Dr. Ved Prakash Nanda is the Vice Provost for Internationalization and a John Evans University Professor at the School of Law, University of Denver. Dr. Nanda is also the director of the International legal Studies Program at the University of Denver and an internationally renowned jurist. He was also the former president of the World Jurist Association and President of the, World Association of Law Professors. Now he is the Faculty advisor for the Denver University Law Review and Denver Law Forum, Chairman and member for several committees at University of Denver, College of Law, including Policy Committee (elected), Faculty Appointments Committee and Curriculum Committee. He is also the author of several law books.
Prof. Richard Gombrich is a British Indologist and scholar of Sanskrit, Pāli, and Buddhist Studies. He acted as the Boden Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Oxford from 1976 to 2004. He is currently Academic Director of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies, Joint General Editor for the Clay Sanskrit Library and a Governor of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies.
Dr.V.R.Panchamukhi is currently Chancellor of the Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. He was formerly the President of the Indian Council for Social Science Research, New Delhi, and Director of the Indian Institute of Economic Growth, University of Delhi.
Prof. Vasudha Narayanan, Florida is Professor of Religion at the University of Florida and a past President of the American Academy of Religion (2001-2002). Her fields of interest are the Sri Vaishnava tradition; Hindu traditions in India, Cambodia, America; Hinduism and the environment; and gender issues. She was the president of the Society for Hindu-Christian Studies from 1996-1998.
Prof. Shashiprabha Kumar, JNU, New Delhi
Prof. Kumar is presently Chairperson, Special Centre for Sanskrit Studies, JNU, New Delhi. She is an acclaimed Sanskrit Scholar, well versed in classical Indian Philosophy, particularly the system of Vaisesika, which was her area of Ph.D. research.
Lord Navnit Dholakia OBE DL served as member of the Commission for Racial Equality and has been involved in the Sussex Police Authority, Police Complaints Authority and Howard League for Penal Reform. Dholakia was made a life peer as Baron Dholakia, of Waltham Brooks in the County of West Sussex in 1997 and sat on the Liberal Democrat benches in the House of Lords. From 1997 to 2002 he served as a Liberal Democrat whip in the Lords, and since 2002 he has been a Home Affairs Spokesman. He was elected President of the party in 1999 and re-elected for a second term in 2002, in November 2004 he was elected joint Deputy Leader in the House of Lords.
Prof. T.S. Rukmani has been teaching and researching, mainly in the areas of Hinduism, Advaita Vedanta and Sankhya-Yoga for the past 40 years. She has taught in India, South Africa, and joined the Department of Religion, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada, as Professor and Chair for Hindu Studies in 1996. Prof. Rukmani has been active in "Women's Studies" and programs connected with women. She was President of the University Women's Association of Delhi for two years and was a member of the International Federation of University Women's Fellowship Committee in Geneva (Switzerland) for three years.
Prof. Gavin Flood’s (Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies) main work has been on South Asian traditions, particularly Hindu Tantra, and he has research interests in sacred texts, phenomenology, asceticism, and theory and method in the study of religion. His Introduction to Hinduism is considered highly by most scholars teaching in the field.
Alfred Ford is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is a great grandson of legendary businessman Henry Ford. He has been an observant Hindu for the last 35 years.
Dr Lokesh Chandra is a contemporary scholar of Buddhism and the Indian arts. He is the son of the famous Sanskrit scholar Raghu Vira. He has served as a member of the Indian Rajya Sabha besides serving as a Vice-President of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, and Chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research. In 2006 he was recognized with India's Padma Bhushan award. He has to his credit over 400 works and text editions including classics like "Tibetan-Sanskrit Dictionary", "Materials for a History of Tibetan Literature", "Buddhist Iconography of Tibet", and his "Dictionary of Buddhist Art" in about 20 volumes. Presently he is Director, International Academy of Indian Culture.
Venerable Hiek Sopheap is a Royal Monk (the highest status of monastic honour) and Director of the Association of Buddhists for the Environment. He is Cambodian and one of the greatest scholars within the Sangha. He is an international spokesperson on Buddhism, development and the environment.
