Linda Nowakowski (172)
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Keeping out of trouble
Posted to: Linda Nowakowski (172) by Linda Nowakowski (172), Thu, 06 Dec 2007 04:07:32 PST
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Tags: buddhist-economics sufficiency-economy
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Since I got back from the Gross National Happiness Conference, I have been keeping busy.
First of all, let me say that that conference was a phenomena. Part of the conference lasted 2 weeks - the youth conference. Most of it lasted a week. The first events beyond the youth gathering were held in Nong Khai in the north of Thailand on the Mekong River near Vientien, Laos. They celebrated Loy Krathong there and visited some farms and sufficiency economy communities and then traveled from Nong Khai to Bangkok. The part in Bangkok went on for another 4+ days. There were cultural events each evening. The academic session on Monday where I presented had some 50+ papers presented by many of the most well know names in Subjective Happiness.
There were many, many representatives there from Bhutan. (For those of you who are wondering about that, it was the King of Bhutan who coined the phrase Gross National Happiness) The country is squeezed in between India and the Himalaya mountains and only has a population of a bit over 600,000. I think they must have had 60 representatives! 1/100th% of the population! If Thailand had be so strongly represented the conference would have had to be held .... probably out side of the country because I don't think there is a venue that large in Thailand. I don't know, maybe the football stadium at Ramkamhaeng University!
I got to meet one of the members of my Doctoral committee at the conference as well! I will leave on Tuesday night to go to Bangkok for 2 more conferences. I will get to meet another member of the committee at one of those conferences and that will mean that the only member of my committee that I haven't met yet will be Niny Khor! That will happen.
Anyhow, all of this activity has me working to get my research proposal ready to present in January when Dr. Warr will return to Thailand from Australia.
I am also starting the work on a conference for this time next year. This was today's work that has to go out to the other members of the Buddhist Economic Research Platform for discussion. I needed to get it done today to start the process to get financial support from the university.
Also found another conference that our conference fits together with like a glove that will be just outside of Bangkok from Dec 1-3 and thought if we scheduled at this time, it would mean that all of the international guests could pretty easily participate in both. That one is on Buddhism and Consumerism!
Buddhist Economic Research Platform 2nd International Conference
Theory Meets Practice
Dec 5-7, 2008
Ubon Ratchathani University
Warin Chamrab Ubon Ratchathani Thailand 34190
Friday December 5, 2008
| 8:00-8:30 | Registration |
| 8:30 | Opening / Official Welcome |
| 9:00 | Keynote: |
| 9:30-11:00 | Panel: Need for Theory AND Theory to Practice AND Practice to Theory |
| 11:00-12:00 | Lunch |
| 12:00-3:00 | Research Papers |
| 3:00-4:00 | Summary |
| 5:00-8:00 | Dinner and Program |
Saturday December 6, 2008
| 6:00-9:30 | Wat Pah Nanachat (International Forest Monastary) |
| 10:00 | Announcements |
| 10:30-12:00 | Panel: Buddhism in Action |
| 12:00-1:00 | Lunch |
| 1:00-4:00 | Action reports |
| 4:00-5:00 | Summary |
| 5:00-8:00 | Dinner / Program at Ratchathani or UBU Asoke |
Sunday December 7, 2008
| 8:00 | Announcements |
| 8:30-10:00 | Workshops |
| 10:00-11:00 | Reports |
| 11:00-12:00 | Lunch |
| 12:00-3:00 | International organizing |
| 3:00-4:00 | Closing |
(Sessions are scheduled early to allow for the monks who will be attending to eat at proper times.)
Introduction:
The Buddhist Economics Research Platform is a joint initiative of the Business Ethics Center of the Corvinus University of Budapest and the East-West Research Institute of the Budapest Buddhist University. The Platform aims to connect people and institutes engaged in developing Buddhist economic theory and practice and to spread ideas and working models of Buddhist economics to the general public.
Ubon Ratchathani University is honored to host the second International Conference of the Buddhist Economic Research Platform. As Buddhism spreads from Asia into other parts of the world, the incorporation of Buddhist ideals and beliefs into everyday life takes new and varied forms. The challenges that Buddhist practitioners face in different parts of the world are daunting. This conference proposes to continue to build a platform or foundation that explores how to meld knowledge, research and practice to support Buddhists as they face the challenges of today’s complex economic landscape.
Timing:
This 3 day conference is tentatively planned for December 5-7, 2008.
Venue and size:
The Ubon Ratchathani University Campus will be the venue. The conference will host an audience of around 100 people, roughly 60% of them from Thailand including non-Thais already living in Thailand.
Purpose and Function:
The first conference of the Buddhist Economic Research Platform was held in Budapest, Hungary with approximately 50 participants. 95% of the participants were Buddhists living in western societies. The participants were enthusiastic to hold the second conference in a Buddhist culture where they could experience practices that were more a reflection of a Buddhist society.
This conference is therefore an attempt to bring together opposite ends of numerous spectrums: Buddhism in a primarily capitalist, Christian culture and Buddhism in a Buddhist culture that is increasingly capitalist; Western theoreticians working on ways to incorporate theory into culture and Eastern practitioners seeking to build theoretical frameworks from practice; and Eastern and Western religious leaders seeking the best methods to influence their followers.
OK...off to finish the midterm exam that will have to be given right after I return from Bangkok.
tata!
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