Religious Scholar

June 19, 2006. The National Coalition of Independent Scholars (NCIS) met at Princeton University this past weekend. What a whirlwind of people, ideas, inspiration! Shana Penn described her transition from journalist to scholar as she explored the role of women in the Solidarity movement and the fall of Communism in Poland in the early 1990s. Ashwini Mokashi talked about the concept of the wise person in Seneca and the Bhagavad Gita. (Ashwini and I developed similar projects completely separately and almost simultaneously three or so years ago as we were completing our dissertations. A happy coincidence!) Terri McNichol of Princeton spoke of the service element in Eastern thought as epitomized by the Bodhisattva, who defers enlightenment in order to help all sentient beings. I asked Yosuf Wosk of Vancouver and Judith Klinghoffer of Cherry Hill about learning styles of individuals from various cultures during a reception in the Rare Books Section of the Princeton University Library. Is possible the Socratic-method-based West can learn from more reflective, respectful styles of learning and sharing knowledge developed in Eastern countries? And vice versa? The conference was a feast for the mind, an opening of the heart, the building of a community. --Linda Brown Holt