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He is a regular broadcaster, making the Hindu contribution to 'Prayer for the Day' on BBC Radio 4 since 2007.<ref>http://deshika.wordpress.com/2007/03/12/the-guru-of-suburbia/ - March 12th 2007</ref> He was also a participant in the popular History of the World in 100 Objects series broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and published by Allen Lane.<ref>A History of the World in 100 Objects, Neil MacGregor, Allen Lane, 2010, London</ref><ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/about/transcripts/episode68/</ref> He has acted as a consultant for a number of documentaries on Hindu culture and traditions.<ref>Eat, Pray, Light, Tuesday 2 November 2010, 11.20-11.55pm BBC ONE</ref><ref>The Hidden Story of Jesus, Broadcast UK - Channel 4 - 2007</ref> He has written articles for The Guardian<ref>http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/archives/2006_07.html -Saturday,1st July 2006</ref> and The Independent newspapers, Business India,<ref>http://shaunaka.wordpress.com/2009/10/20/the-rig-veda-and-the-credit-crunch/Das, S. R. (2009). The Rig Veda and credit crunch. Business India, 826 (15 Nov), 110-111.</ref> and has written the Hindu entry for the Annual Register since 2004.<ref>http://annualregister.chadwyck.co.uk/info/contributors.htm</ref>
He is a regular broadcaster, making the Hindu contribution to 'Prayer for the Day' on BBC Radio 4 since 2007.<ref>http://deshika.wordpress.com/2007/03/12/the-guru-of-suburbia/ - March 12th 2007</ref> He was also a participant in the popular History of the World in 100 Objects series broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and published by Allen Lane.<ref>A History of the World in 100 Objects, Neil MacGregor, Allen Lane, 2010, London</ref><ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/about/transcripts/episode68/</ref> He has acted as a consultant for a number of documentaries on Hindu culture and traditions.<ref>Eat, Pray, Light, Tuesday 2 November 2010, 11.20-11.55pm BBC ONE</ref><ref>The Hidden Story of Jesus, Broadcast UK - Channel 4 - 2007</ref> He has written articles for The Guardian<ref>http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/archives/2006_07.html -Saturday,1st July 2006</ref> and The Independent newspapers, Business India,<ref>http://shaunaka.wordpress.com/2009/10/20/the-rig-veda-and-the-credit-crunch/Das, S. R. (2009). The Rig Veda and credit crunch. Business India, 826 (15 Nov), 110-111.</ref> and has written the Hindu entry for the Annual Register since 2004.<ref>http://annualregister.chadwyck.co.uk/info/contributors.htm</ref>

==Interfaith and Theological Dialogue==
Shaunaka Rishi Das, by way of an invitation to the International Colloquium of Christians and Jews, was introduced to the world of inter-religious dialogue, in 1985, by the then Chief Rabbi of Ireland, Rabbi [[David Rosen]].<ref>"Memories of a life less ordinary". Wexford People. April 8, 2009. http://www.wexfordpeople.ie/lifestyle/memories-of-a-life-less-ordinary-1703431.html. Retrieved 2 February 2010</ref>. From that time he developed a personal interest, and played an active part in such dialogue. He was was an early member of the Northern Ireland Interfaith Forum, acting as its Chairman from 1998 to 2002.<ref>Dwyer, Graham; Richard J. Cole (2007). The Hare Krishna movement: forty years of chant and change. I.B.Tauris. pp. 247. ISBN 1845114078. http://books.google.ie/books?id=l4cE-nzXLx8C&pg=PA247.</ref><ref>"Exhibition celebrates NI’s religious diversity".4ni.co.uk. 11 October 2001. http://www.4ni.co.uk/northern_ireland_news.asp?id=12495. Retrieved 2 February 2010.</ref> From 2002 -2004 he was a trustee and executive member of The Interfaith Network UK,<ref>http://www.interfaith.org.uk/publications/annualreview2004.pdf Retrieved 2 February 2010</ref> and from 1998-2004 acted as a consultant to the International Interfaith Centre, Oxford.<ref>[http://www.interfaith-centre.org/aboutus/_people.htm International Interfaith Centre]</ref>

Rishi Das has been a pioneer in promoting interfaith and comparative theological dialogue in his own community. As the first Convenor of the ISKCON Interfaith Commission (1997–2010)<ref>http://content.iskcon.com/icj/8_1/cracknel.html</ref> he lead the consultation which resulted in the publication of ISKCON's Statement on Relating with People of Faith in God,<ref> Rishi Das, ISKCON Communications Journal, ISKCON in Relation to People of Faith in God, Vol.7, No.1, 1999, Oxford</ref><ref>Edwin F Bryant & Maria Ekstrand The Hare Krishna movement: the postcharismatic fate of a religious transplant, 2004 Columbia university press p409</ref> which has been translated into six languages, and forms part of the course curriculum at Bhaktivedanta College, Belgium.

