Forum on Spirituality and Peacemaking
The Carmelitana Collection and the Whitefriars Hall Committee for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation was pleased to present a coffee-house forum on the subject of Spirituality and Peacemaking to explore ideas of how religion can play a positive role in conflict resolution. Speakers included:
- Gen Kelsang Varahi, A Buddhist Perspective (Click HERE to listen to the speech)
- Rev. Kevin Culligan, O.C.D., A Christian Perspective (Click HERE to listen to the speech)
- Imam Yahya Hendi, a Muslim Perspective (Click HERE to listen to the speech)
Buddhist nun Gen Kelsang Varahi is a close disciple of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. She was appointed Resident Teacher at Vajrayogini Buddhist Center in Washington DC by Geshe Kelsang in 2000. Gen Varahi brings sharp humor to her teachings on Buddhism and her examples for applying its principles in daily life. She is remarkable in her love for studying the Dharma and how accessible her teachings are to her students.
Kevin G. Culligan, a Discalced Carmelite friar, is a psychologist and charter member of both the Institute of Carmelite Studies and the Carmelite Forum. He is co-editor with Regis Jordan of Carmel and Contemplation: Transforming Human Consciousness (ICS Publications, 2000). His essays and reviews on Carmelite spirituality have appeared in Spiritual Life, Carmelite Digest, America, National Catholic Reporter, Review for Religious, and The Way.
Imam Yahya Hendi is the Muslim chaplain at Georgetown University, the first American University to hire a full-time Muslim chaplain. Imam Hendi is also the Imam of the Islamic Society of Frederick, and is the Muslim Chaplain at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. He also serves as a member and the spokesperson of the Islamic Jurisprudence Council of North America. He serves as adjunct faculty member for John Hopkins University, Office of professional development, and Fordham University.