Press Release (25 Nov05)
Contact: DANAM--Dr. Adarsh Deepak, , phone: 757-868-9647; 757-876-0360 cell
DHARMA SCHOLARS CONVENE AT THE AMERICANACADEMY OF RELIGION IN PHILADELPHIA
Over 100 scholars, specializing in various aspects of the study of the Indic Dharma traditions, from USA, Canada, Europe and South Africa, attended the 3rd DANAM Conferenceheldon 18-20 Nov.at the 2005 AmericanAcademy of Religion (AAR) Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA.The 10,000-member AAR is the largest international body of scholars of World Religions.The conference, with its overall themeof“Contemporary Issues in Constructive Dharma,” was sponsored by Dharma Association of North America (DANAM), andco-chaired by Adarsh Deepak, Ph. D., Prof. Graham M. Schweig, Ph. D., and Prof. Jeffery D. Long, Ph. D.
Dr. Deepak, a former Professor and currently CEO of an advanced research company, is the President of DANAM, the Co-editor (with Rita D. Sherma) of Contemporary Issues in Constructive Dharma, Vol. I,and Vol. II: Hermeneutics and Epistemology, and the publisher of the peer-reviewed Journal of Vaishnava Studies(JVS)now in its 14th year. Prof. Schweigof ChristopherNewportUniversity, a scholar of Comparative Religions with a specialization in Hindu Vaishnava theology, is the co-editorof the JVS, author of Dance of Divine Love(Princeton),and member of DANAM’sBoard of Distinguished Visiting Scholars (BDVS).Prof. Jeffery Long ofElizabethtownCollegeis a scholar of Hinduism and Jainism, with numerous publications in scholarly journals.They were both members the conference steering committee.
Formed in May 2002, DANAM represents both practitioners and scholars of Dharma traditionsincludingHindu (or Vedic), Buddhist, Jainand Sikh. The purpose of the conference was to provide a forum where scholars of dharma traditions can engage in the examination of, and constructive approaches to, contemporary issues in the study of dharma traditions. It providesscholarlyvenues for discourse on, and the presentation of, constructive new approaches to pedagogy, epistemology, theology, or philosophy in these systems. It is hoped that the academic study of these traditions is now mature enough to include and move beyond the limitations of phenomenological methodologies in order to engage the conceptual depth and intellectual applicability of these traditions in an inclusive forum.
The conferenceconsisted of five symposiumsessions with themes:Contemporary Asceticism in Dharma Traditions,presided by Dr.Ramdas Lamb of University of Hawaii at Manoa; Who is a Hindu?, presided byDr. Jeffery Long; Dying, Death and Afterlife in Dharma Traditions and Western Religions,presided byDr. Graham M. Schweig; Samkhya-Yoga after Larson: New Directions in Samkhya-Yoga Research,chaired byDr. Judy Saltzman of California Polytechnic State University; and,Challenges in Teaching “Sensitive” Topics in Hindu Tradition in the Western Diaspora Context,presided by Dr. Vasudha Narayanan of University of Florida.The conference program can be viewed at: .
The conference was opened by DANAM Chairman, Dr. Rajinder Gandhi, of Columbia University,followed by Dr. Deepak, who stated that nearly 30 scholars from USA, Canada, Norway and South Africa,specializing in three Dharma Traditions (Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism) and one inafterlife in Western Religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam)will make presentations on the five topical themes. Heexplainedthemeaning of Dharma as symbolized by the DANAM logo, composed of a stylized ‘infinite wave’ with the word DANAM (pronounced daa, as in dark + nam, as in number) written in Sanskrit script. “The ‘infinite wave’ symbolically represents Dharma, a term, without an English equivalent,derived from the Sanskrit root, dhri, ‘to sustain’, that implies the underlyingand implicit natural order, law and code sustaining the changing world (jagat, in Sanskrit) of both non-living and living matter, undergoing change in a periodic manner, without beginning and end.”
DANAM has a four-fold mission, and is a unique organization for several reasons. According to Dr. Rita Sherma, Chair of DANAM’s BDVS: “The first aspect of DANAM’s mission, is to create the momentum for an important field of research and scholarship known as ‘constructive theology and philosophy,’ requiring application of important doctrines from the Dharma Traditions, to a current problem whether it is justice, ecological crisis, economic instability, war, human rights, or other issues. When one looks at American university courses, lectures, and academic books, such ‘constructive’ approaches are rather the exception than the norm,when it comes to the treatment of Indic (Dharma) traditions--particularly Hindu, and Jain. DANAM’s conferences, lectures, and publications attempt to address this gap between the constructive scholarly study anddynamic development in other religious traditions versus the situation inlarge areas of Dharma traditions. There is a need to move beyond the limitations of conventional methods of studying these traditions in order to engage their conceptual brilliance, and intellectual applicability for global issues, on a global stage.”
The second aspect of DANAM’s mission, Dr. Sherma has explained, is to bring together the Dharma Traditions, for dialogue, mutual interaction and enrichment, to reclaim the historic relationship of cross-fertilization, dialogue, and sharing (while honoring the important differences)of thought and practices between these Indic traditions. DANAM’s efforts are towards the creation of an inclusive forum where the deeper aspects and common/connected categories of the Dharma Traditions can be explored in fuller detail.
According to Dr. Deepak: “The third aspect of DANAM’s mission is to provide opportunities for interaction between distinguished scholars of the Dharma Traditions and communities of practitioners so that communicative bridges can be created that help bring the gifts of these traditions into the 21st century. The fourth aspectis to empower, enable and facilitate the generation, management and dissemination of authentic constructive representation of dharma traditions to Diaspora and other communities”
The proceedings of the 1st and 2ndDANAM conferences, have been published (see web site: as Contemporary Issues in Constructive Dharma:Vol. I. and Vol. II. This year’s conference proceedings will appear as Vol. III. DANAM (Dharma Association of North American) is an independent, non-political, donation-based, non-profit organization in Virginia, with a focus on constructive presentation of Dharma traditions in the North American context. Its mission and objectives are described at its web site at which lists distinguished scholars as Patron and Board of Distinguished Visiting Scholars (BDVS) drawn from various disciplines. DANAM encourages Dharma communities to attend the 4thDANAM Conference at the 2006 AAR in Washington, DC, 17-19 Nov 2006. It is envisioned that the 2006 Conference Sessions will include themes, such as, “Prayer and Worship in Dharma Traditions”, “Philosophy and Theology of Hindu Traditions”, etc.
For further information, visit or contact Dr. Deepak at .
PHOTO: see attached as a ppt file.
.