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Zen Mind, Vegetal Mind

April 3, 2024
"As a Zen Buddhist, I regard these questions not simply as theoretical issues to be determined by doctrine but as lived inquiries illuminated through practice. I have long felt a profound kinship with plants, one that first called me to a decade-long career in environmental policy and, most recently, into graduate work at Harvard Divinity School," writes MDiv candidate Rachael Petersen.
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The Stories behind the Theses

March 28, 2024

Abstract art has long served as a vessel for artists — think Hilma af Klint or Wassily Kandinsky — to explore religion and spirituality. Isabel Haro ’24, a concentrator in art, film, and visual studies with a secondary in music, was inspired to pursue a thesis that explored this topic after taking the course “Spiritual Paths to Abstract Art” with Professor Ann Braude at HDS. Haro, who practices Buddhism, wanted to create a collection of work inspired by her own experiences.

Harvard Divinity School students took part in a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of their course "The Museum as a Buddhist Institution" led by HDS faculty member Charles Hallisey. Photo by Huayu Liu

Harvard Divinity Scholar, Student Explore Museums as Sites for Buddhist Ministry

March 25, 2024

This interview is one in an ongoing series exploring the intersection of art and religion in HDS courses.

How can we imagine a better world from within our current context? When Charles Hallisey, MDiv ’78, and Molly Silverstein, MDiv ’22, began discussing their Harvard Divinity School course “The Museum as a Buddhist Institution,” this question directed their investigations and collaboration.... Read more about Harvard Divinity Scholar, Student Explore Museums as Sites for Buddhist Ministry

Rachel Mallett is a first-year master of divinity student

Student Explores People, Traditions, and 'Ultimate Concern' at Harvard Divinity

March 1, 2024

“I resonate with Paul Tillich’s conception of religion as dealing with the ‘ultimate concern.’ Religion, for me, is a way of harnessing that which we are all ultimately concerned with, in both a tangible sense and a metaphysical one. In other words, we all have an inclination toward fulfillment, and it is necessary for us to feel meaningfully connected with our own life and community, whether or not we believe one thing over another.”... Read more about Student Explores People, Traditions, and 'Ultimate Concern' at Harvard Divinity

Swami Chidekananda, who joined the Hindu Monastic Fellowship Program sponsored by Harvard Divinity School, stands in front of Swartz Hall. Photo by Swami Sachidananda Saraswati

Hindu Monastic at Harvard Divinity School Lives to Learn

February 14, 2024

In many ways, Swami Chidekananda grew up as an “all-American kid.” Raised in Los Angeles, California, his father was a UCLA microbiology professor for more than 40 years, and Chidekananda made the all-star team as a shortstop in baseball. On the inside, though, he felt tension as a first-generation Indian American still very much immersed in the rich Hindu spirituality with which his mother bestowed him.... Read more about Hindu Monastic at Harvard Divinity School Lives to Learn

Rajeev Persaud speaking at a microphone

A Hindu Priest on Finding His Path at Harvard Divinity School

November 17, 2023

Rajeev Persaud plans to go to law school but wanted to explore religious studies formally before pursuing a legal career. His faith has been the foundation for his life for as long as he can remember. As a practicing Hindu priest for the Guyanese community in the Greater Toronto area, he values the responsibility of performing sacred rituals, keeping the culture intact, and sharing traditions across generations.... Read more about A Hindu Priest on Finding His Path at Harvard Divinity School

Shariah Anderson standing outside or Swartz Hall

Biblical Scholarship and Kinship: An HDS Student’s Perspective

November 17, 2023

Shariah Anderson remembers being five years old when she “very consciously accepted Jesus Christ” into her life as an “ever-present friend.” As a child, she enjoyed learning more about Jesus with her family and through Scripture, where she saw Jesus as a loving safe haven. As she grew older, Anderson began taking note of how Jesus and religion were talked about in more public settings.... Read more about Biblical Scholarship and Kinship: An HDS Student’s Perspective

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