The Venerable Khammai Dhammasami is originally from Eastern Burma, and has a doctorate from Oxford. The incumbent of the Oxford Buddha Vihara, he also heads the International Secretariat for the UN Day of Vesak, based in Bangkok. He travels the world both in that capacity and as teacher and meditation master. He has a key role in the Oxford centre for Buddhist Studiess relations with the Sangha and Buddhist Universities in Theravada countries and more widely across Asia.
Dr. Kabilsingh, born in Thailand, graduated in Philosophy from Visva Bharati University (India) and received her M.A. degree in Religion from McMaster University (Canada), and her Ph.D. from Magadh University (India). Since 1973, she has been an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion and is now head of the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Thammasat University, Bangkok. She has published several books and many research articles, attends international conferences, is the editor of Yasodhara, and is past president of Sakyadhita, an international organization of Buddhist women.
Prof Pema Gyalpo is Professor of International Relations at Toin Yokohama University, Tokyo, Japan. He is Tibetan, and the son of Gyari Nima Gyaltsen, Chieftain of Nyarong-Ram-Tibet. He is a Director of the Japan Buddhist Association and a counsellor of the International Buddhist Brotherhood. In 1975 Dr. Gyalpo was appointed as Liaison Officer of H.H. the Dalai Lama for Japan, and from 1980 until 1990 he was the representative for the Asian Pacific Region. He also appears on major television stations including NHK and MX-TV, and writes columns for major newspapers and magazines, including Asahi, Yomiuri, Sankei and Tobo Shinbun. He is also a Director of The Tibet Culture Centre in Japan.
Professor of Hinduism and the Comparative Study of Religion, and Fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge.
Professor of South Asian Laws, School of Law, University of London. His areas of expertise include classical and modern Hindu law; Muslim Law; Laws of South Asia; Family law; Comparative law; South Asians in the UK; Immigration law; and Ethnic minorities.
Lecturer in Hinduism, Department of Study of Religions, School of African and Oriental Studies. Angelika is engaged in intensive research on the early history of Hinduism on basis of the Epics and Puranas with an emphasis on traditions related to Vishnu and Krishna. She also traces the development of these traditions in later theological schools (espec. Pancaratra- and Caitanya traditions) and deals with the interpretation of Hinduism in modernity and modern media.
Professor Flood's main work has been on South Asian traditions, particularly Hindu Tantra, and he has research interests in sacred texts, phenomenology, asceticism, and theory and method in the study of religion. His Introduction to Hinduism is considered highly by most scholars teaching in the field.
From 1995 to 2001, Dr Sutton was Full Time Lecturer in Eastern Religions at Edge Hill University College. He is head of curriculum development for the OCHS Continuing Education Department He lectures in Religious Studies for the Open University, and in Hinduism for the University of Nottingham.
Senior Lecturer in Hinduism at Birmingham University, UK, and Research Postgraduate Welfare Tutor. Her areas of interest include; Hinduism and Postcolonialism; Representations of Hinduism in colonial and contemporary periods; Diasporic Hinduism; Women and spirituality; and Interreligious relations.
Lord Bhikhu Parekh is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and of the Academy of the Learned Societies for Social Sciences and a Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Westminster. Lord Parekh was chair of the Runnymede Commission on the Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain (1998-2000), whose report, The Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain, was published in 2000. His main academic interests include political philosophy, the history of political thought, social theory, ancient and modern Indian political thought, and the philosophy of ethnic relations.
Dr. Godabarisha Mishra is currently a Professor in the Department of Indian Philosophy, University of Madras, Chennai and earlier to it, worked at Kuppuswami Sastri Research Institute, Chennai as Editor. His areas of Research Interest include Buddhism, inter-school dialectics in Vedanta, and textual studies and editing of rare Sanskrit texts.
Prof. Clooney , is Parkman Professor of Divinity and Professor of Comparative Theology, Harvard University, USA. He was formerly Professor of Comparative Theology at Boston College, USA, and Academic Director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. He was the first President of the International Society for Hindu-Christian Studies (1994-1996) and is the Coordinator for Interreligious Dialogue for the Society of Jesus in the United States.