This Interfaith statement was a significant step for ISKCON, addressing issues of integration in a global society, as well as laying out a clear theological basis for dialogue. It has also been recognised as a pioneering statement from any Hindu tradition,
advocating informed engagement with others over presenting a position of policy to others.<ref>Burkett, Delbert (ed). The Blackwell Companion to Jesus. Blackwell Publishing, 2011. Page 261. Blackwell Reference Online. 08 February 2011 http://www.blackwellreference.com/public/book?id=g9781405193627_9781405193627></ref> Responses to the document noted its importance in addressing modern issues while keeping with the integrity of the ancient tradition.<ref>http://content.iskcon.com/icj/7_2/72dcosta.html</ref><ref>http://content.iskcon.com/icj/8_1/ucko.html</ref>

<blockquote>
But we Christians may also recognise a new factor, namely that ISKCON is the first global Vaisnava movement that is just now coming to understand its vocation to enable Westerners to understand Indian philosophy and spirituality.<ref>Cracknell Kenneth, ISKCON and Interfaith Dialogue,ISKCON Communications Journal, Vol 8, No 1 June 2000</ref>
<div align="right">
— Rev. [[Kenneth Cracknell]]
</div>
</blockquote>

He has also been responsible for facilitating various conferences, seminars, and symposia promoting Vaishnava-Christian dialogue at different levels.<ref>Cracknell Kenneth The Nature of the Self a Vaishnava-Christian Conference, Conference Report, World faiths encounter: Issues 13-18, World Congress of Faiths, 1996</ref><ref>http://content.iskcon.com/icj/11/01-machado.html</ref> He was instrumental, along with his colleagues, Anuttama Das, and Rukmini Devi Dasi in launching the annual Vaishnava-Christian conferences, held in Washington DC, since 1997.<ref>http://www.nccbuscc.org/comm/archives/2007/07-078.shtml</ref>


==Personal Faith==
==Personal Faith==
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</blockquote>
</blockquote>


==ISKCON==
He was Chairman of the Northern Ireland Interfaith Forum (1998–2001).<ref>{{cite book|last=Dwyer|first=Graham|coauthors=Richard J. Cole|title=The Hare Krishna movement: forty years of chant and change|publisher=[[I.B.Tauris]]|year=2007|pages=247|isbn=1845114078|url=http://books.google.ie/books?id=l4cE-nzXLx8C&pg=PA247}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.4ni.co.uk/northern_ireland_news.asp?id=12495|title=Exhibition celebrates NI’s religious diversity|date=11 October 2001|publisher=4ni.co.uk|accessdate=2 February 2010}}</ref> From 2000-2002 he was a trustee and executive member of The Interfaith Network UK, and acted as a consultant to the International Interfaith Centre, [[Oxford]], from 1998-2004.<ref>[http://www.interfaith-centre.org/aboutus/_people.htm International Interfaith Centre]</ref>
⚫
Shaunaka Rishi Das was [[Editor-in-Chief]] of the ''ISKCON Communications Journal'', from 1993 until 2006, and was Chairman of ISKCON Communications Europe from 1991-2003.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Rothstein|first=Mikael|year=1994|title=TM og ISKCON i historisk perspektiv|journal=Indiske religioner i Danmark|publisher=[[Museum Tusculanum Press]]|volume=21|pages=136|issn=01084453|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=P9Hz2Z8PDCoC&pg=PA136}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Bergeron|first=Richard|coauthors=Bertrand Ouellet|title=Croyances et sociétés: communications présentées au dixième colloque international sur les nouveaux mouvements religieux, Montréal, août 1996|publisher=Les Editions Fides|pages=331|isbn=2762119901|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=iaGLjL9TmbcC}}</ref> Currently he serves as an executive member of ISKCON's Ministry of Educational Development,<ref>http://www.iskconeducation.org/index.php?p=article&g=24</ref> a founding member of the ISKCON Studies Institute, is a trustee of [[Bhaktivedanta College]] in [[Belgium]], and is Editor-in-Chief of the ''ISKCON Studies Journal''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.windsor2009.org/Bios22-12-09.pdf|title=Windsor 2009 - Delegate Biographies: Shaunaka Rishi Das|publisher=Windsor 2009|accessdate=2 February 2010}}</ref>

