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Our Life

Words with Gods

Wednesday, April 29, 2015
7:00 PM–8:30 PM
Free

“Our Life,” directed by Emir Kusturica

“An allegory of pointless and continued human suffering but also as an ode to human resilience and the transformative power of fully immersive toil.” ““ Hollywood Reporter

This film is about humanity, which has a God and it is the best idea that they have found. It is more than just speaking about Orthodox Christianity; it’s about making an image of a man who is always sacrificing himself for his own good and for his well mental being.

Followed by a conversation with neuroscientist Sonia Sequeira of the Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science and the Very Revd. Dr. John McGuckin

Presented with the Auburn Seminary and the Nalanda Institute of Contemplative Science.

About Words with Gods

“Words with Gods” are short cinematic meditations on faith and consciousness masterminded by writer-director Guillermo Arriaga. The full omnibus will have its theatrical release later in the year. Here is a chance to see five of the short films in advance. The screening for each individual short is followed by a rich dialogue between a faith practitioner and a mind scientist.

About the Speakers

Sonia Sequeira, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist and Manager of the Drug Development Program for Clinical Trials at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NYC. Sonia is also interested in using rigorous scientific methodologies to study how meditation practice, in its many forms, can be used to improve health in diverse populations. She spearheads the Advances in Meditation Research Conference Series and the Institute for Meditation Sciences. Sonia has been teaching yoga since 1997 and is a certified Instructor in Hatha, Kundalini and Naam Yoga.

John Anthony McGuckin is the Nielsen Professor of History at Union Theological Seminary, and Professor of Byzantine Religion at Columbia University. He is an Archpriest of the Orthodox Church, and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Society of Arts, of Great Britain. For more than 30 years he has taught at advanced level in numerous European and American University settings. He is a specialist in early medieval Christian thought and history who has published 25 books on topics ranging from New Testament history to Byzantine and Orthodox mysticism; several of which are award-winning volumes. He has long followed a special interest in the culture of monasticism. He is the recipient of the Romanian Order of St. Stephen, the Cross of Moldavia and Bukovina.

Tickets: $20.00

Member price: $18.00

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