Conference explores various eastern religions, traditions

Priests, professors and students represented seven different eastern religions in an… Priests, professors and students represented seven different eastern religions in an educational conference Wednesday night to share with Pitt students the fundamental beliefs and commonly misunderstood aspects of their particular faiths and cultural practices.

The Eastern Religions Conference, sponsored by the Hindu Student Council, featured speakers from Theravada Buddhism, Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Hinduism, Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism and Sufism in the William Pitt Union Assembly Room Wednesday night.

Hari Venkatachalam, president of the Hindu Student Council, and Nila Devanath, event coordinator, hosted the conference.

“The greater goal of this conference is to teach people about tolerance and understanding,” Venkatachalam said. “There is a belief and common basis to all religions.”

Nehinne Ariyagnana, chief monk of the Pittsburgh Buddhist Center, spoke about Theravada Buddhism and described it as a religion based on the eradication of all physical and mental sorrow and the belief that greed is the primary cause of all suffering.

“The Buddhist philosophy is to do as much good as possible, avoid wrongdoings and maintain a controlled mind,” Ariyagnana said.

Milica Bakic-Hayden, a professor of religious studies, was introduced next and spoke about Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

“The sources of Orthodox Christian tradition come from the holy scriptures, the liturgy, the councils, the saints and the icons,” Bakic-Hayden said.

Bakic-Hayden showed a video of Eastern Orthodox Christian priests conducting an Easter service at the Monastery of St. Catherine, built around what is believed to be Moses’s Burning Bush, at the base of Mt. Sinai.

The next speaker, Venkatram Dharmarajan, a teacher from Sri Venkateswara Temple, spoke about Hinduism. He began his speech with a prayer about courage, discipline, peace and enjoying life.

“If you really analyze life, all living beings are constantly in search of happiness,” Dharmarajan said. “Your real nature is actually godly, and if you can arrive at that nature, you will find happiness.”

Dharmarajan described Hinduism not as an organized religion but as a way of life.

“Hinduism is an experiential religion,” Dharmarajan said. “Its truth can be verified by all.”

Prabha Mohnot presented Jainism and the Jain Philosophy of Peace and Perfection. Mohnot said the core principles of Jainism are nonviolence, nonabsolutism and nonpossessiveness. She described the religion as strictly vegetarian and one that preaches kindness to all living things.

“Jainism is built into an understanding that we have to respect all forms of life,” Mohnot said.

Ravid Tills, a senior at Pitt with aspirations of becoming a rabbi, spoke next about Judaism and described the faith as the oldest and longest running monotheistic religion in the world. He described the reasons people observe the extensive behavioral, ethical and dietary laws of the faith.

“These laws are a way to focus and center ourselves on exactly what we should be doing,” Tills said. “They connect me to Judaism, connect me to God.”

The next speaker, Pitt junior Amar Mehta educated the audience about Sikhism, the fifth largest religion after Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Sikhism was founded in 1492 on the basis of equality and justice for all.

“Ninety-nine percent of people wearing turbans in America are Sikh, and they are often misunderstood and targeted because of their turbans,” Mehta said. “For the first three months after Sept. 11, 2001, more than 250 hate crimes were committed against Sikhs.”

The program concluded with Nusrath Ainapore, the outreach director of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, speaking about Islam and more specifically Sufism, a mystical branch of the faith. She described Islam as one of the fastest growing religions in the world.

“Islam means peace by submitting your will to God,” Ainapore said. “We believe there is one true God who has created all of us.”

The Hindu Student Council plans to make the Eastern Religions Conference an annual event.