Prof. T.S. Rukmani has been teaching and researching, mainly in the areas of Hinduism, Advaita Vedanta and Sankhya-Yoga for the past 40 years. She has taught in India, South Africa, and joined the Department of Religion, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada, as Professor and Chair for Hindu Studies in 1996. Prof. Rukmani has been active in "Women's Studies" and programs connected with women. She was President of the University Women's Association of Delhi for two years and was a member of the International Federation of University Women's Fellowship Committee in Geneva (Switzerland) for three years.
Since 1991 he has been Professor of Sanskrit and Indian Religions in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. During his twenty-five year career, Olivelle's contribution to Indology has been enormous, his publications including twenty book reviews, thirty articles and a dozen books. Olivelle's broad knowledge of Indian Sanskrit texts and the development of the Hindu tradition, his eye for detail and ability to contextualise the significance of details, and his vast output of work of the highest standard will leave scholars in his debt for many a generation to come.
Vasudha Narayanan is a Professor of Religion at the University of Florida and a past President of the American Academy of Religion (2001-2002). Her fields of interest are the Sri Vaishnava tradition; Hindu traditions in India, Cambodia, America; Hinduism and the environment; and gender issues. She was the president of the Society for Hindu-Christian Studies from 1996-1998.
Lecturer in South Asian Religions. His areas of interest include; South Asian religions; North Indian devotional traditions; modern Indian religious movements.
John Stratton Hawley (a.k.a. Jack) is Ann Whitney Olin Professor of Religion at Barnard College, Columbia University and chair of the department. He is the author or editor of some fifteen books, most of them having to do with Hinduism and the religions of India. He has served as director of Columbia's Southern Asian Institute. Hawley's research especially concerns the devotional religion of North India.
Prof. Kumar is presently Chairperson, Special Centre for Sanskrit Studies, JNU, New Delhi. She is an acclaimed Sanskrit Scholar, well versed in classical Indian Philosophy, particularly the system of Vaisesika, which was her area of Ph.D. research.
Dr. Ved Prakash Nanda is the Vice Provost for Internationalization and a John Evans University Professor at the School of Law, University of Denver. Dr. Nanda is also the director of the International legal Studies Program at the University of Denver and an internationally renowned jurist. He was also the former president of the World Jurist Association and President of the, World Association of Law Professors. Now he is the Faculty advisor for the Denver University Law Review and Denver Law Forum, Chairman and member for several committees at University of Denver, College of Law, including Policy Committee (elected), Faculty Appointments Committee and Curriculum Committee. He is also the author of several law books.
Dr. Tom Tillemans is a professor at the Faculty of Letters and Chair of Buddhist Studies at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. He received a License of Letters and Doctor of Letters in Sanskrit, Chinese and Philosophy at the University of Lausanne. Dr. Tillemans is author of the book Scripture, Logic, Language (Wisdom Publications, 1999) and has published a great number of academic articles and translations.
Jeevan Deol currently researches and writes on international jihadi terrorism and security issues. He teaches courses on religion and politics in Pakistan and on Indian religions and convenes courses in Punjabi and Urdu. He took his PhD in Indian history at the University of Cambridge and an MPhil in Punjabi literature at SOAS. He has published a number of articles and chapters in edited books on Punjab history, Sikh religious history and textual traditions, Punjabi literature and Punjabi manuscriptology.
Michael Shackleton is Professor of Social Anthropology at Osaka Gakuin University, Japan. He also lectures at Ryukoku (Buddhist) University. He is an academic specialist on Japanese Buddhism and Japanese Religion in general. He is also Special Advisor to ARC on Japanese Religious Affairs. Latterly his research has focused on the traditional rural economy in Japan, looking at how this was affected by religious traditions, and comparing the situation with other parts of the world. For the last few years he has also conducted research in Ethiopia, focusing on social change and analysing development problems. He also assists in running a course on The Global Economy at Osaka Gakuin University, in conjunction with Queens' College, Cambridge (UK).
Prof Harvey’s field of study covers the subjects of History, Politics and Religious Studies. He explores areas of Media & Culture, Ethics and Theology. Prof Harvey is a co-founder of the UK Association for Buddhist Studies, Editor of Buddhist Studies Review, and an Editorial Board member of the Journal of Buddhist Ethics; the Religion journal; and the Routledge Critical Studies in Buddhism Series. He is author of many books on Buddhism, including An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics: Foundations, Values and Issues.
