Alejandro Chaoul, A Tibetan Way Toward Religious Understanding
VIEW EVENT DETAILSChöd is an ancient Tibetan practice that literally means “to cut.” It refers to cutting one’s own ego and therefore perceiving oneself and the world in a more expansive and inclusive way. In his book on Chöd, Dr. Alejandro Chaoul utilizes the cutting as a metaphor to cut through the sectarian boundaries of different Tibetan traditions like Bön and Buddhism.
Expanding the range of the Chöd example we can apply it as a way to go beyond other intra-religious barriers (i.e., ideologies within one religious tradition) and even of inter-religious dialogue. This view can be seen as an expansive and inclusive approach, continuously informed by, and in communication with, the multiple "others” where various approaches can coexist.
Schedule
Light Reception: 6:30 pm
Program: 7:00 pm
Registered attendees, please enjoy free admission to the Sarofim Gallery now showing Weavers' Stories From Island Southeast Asia, today until the start of the program.
About Alejandro Chaoul
Alejandro Chaoul (PhD) teaches Tibetan meditation and mind-body techniques in various parts of the United States, Latin America, and Europe. He is currently an assistant professor and director of education at the Integrative Medicine Program at University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston. Alejandro is the author of Chöd Practice in the Bön Religion (2009) and author/co-author of various articles and book chapters, focusing on the role of mind-body practices in integrative cancer care and research, as well as Tibetan meditation and ritual practices within religious studies, humanities, and the intersection of humanities and medicine. He is also deeply committed to interfaith dialogue and is engaged with The Rothko Chapel and The Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance.
In collaboration with The Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance at Rice University. Asia Society Texas Center is funded in part by a grant from the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.