⚫
Shaunaka Rishi Das was [[Editor-in-Chief]] of the ''ISKCON Communications Journal'' from 1993 until 2006.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Rothstein|first=Mikael|year=1994|title=TM og ISKCON i historisk perspektiv|journal=Indiske religioner i Danmark|publisher=[[Museum Tusculanum Press]]|volume=21|pages=136|issn=01084453|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=P9Hz2Z8PDCoC&pg=PA136}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Bergeron|first=Richard|coauthors=Bertrand Ouellet|title=Croyances et sociétés: communications présentées au dixième colloque international sur les nouveaux mouvements religieux, Montréal, août 1996|publisher=Les Editions Fides|pages=331|isbn=2762119901|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=iaGLjL9TmbcC}}</ref> Currently he serves as an executive member of the ISKCON Studies Institute, is a trustee of [[Bhaktivedanta College]] in [[Belgium]], and is Editor-in-Chief of the ''ISKCON Studies Journal''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.windsor2009.org/Bios22-12-09.pdf|title=Windsor 2009 - Delegate Biographies: Shaunaka Rishi Das|publisher=Windsor 2009|accessdate=2 February 2010}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 16:19, 6 March 2011

Shaunaka Rishi Das

OCHS Board of Governors Dinner, 2009

Shaunaka Rishi Das (born 18 February 1961) is the Director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies (OCHS), a position he has held since the Centre's foundation in 1997.[1] He is a Hindu cleric, a lecturer,[2] a broadcaster, and Hindu Chaplain to Oxford University.[3] Education, comparative theology, communication, and leadership [4] are his main fields of interest.[1]

Oxford

As Director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies he maintains the vision and ethos of the OCHS and encourages the Centre’s continued growth and development in all spheres.[5] In this role he oversaw the formal recognition of the OCHS by Oxford University in 2006,[6] and developed the Centre's publishing partnerships with Oxford University Press, Journal of Hindu Studies, and with the Routledge Hindu Studies Series.[7][8] He has also been responsible for forging formal relationships between the OCHS and Universities in the USA, Europe, India, and China.[9] He is the first Hindu Chaplain to Oxford University in its 800 year history.

Media and Broadcasting

He is a regular broadcaster, making the Hindu contribution to 'Prayer for the Day' on BBC Radio 4 since 2007.[10] He was also a participant in the popular History of the World in 100 Objects series broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and published by Allen Lane.[11][12] He has acted as a consultant for a number of documentaries on Hindu culture and traditions.[13][14] He has written articles for The Guardian[15] and The Independent newspapers, Business India,[16] and has written the Hindu entry for the Annual Register since 2004.[17]

Interfaith and Theological Dialogue

Shaunaka Rishi Das, by way of an invitation to the International Colloquium of Christians and Jews, was introduced to the world of inter-religious dialogue, in 1985, by the then Chief Rabbi of Ireland, Rabbi David Rosen.[18]. From that time he developed a personal interest, and played an active part in such dialogue. He was was an early member of the Northern Ireland Interfaith Forum, acting as its Chairman from 1998 to 2002.[19][20] From 2002 -2004 he was a trustee and executive member of The Interfaith Network UK,[21] and from 1998-2004 acted as a consultant to the International Interfaith Centre, Oxford.[22]

Rishi Das has been a pioneer in promoting interfaith and comparative theological dialogue in his own community. As the first Convenor of the ISKCON Interfaith Commission (1997–2010)[23] he lead the consultation which resulted in the publication of ISKCON's Statement on Relating with People of Faith in God,[24][25] which has been translated into six languages, and forms part of the course curriculum at Bhaktivedanta College, Belgium.

