Transformation Through Encounter
The William H. Shannon Chair in Catholic Studies presents:
NEW: Meditation Session TODAY AT 12:10PM to 1:00PM
With Dr. Ruben L.F. Habito
Based on both Buddhist and Christian Practices.
No reservation required.
Wear comfortable clothing.
Take a Sacred Pause in the middle of the busyness of your day!
Ruben L.F. Habito
Buddhist Wisdom and Christian Truth:
Expanding Horizons of Catholic Faith and Understanding
Buddhist Wisdom and Christian Truth: Expanding Horizons of Catholic Faith and Understanding
October 18, 2018, 7:00PM
Forum, Otto Shults Community Center
Can One Be Both Christian and Buddhist?
October 19, 2018, 1:30PM
Linehan Chapel, Golisano Academic Center
Ruben L.F. Habito is professor of world religions and spirituality and director of spiritual formation at the Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. He is also the founding teacher of Maria Kannon Zen Center in Dallas, a lay community of Zen practitioners that now counts his wife, Maria Reis Habito, as one of its teachers. Encouraged by his Jesuit spiritual director, Habito began practicing Zen under Yamada Kōun Rōshi in 1971 and, in 1988, was formally authorized as a Zen teacher and given the Zen title Keiun-ken (Grace Cloud Lineage).
Drawing on his deep knowledge of the spiritual wisdom and practice of Christianity and Buddhism, Habito has explored the intersections and resonances between the two traditions and invites readers to realize that "there are other fingers pointing to the moon." His publications include Zen and the Spiritual Exercises: Paths of Awakening and Transformation (2013), Be Still and Know: Zen and the Bible (2017), and Living Zen, Loving God (2013).
“At the beginning of dialogue there is encounter. This generates the first knowledge of the other. If, indeed, we start from the presumption of our common human nature, it is possible to overcome prejudice and falsehood, and to begin to understand the other from a new perspective." ~ Pope Francis
In a time when division leads to polarization and the mass migration of displaced and suffering people results in the building of border walls, we have chosen to focus on the transformative power of human encounters across and between religious traditions. Our theme also has a local source of inspiration: the dynamism of an unwavering commitment to interfaith relations here in Rochester, N.Y.
Pope Francis speaks directly to the transformative power of encounter with the other. He identifies it as a dynamic moment, offering clarity, insight, and truth—about ourselves and the other. Each of our speakers will address how this encounter has transformed her or his life’s work: the questions raised about one’s Catholic identity when dialogue with the other begins in earnest, the insights gleaned when one perceives that faith communities are organically interrelated in unexpected ways, and the understandings that demand to be integrated into one’s scholarly worldview.
Taken as a whole, this series invites us to experience theological method at its best: engaging human experiences, seeking the meaning of those experiences in light of our faith commitment, and challenging us to live our faith beliefs through practices that infuse our world with a hope that stands in spite of disappointment, tragedy, or injustice.
Dr. Susan E. Nowak, SSJ
William H. Shannon Chair in Catholic Studies
Email: snowak8@naz.edu
Website: https://www2.naz.edu/shannon-lecture
Location: Nazareth College, East Avenue, Rochester, NY, United States
Phone: 585-389-2728