number of sessions devoted to the four so-called Dharmic religions born in India — Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism — has increased considerably, as AAR Program Units in areas such as Tantric Studies, Jainism and Yoga Philosophy and Practice were added to the roster since the late 90s when, amidst opposition, Drs. Rita Sherma and Cynthia Ann Humes spearheaded the introduction of the Hinduism Group.
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Comment by Spencer Perdriau on December 27, 2011 at 11:02am
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One great benefical and selfless difference between Eastern and Western Religions is this....
In the East, the individual focuses greatly on them self (inwardly) first for self mastery and liberation before others.
In the West, the individual focuses on selfless devotion and service/charity (outwardly), forgetting the importance of ones self first, to help and benfit others. To lose ones self in the greater to achive mystical liberation.
This is the main difference between East and West, when it comes to religion and spirituality.
Which do you think is the the more noble and virtuous???
Mystic Blessings from Spence = ^
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To quote:
That said, what takes place at the annual AAR meeting is of considerable importance outside the ivory tower. The theologians, philosophers and social scientists in attendance determine how religion is taught in colleges, universities and seminaries; they dictate to a large extent what is included in textbooks at every level of education; and they affect what is said about religion in public forums and in the mass media.
End quote.
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This sounds very prejudiced. In our modern times, I think we should all have the freedom to choose, investigate and discover for our self, certainly not restricted by media, panels, or colleges etc. that determine what is best/proper for society to have access to. In my mystic book, this seems somewhat dangerous, to not allow all people access to the deeper essential-esoteric (and maybe sometimes controversial) religios and scriptual texts of all our worlds traditions.
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Comment by Ron Krumpos on December 26, 2011 at 12:51pm -
Later in the article, Philip Goldberg wrote: "The Dharmic traditions are different from their Western counterparts in important ways. Among other things, they approach religion from the inside out, placing spiritual practice and direct experience in the forefront, whereas the Abrahamic faiths emphasize belief and institutional doctrine."
That is a generality which I once believed, too. Since then I have met many Christians, Jews and Muslims who are very spiritual in their personal life. Unfortunately, I've also known some Hindus and Buddhists who seem not spiritual at all. There is also an AAR Mysticism Group http://www.aarmysticism.org/ whose Steering Committee are on my email forum.
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