His Holiness
Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami
His Holiness
Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami
His Holiness Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami (Dr. T. D. Singh) was born in Manipur, India in 1937. As a youth he dedicated himself to his studies. He overcame great personal hardships and the political and geographical isolation of Manipur to eventually study in the United States.
He
received his Ph. D. in physical organic chemistry from the University of
California at Irvine in 1974. Dr. Singh is the international director of the
Bhaktivedanta Institute, which encourages dialogue between the scientific and
philosophical communities, while researching the nature of life and
consciousness in relation to the Vedantic paradigm.
He
has organized two major international conferences. The First World Conference
for Synthesis of Science and Religion was attended by more than
1,100 world religious leaders and prominent scientists (including seven Nobel
laureates in Science). His Holiness the Dalai Lama was the Chief Guest of the
congress. The Second World Conference for Synthesis of Science and Religion was
attended by more than 2,000 world religious leaders, prominent scientists,
philosophers and educationists from all over the world. Prof. Charles Townes –
Nobel laureate, Academician of the Vatican, and physicist from the University of
California at Berkley, U.S.A., was the keynote speaker.
His
field of interests include, Interfacing between Science and Spirituality
(Religion), Science and Global Ethics, Science and Vedanta, Bio-medical Ethics,
Scientific and Philosophical study of Life and Origin. He is starting this
University of Bhagavata Culture in Imphal, Manipur, India which will promote the
Universal scientific and philosophical relevance of the teachings of
Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Vedanta and other Vedic literatures within the
framework of modern cultural and educational milieu for the welfare of humanity.
Recently
he delivered a one-hour presentation ‘Vedanta and the role of Humankind in the
Cosmos’ at the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions, Capetown,
South Africa, in Dec 1999. He is also the regional Coordinator of URI (United
Religions Initiative), since 1997, which constitutes an approximate parallel to
the United Nations for the world’s great religions and faith communities and
has launched successful projects in 60 countries and created organizational
structures worldwide for inter-religious cooperation.
As
an educator he supervises the instruction of more than three thousand students
at seven different schools in North-Eastern India. He is the author of several
books, including What is Matter?/What is Life? and Theobiology (a
ground breaking in the field of bio-ethics) and is the editor of Synthesis of
Science and Religion: Critical Essays and Dialogues.
He
is also an accomplished singer, instrumentalist, and poet. From his early
childhood he was deeply influenced by the art, music, and dance that surrounded
him. Dr. Singh founded Ranganiketan, Center for Manipuri Cultural Arts, in 1989
to expose the exotic traditions of Manipur to the rest of the world as well as
to preserve Manipur’s unique cultural heritage. In all the activities of his
multifaceted life he demonstrates a special concern for and devotion to humanity
and understanding.