This Interfaith statement was a significant step for ISKCON, addressing issues of integration in a global society, as well as laying out a clear theological basis for dialogue. It has also been recognised as a pioneering statement from any Hindu tradition, advocating informed engagement with others over presenting a position of policy to others.[26] Responses to the document noted its importance in addressing modern issues while keeping with the integrity of the ancient tradition.[27][28]

But we Christians may also recognise a new factor, namely that ISKCON is the first global Vaisnava movement that is just now coming to understand its vocation to enable Westerners to understand Indian philosophy and spirituality.[29]

He has also been responsible for facilitating various conferences, seminars, and symposia promoting Vaishnava-Christian dialogue at different levels.[30][31] He was instrumental, along with his colleagues, Anuttama Das, and Rukmini Devi Dasi in launching the annual Vaishnava-Christian conferences, held in Washington DC, since 1997.[32]

Personal Faith

Born an Irish Catholic, and expressing an early interest in the priesthood,[33] Rishi Das joined a Hare Krishna ashram, in Dublin, in 1979. In 1982 he was given Brahmanical initiation - ordained as a priest - in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition.[34][35]

Inspired by biblical and philosophical reading, which began when he was fourteen, Rishi Das developed a broad interest in spirituality.[36] He said of this early period:

...to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our words and all our deeds, and love our neighbour as ourselves struck me as an instruction, as a plea, and actually, as a necessity. Considering how to do to that, how to forsake all and follow God out of love has provided me my greatest challenge in life.[37]

Joining a Hindu movement in the Ireland of his time did not feel like a courageous act for Rishi Das. Of his first encounters with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) he said:

They were speaking Christianity but not calling it that. I knew I had met the people I was to practice with. My desire was to be a Christian. I had to struggle with the fact that I found it being practised to the highest standard by non-Christians.[38]

To sample his spiritual thought in the form of prayer we can refer to one of his BBC Broadcasts:

Dear Lord, my desire is to serve you, and I offer what I think is best. Please let me know what You desire, and bless me with the grace to accept what you think is best.[39]

And for a touch of his well known humour:

Over the next few years as I tried the ‘lose-weight-without-any-change’ method, as I wore ever tighter clothes, and weighed myself to depression, I felt doomed. My lowest point was the day I weighed myself after a haircut.[40]

ISKCON

Shaunaka Rishi Das was Editor-in-Chief of the ISKCON Communications Journal, from 1993 until 2006, and was Chairman of ISKCON Communications Europe from 1991-2003.[41][42] Currently he serves as an executive member of ISKCON's Ministry of Educational Development,[43] a founding member of the ISKCON Studies Institute, is a trustee of Bhaktivedanta College in Belgium, and is Editor-in-Chief of the ISKCON Studies Journal.[44]

