ART & CULTURE - LEVEL

We are honoured to announce an inspiring lecture led by Emma Slade, the only Western woman fully ordained in Bhutan, as well as a renowned teacher, charity founder, and former investment banker. In this session, Emma will guide us through profound perspectives on understanding the value of our lives, recognizing their impermanence, and exploring why the study of the dying process is central to Himalayan Buddhism. This talk connects deeply with our monthly theme, Passage of Time, offering a Buddhist lens on the fleeting nature of our time on Earth. Join us for this thought-provoking event followed by discussion with the audience.

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The talk will explore the concept of how the passage of time is frozen in art, examining how changing trends in art are influenced by the evolving times. We will delve into how artists act as mirrors to society, capturing moments that reflect the cultural, political, and social climates of their eras. The discussion will question how much we can truly understand or relate to art from past periods, given our different perspectives today. Focusing on iconic artists such as Warhol, Haring, Rosenquist, and Hockney, we will explore how their works document their times while continuing to resonate with us in the present.

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Like most Indigenous cultures, the Mayans (c. 200-900) developed a complex, multi-faceted explanation of their relationship to the natural world and the cosmos. This talk introduces (in very basic terms) the elements of the Mayan calendrical system as a way to begin to understand Mayan culture. After this introduction, we delve into artworks and architecture that give visual form to their concepts of time, the creation of the Mayan cosmos and the afterlife. Please note: this talk firmly dispels any myths associated with the Mayans. It argues that Mayan people, like all humans, were/ are exceedingly capable of creating complex systems/ explanations of our world.

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This lecture will delve into the complex and enduring questions surrounding the nature of God and the concept of time. We will explore the traditional theological understanding of God as eternal and unchanging, transcending the limitations of time. This will lead to a discussion of divine foreknowledge and providence, examining how God’s knowledge of future events relates to human free will.
Key questions to be addressed include: Does God exist within time or outside of it? Is God a mere observer of time’s passage, or is God actively involved in the temporal process? We will consider various philosophical and theological perspectives on these issues, including those of Augustine, Aquinas, and diverse modern thinkers such as Einstein and Heidegger. By the end of the lecture, participants will have gained a deeper appreciation of the intricate relationship between God and time, and the profound implications of these concepts for our understanding of the universe and our place within it.

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