Professional Documents
Culture Documents
p r e s e n t
Conference
James W. Morris Fatemeh Keshavarz Michael Sells Pablo Beneito Mahmud Kili Stephen Hirtenstein Cecilia Twinch Nargis Virani Salman Ahmad Omar Faruk Tekbilek Aaron Cass Ahmed Eissawi Tamir
Becoming Real:
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Plenary:
Plenary:
The Treasury of the Heart is the Library of God. Let him not allow thoughts other than those concerning God to enter.
Ibn Arabi
In 2009, The Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society and the New York Open Center began the first of a series of conferences together on the great mystic Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi. We now present the second conference in this series, this one focusing on the relationship of Ibn Arabis teachings to those of Jalaluddin Rumi, the other giant of Sufi mysticism.
Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi (1165-1240) and Jalaluddin Rumi (1207-1273) are unquestionably the two great pillars of Islamic mysticism. They appeared in the same century, one from the Muslim West, the other from the East, bringing a glorious new vision of human potential and realization that has been a source of inspiration ever since. Their words continue to touch us directly, inviting us to explore the heart as the place of wisdom and love.
This first conference dedicated to both these spiritual masters will be a unique opportunity to explore and discuss their teachings with leading scholars in the field. There will be lectures and workshops as well as traditional and original musical/artistic performances.
Plenary Sessions
Plenary:
Conference Schedule
Location: Columbia University, New York
Friday Saturday, Altschul Auditorium FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4
6 pm (doors open at 5 pm)
Workshop:
& Workshops
Where the Two Oceans Meet
The Way of the Mystic
Stephen Hirtenstein, MA
In this interactive workshop, we shall look at how the two masters depict the way of the mystic as opposed to the way of learning pursued by the intellectual. We will focus on a story which both tell in their different ways, and explore what mysticism implies for us today. This is also a vital question that goes to the heart of our very existence, since as Rumi puts it, Bounty is in need of beggars.
Stephen Hirtenstein, MA is the author of The Unlimited Mercifier, a spiritual biography of Ibn Arabi, and has translated three of Ibn Arabis shorter treatises, The Four Pillars of Spiritual Transformation, Divine Sayings and The Seven Days of the Heart. He is a senior research fellow of the Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society and editor of the Societys journal, as well as co-founder and director of Anqa Publishing.
Ibn Arabis Vision of the Multiple Oneness of the Inner Human Kingdom
Pablo Beneito, PhD
Ibn Arabi often refers to God as the One Multiple (al-Whid al-kathr). Human beings, created in Gods image, may thus also be viewed as each containing a multiple oneness, an inner spiritual community of various divine attributes. In this lecture Professor Beneito will explore this spiritual diversity in each of us by drawing from Ibn Arabis Book of the Servants of God (K. al-Abdila) and its 117 chapters that describe 117 different aspects of this inner community and how, taken all together, these describe the perfect human being who has integrated this multiplicity of attributes into an essential unity.
Workshop:
Plenary:
Workshop:
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5
12:00 pm Lunch (breakout rooms)
Recitation of Ibn Arabi and Rumi Poetry in English, Arabic and Persian
Fatemeh Keshavarz, Ahmed Eissawi and Aaron Cass 8:30 pm
What Dreams May Come: Between Stories and Dream With Rumi and Ibn Arabi
James W. Morris
Rumi in Spirit
Salman Ahmad
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5
9 am 12 noon
Morning Plenaries Ibn Arabis Lyric Mysticism and the Persian-Arabic Love Affair
Michael Sells
Workshop:
Rumi in Spirit
Salman Ahmad
Ever since the 13th century, countless poets, musicians, writers and dancers from a wide range of countries have been inspired by the work and spirit of the Mevlana (i.e., the founder of the Mevlevi Order), Jalaluddin Rumi. This evening, the renowned South Asian cultural figure Salman Ahmad, founder of the legendary Sufi rock group Junoon, will highlight some of these transcultural cross-pollinations through song, poetry and video, exploring Rumis continuing impact on religion, literature and the arts in both Muslim and non-Muslim contexts.
Salman Ahmad, born in Pakistan and raised in New York and Lahore, is a musician who founded South Asias most popular rock band, Junoon, in 1990. He is also a physician, U.N. goodwill ambassador, professor at Queens College, and the co-founder of the Salman & Samina Global Wellness Initiative, focused on interfaith and cross-cultural dialogue, global health and music education.
