Date: May 29, 2016
Theme: East West Philosophers Conference (Honolulu, East West Center, U. Hawaii),
Two panels, Raimon Panikkar’s Intercultural Dialogue and Inter-space
(dia-topical) Hermeneutics
organized by Michiko Yusa and Young-chan Ro.
Raimon Panikkar, one of the pioneers of intercultural dialogue, developed the idea of “dia-topical hermeneutic” to explore the significance of “place” (topos) in understanding and interpreting religious and cultural traditions. For Panikkar, “place” or “space” plays a critical role in “understanding” and “interpretation” by crossing different geographical boundaries, cultural contexts, and religious traditions of the world. According to Panikkar, “dia-chronical hermeneutic,” i.e. interpretation across different periods of time through history within a socio-religious and cultural tradition, is commonly practiced, but we are now facing a new challenge to cross the cultural regions and geographical territories and relate different cultural “places” in order to engage in intercultural dialogue. In light of Raimon Panikkar’s “dia-topical” approach, the panel discussed the following topics:
1. The significance of “place” in “understanding” and “interpretation” of religious and cultural traditions.
2. Finding the importance of a “dia–topical” approach in engaging in the interpretation of different religions, cultures and civilizations.
3. Discovering different cosmologies found in different cultures and religions and engaging in a cross-cultural dialogue and a “dia-topical” interpretation. One’s way of relating to “space” shapes one’s way of understanding the universe or the cosmos, beyond a mere scientific cosmology, what Panikkar calls “kosmology.”
4. The panel also explored a broader and larger implication of Panikkar’s thoughts in relating to how the idea of “space” shapes the concept of “time.”
Speakers:
Michiko Yusa, “Topological Existence: Panikkar & Nishida“
Milena Pavan, “A Pilgrimage to the Sacred Place of Kailash“
Fred Dallmayr, “Thomas Merton & Panikkar on Buddhism“
Joseph Prabhu, “The Dialectic of Topos and Universality in Panikkar’s Diatopical Hermeneutics”
Gerard Hall, “The Pertinence of Panikkar’s Diatopical Hermeneutics for Intercultural Dialogue with Aboriginal Australians“
Young-chan Ro, “Experience of Space: Cosmologies in Dialogue“