See also

References

  1. ^ Banerjee, Akanksha (Sun, Aug 13, 2006). "Oxford gets a Hindu flavour". CNN-IBN. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/oxford-gets-a-hindu-flavour/18402-2.html. Retrieved 2 February 2010
  2. ^ http://www.carrslane.co.uk/life/lectures
  3. ^ http://news.iskcon.org/node/3339/2010-12-18/iskcon_member_appointed_chaplain_to_oxford_university#ixzz1Cf9WwhDt
  4. ^ http://www.academievoorleiderschap.nl/Basis.aspx?Tid=290&Sid=338&Hmi=338&Smi=0 Academy for Leadership
  5. ^ http://ochs.org.uk/faculty-and-staff/admin
  6. ^ http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories2006/060626.html
  7. ^ http://ochs.org.uk/publications
  8. ^ http://jhs.oxfordjournals.org/
  9. ^ OCHS, Brochure, 2008, Oxford
  10. ^ http://deshika.wordpress.com/2007/03/12/the-guru-of-suburbia/ - March 12th 2007
  11. ^ A History of the World in 100 Objects, Neil MacGregor, Allen Lane, 2010, London
  12. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/about/transcripts/episode68/
  13. ^ Eat, Pray, Light, Tuesday 2 November 2010, 11.20-11.55pm BBC ONE
  14. ^ The Hidden Story of Jesus, Broadcast UK - Channel 4 - 2007
  15. ^ http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/archives/2006_07.html -Saturday,1st July 2006
  16. ^ http://shaunaka.wordpress.com/2009/10/20/the-rig-veda-and-the-credit-crunch/Das, S. R. (2009). The Rig Veda and credit crunch. Business India, 826 (15 Nov), 110-111.
  17. ^ http://annualregister.chadwyck.co.uk/info/contributors.htm
  18. ^ "Memories of a life less ordinary". Wexford People. April 8, 2009. http://www.wexfordpeople.ie/lifestyle/memories-of-a-life-less-ordinary-1703431.html. Retrieved 2 February 2010
  19. ^ Dwyer, Graham; Richard J. Cole (2007). The Hare Krishna movement: forty years of chant and change. I.B.Tauris. pp. 247. ISBN 1845114078. http://books.google.ie/books?id=l4cE-nzXLx8C&pg=PA247.
  20. ^ "Exhibition celebrates NI’s religious diversity".4ni.co.uk. 11 October 2001. http://www.4ni.co.uk/northern_ireland_news.asp?id=12495. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
  21. ^ http://www.interfaith.org.uk/publications/annualreview2004.pdf Retrieved 2 February 2010
  22. ^ International Interfaith Centre
  23. ^ http://content.iskcon.com/icj/8_1/cracknel.html
  24. ^ Rishi Das, ISKCON Communications Journal, ISKCON in Relation to People of Faith in God, Vol.7, No.1, 1999, Oxford
  25. ^ Edwin F Bryant & Maria Ekstrand The Hare Krishna movement: the postcharismatic fate of a religious transplant, 2004 Columbia university press p409
  26. ^ Burkett, Delbert (ed). The Blackwell Companion to Jesus. Blackwell Publishing, 2011. Page 261. Blackwell Reference Online. 08 February 2011 http://www.blackwellreference.com/public/book?id=g9781405193627_9781405193627>
  27. ^ http://content.iskcon.com/icj/7_2/72dcosta.html
  28. ^ http://content.iskcon.com/icj/8_1/ucko.html
  29. ^ Cracknell Kenneth, ISKCON and Interfaith Dialogue,ISKCON Communications Journal, Vol 8, No 1 June 2000
  30. ^ Cracknell Kenneth The Nature of the Self a Vaishnava-Christian Conference, Conference Report, World faiths encounter: Issues 13-18, World Congress of Faiths, 1996
  31. ^ http://content.iskcon.com/icj/11/01-machado.html
  32. ^ http://www.nccbuscc.org/comm/archives/2007/07-078.shtml
  33. ^ Coleman, Simon; Peter Jeffrey Collins (2004). Religion, identity and change: perspectives on global transformations. Ashgate Publishing. pp. 1. ISBN 0754604500. http://books.google.com/books?id=1yXtNkRrAwUC&pg=PA1
  34. ^ Family Blog by Shaunaka Rishi Das - http://kiernanfamily.wordpress.com/about/
  35. ^ "Memories of a life less ordinary". Wexford People. April 8, 2009. http://www.wexfordpeople.ie/lifestyle/memories-of-a-life-less-ordinary-1703431.html. Retrieved 2 February 2010
  36. ^ "Memories of a life less ordinary". Wexford People. April 8, 2009. http://www.wexfordpeople.ie/lifestyle/memories-of-a-life-less-ordinary-1703431.html. Retrieved 2 February 2010
  37. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/beliefs/jesus_1.shtml
  38. ^ "Memories of a life less ordinary". Wexford People. April 8, 2009. http://www.wexfordpeople.ie/lifestyle/memories-of-a-life-less-ordinary-1703431.html. Retrieved 2 February 2010
  39. ^ Rishi Das, BBC Radio 4, Prayer for the Day, broadcast, October 22nd, 2009
  40. ^ Rishi Das, BBC Radio 4, Prayer for the Day, broadcast on October 23th, 2009
  41. ^ Rothstein, Mikael (1994). "TM og ISKCON i historisk perspektiv". Indiske religioner i Danmark. 21. Museum Tusculanum Press: 136. ISSN 0108-4453.
  42. ^ Bergeron, Richard. Croyances et sociétés: communications présentées au dixième colloque international sur les nouveaux mouvements religieux, Montréal, août 1996. Les Editions Fides. p. 331. ISBN 2762119901. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  43. ^ http://www.iskconeducation.org/index.php?p=article&g=24
  44. ^ "Windsor 2009 - Delegate Biographies: Shaunaka Rishi Das" (PDF). Windsor 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2010.

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