NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY, July 23, 2005: Ved Prakash, Dharma Summit 2005 General Secretary, sends the following press release:
The Dharma Summit 2005 will be held on August 13, 14 and 15 at Rutgers University, Student Center, 126 College Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ. The objective of this conference is to bring together heads of all Devalayas, spiritual institutions, and Dharmic intellectuals in North America to exchange thoughts and ideas, and share experiences on how to impart spiritual and cultural education to our next generation and remove misperceptions about our faith traditions from the society in order to maintain our Dharmic traditions with dignity. This conference is being organized with the support, cooperation and involvement of all major Sampradayas and institutions. Also many intellectuals will speak in various sessions. The discussion will focus on the future of Dharma in North America. How can our young generation grow with the best values from both cultures? How can they learn the true meaning and concepts of Dharma and take pride in their heritage? All past, present and future presidents, founders, Board members, youth program coordinators and volunteer supporters of all Hindu, Jain temples and Gurudwaras and institutions are invited. Two sessions on Monday, August 15, will present a workshop on Temple Management, Administration and priest training, etc. that temple Board members must plan to attend.
The accomplishments of our new generation in schools, colleges, and universities are commendable. However, most of them do not relate to the temples and gurudwaras; they tend to feel that these institutions hold no relevance in their lives. But some of our institutions have done an excellent job of training the young people. We can network, interact and learn from the successful experiences of one another in a mutually supportive environment in this conference. Our religious institutions must focus on the needs of the new generation by organizing activities for them and presenting the correct and positive aspects of our traditions; e.g., Yoga, meditation, religious tolerance, Ahimsa/nonviolence, that continue to gain strong following and can play a major role in building a pluralistic and tolerant society in North America by virtue of our belief in “Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti” and “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.”