We Sucked Milk from Two Mothers: Ibn Arabi and Rumi as Co-founders of Ottoman Sufi Thought
Mahmud Kili Break
Ibn Arabis Vision of the Multiple Oneness of the Inner Human Kingdom
Pablo Beneito
The Kaleidoscopic Postures of Love: Color, Shape and Movement in the Divan-e Shams
Fatemeh Keshavarz 4:30 5:30 pm
How Sweetly with a Kiss Is the Speech Interrupted: The Dynamism of Silence in Rumis Lyric Poetry
Fatemeh Keshavarz
P o s t- Co n f e r e n c e E v e n t:
Conference Ends
Friday Night
Registration
Conference Fee
(Pre-registration is recommended) $175 (booking code 11WSSS13S)
Please call for group & student discounts. When registering, please, have your two afternoon workshop choices ready.
Post-Conference Event
S AT U R DAY e v e n i n g e v e n t
Saturday Night
Location
Morningside Campus of Columbia University at the Altschul Auditorium in the International Affairs building. The building is at 420 W. 118th Street, on the south side of 118th Street between Amsterdam Avenue and Morningside Avenue (closer to Amsterdam). Altschul Auditorium is located in the lobby of the building on the first floor, room 417.
Featuring
Saturday Concert
Tamir is a busy actress who appears in productions across the U.S. and in Europe, a dancer, playwright, author, sought-after voiceover artist, Iyengar Yoga instructor, and performer (including two one-woman shows based on the books of Amos Oz). She has produced several CDs of devotional poetry (including Rumis) accompanied by renowned musicians, including Poetry on Prayer, The Way of the Heart and, most recently, Soul of Love (featuring the poetry of Sant Darshan Singh). Conference attendees: $18 General audience: $28 (booking code: 11WSSS15S)
Please call for group rates of 5 or above.
Coleman Barks
Rumis Community
Refunds
Refunds are available minus a processing fee of $15 if you cancel up to two weeks prior to the first day of the program. Course credits are available minus a processing fee of $15 if you cancel up to 48 hours prior to the first day of the program. Course credit is valid for one year, and may be applied to memberships or courses by pre-registration only. Any processing of a refund or credit is pending until you receive notice that the Registration Department has received your request and deemed it valid. There are no refunds or course credits for the Saturday evening concert.
Salman Ahmad:
Blues for Rumi
Salman Ahmad, born in Pakistan and raised in New York and Lahore, is a musician who founded South Asias most popular rock band, Junoon, in 1990. He is also a physician, U.N. goodwill ambassador, professor at Queens College, and the cofounder of the Salman & Samina Global Wellness Initiative, focused on interfaith and cross-cultural dialogue, global health and music education.
Partners
The New York Open Center is the largest urban center of holistic learning and world culture in the U.S. Since 1984, more than 250,000 have come through its doors to find educational programs and cultural events that expand the mind and spirit, and to hear fresh alternative voices on matters of perennial concern. In addition, it has become a platform for the worlds most accomplished writers, scholars, activists and visionaries, including spiritual teachers such as Karen Armstrong, Thich Nhat Hanh, Cornel West, Robert Thurman, and others too numerous to list here. The Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society is a registered non-profit, tax-exempt organization founded in 1977. Twenty years of presenting annual symposia have established the Society as the leading international organization promoting the remarkable spiritual legacy and teachings of Ibn Arabi. The Society publishes a journal and newsletter, maintains a library and digital manuscript archive, hosts numerous public events, and has a website with many articles for online reading, podcasts of talks and information about events and books. www.ibnarabisociety.org
Aaron Cass is an actor, musician, composer and co-founder of the Vastearth Orchestra with whom he has produced two albums of classical Middle Eastern poetry set to music, Green Bird and A Garden Amidst the Flames. The music composed is based on and inspired by the readings from Ibn Arabi. The group performs nationally in the UK.
Conference Organizers
New York Open Center E. Aracely Brown, Conference Director Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society Nick Yiangou and Jane Carroll, Program Directors Co-Sponsors The Middle East Institute at Columbia University, WBAI 99.5 FM Pacifica Radio, Beshara Publications Anqa Publishing, Institute of African Studies at Columbia University, SUNY Press
T h e n e w yo r k O p e n C e n t e r a n d t h e m u h y i d d i n I b n A r a b i S o c i e t y
p r e s e n t
The movement which is the existence of the universe is the movement of love.
Ibn Arabi
Artwork displayed at the conference by Fereydoun (Fred) Nazem, the founder of Flagship Patient Advocates Inc. and former chairman of Oxford Health Plans, is a veteran venture capitalist (especially in healthcare) and award-winning philanthropist who also has a lifelong love of Jalaluddin Rumi and has produced a series of callgraphy paintings inspired by Rumis poems.