Events
Richard L. Thompson Book Club Reading Group Series: Thompson (1947–2008), also know as Sadaputa das, was a founding member of the Bhaktivedanta Institute who published numerous technical papers, essays, and books dealing with the relationship between science and Vedānta. He extensively investigated ancient Indian astronomy, cosmology, and spirituality, and developed multimedia expositions on these topics. This book club reading group series systematically explores Thompson's writings, with an aim toward developing a deeper appreciation of his pioneering work, and its implications concerning further research.
Mysteries of the Sacred Universe: The Cosmology of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa
Date: September 7, 2024 – May 2025; BIHS library, Gainesville FL (11 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. EST)
The Richard L. Thompson Book Club Reading Group is planning a series on Mysteries of the Sacred Universe (2000), hosted at the BIHS library in Gainesville, Florida, and on Zoom, at 11am – 12:30 pm EST on alternate Saturdays. This is the fourth work offered in an ongoing series.
This event is open to the public and available on Zoom. CLICK HERE for more details, event schedule, and Zoom info.
Parallels [Alien Identities]: Ancient Insights into Modern UFO Phenomena
Date: February 3 – July 27, 2024; BIHS library, Gainesville FL (11 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. EST)
The Richard L. Thompson Reading Group is facilitating a series on Parallels: Ancient Insights into Modern UFO Phenomena (1993), hosted at the BIHS library in Gainesville, Florida, 11am – 12:30 pm EST on alternate Saturdays. This is the third work offered in an ongoing series.
Vedic Cosmography and Astronomy (1989)
Date: July 1 – November 4, 2023; Gainesville, Florida
Thompson (1947–2008), a founding member of the Bhaktivedanta Institute, published many technical papers, articles for Back to Godhead (BTG), and numerous books dealing with the relationship between science and Vedānta. He extensively investigated ancient Indian astronomy, cosmology, and spirituality, and developed multimedia expositions on these topics. This lecture series is systematically exploring Sadaputa’s books in chronological order, with an aim toward developing a deeper understanding of his pioneering work and its implications concerning further research.
Mechanistic and Nonmechanistic Science (1981)
Date: February 4 – June 10, 2023; Gainesville, Florida
Richard Thompson, a founding member of the Bhaktivedanta Institute, published numerous technical papers and books dealing with the relationship between science and Vedānta. He extensively investigated ancient Indian astronomy, cosmology, and spirituality, and developed multimedia expositions on these topics.This lecture series we will systematically explore Mechanistic and Nonmechanistic Science (1981), with an aim toward developing a deeper understanding of his pioneering work and its implications concerning further research.
Vedic Cosmology Conference
Date: November 17–19, 2023; Gainesville, Florida
The Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies hosted an international conference in November, 2023 that drew upon its prior workshops concerning contemporary as well as traditional research into the mysteries of the Puranic concept of “universe.” One of the primary objectives of this conference was to present this work to a broader audience in a disciplined scholarly manner.
Vedic Cosmology Workshop III
Date: February 19–20, 2022; Gainesville, Florida
This workshop discussed ongoing research into the nature of spacetime and the origin and fate of the universe from a Purāṇic perspective. Both empirical and philosophical gaps are becoming more and more appreciated and acknowledged by the working scientific community. Therefore, it is paramount for devotee scholars to collaborate with the intention of developing a broad mathematical and experiential framework consistent with both traditional Indic and modern scientific cosmology.
Vedic Cosmology Workshop II
Date: November 21-22, 2020; Gainesville, Florida
The workshop aimed to develop a unified framework for intellectual discourse involving 5th Canto Purāṇic cosmographical models. It considered existing models in the light of such a framework while exploring new research with the potential to enhance the already rich tradition of scholarship surrounding this important topic.
Vedic Cosmology Workshop I
Date: October 31 – November 2, 2019; Gainesville, Florida
This workshop explored the past, present, and future study of Puranic cosmography within ISKCON, as it relates to the ongoing development of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
Seminar on the Cosmology of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa
Date: May 19 – 21, 2017; Alachua, Florida
The Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies presented this workshop to cultivate insight into the mysteries of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa’s description of Vedic cosmography, as well as to equip participants to meet the challenge of presenting Śrīla Prabhupāda’s vision of the Purāṇic universe in an understandable way.