Previous Friends Events

 How do we understand and apply the teachings of centuries-old texts today? How do we make their teaching, grounded in a social structure that no longer exists, relevant in our modern world? How do we interpret these ideas in the light of contemporary science? The interpretation of sacred texts has become not just the pursuit of scholars, theologians in the academies and religious institutions in recent decades, but has become the focus of public debate.

How do Hindu sacred texts relate to this discussion? What do Hindu sacred texts teach, and how do we understand what they convey? This talk will examine the nature of Hindu sacred texts, and explore the way Hindu theologians throughout the centuries have viewed these texts, how they thought they should be read and understood, and how their ideas are relevant for Hindu today.

Talk given by

Dr Rembert Lutjeharms

 In this talk Nick Sutton will consider the specific reasons one might have for displaying a commitment to the Hindu religious tradition and the motivations for seeking to ensure the preservation and wider understanding of the ideals of Hinduism.  Most of those who adhere to the Hindu tradition and consider themselves Hindus were born into the religion but in this talk we will discuss whether this is enough and consider reasons why a person should seek to play an active role in the propagation of Hindu values.

A talk by Dr Nick Sutton of the Oxford Centre For Hindu Studies

In recent decades religion has increasingly become involved in the debate over the extent to which scientific theories about the orig ins of the world and of life threaten the integr ity of religious revelation. Such debates usually focus on Christianity and to a lesser extent Islam as these are religious traditions that emphasise the importance of scriptural revelation, but how do such questions affect Hindu teachings and Hindu ideas about the world? In this talk we will consider the responses that Hinduism has to offer to the challenges presented by modern scientific theory.

Living as a Hindu in the 21st Century, a talk by Shaunaka Rishi Das of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

In this talk we will explore the Indian ideas and principles that have formed the basis of the worlds oldest existing religion, and examine why it still exists today. For centuries Hindu culture has proven to be very adaptable but can it survive the challenges of modern times. How do Hindus in Birmingham negotiate their lives in a multimedia age. Essentially, how cool is Hindu. Among the concepts discussed are secularism and modernity, women and caste, the balance of salvation and sexuality, the role of the family, duty, spirituality, Truth, happiness, and love. Bring a brain.

Shaunaka Rishi Das is the Director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. The Centre is the home of Hindu research and teaching in Oxford, the Hindu Studies Journal, Hindu Studies Online, and The Bhumi Project - coordinating Hindu responses to the environment. He is a lecturer, a broadcaster, and Hindu Chaplain to Oxford University.

Following the fun and success of last year’s Holi Walk, we are ready to do it all again, we would like you to join us to walk to all the mandirs of Leicester to raise funds for the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. 

Please register your interest by sending an email to lf@ochs.org.uk and we will send you a sponsor form

A lecture by Professor M.N. Narasimhachary, Shivdasani Visiting Fellow of the Oxford Centre For Hindu Studies 

These highly acclaimed lectures – brought to you each month - are presented by renowned, expert speakers from the Oxford Centre For Hindu Studies. They explore challenging issues connected to Hindu scripture and dharma and provide a forum for education and debate. The speakers actively encourage audience participation and interaction.

A talk by Lucian Wong Student of the Oxford Centre For Hindu Studies

Religious plurality is a pervasive feature of the multi-cultural society in which we live, presenting challenges and opportunities to persons of faith. The existence of multiple and divergent religious currents is, of course, nothing new to Hinduism. This talk will explore the ways in which Hindu texts and traditions address the issue of religious pluralism.

Lecture by Shaunaka Rishi Das, Director of The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Response by The Venerable Richard Atkinson, Archdeacon of Leicester

In this talk Shaunaka Rishi Das will outline some of the issues facing engaged Hindus and Christians as they develop their relationships. He will ask who writes the rules of dialogue and suggest ways of approaching relationships which may build good foundations for understanding, and a more profound practice of respect. Shaunaka will also address a number of key ideas where Hindus and Christians have struggled to gain a meeting of minds, and of hearts.

A talk by Anuradha Dooney of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies.

The roles of women in Hindu traditions are changing as they are throughout the rest of the world. What can stories of Sita and Draupadi, of Savitri or Sulabha contribute to  the contemporary challenges of chapati rolling ( or not!)  child-care and career-making.  This talk sketches a broad overview of varying female voices from selected Hindu sacred texts and explores their relevance to Hindu women today.

Anuradha Dooney was awarded her BA in Social Science, from University College Dublin, and her MSt in the Study of Religion, from Oxford University. Her masters thesis was an exploration of faith development in the Vaishnava tradition. She is currently a Fellow of the OCHS, acting as a faculty member of the Continuing Education Department. Anuradha has been a tutor for courses in London, Birmingham, Oxford, Cambridge, and Leicester since 2003. She has acted as the principal curriculum writer for undergraduate degree courses granted by the University of Wales, Lampeter, courses taught in the UK and Belgium. She has also organised and run academic and interfaith workshops, seminars and conferences internationally. Anuradha is a respected lecturer and broadcaster.

A talk by Anuradha Dooney of the Oxford Centre For Hindu Studies

In this talk Anuradha will explore questions about free will and destiny as she finds them discussed in the Bhagavad-gita. How much choice do we really have in life, and how much is dependent on our birth, gender, status etc. Are we ruled by karma, Krishna, or our own desires.

These questions of free will and fate are universal, arising from a need to know how our lives are shaped and the value of our decisions. Krishna and Arjuna's dialogue in the Bhagavad-gita comes to surprising conclusions. In the Hindu Samkhya tradition, the three gunas, or ‘threads’ of sattva, rajas, and tamas weave together reality around us. They ‘colour’ our vision of ourselves and others, the choices we make, and how we act in the world.Through visual and interactive exercises this presentation offers a fresh opportunity for self-reflection and challenges us to take responsibility for who we are and what we become in life.