Dr Keown is Professor of Buddhist Ethics at goldsmiths and his research interests include theoretical foundations and normative applications, with particular reference to medicine and biotechnology. Dr Keown is a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society; a founding co-editor of the Journal of Buddhist Ethics; a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Law and Religion; a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Contemporary Buddhism, and a co-editor of the Routledge Critical Studies in Buddhism Series. He is also a member of the Pali Text Society, the UK Association of Buddhist Studies, and the American Academy of Religion
Born in Thailand, graduated in Philosophy from Visva Bharati University (India) and received her M.A. degree in Religion from McMaster University (Canada), and her Ph.D. from Magadh University (India). Since 1973, she has been an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion and is now head of the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Thammasat University, Bangkok. She has published several books and many research articles, attends international conferences, is the editor of Yasodhara, and is past president of Sakyadhita, an international organization of Buddhist women.
Prof Pema Gyalpo is Professor of International Relations at Toin Yokohama University, Tokyo, Japan. He is Tibetan, and the son of Gyari Nima Gyaltsen, Chieftain of Nyarong-Ram-Tibet. He is a Director of the Japan Buddhist Association and a counsellor of the International Buddhist Brotherhood. In 1975 Dr. Gyalpo was appointed as Liaison Officer of H.H. the Dalai Lama for Japan, and from 1980 until 1990 he was the representative for the Asian Pacific Region. He also appears on major television stations including NHK and MX-TV, and writes columns for major newspapers and magazines, including Asahi, Yomiuri, Sankei and Tobo Shinbun. He is also a Director of The Tibet Culture Centre in Japan.
The Religious Council has been carefully chosen to represent the most respected and renowned institutions and followings, whilst also looking for a wide coverage of the range within the Dharma religions:
His Holiness Srimat Vanamamalai Ramanuja Jeeyar Swami represents the most popular math belonging to the Tengalai tradition (traced to Sri Pillai Lokacharya of the 13th century). He has a wide following all over the country. He has good command of English and Hindi. Known for his simplicity and easy approachability, he is very highly communicative with foreign scholars. The Vanamamali Math has a number of branches all over the country.
Venerable Sangharaja is Chief Spiritual Advisor to the King of Cambodia and the most senior of the two Patriarchs of Cambodian Buddhism.
His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj. He heads the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha of the Swaminarayana tradition. Its headquarters is at Ahmedabad (Gujarat). His philosophy is called Navya Visistàdvaita.
His Holiness Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swami. He heads the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham at Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu, South India). This is considered by many to be the primary math founded by Sri Adi Sankara. This Math runs a number of schools, Colleges and hospitals, organizations and Trusts, helping poor and destitute all over the country. (Sent blessings, but will not be a formal member on the Council itself)
His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami is a leading member and respected teacher within the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. He works largely from Ujjain in India but also travels extensively throughout Europe, USA, Canada and Africa. He has been involved in creating a range of community and social venture projects in the food and media industries. He is also well known for his lectures on the philosophy of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. He is a senior member of the Governing Body Commission of ISKCON and regularly represents his community internationally in issues of interfaith and social concern.
Jagannath Temple is a Krishna temple and located in Orissa (East India) is one of the most popular temples in India. Millions attend its annual street procession.
Venerable Prof. Dr. Chisho Mamoru Namai is Director of the Institute of Esoteric Buddhist Culture. He was president of Koyasan Unviersity until March 2007 and is still active with research and teaching.
Ven. Dr. Ashin Nyanissara is Chancellor of Sitagu International Buddhist Academy (SIBA). He is the best known preacher in Burma for the last three decades and leads several social projects such as a hospital and an all-year water supply initiative for circa 10, 000 monks and nuns in the Sagaing Hills region. He also has a large monastery in the USA.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a spiritual and humanitarian leader He is the founder of the international Art of Living Foundation that aims to relieve stress, disease and violence.
His Holiness Sri Pejawar Math Swami. He is one of the most respected saints of the Màdhva faith. He is a fluent speaker in Sanskrit and Kannada. This is one of the Maths founded by Madhvàchàrya (12th century). The present Swami has a large following all over the country. This Math also runs a number of schools and colleges, hospitals and charitable organizations.
